How your income stacks up

[Jacob]

I know it's not, but did you really want a detailed description?

Good point.  I didn't.

[merithyn]

You were on to something with admissions for children of the rich.  A scandalous percentage of students at top universities are "legacies" i.e. children of alumni.  It's not too much of a leap to think that donations to the schools factor into that.

And as he said, only those who can afford it go to the top schools, i.e. those with wealthy parents. Those who can't afford it, don't bother to even apply. So it's not merit-based at all; it's financially based.

[Malthus]

You were on to something with admissions for children of the rich.  A scandalous percentage of students at top universities are "legacies" i.e. children of alumni.  It's not too much of a leap to think that donations to the schools factor into that.

And as he said, only those who can afford it go to the top schools, i.e. those with wealthy parents. Those who can't afford it, don't bother to even apply. So it's not merit-based at all; it's financially based.

I'm not at all familiar with US law schools, but from my US collegues I get the impression that the tuition is high but financing is relatively easy to get, and there are grants available. In short, the financial barrier, while it exists, is not insurmountable, but that other than the super-rich and connected, you need very good grades and LSAT scores to get into a top school (the "merit" barrier is higher).

[Caliga]

@ Meri That's an exaggeration.  Princesca was like one step above living in a mobile home park and she went to Wellesley, and all of the workstudies I had a Harvard that I can recall came from modest backgrounds.  Yes, legacy admission is a real thing, and yes it's motivated primarily by alumni giving, but it's not *everyone* who attends.

[Ed Anger]

Fuck lawyers. Scum of the earth.

[Slargos]

Well it's not something I'm proud of. Still not entirely sure of her status, those are only my suspicions, and at any rate I didn't develop those suspicions until later. It is not true to describe it as "knowingly". And anyway she didn't seem to mind the whole thing; quite the opposite. I'll admit this is hard to know for sure, especially as she didn't speak english. My friend was able to get some communication going and was told most their clients were arabs.

Story gets better and better. 

"I didn't know I was raping her, since I didn't speak her language."

In all fairness though, if she was used to being raped by arabs, you were probably Prince Charming in comparison. 

[ulmont]

Fuck lawyers. Scum of the earth.

[Ed Anger]

Fuck lawyers. Scum of the earth.

Hitler had it wrong. It wasn't the jews that was the problem, it was the lawyers he should have went after.

[merithyn]

@ Meri That's an exaggeration.  Princesca was like one step above living in a mobile home park and she went to Wellesley, and all of the workstudies I had a Harvard that I can recall came from modest backgrounds.  Yes, legacy admission is a real thing, and yes it's motivated primarily by alumni giving, but it's not *everyone* who attends.

It is, of course, possible to go to those schools with a lower income, but it's much more likely that you'll do so if your parents, or you, have money. The rest will "settle" for state schools because cost is a major factor beyond tuition, books, and housing. (Consider the additional costs for a kid from Des Moines going to MIT versus UIUC, i.e travel expenses, cost of living changes, etc.) Luckily, most state schools are wonderful bastions of education, i.e. U of Iowa Writing Program and U of Illinois Engineering School.

[Slargos]

Fuck lawyers. Scum of the earth.

Hitler had it wrong. It wasn't the jews that was the problem, it was the lawyers he should have went after.

He just wanted to make sure he got them all and it's much easier to spot them by their crooked noses than an easily forged diploma. 

[Syt]

Fuck lawyers. Scum of the earth.

Hitler had it wrong. It wasn't the jews that was the problem, it was the lawyers he should have went after.

Wouldn't have made for such a great movie with Lancaster, Schell, Tracy, Dietrich and Widmark, then.

[Malthus]

Fuck lawyers.

I wish more young ladies would take this advice. 

[Malthus]

Story gets better and better. 

"I didn't know I was raping her, since I didn't speak her language."

In all fairness though, if she was used to being raped by arabs, you were probably Prince Charming in comparison. 

You are just delighted to have, at long last, found someone whose sexual antics are even more loathesome than your own. 

Yet another Swede I might add ... 

[Slargos]

Story gets better and better. 

"I didn't know I was raping her, since I didn't speak her language."

In all fairness though, if she was used to being raped by arabs, you were probably Prince Charming in comparison. 

You are just delighted to have, at long last, found someone whose sexual antics are even more loathesome than your own. 

Yet another Swede I might add ... 

Spoken from someone who actually went ahead and PROCREATED with his shikse plaything, that's rich. 

Though I don't really consider my sexual antics loathesome. I'm always a generous and considerate lover to a fault. 

[DisturbedPervert]

And as he said, only those who can afford it go to the top schools, i.e. those with wealthy parents. Those who can't afford it, don't bother to even apply. So it's not merit-based at all; it's financially based.

Most of the top students at my hich school applied to elite private schools, regardless of wealth, as you never know what financial aid packages will be offered.  Some poorer students were given very generous ones, others were not. 

Most of these elite schools have enormous endowments and have a large percentage of students on financial aid.