Getting into an elite college is insanely competitive, writes David L. Kirp, a Berkeley professor and author of the The College Dropout Scandal, in the New York Times.
Stanford University
The solution is to create more seats for more students, he writes in Why Stanford Should Clone Itself.
Worried about too many students from wealthy families, Stanford faculty want applicants to reveal how much help they received with their application, reports Inside Higher Ed. The Faculty Senate also wants to track parental wealth and philanthropic support.
Hiring a college consultant is trivial, writes Kirp. “From the moment they enter exclusive preschools, which cost upwards of $30,000 annually, through their cosseted years at Saint Grottlesex prep schools or top-ranked high schools, wealthy students are being groomed for elite universities.” (That leaves out summer enrichment.)
Last year, Stanford admitted 5 percent of its applicants, which makes it one of the most selective universities in the nation. Even applicants with near-perfect SAT scores have only a 7 percent shot at being admitted.
. . . Most enterprises where demand far outstrips supply would seize the opportunity to expand. A handful of public universities like Arizona State have done precisely that. Last fall, ASU enrolled more than 128,000 undergraduate and graduate students at campuses across the state and online. Even as ASU has become bigger and more egalitarian — the number of undergraduates from low-income families has increased nearly 300 percent since 2002 — it has also gotten better. The percentage of students who earn a bachelor’s degree has climbed to 69 percent, well above the national average.
Kirp proposes that the most in-demand universities open new campuses in the U.S. to expand undergraduate enrollment. “If Yale can open a campus in Singapore, why can’t it start one in Houston?” he asks.
There are plenty of highly capable students out there.
If you could start a new university — imagine some billionaire picking up the start-up costs — what would it be like?
Update: Michael Petrilli suggests cloning exam schools, which are turning away hundreds of well-qualified students. Instead of fighting over how to fill a limited number of seats, create new schools for achievers.