Reply to Ivy League results so far? who is making it in?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm the white mom of a white kid, and I'm a little tired of all the sniping about Ivy League affirmative action.

Affirmative action is at least as important for the white kids in a school as it is for the URM kids.

Our children may never have to do complicated math when they grow up. They may not have to read novels or poetry for work, or know what atoms are in a methane molecule. But they will all have to interact with different kinds of people. Being able to do that well could be a matter of life or death. In a country like the United States, intentionally operating monocultural schools is a grave mistake.

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What about those who can interact with people just as well but can also do complicated math and understand atoms and molecules? Do they not deserve to go to top schools just because of their skin color?[/quote]

Diversity is marginally valuable for the humanities and social sciences but is irrelevant for STEM fields. If AA is to have any meaningful impact on the college experience for all students there needs to be social integration on campus so students can learn from one another outside the classroom.  But campuses are so segregated with special interest housing, clubs and social organizations not to mention self segregation by race in dining halls and friend groups that it makes a mockery of the program and reduces it to a simple admissions handicap......that’s all.[/quote]

a. Re - Ivy results - My kid's at a public high school with a great, genuinely diverse student body and extremely uneven teachers. For the 2017-2018 academic year, the school got about 3% of its seniors into the nearest Ivy. I think that a lot of highly selective schools may see glomming on to kids from a fun, diverse, nearby high school as a way to add diversity, serve the local community and bring in some lively kids all at the same time.

b. Re - diversity and STEM:

You're making a reasonable argument, but, in my opinion, diversity has more importance in STEM fields than you recognize.

- Diversity has an obvious value in medicine, biology and anthropology.

- A lot of people who start out in math, physics and astronomy are going to end up working in economics sooner or later. I think knowing a broad range of people is extremely helpful to anyone involved in economics.

- I temped for a couple of extremely successful physicists for a few weeks one summer, and I think that exposure to diversity is also useful to people in the pure hard sciences. First, because top research centers attract scholars from all around the world, and, second, because top scientists are really managers of grant application and project management offices. The very top scientists may spend most of their time schmoozing members of Congress, congressional aides and foundation chiefs, in an effort to attract research grants and money for new labs, observatories, etc. The ideal top scientist knows how to do science, and to charm Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and to charm Republican and Democratic leaders and aides in Congress. [/quote]

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