Nepotism and Discrimination in Top U.S Universities

The issue of nepotism and discrimination on the basis of family relations and other non-merit criteria is not only common in the Arab World or developing countries. It is found in the most unexpected place: in the top-ranked universities in the United States

Although American leaders and academics throughout history worked hard to put an end to nepotism and other discriminatory behaviors towards human beings, such behaviors and policies still exist. One of the most common places where such policies exist are the top-ranked universities in the United States, which continue to follow the admission policy of preferring legacies and students of an alumni family over ordinary, non-alumni related students who may be more academically qualified. Such a policy is degrading to the academic standards and qualifications of well-achieved students that deserve a fair and equal opportunity to continue their education in the university which they choose, just like everyone else at their level, regardless of alumni relations, since they are not a choice which the student makes.

A student spends most of the years of his or her life studying hard, achieving high scores, reaching honor lists and receiving awards for academic achievements, hoping that when he or she reaches the doorsteps of a reputable university, the admission process would be fair enough to judge the academic achievements which this student maintained over the years. However, this is not the case in many American universities. According to Cameron Howell from the University of Virginia, legacies, who are students from an alumni family, have twice more advantage than ordinary students in getting accepted in some universities, although their SAT scores might be lower. Another example is the world-class Harvard University, which also favors children of alumni over ordinary non-alumni children that apply to its admission officers. According to an article published in The Economist magazine in 2004, there are between 10% and 15% children of alumni in every freshman class, and up to 23% in the University Of Notre Dame in the U.S. Moreover, reports from the department of education in the 1990s concluded that legacy students, in addition to being favored, they are less qualified than the average student who applies. Such a preference is not only unfair, but also damages the academic quality of the university’s students, since they would all have a common ground of coming from alumni families, but not the common ground of being academically qualified or equal enough to compete in their courses. Is this how top-ranked universities in the United States maintain the quality standards of their academic program? The university’s main priority should be academic quality, competition among students for excellence and supporting the students during and after their university years. For this to happen, academic competence should be considered as the most important criteria during admission process, because the academic achievements and scores of a student are made by his or her choice, efforts and hard work. Whereas a student being a child of an alumni is a fact not made by the student’s choice, and therefore should not be favored over academic achievements.

In spite of this discriminatory policy and the opposition against it, some universities, doctors and professors provide justifications and support for favoring legacies over ordinary students. According to the article “The Curse of Nepotism” published in the Economist magazine, fundraising is the main reason for favoring legacies. The universities are concerned for their financial continuity and since the alumni body provides great financial support for the university over the years, its children should logically have better chances of being accepted. Other reasons outlined by other authors include favoring applicants with talent, racial and physical diversity and minorities. This is because, according to the director of Communications at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Miriam Schulman, universities care about having a diverse student body from various backgrounds, races and talents that would portray a positive image of the university and improve its reputation. Being in such a position in a center for ethics, Schulman should also be aware that universities are not business companies, soccer teams or stages for beauty contests. Instead, they are a place for academic competitiveness and quality education that should remain a top priority above all other criteria.

Imagine exerting countless efforts on achieving high grades, fundraising for your tuition, depriving yourself from deserved breaks and fun activities for the sake of studying, to end up being rejected by the university that you thought would appreciate the achievements you have made. It is a depressing feeling indeed, and even more depressing to know that it has happened to many students in a country like the United States and reputable universities like Harvard, Yale and many others. Even those who have worked hard are not getting what they deserve the most, simply because they do not belong to a family that used to be in the university they chose to apply for. After all, before becoming alums, these students were at first ordinary students with competent academic achievements. This is the doorway for a fair and competitive academic student body.

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