Harvard And Princeton Reverse Early Admission Policy

10:58

February 28, 2011

Harvard students march toward the graduation ceremony, led by Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust, in 2010. (Marissa Babin/Flickr)

In 2006, Harvard and Princeton announced they were going to eliminate their early admission program.

In announcing the decision, Harvard interim President Derek Bok said early admission programs "advantage the advantaged." Students from wealthy high schools were more likely to benefit from early admission, while minority students and students at poor high schools "miss out.'"

The elite schools hoped that by setting an example, other schools would follow suit.

They didn't.

Now, Harvard and Princeton are going back.

Guests:

Chris Avery, professor of Public Policy, Harvard's Kennedy School; author of "The Early Admissions Game"
Julie Park, assistant professor of Educational Leadership, Miami University

This segment aired on February 28, 2011.