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Do you know how the son of a billionaire prepares for college? or what do college applications look like for the daughter of a bank clerk? The world looks very different outside our bubble, and when it comes to college admissions, it’s not the same for the rich and poor:
Michael’s a high school student from Manhattan. He is sitting with his advisor, perfecting the pitch for a line of eco-friendly toys, set to appear on Shark-Tank next week. Michael’s “advisor” Tim, is a college consultant, whom his parents have hired for $120,000 / year, to guide Michael to an Ivy league university. The advisor has been working on a 2-year roadmap with Michael, with passion projects, course work and extracurriculars to build a student profile that’ll guarantee a seat in Yale. “Now it’s time for your fencing practice”, says Tim, as he and Michael close the studio lights.
In a survey of Harvard’s class of 2027, 23% of respondents said they had worked with a private college consultant.
Sarah, a bright student from a working-class family, spends evenings juggling homework and a part-time job. College counselors at her overcrowded public school are stretched thin, leaving her to navigate the complex application process alone. She can't afford expensive test prep, and is using borrowed books from her neighbour to prepare for SAT. The test format has changed this year, but she makes do with an older revision since most of the syllabus is similar. Sarah dreams of going to Princeton to study computer science, and is going to write an essay on how she got good test scores while handling a part-time job and nanny duties. Little does Sarah realise there are thousands more students with the same story as her, not only in the US, but all over the world, who will be applying to Princeton alongside her. But who is going to tell her?
Public schools in the US struggle with a staggering 450:1 ratio according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).
And this reflects in the universities attendance. The top 10% richest make up 55% of the student population at Ivy league universities. In contrast students from below median income families (<50%) constitute only 11% of the population. (src: opportunity insights)
Gone are the days when you could be a high school graduate, find a job at the local factory and buy a house and a stable future. For people with no ancestral wealth, college education is a safety net for their child's future. When this system becomes so competitive that people resort to paying $1.5 million for getting a seat at top universities, it is a clear sign that something needs to change. College applications today have become the singular, most stressful event in the academic life of students. This has become a fertile ground for agencies and consultants who play on the fears of students and parents, charging atrocious amounts of money for things like reviewing college applications, $8000 for writing essays and more...
The debate around affirmative action has taken the center stage, but it is not as big of a problem as you think. Universities have already made great progress in reducing inequality: Diversifying admits, providing financial aid, removing commercialised test scores like SAT and more.
Today, the problem we face is not of equal opportunity. The real problem is in the lack of support for a large segment of students:
How can we create a system that's fair, affordable, and accessible, allowing students from all backgrounds to compete on a level playing field? Through 2 pillars:
This isn’t rocket science, we’re talking about solutions which have existed for years now, but no one is willing to drive this change. Sarah doesn’t have to be crippled by her financial status. Michael doesn’t need to have his childhood managed by consultants. If universities were to engage with technologists, we can create a more equitable system. Imagine a world where Sarah and Michael could both follow their dreams with confidence, wouldn’t that be something?
