How a College Becomes Elite

It is hard to imagine in today’s college-obsessed world, but there was a time when college was viewed as merely a playground for rich young men.  The college experience has changed “radically” since then, writes Paul Boyer in his 2003 book College Rankings Exposed.   

One of my favorite quotes from Boyer’s book is attributed to Benjamin Franklin, who said Harvard students “learn little more than how to carry themselves handsomely and enter a room genteelly…[graduating] as great blockheads as ever, only more proud and conceited.”  

College could be a playground back then because most professions required an apprenticeship rather than a college degree.  In fact, ten presidents reached the Oval Office without a college diploma, including Abe Lincoln and Harry Truman. 

However, after World War II and passage of the GI Bill, the masses suddenly began arriving on college campuses.  Not everyone was ready to welcome these new students.  As the national student body swelled, the old guard feared the college degree was losing its exclusivity.  According to Boyer’s research “neither educators nor students were ready to give up the fantasy of the old elite system.”

So instead of opening their doors, several colleges (the modern “elites”) closed them to preserve their cherished exclusivity.  Restrictive admissions policies were adopted to keep these schools out of reach.  Boyer argues that these colleges still use the same tactics, describing them as “a relic of – or perhaps nostalgia for – the days when going to college really was an option for only the fortunate few” (quoting Carol Schneider, President, Association of American Colleges & Universities).  Today, a college degree is a necessity rather than a luxury, but Boyer writes that elite schools serve as a “refuge for those who are looking for the kind of advantage that a college degree alone no longer provides.”

Wouldn’t it be better for society if Harvard accepted all qualified applicants, rather than selecting just a few behind closed doors?  In my mind, the only loser in that scenario is the prestige of the Harvard brand.  Is protecting a brand worth the expense of breaking the spirits of thousands of qualified students every year?  For the elite schools, the answer appears to be yes.