Review of Meritocracy and the university: Selective admission in England and the United States

Abstract

"Who gets into elite universities, how and why? What are places like Harvard in the United States or Cambridge in England looking for when they admit undergraduate students? What qualities do selectors value and how do they decide between many applicants with often stellar attainment records? And, are we all better off because of who these elite universities admit? Meritocracy and the University provides an insight into the world of university admissions. Based on interviews with professional admissions staff and academic faculty members who select students, the book explains what selectors value and how they make decisions. By shining a light on the world of university admissions in England and in the United States, readers are invited to reflect on the similarities and differences in who selects and how selection is done, the purpose and mission of universities, and the challenges universities face in building fair admissions processes when earlier opportunities to shine in education are unequally distributed"-- "Based on a hundred interviews with some of the key stakeholders in university admissions, and statistics from both primary and secondary sources, this book explains the values, processes and practices that judge some individuals as worthy of getting an education at elite universities and deny admission to other applicants. By juxtaposing the UK and US systems the book invites readers from both sides of the Atlantic to see the familiar as strange and to reflect on the underlying values behind the selection of students. It illustrates how particular discussions of meritocracy affect individuals and relate to the history and social climate of each nation"-- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Who is this book written for? -- Why do you look at elite universities in England and the United States? -- Which universities are represented in this book? -- Where and when did you undertake your research? -- Do you say who you have talked to for this project? -- Did you have permission to undertake the research? -- What sorts of questions did you ask the selectors? -- Who paid for the research? Has the funding or anyone else influenced what you found in this project? Chapter 3 Selecting for Academic Success -- United States -- England -- Contextualizing attainment -- Chapter summary -- Chapter 4 Special Interest Cases -- Athletics -- Legacies -- Race -- Region -- Special talents -- Extracurricular -- Socio-economic -- Schooling -- Extenuating circumstances -- Chapter summary -- Chapter 5 Applying -- Timing of application -- The elements of an application -- Achievement information -- References/recommendations -- Essays/personal statement -- Alumni interviews -- Academic interviews -- Personal information -- Chapter summary. Chapter 6 Selecting -- Reading -- Committee -- Deliberation -- Shaping the class -- Offers -- Yield -- Chapter summary -- Chapter 7 Challenges in Decision-Making -- Not selective enough -- Drawing lines where there are none -- The art of deselection -- Incommensurability, relational standards and luck -- Uncertainty and evidence -- Procedural fairness -- Legal compliance -- Governance -- Cooperation and competition -- Engaging with the media -- Chapter summary -- Chapter 8 Fair Admission in the Context of Inequality -- The challenge of differences in families and schooling. Tackling admission in the context of inequality -- Widening the application pool: Outreach -- Using Holistic and contextual admissions -- Changing the cost of higher education -- Changing how elite higher education is viewed -- Remaining challenges -- Chapter summary -- Chapter 9 So What? -- Some things we have learnt about admission -- Some things we have not learnt about admissions -- What are the relative merits of pre-qualification systems? -- Does it matter whether academics or professionals select students? -- How does the implied student model affect admission? Why did you write this book? Do you have a personal interest in the topic that may have influenced your writing? -- How confident can your readers be in the accuracy of your description of the admissions process? -- Structure of the book -- Chapter 1 Meet the Selectors -- United States -- England -- Chapter summary -- Chapter 2 The Aims of Admission -- The purpose of the university -- Admitting ' the best ' -- Making a contribution and using opportunities -- Models of learning -- Admitting groups, admitting individuals -- Numbers -- Chapter summary.