Would Einstein Trade Merit 4 Blank Check?

An op ed argues “Top colleges scam you & your kids as woke insanity soars” via “left-wing college industrial complex” that “distorts & outright lies about who gets accepted.” Relatively speaking, what would Einstein say about that?

An excerpt from Fox author Betsy McCaughey: “Families saving for college & encouraging their kids to aim for the top are getting scammed …. If they were selling auto loans & used the same deceptive tactics, they’d be in jail.” Dunno. But, Ms. McCaughey makes a good point on an issue that came to a head recently when the Ivy League Columbia U announced it was permanently eliminating SAT & ACT test scores for undergrads. In one stroke, it thereby replaced its traditional “merit” system with an alleged “diversity” system basing admissions on “nuanced” progressive catch phrases like “respecting varied backgrounds, voice & experiences”. Says Ms. McCaughey: Without admitting it, Columbia has replaced an academic mission – providing a rigorous education to a group of prepared students – with a new one: social engineering.” Yet, Columbia’s not alone. “Nearly all colleges made SAT & ACT tests optional during the pandemic” & “most are sticking with that [supposedly] temporary policy for the current yr.”

McCaughey goes on to note how many “woke” colleges are worried about the US Sup Ct decision in June that may “curtail or outlaw” admissions decisions based on race. In that case, Asians sued Harvard & North Carolina for rejecting high-scoring Asian & Whites to arbitrarily advance diversity. Shouldn’t they be worried about what THEY are doing to students who enter their ranks only to find they are in, but way over their heads? (For e.g., I know of one law school that almost lost its accreditation for waiving admissions test scores for 100 minorities, all of whom but one wound up failing the state’s bar exam.) Is that Einstein who’s rolling over in his grave?

Davd Soul