大學既然如此重要,如 何成功闖關、得到名牌大學的青睞自然發展成一種「家庭工業」(cottage industry)。所謂知己知彼,家長要幫孩子考入他們心儀的大學,必須了解大學的收生政策(admission policy)。要知道的,不只是大學想招收什麼學生;還要明白它硬起心腸,要拒諸門外的是甚麼學生,這點很關鍵。名牌大學之所以是名牌大學,不是因為它 教出最好的學生,而是因為它吸納最好的學生。它們的座右銘是:If you want to graduate winners, you have to admit winners——如果踏出校門的名牌大學畢業生多數是成功人士,那是因為他們在踏入校門的時候已經是成功人士。
報讀 名牌大學是一個遊戲,家長想贏,便要明白它的遊戲規則。在《雀屏中選:哈佛、耶魯和普林斯頓招生與拒收學生不為人知的歷史》(The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale and Princeton)一書,美國社會學家卡拉貝(Jerome Karabel) 詳述美國名校怎樣利用其「極具辨識力」與「頗有歧視色彩」的收生和排外政策,來建立和鞏固它們的名牌大學地位。
I have not figured out your obvious reason for your argument.
let me state mine:
Life is already full of inequality. There is however one thing equal - everyone is given 24hours a day. More time on road to school means less time in resting, extracurricular activity, study and/or family gathering.
The alumni parents may not care about their or their kids' time, but they deprive other kids of a chance of getting into a school within their proximity. They are forcing others to travel longer distance as a result of their self righteousness.
Lastly, Old money has not been proven to be genetically superior to the average mortal. They get an upper hand cus they are in charge of resource distribution. Will they outperform the average mortal if resources are distributed equally? Not necessary.
Want to get into a certain school? Stay nearby it. By all means.
and you have to fight for your rights. no one owe you anything, the schools do not owe you a vacancy. if you find travelling time consuming, you can settle for a "lousier" school, no one forces you to squeeze your head into top schools.
the schools have their own interest to protect, for the very top schools, alumni parents are more likely to be supportive of the school and provide family environment condusive for producing good students. top schools are not black boxes that any input will givw you a good output, they ensure they have good output by taking in good input.
you are right about old money having more resources, and the government wants to counter that, that meritocracy cannot be jeopardized by eliticism, but would that be easily done? before that is achieved, you have to live with the fact that kids from privileged families have better resource and better chance of success, not because they are genetically superior.
as for my obvious reasons, i have explained in my oher posts, the government wont be so foolish to drive the property market crazy this way.
want to get into a certain school? marry an alumni/ staff, by all means.
1) Agreed, life is mostly of time, about inequality.
2) It is nature for less resourced seeking for more social equality and more resourced protecting their existing territory. Like what you said “you can settle for a "lousier" school, no one forces you to squeeze your head into top schools”. Given no choice, the less resourced has to settle for less. That is the current fact, but this does not justify its rationality.
3) Alumni descents do not equal better 'input”. I have to disagree with you on this.
4) The government has not removed this legacy system not for the reason that they are concerned about prices around the top school area. Property overheat? come on it is already here, with or without legacy system. The government has amber of cooling measures in mind, if they want to.
5) No one will marry someone for the reason you suggested. I know it is joke though.