新書：The Price of Admission: How America's Ruling Class Buys Its W

The Price of Admission: How America's Ruling Class Buys Its Way into Elite Colleges--and Who Gets Left Outside the Gates.(Book review)
Journal of Higher Education| January 01, 2009 | Golden, Daniel | COPYRIGHT 2009 Ohio State University Press. Michigan.


The admissions process for colleges and universities in the United States has been a mystery to many. How are choices made? How do certain students find themselves admitted and others turned away? Those who have faith in the system want to believe in a fair, unbiased, and equal opportunity into higher education. Daniel Golden's book, The Price of Admission: How America's Ruling Class Buys Its Way into Elite Colleges--and Who Gets Left Outside the Gates, reveals a hidden side admissions officers do not want you to see, and that there is more to admissions than SAT scores and grade point average. In some cases these numbers may not make a difference at all.

In his book. Golden describes the admissions practices of several of the nation's elite colleges and universities, from special privileges for children of alumni and legacies, to wealthy donors who are "friends" of the university. The Price of Admission incorporates personal stories of those who are privileged and those who get "left behind," from the recruitment of student athletes who play "upper class" sports, to higher standards for Asian Americans. Some of the stories and facts are appalling, while others are simply heartbreaking and leave the reader dumbfounded. Golden provides insight into how universities have become a huge business where dollars and prestige overshadow the focus on student learning and discovery.