Sense and Nonsense: “Sharing the Stanford Love”

Opinion by Aysha Bagchi
Feb. 12, 2010, 12:31 a.m.

Sense and Nonsense: “Sharing the Stanford Love”I remember what it felt like to apply to college — it was an uncertain time. I had no idea how applicants got into places like Stanford (and I still don’t). Since then, my school colors have changed. I have formed my closest friendships, and a world of new opportunities has been opened. While there are dozens of universities in the U.S. that offer outstanding educations and whose graduates go on to do amazing things, I know that going to Stanford in particular has made a big difference.

 

Almost two years ago, President Hennessy introduced the question of gradually expanding the size of the student body by 800 students, 200 more to each class (on top of the 1650 or so per class now). In his Stanford Magazine column, he emphasized maintaining the present wealth of resources available to students while responding to the increasing number of qualified applicants, so many of whom are rejected simply because we lack spots for them.

 

President Hennessy’s suggestion was met with mixed reviews and some resistance. Some concerns had to do with ensuring student resources are not diminished or preventing a bigger housing crunch, concerns the administration surely shares and would address before changing the admissions policy. But other concerns seemed to have more to do with the value of a Stanford education in virtue of its exclusivity. If a couple hundred more students get the same degree, that degree will be worth a little less (or so the argument goes).

 

In thinking about admissions policy, I try to keep in mind that getting into Stanford is a crapshoot. We are lucky, mostly because it is hard to distinguish us from at least several hundred similarly impressive students who are rejected each year. Accepting this reality of admissions –that reasons for one top applicant being admitted and another being rejected are often nonexistent — should help us to extend our empathy and support expansion. With a 2009 admissions rate of 7.6 percent (which will be even lower this year), it is difficult to overstate the cruelty attending admissions. Providing relief should be thought of as humanitarian action.

 

And if we consider all the remarkable things Stanford graduates go on to do, we see such a strong reason for expansion! A Stanford education is a public service not only because it educates students from across the country and around the world, but also because those students go on to contribute and benefit others, be it through creating start-ups, joining non-profits, working in government or embarking on countless other careers that Stanford equips us for. Expanding the undergraduate population would mean 200 more Stanford graduates a year would use the education and resources Stanford gave them to do wonderful things!

 

Expanding the student body would also lessen the impact of some of the more controversial aspects of admissions. Each year, many applicants will be given a boost because of geographic location, because of legacy, minority or first-generation college status, because they go to a high school that has never sent a student to Stanford or sends ten each year, and the list continues. There are some very good reasons why certain applicants are given a boost, but the process inevitably leaves some out for reasons beyond their résumés. Expanding the class size will help counter this inequity.

 

But beyond all these arguments — arguments which show why all top schools should look to expand their undergraduate populations — I cannot help feeling there is something uniquely Stanford-like about the proposed move. One of the many things I love about my school is its openness, the egalitarian appearance of the mellow Cardinal who meets others with an unassuming mind. Stanford’s high standards render it necessarily exclusive, and yet it lacks some of the elitist feel attending exclusive places, in part because of its down-to-earth spirit (that, and we’re not trying to look like Hogwarts!). Letting in a few more remarkable students each year would not diminish the talent or reputation that characterizes Stanford, but it would demonstrate the welcoming attitude that most at Stanford have. It is the sort of thing Stanford would do, and I hope it does.

 

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Aysha thinks we should share the Stanford love! Send her your comments at [email protected].

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