Ivy League Admission
The Ivy Coach College Admissions Blog

As you’ve likely heard, the Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to reconsider the use of race as a factor in college admissions. The case stems from a University of Texas applicant who alleges that factoring race into admissions decisions at UT cost her a slot at a place in the incoming class. In 2003, the Supreme Court made a ruling on affirmative action. In a divided opinion, the Court ruled that race can indeed be a factor in admissions decisions. But nine years have since gone by. Maybe race should no longer be a factor in college admissions. With a more conservative Court than in 2003, this case could well be the end of affirmative action as we know it.

The Supreme Court needs to protect Chinese and Indian applicants from being discriminated against in the college admissions process, too.

In an election cycle, this could become a major issue at the forefront once again and while many will debate the pros and cons of affirmative action, we want to draw the attention of our readers to a different kind of college admissions discrimination based upon race. It’s not white applicants losing slots to African American applicants. It’s Chinese applicants competing with other Chinese applicants for slots. It’s Chinese applicants with higher test scores and higher grades losing out to non-Chinese applicants. And the same is true for Indian applicants.

The time has come to end discrimination against Chinese and Indian applicants in highly selective college admissions. Some college admissions officers may deny it. Most won’t. It exists. It’s real. It’s time to put it to an end. It’s, quite frankly, shameful that the very institutions that claim to be all about diversity discriminate against certain minority applicants in the college admissions process. Shame on them.

“The Choice” blog of “The New York Times” sat down two days ago with the Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania in the hope of demystifying the Ivy League admissions process for aspiring Ivy Leaguers from India. So what’d Eric Furda have to say? Well, he said that students in India are likely to have “varying levels of English preparation,” inconsistent SAT prep, and often inaccurate information about U.S. universities.

Just under 10% of applicants from India were admitted to the UPenn Class of 2015.

Furda went on to say how the admissions office at Penn is in the process of extending their recruiting reach beyond the major cities of India, beyond Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bangalore. They want to reach students across the nation – in rustic parts of the nation as well as urban parts. One of the major reasons why students in India are applying to U.S. universities is because the competition to gain admission to the elite Indian universities is so tough…so students seek to expand their options.

In terms of numbers, 460 students applied to the University of Pennsylvania in the hope of being a part of the Class of 2015. Of those 460 students, 42 were admitted. That marks an admission rate of just a little bit under 10%. What do you think about these numbers? What do you think about what Eric Furda had to say about Ivy League admission from India? Let us know your thoughts by posting below! And check out this post on the Ivy League and India.

The competition to get into universities in India has been getting tougher. In fact, if the cumulative score on one’s final high school examinations, doesn’t meet a certain standard, you may be not have a very good shot at all at admission to a university in India like Delhi University. So what are students in India doing? They’re turning to the United States – and specifically the Ivy League – when admission proves too difficult in India (or even if they can get admitted to universities in India). And that’s because Ivy League colleges are admitting foreign students. They’re full pays. They don’t get financial aid. In our struggling economy, Ivy League colleges can use foreign students who pay their full way as opposed to admitting American students who need financial aid.

Students in India are increasingly turning to Ivy League colleges as admission gets tougher at Indian universities.

Madhavi Chandra, a mother in India, posted with excitement when her daughter was admitted to the Ivy League’s Dartmouth College. She also posted, according to the “New York Times,” “Strange swings this admission season has shown us. Can’t get into DU, can make it to the Ivies.” According to the “New York Times,” “Ms. Mohan, 18, is now one of a surging number of Indian students attending American colleges and universities, as competition in India has grown formidable, even for the best students. With about half of India’s 1.2 billion people under the age of 25, and with the ranks of the middle class swelling, the country’s handful of highly selective universities are overwhelmed.”

India trails only China in the number of its citizens it sends to universities in the United States. With many Indian universities issuing cutoff scores for admission and with international students finding a relatively easier time of gaining admission to highly selective colleges in the United States, the trend seems to make good sense. The percentage of Indian students at U.S. colleges has even grown by 20% in the last few years, according to the “New York Times.”  Indeed highly selective colleges like Ivy League colleges are ramping up their recruiting efforts overseas in nations such as India as more and more students turn to our universities in pursuit of American diplomas.

Check out this post on the Ivy League and India or this one on University Admission in India.

There was article in yesterday’s “Times of India” about how Ivy League colleges are recruiting high schoolers in India. Apparently, the recruiting is becoming so widespread that a large portion of the 18 year-old population in India now seek to attend colleges in the United States. According to the “Times of India,” “Until now, these hallowed schools were considered a favorite destination for disciplines in post-graduation, usually for the elite. But now, with scholarships aplenty, even the bright kid next door nurses such dreams.”

More students in India are studying abroad than ever before. And many of those students are applying to Ivy League universities.

The article mentions how Nikhil Puri got admitted to Purdue University for mechanical engineering and how more students are seeking to study abroad this year than any year previously. It should be noted that Purdue University is not in the Ivy League, contrary to what the article implies! It seems the Ivy League and India could get better acquainted.

According to the article, “City schools testify that there are many more students going abroad this year, as compared to previous years. ‘The greatest difference in placements this year is that nearly every student is leaving India to study abroad, while last year, around 40% chose to remain in India. Many students have elected to study academic subjects at college, as opposed to pre-professional fields, like business and engineering,’ said Caroline Linger, director of academic and college counselling, Indus International Schools.” And according to Paul F. Meekin, headmaster of Trio World School, students aren’t studying abroad just in the sciences and business anymore. They’re going for psychology, history, and sociology.

Check out our posts: Students in India and university admission in India. And take a look at the “Times of India” article on the Ivy League and India.

University admission in India includes a sports quota for 5% of university seats. But this quota may soon end.

Delhi University in India is debating whether or not to continue its policy of having a sports quota for the incoming class of students. Typically, 5% of all seats at a college are reserved for students who have been awarded laurels in athletics or other extracurricular pursuits. But Hindu College, which is a part of Delhi University (think of it like the UC system in California although it should be noted that university admission in India doesn’t resemble the UC admission process one bit), wants to do away with this 5% sports quota and now Delhi University must decide if they should eliminate the policy completely.

Said Vinay Kumar Srivastava, principal of Hindu College, “The governing body has decided to suspend the sports and ECA admissions for two years. We have now written to the university seeking clarification on whether admissions in this category can be abolished without an approval from the executive council. We are waiting for a reply.”

Check out our related posts Students in India and India University Admission. And take a look at the “Times of India” article on Delhi University admission.