Legacy admissions should be banned. End legacy admissions. It is unfair to the students that have been working hard throughout high school. Giving students preference based on if someone in their family is an alumni of that university is simply unfair.
College should not be a free admission ticket. Each year, millions of students go through the stress and pressure of standardized testing, exams, taking a multitude of AP classes and working towards achieving the best GPA possible. Not to mention, most of these hardworking students also have jobs outside of school and participate in sports and extracurriculars. It would be unfair if a student is taking the place of another student based on legacy admissions. Legacy admissions is an extremely controversial topic that has been widely talked about in the news. Many elite and prestigious universities accept legacy admissions and it’s becoming a problem.
According to CNBC, legacy admissions are a big disadvantage for low-income students. They negatively affect the chances of admission for low-income and other disadvantaged groups of students—including first-generation—to be admitted into the university. Our students need justice and legacy admissions are unethical. Students should get admission into a university based on their academics and own work, rather than based on alumni from their families. Although alumni can be extremely connected with the university, it does not guarantee that their family members would also be as determined. As we all know, elite colleges are highly selective as well as competitive.
Every applicant should receive an equal chance; legacy admissions create a gap between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. What about those who don’t have a family member that’s an alumni? Is it fair for legacy admissions to decrease their chances of getting into that particular university? It creates negative thoughts in students. Many students even choose not to apply because of this admission process that many Ivy League universities have implemented and follow as well. The student’s background should be considered before any decision is made. Legacy admissions create more obstacles to those students that are deserving of admission. According to the Atlantic, being a legacy is equivalent to getting 160 points higher on the SAT. With low acceptance rates and preferences through legacy admissions, these elite colleges are creating a barrier for talented students.
By ending legacy admissions we are creating an equal opportunity college admissions process. This would give students of low-income, first-generation and other groups an equal opportunity to receive admission into these universities that offer endless opportunities for education and career growth. Legacy admissions reduce socioeconomic diversity and instead of considering their background, they focus more on preference. Legacy admissions shouldn’t exist. Every student has the right to education and deserves a fair chance of getting admitted into college. Their admissions should be based on their application rather than preference through alumni. This is extremely beneficial to colleges, as well as them admitting the top students rather than students of alumni. The years of hard work that students have done will result in a fair decision and will encourage them to continue to work hard to achieve their goals. We should all stand together to end legacy admissions and create equal opportunities in education for all. Should legacy admissions be banned? I would say, yes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/opinion/sunday/end-legacy-college-admissions.html
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210720005753/en/Survey-Nearly-80-Percent-of-
College-Students-Want-Legacy-Admissions-Banned
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/07/harvards-freshman-class-is-more-than-one-third-legacy.html
https://www.ultius.com/ultius-blog/entry/ivy-league-legacy-admissions-and-the-culture-of-nepotism.html