ABSTRACT

1 Who should be admitted into our nation’s elite colleges and universities, such as the University of California (UC), and how should these determinations be made? These questions are much easier to pose than to answer. Moreover, the answers create an extraordinary high-stakes competition encompassing college-bound students, the State of California, and the nation. A UC education is highly prized because of its quality. In the minds of the American populace, degrees from elite colleges and universities like UC are among the best means of entry into esteemed, powerful, lucrative, and interesting social roles, including occupations (Beatty, Greenwood, & Linn, 1999). That education symbolizes a pathway to opportunity. It represents a dream that, with hard work and persistence, coupled with the knowledge and skill developed at the University, anyone can ascend to economic and social success, regardless of social standing and resources.