Last Thursday, Penn released its regular admission decisions for the class of 2018. Only 9.9% of the 35,868 applicants were accepted. When they arrive here in the fall, they’ll be greeted as the “best and the brightest”—but I’m not sure this is the whole truth.
Most of us would like to think that we got into Penn because we worked hard in high school. And we did. We love to talk about our academic achievements, our AP classes. But what we don’t like to talk about is the equity of money and hard work as conditions of our acceptance.
When I was little, my parents had the time to read to me at night from the books that stocked our shelves. They sent me to a preschool where I played with the children of university professors and learned to read before even starting kindergarten. I took an SAT prep course in high school. My parents invested their money and their time into my education. I listed none of these advantages on my college application—but they molded me as a student worthy of an Ivy League acceptance.
I came to Penn from a public school near Atlanta without knowing anyone, baffled by how many people came with connections from school, camp and summer programs. But should I have been?
Before coming to college, I thought of Penn and our peer institutions as places where students from all walks of life could earn a spot. Now that I'm enrolled, I’ve realized that landing here depends on more than just merit. Prior connections and socioeconomic status shape Penn’s social climate long before acceptance letters arrive in the mail.
Many of my talented and hard–working classmates from high school stayed in Georgia to take advantage of in–state scholarships. The colossal price tags of schools like Penn barred them from applying, despite their qualifications. I can’t help but wonder how many would have gone to Ivy League schools if the cost were more reasonable.
We all overcame great obstacles to earn our Penn acceptances. For many, money wasn't one of them. Penn’s admissions process may be need–blind, but its definition of “achievement” is tied to access to money and the opportunities money can buy. Yes, we are among the “best and the brightest,” but many of us are also the luckiest.
