Reply #129: Why assume "best" = "private?"

[lolly]

Just for starters, if the public colleges and universities are falling behind, it's not because public is inherently weaker. It's because money has been pulled out and class sizes are going up, facilities are being neglected, and salaries are falling (except for administrators, but that's another story).

As for the "best/private" schools basing admission solely on academic merit--some do. Some don't. The essence of "private" is that they can choose to admit students based on any criteria they want. If they need more cellists for their top-notch symphony orchestra, then they'll accept the best cellists, not the ones with the highest SAT scores.

It's generally public universities that are required to put all or most of the emphasis on academic merit. But with resources dwindling, they have room for fewer and fewer of even the brightest students.