[OkayPhysicist]

You're completely missing the point of private universities. The value proposition isn't in a better education: they offer a marginally, if it all, better education than equivalent tier public schools.

What they offer is connections. Those rich kids whose parents bribed their way in? Extremely valuable connection to make. That's why private universities do the whole "eye-watering ticket price, but most students have some level of merit-based scholarship" setup. Mingling the talented and the well-connected is an extremely valuable proposition for everybody involved. If you're looking for a school made of exclusively meritocratic gifted scholars, that's what elite public schools like Cal are for. But if you want a school that creates the most opportunities for success, private schools are where that's at.

[djur]

Yes, this is why the elite private schools must be forced to admit by lottery.

[ywvcbk]

Wouldn’t that destroy their whole value proposition (both for the poor but talented and the rich but not as gifted)?

At that point you might as well abolish private universities altogether, because what’s their point?

[djur]

If the only point of private universities is to create and maintain a permanent ruling class, then absolutely they should be abolished. But I don't think that's the case. There are many non-elite private universities in the US.

[lazide]

Yup.

Hint: most of the people pushing for these things would be perfectly fine with that. But won’t admit it.

[djur]

I'll gladly admit it. Harvard and Yale are antidemocratic institutions and their power needs to be shattered.

[musicale]

Since when do public universities not practice donor admissions?