Economic Background and Education

[leynos]

From a New Statesman article someone linked to:

'"The university admissions system", he writes, "is biased in favour of private education and against the state schools." If students were admitted strictly on A-level grades, the top universities would take in about 30 per cent more poor students than they do and about 30 per cent fewer from the private schools.'

Okay, so why is this the case? Is it that the Universities are, in the case of two applicants with equal grades, using the applicant's school as the deciding factor? Surely the answer then, is simply to make it illegal to use this in the consideration and to have it blanked out on the UCAS form received by the admissions staff. (After all, whether someone went to a state or private school tells you little other than how well off the parents are). Or am I missing something?

Comments

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

Someone else I know on LJ wasn't able to apply to do medicine at Edinburgh, despite having a PhD, a masters, and having tutored 2nd year med students, because they didn't have the right highers.

The system is just wrong.

[spudtater.livejournal.com]

I know that they take extracurricular activities into consideration, which I have a feeling will be more numerous and "impressive" in private school students.

"Ooh, I see that you were in the debating society, and played the violin..."

I think that there's an element of self-perpetualism about things. Academia is is packed with private school alumni, who will tend to seek out entrants similar to themselves.

I did get the impression when I went to my Cambridge interview that I was being tested to see if I was "the right sort". Including questions about my parents' economic situation, which unnerved me somewhat.

[brucec.livejournal.com]

They do seem to select people based upon what school they went to - for example http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1360255/Top-Scots-student-accuses-Cambridge-after-being-rejected.html (I remember it being discussed since he's a relative). However, it may also be that students who have gone to schools with more money tend to go on more outside courses which are looked upon favourably when applying for university.

[mouslet.livejournal.com]

I don't think on the UCAS form it's readily available to universities, but once you're in an interview (especially to Oxbridge, I imagine) they can poke you about anything under the guise of 'fitting in'