Why legacy admissions do more harm than good
by Taylor P.-H.
With this being the last year for many Airport High School students, including mine, many are looking forward to the next step in their educational journey with college. In light of this, many colleges over the years have decided to discontinue the use of legacy admission. The topic of legacy admissions has been one of heavy debate over the years, and for good reason; legacy admissions have many causes and effects, with most of them being quite negative.
Legacy admissions give a preferential boost to a student’s odds of admission to a college, with students receiving a boost due to them having familial ties, usually to a parent or grandparent who was an alumnus of the college. While legacy admissions have had a long history at esteemed institutions, like Harvard University, this practice over the years has been under increasing scrutiny due to its negative impact on many important aspects of colleges like diversity and fairness.
Most importantly, legacy admissions lack diversity. Legacy admissions have a high chance of benefiting upper to middle-class alumni at a disproportionate rate, potentially causing a continuous circle of privilege and limiting the diversity of students across campus. It is said that legacy students are usually from an affluent, white background.
An article from Forbes, posted in July of this year, describes the current state of students who get accepted into college based on legacy admissions pointing to discrepancies in which race legacy admissions tend to the privileged. In the article, Forbes writes that: “at selective institutions that take legacy relationships into account, 59% of undergraduates are white, compared to 51% at those institutions that don’t consider legacy status. A lower percentage of Hispanic students (12%) were enrolled at schools with legacy preferences compared to those not using such a policy (15%).” In other words, legacy admissions seem to favor students of Caucasian backgrounds much more than any other racial group--this disparages the fairness and diversity of legacy admissions in a very crucial way.
Another negative factor that comes with legacy admissions is financial favoritism. Legacy admissions have a high chance of benefiting students from upper to middle classes; this can cause a continuous pattern of financial privilege across campus. According to a study on Harvard from Vox, legacy students, conducted to the institute in 2019, showed that 41% of students had parents with a yearly salary of more than $500,000. It seems that legacy admissions privilege rich people, who aren’t the demographic that tends to need the come-up that a college education is meant to provide.
Another disadvantage of legacy admissions is that they lack fairness and transparency, with colleges that invest in the use of the legacy system being said to accept students not based on their merit, but rather their social classes. A research article posted by Brookings stated that “critics say that the practice of legacy admissions is not meritocratic,” and that experts of the SFFA (Students for Fair Admissions) argue “colleges could increase racial diversity with the abandonment of legacy admissions."
Individuals on the opposing side of the removal of legacy admissions and even certain colleges themselves stepping into the debate have argued that legacy admissions can encourage a strong sense of loyalty and pride for their college among both accepted legacy students and alumni. They claim that this can lead to students' involvement in campus events boosting and the increase of financial support for students and colleges. For instance, Trenton L., an Airport senior, agrees with legacy admissions, stating that it would “give people an incentive and motivate them to go, if they are guaranteed a spot for their future child.”
While some do believe that legacy admissions benefit students more than they harm, there are still many people who believe the opposite of that sentiment. Mrs. LeVeck, an Airport English teacher, is among those who oppose legacy admissions, voicing her concerns about the fairness and ethicality of the admissions. “I believe legacy admissions erode the integrity of a formal education,” she argues.
While there are potential positive outcomes, it is still crucial to know the potential harm that legacy admissions can cause, particularly regarding academic integrity, fairness, diversity, and equal opportunity among students.
So, while legacy admissions may promote a sense of loyalty and tradition among students, the negative consequences far outweigh the positive. And as more institutions disregard the need for legacy admissions, it’s time for others to follow suit. By advocating for a better admissions system, our society can create a more inclusive higher education that gives every student a fair chance to succeed!