In Defense of Holistic Admissions
Despite what some critics suggest, the approach is neither scandalous nor new. And it’s good for colleges.
Illustration by The Chronicle
In his recent
Chronicle Review essay, “The Abiding Scandal of College Admissions,” Matt Feeney decries college admission officers as administrators, not educators, who take it upon themselves to probe an applicant’s character and authenticity. Among the small group of über-selective colleges with way too many highly qualified applicants, Feeney argues that admission officers delve into areas where they are simply not qualified to venture: using character and other nonacademic factors to help select a class.