How did the elite Ivy League schools Harvard, Yale, and Princeton change their admissions procedures in the 1920s, and why? What effect has this had?

Question

Please provide the best answer for the statement.

Answer 1

1. Prior to the 1920s, all applicants who met high academic standards were accepted to these schools.
2. During the 1920s, the school administrations began to worry about the declining numbers of Protestants relative to Jews in their institutions. Well-qualified Jewish applicants made up 20 percent of the Harvard freshman class in 1918. Out of bigotry, the administrations chose to change the rules.
3. Policies were instituted to limit admission on the basis of intelligence alone to only 10 percent of admissions. The rest were to be judged by “character”: manliness, congeniality, leadership potential, and other qualities they believed were lacking among Jewish men.
4. Other universities across the country followed their example. Soon, universities from the top qualified to the lowest rung regularly rejected applicants whom they believed belonged to an “undesirable” race, ethnic background, religion, or socioeconomic status. “Character” was further delineated by looking at applicants’ extracurricular activities and soliciting letters of recommendation. That system is still in place today. Though direct discrimination is illegal, applicants disregarded for having the wrong “character” are not likely to be the children of wealthy alumni.