The recent redrafting of Dartmouth's financial aid program is one of the most commendable decisions the College has made in years. The new plan will make a Dartmouth education free for students with family incomes below $75,000, replace large portions of loans with grants, offer leave-term grants and extend need-blind admissions to international students. The Dartmouth Editorial Board("A Dartmouth Experience for Everyone," Jan. 23) suggests that these positive changes will create a more inclusive Dartmouth.
A quick look at statistics, however, puts this idea into stark perspective -- Dartmouth still remains out of reach for many students capable of succeeding here. The new financial aid plan -- though a major improvement to its predecessor -- is still far from making a Dartmouth education universally accessible. In fact, this plan's mass appeal will make a Dartmouth degree even more elusive; a growing and increasingly competitive applicant pool will ensure that Dartmouth remains one of the most exclusive American institutions.
"We're the nation's leading institution in terms of socio-economic diversity, and now we make the Dartmouth experience affordable to everyone," said Maria Laskaris, the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid ("College Announces Major Overhaul of Financial Aid Plan," Jan. 23). This claim is absurd. While the financial aid reform makes attending our school a possibility for many students from "low income" families, $75,000 is only a low household income in Dartmouth's terms. According to the Census Bureau, more than 60 percent of American families make less. Dartmouth College's demographics don't even come close to matching this national standard.
The College boasts that 46 percent of the Class of 2011 receives financial aid, meaning that 54 percent of students do not. That is, a majority of students -- or more likely their parents -- are able to afford the $204,745 it will take to spend four years here, taking into account the average yearly cost increase of about 4.5 percent. So much for socio-economic diversity.
Even though the College will provide more financial aid than ever, Dartmouth will remain inaccessible to students from the full range of financial backgrounds. Over the past ten years, the College has seen a huge increase in the number of applications while the number of students admitted remains constant. According to the Dartmouth College Fact Book, 14,176 students applied and 2,165 were accepted for 2007-2008, whereas 10,144 applied and 2,176 were admitted for 2003-2004.
Let's stop pretending: The new plan does not make it much easier for students to be here. For every student who has succeeded at the Dartmouth admissions roulette, there are seven who have not. That number will be even higher or the Class of 2013.
Last week's Verbum posits that "there may be plenty of students who will be able to manage Dartmouth academically, but fewer whose character is congruent with the Dartmouth experience" ("Admitting Character," Feb. 1). But how can an admissions essay -- which a sufficiently determined applicant can fine-tune for months -- be a completely reliable measure of character? Many exemplary students who would have contributed to the Dartmouth community just as meaningfully as we do are denied the chance to do so.
The new financial aid initiative helps ameliorate -- but not eliminate -- the role that financial need plays as one of many factors determining whether a student can become a part of the Dartmouth community. A student can have it all; he may be a great person, a great scholar, a great athlete and a great community activist. Still, he may not have the opportunity to attend Dartmouth. The College's limited capacity and opaque admissions process continue to buttress the insurmountable walls of our ivory tower.
The College cannot accommodate many more than 4,000 students. That fact alone guarantees Dartmouth's exclusivity. The administration should continue its efforts to expand aid resources through additional capital campaigns and greater allocations of the College's budget to financial aid.
We students, however, must keep in mind that a majority of us are here by chance. Our presence at Dartmouth is a barrier to the presence of others; making the most of our own Dartmouth experience is far more than a simple obligation to ourselves. We owe it to thousands.
