throngs of people hail the end of the war in europe. in america in 1945, anything seemed possible. and what a thrill. with world war ii over, the country was revving its engines. almost 50 million motor vehicles. and for a surging middle class, the american dream had a new name. the gi bill. for the first time, almost all who had served could go to college for free. any kind of education and in any part of the country. millions jumped at the chance. but the most elite schools still remained closed to many. they were private clubs, open
Mostly to members of america s aristocracy. white anglo-saxon protestants. at harvard, one man wanted to open the gates. really get going. the school s president, james brian conan asked himself, what would thomas jefferson do? jefferson had written that america should create an aristocracy of talent to replace the aristocracy of birth and wealth. now he s about to enter an environment more in keeping with his social position. most harvard men, and they were still all men, came from prep schools with the right pedigree. at college he will meet men of his own kind. it s servants who went with them to harvard. they would put on their tuxedos every night and go to debutante
Can, government figures show, earn more than double the income of other college graduates. parents get more and more anxious. that s why they turn to independent counselors. you know, they re can desperate. there are at least 15,000 private college counselors in america. you can find dozens of them on youtube. hey, guys, have you ever wondered how to get that elusive wow factor? today i want to speak about what you should never speak about during an ivy league admissions interview. many are reputable. but they are largely unregulated even as their business is exploding. we decline families all the time. a c average isn t going to get you into harvard and there s nothing any consultant can do about it. well, any legitimate consultant. he likes to start his clients early. the first time we re talking to them is fifth grade. the youngest we ve got for
Aristocracy and america is the land of democracy. but at least in college admissions, the reverse appears to be true. when you add up all the admissions preferences at elite schools, like legacies, recruited athletes, and children of wealthy donors, you get an astounding number. at some schools, it s around 50% of the class. that is the behavior that s typical of some moribund, irrelevant, corrupt private club. coming up, there s one school in america that s doing admissions entirely differently. at baria college in kentucky, in order to get in here, you must be poor. when we come back.
But don t just take my word for it. try it out and decide for yourself. switch to sprint and get both an unlimited plan and one of the newest phones included for just $35 a month. for people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay.com. let me begin with a confession. i m a member of the meritocracy. i went to an elite college and then graduate school on full scholarships. i both benefited from the merit-based system and also seen it from the inside and know that college admissions offices are overwhelmingly decent and honorable people actually trying very hard to balance all the factors that they are being