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Back when I used to help students develop ideas for their college admission essays, I purchased a book called “50 Successful Harvard Application Essays: What Worked for Them Can Help You Get into the College of Your Choice.”
I enjoyed reading how students admitted to Harvard had turned seemingly ordinary childhood experiences into insightful stories. I used the book to show students that they all have stories to tell — it’s just a matter of recognizing and knowing how to tell them.
Some students, however, don’t have to worry as much about distinguishing themselves through their essays. They are the children of parents who graduated from the college they seek to enter. They are known as “legacy” admits.
Plenty of people have opinions about the fairness of legacy admissions, or lack thereof. Angélica S. Gutiérrez is one of the few academics who have actually researched the topic.
Legacy admissions have faced increased criticism in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that bans the use of race in college admissions. However, as Gutiérrez notes, the reasons that many people support legacy admissions is actually rooted in race itself.
One last note: If you are among the millions trying out new social media platforms, so are we. You can now follow us on Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon and elsewhere.
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Jamaal Abdul-Alim
Education Editor
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Critics of legacy admissions argue they maintain racial hierarchies that disproportionately benefit white students.
YinYang/iStock via Getty Images
Angelica S. Gutierrez, Loyola Marymount University
Some colleges grant preferential treatment in the admission process to children of alumni. A researcher examines what’s behind people’s support for the practice.
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Politics + Society
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Nisha Bellinger, Boise State University
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, president of Turkey, and Viktor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary, are two leaders who have consolidated power using a similar playbook.
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Jorge Duany, Florida International University
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International
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John Deni, US Army War College
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Economy + Business
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Reid Kress Weisbord, Rutgers University - Newark; David Horton, University of California, Davis
Informal documents can be valid. But when that’s all a rich person leaves behind, the legal costs can get pretty steep.
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Science + Technology
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David Kitchen, University of Richmond
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Elliott Rouse, University of Michigan
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Keith Latham, Michigan State University; Mary Faith Marshall, University of Virginia
Scientists can create viable eggs from two male mice. In the wake of CRISPR controversies and restrictive abortion laws, two experts start a dialogue on ethical research in reproductive biology.
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Health + Medicine
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Melissa S. Fry, Indiana University; Melissa Cyders, Indiana University
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Environment + Energy
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Hiba Baroud, Vanderbilt University
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Derek Lemoine, University of Arizona; Jeffrey Shrader, Columbia University; Laura Bakkensen, University of Arizona
Three economists looked at years of temperature and death data and calculated the costs when forecasts miss the mark.
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