kellymar t1_is9glav wrote
Reply to comment by zimtrovert94 in Accepted (2021) - A school in Louisiana is celebrated for putting traditionally underserved students into Ivy League colleges, but an investigation uncovers its charismatic founder's controversial methods (CC) [01:22:56] by thesecondfire
That’s a problem at many colleges, and not just with minority students. I’ve worked at two top tier colleges (one Ivy), and professors often complained about the quality of our students. Some students had to take remedial math and writing classes. We always wondered how they got admitted. Likely legacies.
planesflyfast t1_is9kxsy wrote
More likely not. People from that background are very often well educated and within their own social hierarchy well disciplined. I went to a pretty subpar public high school that always had one or two kids admitted to ivy league schools because they were presented as "Look what a shitty school this kid went to and see how smart they are despite of all that." It rarely went well. A few friends that recieved full ride scholarships to respectable universities both flunked out by the second semester. It's because the standards in high school were basically just show up and don't get in trouble.
kellymar t1_isaris4 wrote
I have a friend who is a reading specialist in a wealthy NJ school district. Parents will routinely complain to her that there is a mistake. They are doctors/lawyers/scientists, etc., and their children can’t possibly be struggling. She has to explain that it’s not a reflection on them. Even wealthy kids sometimes struggle. It doesn’t mean that they are stupid and it’s not a reflection of their parenting. But you’re right, wealthy kids certainly have more educational advantages, including access to private tutors.
PartyPorpoise t1_isax661 wrote
One interesting aspect of reading is that “background knowledge” plays a big part in reading comprehension. Kids from wealthy backgrounds tend to have more exposure to knowledge and information not just in school, but in their home life too.
PartyPorpoise t1_isao46z wrote
Yeah, at a shitty high school, a reasonably intelligent kid can make good grades without a lot of effort. The numbers look good, but they didn’t learn a lot.
Opening_Ad_3242 t1_isa7dh2 wrote
You still have to have high grades, test scores and extra curriculars to get in as a legacy. My friend applied to Notre Dame as a legacy (grandfather and father went there). Had a 3.8, 1400s on his SAT and was class president and played Varsity Tennis. Did not get in. I could have applied as a legacy too but had a 2.9 and would not even have had a chance. These schools don't just go "oh he's a legacy, come on in!". There's a finite number of people they take every year and there are plenty of legacies with perfect GPAs, high test scores and tons of extra curriculars to choose from.
Kobold_Archmage t1_isb33wo wrote
Should’ve donated more
ishipbrutasha t1_isbxxkn wrote
I know, right?
Opening_Ad_3242 t1_isciw01 wrote
They actually do donate and still do. The fact is, there's shit loads of legacies for them to choose from and many of them have perfect records, legacies who don't try hard aren't gonna make the cut, even legacies that do work hard don't make it.
mr_ji t1_isa95ox wrote
That's completely illogical. Legacies are typically going to come from successful, well-educated backgrounds and thrive. If this documentary is any indication, it's that the schools care more about artificial diversity than scholastic competency and students like this are the ones set up to fail when they actually have to perform. And many schools have said or demonstrated exactly that, like Harvard or the entire CA state system.
You can't fix issues in primary education in college unless you're willing to let the whole point of college change from enhancing education to being a poorly-executed social experiment, and the results speak for themselves.
PartyPorpoise t1_isanaib wrote
Grade inflation is a common problem in American public schools. The academic standards are so low that any reasonably intelligent student can get a good grade without much effort. A lot of kids pass without doing much work at all.
Marchesa-LuisaCasati t1_isohon0 wrote
My sister is a high school math teacher and she said they're specifically told they aren't permitted to fail more than 10% of their class in any given semester. She said she hands out A's to students who honestly try regardless of whether they succeed in math. She's been "counseled" at work for "giving" out too many D's....she had the point out the kids were all actually failing.
PartyPorpoise t1_isp5czv wrote
I did some substitute teaching and at some high schools, many of the kids can barely read or write. Yet they’re still encouraged to go to college.
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