Greg Roberts, dean of admissions at the University of Virginia, opened Thursday’s first session by speaking on “access and opportunity for low-income high school students.” Roberts was returning to his alma mater; he graduated from Wake Forest in 1988 and received an MAEd in 1990. […]
Categories: Conference Session (day 2)
Good morning! The “Rethinking Admissions” conference at Wake Forest will resume soon. Yesterday was a fascinating day, with an impressive line-up of speakers, highlighted by Dan Golden’s keynote address, “Slumdog Ivy Leaguer.” Today’s sessions will begin with a panel discussion, “Accessing the High School Record.”
Categories: Conference Session (day 2)
Dan Golden, author of “The Price of Admission,” gave a stinging indictment of the admissions practices of colleges and universities for favoring students from wealthy families, children of alumni and athletes. He estimated those students make up a third to 40 percent of the student […]
Categories: Conference Session (day 1), General Conference Updates
Wake Forest President Nathan Hatch questioned Golden’s contention that universities offer preference to children of alumni only for monetary reasons. What about loyalty that transcends how much people give, he asked. Golden answered that if the system were changed, if schools made it clear that […]
Categories: Conference Session (day 1), General Conference Updates
Golden said he had ambivalent positions on the SAT, and noted that he had not taken a position on it in his book. Anything would be better than basing decisions on wealth, though, he said. “Opponents of the SAT often talk as if it’s the […]
Categories: Conference Session (day 1), General Conference Updates
Golden noted that a movement is underway to stop the preferences of privilege, with several lawsuits working their way through the courts. What would an end to preferences mean? “It would open more slots for students of demonstrated intellectual brilliance or creative talent, and more […]
Categories: Conference Session (day 1), General Conference Updates
Joseph Soares, associate professor of sociology at Wake Forest, says he was very impressed and pleased by the research reported by Prof. Tom Espenshade, Princeton University. “By using Mellon Foundation data and running simulations of different admissions policies, he showed that our policy of using […]
Categories: Conference Session (day 1), General Conference Updates
The best question of the day came from an AP reporter who asked Donahue, Guttentag and Cash if their schools were going to stop requiring the SAT for admission, as Wake Forest has done. Donahue said that for right now Harvard considers the SAT as […]
Categories: Conference Session (day 1), General Conference Updates
Christoph Guttentag, dean of admissions at Duke University, led off the session on “Crafting a Freshman Class.” His specific topic was on athletics and admissions, but he had a larger meaning beyond athletics. Every school, every team, defines “success” in its own way, and its […]
Categories: Conference Session (day 1), General Conference Updates
Sally Donahue, director of financial aid and senior admissions officer at Harvard, talked about efforts Harvard has undertaken to enroll a more diverse student-body. “Nationally there is a growing divide between those who come from families with resources and those who don’t.” She noted the […]
Categories: Conference Session (day 1), General Conference Updates