Children of Alumni Enjoy Admissions Preference

Author: Claire Bourne

Middlebury College's admissions committee began closed-door deliberations Monday to select the members of the Class of 2007. Although narrowing an applicant pool of 5,300 students down to the 1,430 who will be granted admission has always been a difficult task, recent scrutiny of admissions practices at elite institutions has spotlighted the criteria by which the committee makes its decisions.
First came a report by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, claiming that New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) schools, including Middlebury, gave admissions preference to athletes. The document, entitled "The Academic-Athletic Divide," argued that "tagged" athletes -- applicants who coaches specified would greatly contribute to the College's athletic program -- were twice as likely as others in the applicant pool to gain entrance to a NESCAC institution.
More recently, two lawsuits challenging affirmative action at the University of Michigan have thrust high minority acceptance rates at top universities to the fore. The Supreme Court will begin hearing the cases on April 1.
These high profile charges have prompted media outlets, like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, to examine how other categories of applicants fare in the eyes of admissions officers across the country. One group likely to generate interest at Middlebury is comprised of what the Admissions Office refers to as "special interest" cases, or "legacies" -- children of alumni who have contributed great amounts of time and/or money to the College.
Legacies applying to Middlebury enjoy a near 50 percent acceptance rate, while those in the general applicant pool face a 25 percent chance of getting in.
Dean of Enrollment Planning Mike Schoenfeld '73 attributed this discrepancy to three factors. "Either preference is given to legacies, legacies are stronger applicants or the parents of prospective legacy applicants get counseling on whether their son or daughter should apply," he said. "There is a little bit of truth to each one."
Schoenfeld said that many alums call him to determine whether their college-bound children are strong candidates for admission. Since they generally come from privileged backgrounds, legacies, Schoenfeld continued, tend to be exactly that. The 30 legacies in the College's current first-year class posted an average SAT score of 1389 -- 33 points higher than that of the class as a whole.
Although Middlebury's admissions policy does not function according to a point-based formula or an academic index, as other institutions are known to do, the admissions committee is aware of those applicants who fall into the "special interest" category. On Monday afternoon, Schoenfeld presented a list of these students to President John McCardell.
The document contained names of "legacies, siblings and other people the president might have an interest in, including possible donors," said Schoenfeld.
"If a student comes from a family that has been active in supporting the College through volunteering, fund raising or donations, we would want to take that into consideration," he continued.
McCardell can make recommendations regarding the applicants on the list but has never overridden an admissions decision. "We imperfect humans attempt to apply our imperfect judgment to a pool of remarkably talented applicants and do our best to ration a scarce commodity -- a place in the entering class," McCardell explained.
Middlebury has, on occasion, turned away legacies and, with them, significant donations.
In one case, the College declined admission to an applicant whose father was negotiating a six-figure contribution.
Upon hearing of his daughter's rejection, the prospective donor reneged on his offer, saying, "Our philanthropy follows our children."
In a recent interview with The New York Times, presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) openly criticized the high acceptance rates enjoyed by alumni children. "Affirmative action remedies past discrimination. Legacy admissions give more to kids who already have more," he said.
Without hefty donations from alumni, the comprehensive fee, which is set to rise by 6.1 percent to $38,100 next year, would soar to $60,000.
These financial gifts are also used to support the College's financial aid program, which promises to meet the full need of all students admitted.
Schoenfeld maintained that legacy admits were necessary to sustain the College's fiscal well being. "The educational experience that Middlebury is able to offer is funded by previous and current donations. In cutting the number of legacies admitted," he said, "the people who would suffer most would be those who can't pay for a Middlebury education."
A ruling by the Supreme Court against the University of Michigan's affirmative action admissions policy would not affect the rules governing legacy applications, Schoenfeld said. Unlike ethnic minorities, legacies are not a "protected category," he explained.
There are 123 legacies currently vying for a place in the Class of 2007.
As they sit tight until late March for a response from Schoenfeld's office, the debate over preferential treatment for special applicant categories -- minorities, athletes and legacies -- will rage on in the press, in the courts and in admissions offices across the nation.