Skip to content

Who Get’s In, What Comes Out

    At the end of the 19th century, Harvard took measures to attract students not only from the elite, but also from public schools. This move resulted in an unwelcome surprise for Harvard: they enrolled too many Jewish students. Harvard quickly took measures that were intended to, as President A. Lawrence Lowell said, “prevent a dangerous increase in the proportion of Jews”. Princeton and Yale soon followed suit, creating a system that allowed them to change the admissions policies to protect their place in the halls of power. For The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, Jerome Karabel, Professor of Sociology at the University of California at Berkeley, compiled over two decades of original research into a comprehensive, provocative and riveting account of the development of American Ivy League education and admissions policies.

    Of course, a lot has changed in recent decades, resulting in a far more diverse student body. But how do the highly selective (and still controversial) admissions policies of Ivy League and other elite universities compare to Dutch admissions policies, where the requirements are less subjective? Do the more transparent, standardized and accessible entry requirements for Dutch universities result in a lower quality education? How do grants, scholarships and financial aid policies compare between the U.S. and the Netherlands? What are the expectations and responsibilities of universities? Given the recent students protests in the Netherlands, what can we learn from the U.S experience?

    Join the Ivy Circle and the John Adams Institute for a debate on education, privilege and responsibility.

    Jerome Karabel will give a talk and have a discussion with Alexander Rinnooy Kan, Professor of Economics at the Universiteit van Amsterdam, in which they will explore and compare the American and Dutch/European challenges, goals and opportunities in top level education in the context of an increasingly global education ‘marketplace’.

    Supported by the U.S. Embassy The Hague

    Moderator: Hollis Kurman (Chairperson, Ivy Circle Netherlands)

    Buy Tickets here

    JAI Member: 13 euro, Non Member: 19 euro, Student: 15 euro