Argument essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Argument - Essay Example scribes the preference given by educational institutions to certain applicants on the basis of their familial relationship to alumni of that institution. There is a long history of legacy admissions at American universities and colleges. Ivy League institutions such as Yale, Harvard etc. are estimated to admit 10% to 15% of freshmen based upon this factor. (Lexington). Harvard actually has special levels of legacy preference, methodically and elaborately distorting its standards on behalf of its alumni. The family of middle-class alumni enjoys a modest edge; the children of major donors receive double preference in the case of admissions. (Daniel Golden) This fact is confirmed by national surveys conducted by American Association of College Registrars and Admission Officers showing that legacy admissions are made at both public and private institutions. Also supporting are the statistics that show the percentages of legacies in different colleges that are definitely more than affirmative action admissions- Notre Dame 23%, Harvard 11%, University of Pennsylvania 14%, Princeton 11% and University of Virginia 11%. (Howell & Turner) Colleges should not give any preference to those who are more likely to have other socioeconomic advantages anyway, such as the children of alumni. Admissions should be made strictly on the ground of merit and exceptions should be made only on morally acceptable grounds such as talent and underprivileged class or race etc. A great example of the injustice of the legacy system is George W. Bush who was admitted at Yale in 1964 with an average grade of C and SAT verbal score of 566 just because he was a third generation legacy. How do you justify that? His admission and of those like him reduces the admission chances of meritous students who expend enormous effort in getting good grades or honing special talents this practice also uses up seats reserved for affirmative action admissions of blacks and others. Affirmative action refers to