[mochomocha]

This is a very good summary of my own thoughts regarding the Supreme Court ruling.

The American obsession with race in this specific case translates into focusing on a more superficial problem and polarizing the debate, as opposed to finding an easier solution to the bigger problem of ALDC admissions (namely: ban them), which I assume would be less controversial.

[naveen99]

They should just increase the price of admission for non merit based spots. but the universities want to take the money as a “donation” instead of cost of goods, so the parents can save on taxes as well and donate twice as much. maybe tuition should be tax deductible for everyone instead.

[mochomocha]

No they shouldn't: anything that's "pay for play" is morally bankrupt. It reinforces the stigma that there are different rules for the rich in this country.

Bribery of congressmen (a.k.a lobbying) or university deans (ALDC admissions) are forms of legal corruptions. You might argue that a private institution can do whatever it wants, and I agree. But in this case it should get 0 tax benefits/subsidies, esp. when they have $B+ endowments.

[balderdash]

They basically already do. It’s called people that pay full tuition (and subsidize people that don’t - full usually doesn’t mean cost, it means cost+). Private universities are typically only using legacy status to add a slight advantage to candidates that are in the paying full freight pool (I.e. they’re not giving a spot to a below average legacy candidate that needs financial aid)

[tnecniv]

They certainly give away a few of those spots, but the price is a significant donation that will cover more than one student who needs financial aid, and the Ivies give very generous aid to those that need it. I know more than one person that chose an Ivy because they got significantly more aid than from other elite schools to which they were accepted.

[naveen99]

Full tuition is still merit based admission in theory. I mean there should be a quoted price for completely merit blind admissions.

[theGnuMe]

They accept Federal research dollars so they should be governed by federal admission guidelines and standards.

[88913527]

Demand for exclusive institutions by the elite won't go away if you ban legacy admissions. Expect some new unaccredited institution to open up, and that's where they'll attend.

[mochomocha]

Good! Everyone will know these new institutions are full of rich people instead of full of smart people, so the job market value of the diplomas they issue will be priced as such (~ 0).

[GuB-42]

Which will be terrible for both the rich and the smart.

The rich don't need diplomas, if they can just take over the family's business. In fact they don't even need a job at all. But they may need a few smart people for important positions in said family's business. In an institution composed of both rich and smart people, connections naturally form, so the rich get the smart people they need, and the smart get a good job.

Separate them what will happen is that your future boss will not be as well educated, and will probably hire some of his rich friends instead of his smart friends. And the smart will have a harder time finding the jobs they deserve.

[missedthecue]

Implying people don't know this about Harvard. Yet the market value of a degree in practically any discipline is quite high.