Undergraduate schools across the nation originally debuted Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) admission programs in the hopes of attracting student applicants who were most interested and most likely to matriculate, before the rush of moderately to slightly interested applicants in the spring. The recent decision by universities such as Harvard and Princeton to retract the programs, however, has brought into question the socioeconomic bias that “early” options may create.
Admissions officers defend Wesleyan’s decision to continue its own ED program, citing recent statistics that suggest that students who apply either early or Regular Decision receive the same consideration for financial aid. Where the numbers differ is in how many working class and welfare class students apply early and how many apply regular, the later deadline usually favoring those from a lower socioeconomic background. Supposedly, those students who have higher levels of financial need apply through Regular Decision to ensure that they can compare financial aid packages from those—hopefully—several schools that accept them, rather than being bound to the package that a single ED or EA admission gives.
Statistical speech aside, all of this turns our attention to the actual campus, within the golden gates of admission to Wesleyan. Socioeconomic status is not a demographic to be overlooked, especially not after it has been used to determine one’s acceptance to and financial aid from an institution. Challenges continue even after one enrolls. A money system that runs on fake money (points) does not distract us from the taxing cost of food at Usdan and WEShop. The need to balance between student and worker detracts from the educational opportunities that one may find at Wes. (Read the interview with Silverio Vasquez for a case-in-point.)
Wes students from the working and welfare classes deserve a recognized, welcomed and supported community on campus.
Those of us who are privileged enough to be privileged should take advantage of the utopian residential community that college life offers; you won’t find such socioeconomic variety in real-world neighborhoods. Talk with your neighbors while you’re here. Learn something from them and from the ways in which lower-income students do—and don’t—differ from you. We laude University efforts such as the preference that campus employers give to work-study (financial aid) students. Finally, we encourage previously active student groups such as Class Matters to reorganize and raise awareness of socioeconomic issues within the student body.
Working (and middle, and upper) class students of the world, unite!
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