📖 Overview
The Price of Admission exposes the hidden practices that influence college admissions at America's most prestigious universities. Through extensive research and interviews, Daniel Golden reveals how wealth, celebrity status, and legacy connections impact who receives acceptance letters.
The book examines specific cases across multiple elite institutions, documenting how children of donors, famous figures, and alumni often receive preferential treatment. Golden, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, presents evidence of systematic bias against Asian-American applicants and explores how merit-based criteria are sometimes overlooked in favor of financial considerations.
The investigation tracks how these admission practices perpetuate social inequality and limit opportunities for qualified students without connections or resources. By analyzing admission records, conducting interviews with insiders, and gathering statistical data, Golden builds a comprehensive picture of higher education's hidden selection processes.
The work raises fundamental questions about fairness, merit, and privilege in American higher education, challenging readers to consider the true meaning of equal opportunity in college admissions.
👀 Reviews
Readers found the book's research and reporting compelling, with many citing specific examples of preferential college admissions for wealthy and legacy students. Multiple reviews note the detailed investigation into how donations influence acceptance rates.
What readers liked:
- Clear data and evidence backing claims
- Personal stories that illustrate systemic issues
- Investigation of multiple universities
- Focus on both legacy and donor admissions
What readers disliked:
- Some repetition between chapters
- Limited discussion of potential solutions
- Writing style can be dry at times
- Data from 2006 feels dated to current readers
Ratings:
Goodreads: 3.9/5 (1,200+ ratings)
Amazon: 4.3/5 (180+ ratings)
Common reader comments describe the book as "eye-opening" regarding college admissions practices. Several reviews mention frustration learning about the "development admits" system. One frequent criticism notes that while the research is solid, the book offers few concrete suggestions for reform.
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Creating a Class: College Admissions and the Education of Elites by Mitchell Stevens A sociologist embeds in a college admissions office for a year to document how class and privilege shape selection processes.
The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College by Jacques Steinberg The narrative follows a Wesleyan University admissions officer through a complete admission cycle to reveal the factors that influence acceptance decisions.
Dream Hoarders by Richard V. Reeves This analysis demonstrates how upper-middle-class families use college admissions and other mechanisms to secure advantages for their children at the expense of economic mobility.
Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey Selingo The book provides an inside view of admissions offices at three universities to expose the decision-making processes that determine student acceptance.
Creating a Class: College Admissions and the Education of Elites by Mitchell Stevens A sociologist embeds in a college admissions office for a year to document how class and privilege shape selection processes.
The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College by Jacques Steinberg The narrative follows a Wesleyan University admissions officer through a complete admission cycle to reveal the factors that influence acceptance decisions.
Dream Hoarders by Richard V. Reeves This analysis demonstrates how upper-middle-class families use college admissions and other mechanisms to secure advantages for their children at the expense of economic mobility.
🤔 Interesting facts
📚 Daniel Golden won a Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for his Wall Street Journal series on college admissions, which formed the foundation for this book.
🎓 The research revealed that at elite universities, roughly 10-15% of admitted students were typically "legacy" applicants - children of alumni.
💰 Harvard's acceptance rate for children of major donors during the period studied was around 40%, compared to an overall acceptance rate of about 7%.
🌟 The book sparked significant policy discussions and influenced some universities to modify their admissions practices, particularly regarding legacy preferences.
🔍 Golden's investigation found that some elite universities maintained "watch lists" for children of VIPs, with their applications receiving special consideration.