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the index · off-campus opinions
April 2022
off-campus opinions A reflection on 2022 college admissions Ethan Chan ’23
A
fter years of hard work, the culmination of one’s academic and extracurricular efforts is hidden behind the click of a button. The ecstasy of college admissions reaches its pinnacle during these tense weeks. Emotions come as decision letters are opened and schools finalize their results in another historic year in admissions results. Across the board, the number of applicants has increased exponentially relative to last year due to myriad factors, one of which is test-optional applications. According to FairTest, 75% of colleges and universities, more than 1600, went test-optional for the 2021-2022 admissions cycle. For many students, the test-optional choice essentially eliminated the pressure of fulfilling the respective “requirements” for the colleges they wanted to apply to. Consequently, it forced admissions officers to weigh factors such as GPA, extracurriculars, essays, etc. much more heavily. For more selective institutions, many believe the test-optional was the primary reason for the record number of applicants. Harvard College received 42,749 applications this admissions cycle, according to IvyWise, and accepted 1,962 new students. The total number of applications increased 14.59% from 2019 when the test-optional policy was not in place. Harvard has extended this policy until 2030. While the test-optional policies were initially made to accommodate the COVID-19 testing complications, it has caused the already low acceptance rate to decrease
substantially. For the next generation of Sixth Formers, the application process will only get harder. Events in 2020 regarding social injustice and equality have been of great emphasis for many colleges. A push toward greater racial and gender equity is reflected in this year’s admissions cycle. Of the full pool of admitted students to Harvard’s Class of 2022, women outnumber men by 50.1% to 49.9%. This marks the first time in almost ten years at Harvard in which women outnumber men in the incoming class. Similarly, first-generation students went up by 2.2%, 15.5% were African-American, 12.2% were Latino, and 22.7% of applicants were Asian-American. All of these percentages have gone up since the admissions cycle of 2021 for Harvard, and the trend looks to continue in the next couple of years. Harvard is also defending itself against allegations of racial discrimination against Asian-American applicants in Students For Fair Admissions v. Harvard University. The duality of Harvard’s efforts is shown in this admissions cycle but many applicants still and other individuals strive to see a change in this issue for not just Harvard but other universities as well. According to University Business, Tufts University reports that it has granted acceptances to a staggering 9% of its nearly 35,000 applicants, another all-time low in overall acceptance rates for the Class of 2022. Tufts also said acceptances went out to its most diverse group of students ever. “We are thrilled that more students from more diverse backgrounds see them-
JOEY KAUFFMAN ’23
Undergraduate Admissions at Columbia University selves thriving at Tufts,” Dean of Admissions 2% more international students in this year’s J.T. Duck said in a statement. “Given last admissions cycle. year’s strong positive response to our offers All in all, the college admissions process of admission, we have made slightly fewer has seen unprecedented change over the past offers this year and hope to be able to admit two years. Statistics indicate a different apsome outstanding students from our waitlist proach that will likely continue through this in May.” decade. With all these percentages and numTufts officials say applications have not bers, it is important to consider the achieveonly shot up by 50% since 2020 but also the ment of every applicant in this process. A number of African-American students apply- percentage doesn’t define the predicted sucing has jumped by nearly 90% since 2019, a cess or worth of an individual and everyone demographic similar to that of Harvard and should be proud of the next step in their other colleges. journey. In an already hyper-competitive On a similar note, Columbia University environment, only exacerbated by some of officially stated on their website on March these factors, the quality of education doesn’t 31 of this year that there were 4% more correspond with a lower acceptance rate; the students of color, 3% more first-generation initiative a student takes is ultimately what students, 2% more Pell Grant eligible, and matters.
Judge Jackson’s nomination process continues to demonstrate partisan divides Casey Williams ‘24
“O
n this vote, the yays are 53. The nays are 47 and this nomination is confirmed,” Vice President Kamala Harris said last Thursday, confirming the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated by President Joe Biden on February 22, 2022, after Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer had announced his retirement. Jackson had plenty of experience and all the necessary qualifications for the U.S. Supreme Court Justice position: she served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit with bipartisan support, as Vice-Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, as a Supreme Court clerk for Justice Breyer, and even as a public defender, the first formal federal public defender to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. With all the necessary qualifications, most would assume that Justice Jackson would have a relatively smooth court hearing, but that is nowhere near the case. Su-
preme Court Justice nominees are usually met with resistance from their opposing party, and throughout history, ugly nominations have not been uncommon. Louis D. Brandeis was appointed to Supreme Court Justice by President Woodrow Wilson, widely recognized as the most contested nomination in the history of the United States. Brandeis was the first Jewish Supreme Court nominee, sparking blatant anti-Semitism. The nomination process took a total of four months, and Brandeis was constantly attacked by news outlets such as The Boston Globe that described him as “a radical, a theorist, impractical, with strong socialistic tendencies.” Another memorable nomination process in recent memory was the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, nominated by Former President Donald J. Trump. Kavanaugh served on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, as a clerk of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and was widely
recognized as highly qualified. During Kavanaugh’s nomination process, he was accused of sexual assault by Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, further intensifying the process and generating more conflict between both parties. Then-Senator Harris accused Kavanaugh of lying under oath and lying to the American people, and Senator Elizabeth Warren stated that Kavanaugh was nominated without a thorough investigation of the allegations. After a bitter hearing, Justice Kavanaugh was confirmed as Supreme Court Justice by a vote of 50-48, but the point stands that nomination processes have frequently been controversial and difficult. During Judge Jackson’s nomination process, the most popular Republican lines of attack were on Jackson’s work as a judge, her sentencing of child pornography cases, and views on critical race theory and LGBTQ issues. Still, one of the more memorable moments was when Jackson broke down into tears after being praised by Senator Cory
Booker. Booker praised Jackson for dealing with her nomination process, displaying an extraordinary demeanor.
This was one of the most conflicted nomination processes ih the recent history of nominations. This was one of the most conflicted nomination processes in the recent history of nominations, and Kentanji Brown Jackson is now the first African-American woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court. Haverford students must understand that these current events and political opinions can create conflicts amongst one another, and we must look past it and instead towards building a better school community.
