I’ll tell you a story that doesn’t mirror this blog’s headline but speaks a parable.
Back in 1994, I was a foreign exchange student at Baylor University, Waco, TX. I was 19 then. Among other students, I was often meeting Baylor’s Russian-speaking student community. There were three Russians, plus several guys from Uzbekistan, Middle Asia. It was a former Soviet republic, but it had its significant differences.
There were three guys; one was Bachrom, and I needed to remember the others by their names. Anyway, one of these other guys was very self-confident and handsome but pretty stupid. Though he was a student at an American university, he didn’t speak any English, maybe some very basic. I didn’t like him from the first minute because I hate arrogance in people, and he was very arrogant.
Then two other guys told me a story of how that guy, let’s call him Kazbek, made it to Baylor.
His mother was the head of Tashkent University. And at this university, they had the same contest, based on the TOEFL exam, to qualify for our foreign exchange program, the American Collegiate Consortium (ACC).
Another guy knew English perfectly and was an outstanding student. He passed the TOEFL exam and qualified for the ACC program.
Then, suddenly, it turned out that the university chose that Kazbek guy. However, he didn’t even bother to pass the exam. Even formally, he had no right to study in the US.
Well, his mommy set it all up for him. Those Uzbek guys were laughing as they were telling me: you see, that poor guy got on his knees before Kazbek. He was desperate to keep his place as a legitimate student to go to America. Of course, Kazbek went to the States.
I didn’t like that Kazbek guy. Having learned this story, I started to despise him.
The intelligent but underprivileged guy didn’t make it to a top university, as an American university was the ultimate chance for a guy from Middle Asia.
The asshole was sitting in front of me in Texas, having fun: his mommy did it for him.
This story is my answer to the headline question. It is not a direct answer but a very strong one.
Should the underprivileged have access to our top universities?
Our friends from across the pond should be told this is a huge issue in America right now. Trump calls the US Supreme Court: “My Supreme Court” and he’s right. If you count major legislation, the Court has been far more successful at passing new laws than the Congress. All well and good except they are not supposed to legislate.
In one of their many success stories the Court was able to outlaw Universities taking race into account when accepting new students. Mind you, I didn’t say it was popular or even something the American people asked for; just that they invented new laws to make it a rule. Now to be clear; if you’re the child of a wealthy donor, that still counts and schools do give rich kids a major boost. We will not be treating the hyper-rich as equal in this country anytime soon. Trump is betting his future on it.
This is an argument I can easily see both sides of. Example: There is a white kid from the coal fields of West Virginia and a black kid from Ward 8, DC. We will say they are mostly equal. It is fair to ask why the Government thinks one child is more deserving than the other? Before you start with some historical beef you have with old people, I would ask what that has to do with these two children’s futures? Why is it that one child, who is poor, needs to pay for crimes he never committed?
This will make you squirm a little (hopefully): there have been times in my life when I have had trouble making a car payment. Then to turn on my TV and see some black guy explain how I am the beneficiary of slavery is, well… rancid.
On the other side, it’s a fact that one of our two example children comes from a disadvantaged group and if you want to have a society of equals, then we should help the next generation catch a few breaks. Our child from Washington, DC can be an example of what is possible in an enlightened society. This child should graduate from Harvard Law and lead this nation.
There is no right answer. But you can bet your ass there’s a wrong answer. You can wager that same posterior that some racists will be hiding behind the banner of equality: “It’s wrong to take skin color into account!” I call bullshit, but don’t ask me what’s right.
Should the underprivileged have access to our top universities?
There’s plenty of research available that shows beyond doubt that young students from low-income families in Britain have a monumental task in getting into Oxford or Cambridge. We can ask whether that is fair and indeed whether it matters at all.
It matters to me, and no, it’s not fair. Surely those from a disadvantaged background are equally likely to have talents and abilities when compared to the privileged set. Of course, there will always be the toffs who complain that giving a top university place to someone who hails from an impoverished mining village in the north of England means one place less for a rich privately-educated student. “Positive discrimination” and “social engineering” they shout.
I am pleased to say that both Oxford and Cambridge universities have developed small schemes that allow a few previously deprived students the ability to study, and give them an extra year to succeed. If these become extra places, then no-one need miss out. I read of one such student who posted on social media that from being called “incompetent” in one of his first classes, he is leaving with a First-Class degree.
So, it can work. Every single student should have the chance to reach their potential whatever their background. If a young person from a less well-off family knows there is a possibility that if they work hard, they are able to claim a place at one of the top universities, that could provide a huge amount of motivation. Without any such motivation, the vast majority find no point in feverish studying, ensuring a lifetime of under-achievement. Sad, but true.