Promoting Diversity in Admissions

Via Matt Yglesias, here’s an interesting proposal for an elite college admissions lottery from Harvard student Dylan Matthews. Rather than the current system, Matthews argues:

High school seniors would apply to a single admissions body and list their school preferences in order. Schools would set a minimum SAT score and high school GPA so that they do not admit students who truly cannot handle the work, but, otherwise, schools are randomly matched with students who list them as a preference.

Matthews goes on to argue that a randomized college admissions process would cut down on students who are able to game the system and end the “high school arms race” that plagues the current college admissions environment.

While Matthews’ proposal would probably do much to increase meritocracy in college admissions, I’m concerned about how such a system so heavily reliant on a standardized test like the SAT or ACT would impact students who don’t test well – particular students with learning differences or other disabilities.  Tests are only one way to measure intelligence, and the current system gives schools the flexibility to see beyond scores to the potential revealed in interviews, essays, and other admission materials.