Does Greater Economic Diversity Require Lower Academic Standards?
Issue date: 3/2/06 Section: Opinions PrintEmailArticle ToolsPage 1 of 1 Usually an elite education, by very definition of the word “elite,” means education available to those who not only exhibit academic excellence, but to those who can afford it. However, Smith College’s effort to change this generalization has been discredited by another generalization: the U.S News and World Report’s national ranking of colleges. But the decision to de-emphasize SAT scores based on the correlation between higher scores and higher income has not, in any way, affected the quality of students accepted here. In fact, the U.S News and World Report makes another generalization in undermining the academic potential of such students because of their economic background. The recent drop in ranking is based solely on lower SAT scores, and does not reflect the rigorous workload or education received here. Out of fairness to all Smith students who work hard for their education, regardless of economic backgroun
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