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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]That is a significant difference between the SAT and athletics. With athletics, nothing else matters[/quote]

That is actually not true. Admitted athletes are more than qualified academically and they have the added value to the school of also being outstanding in a particular sport. Just as an admitted oboe or cello player may be more than qualified academically and have the added value to the school of outstanding musical ability.

All the evidence I have seen shows that athletes at these schools are more than qualified academically. And, admittedly anecdotally, I have known a number of students from public schools in NoVa who were admitted because they were outstanding both in academics and athletics.

Could you find evidence of applicants who are “more” qualified academically but are not outstanding musicians or athletes? Of course you can. But why admit someone who is talented in only one area when you can admit someone who is talented in two areas and has the ability to contribute to the quality of the college experience for all the other students in the community?

It makes sense, when you only have so many spaces available, to admit students who will contribute in more than one area, so you have more return on your investment in that student, rather than one who is talented in only academics but nothing else. 
[/quote]

If you think just scraping over the bar makes you more than qualified (and your anecdotal evidence can probably be countered by students in NoVa public schools who didn't get admitted but were better on every other attribute), then you're adopting a model of admissions that says that once you scrape over the bar of academics, then the college can use other factors to differentiate students.  That's fair, and I think it's what they're doing.  I don't think it's fair, but it's ultimately not my call.

I do think you overreach in other ways, but that's a matter of what we think the subjective values are of particular things.

I'll leave you with this from the study:

"To make this more precise, consider a white, non-ALDC applicant who has only a 1% chance of admission. If this applicant were treated as a recruited athlete, the admission probability would
increase to 98%. [b]Being a recruited athlete essentially guarantees admission even for the least-qualified applicants.[/b]"

I'm just not convinced this is a good thing.  [/quote]

If you are one dimensional you have a 1% chance of admission. If you are smart and athletic and are going to contribute to the community for 4 years, you have a 98% chance of admission.

I'm just not convinced this is a bad thing. [/quote]

You assume they are smart.  That is an assumption that is not borne out by the study.  They also did the coefficients in reverse and found:

"An athlete who has an 86% probability of admission—the average rate among athletes—would have only a 0.1% chance of admission absent the athlete tip"

Harvard can have sports teams without preferring athletes in the admissions process.  they might suck more than they do now, but they suck pretty hard now.   
[/quote]

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