All of a sudden Harvard wakes up to the reality that the middle class is excluded. Today’s WSJ: “Harvard University sweetened its financial aid for middle-class and upper-middle-class families, responding to criticism that elite colleges have become unaffordable for ordinary Americans. Undergraduates whose families earn up to $180,000 would be asked to pay 10% or less of their incomes annually for the cost of Harvard. For example, a family making $120,000 will be asked to pay about $12,000, down from more than $19,000 under current student-aid policies.”
Ten years too late for us. In 1996, my oldest child was accepted to Harvard. The only people that could send their children to Harvard then were the very rich and the very poor.
Of course, there were other considerations. The English department was substituting readings of very questionable merit in place of the great works of western civilization. We weren’t so sure Harvard was the best choice anyway.
And now for the rest of the story: Things worked out for the better at Tulane and Imperial College London. After all, in his fourth year Tulane had three Goldwater scholars and Harvard maybe one. He was one of the three. Could have done worse. God always has a better plan.
That’s nice.