A Rhetorical Analysis Of Make Colleges Diverse By David Leonhardt

David Leonhardt, an American journalist and columnist, wrote an article published by New York Times, “Make Colleges Diverse,” on the need to enroll more working-class students at elite universities. Universities have implemented a different racial and ethnic student body, but lacked the acceptance of students with low financial status. The financial burden from colleges has discouraged students from achieving their goals at Ivy League schools. David Leonhardt mentions that universities should work with the middle class students of all races. Overall, he uses rhetorical questions, stylistic language, and an informal tone to emphasize the need for colleges to be more diverse starting with the financial status of each person.

Leonhardt utilizes

The universities must be filled with talented and well-educated people in the United States. In order to achieve a more diverse environment, Bloomberg’s foundation, the American Talent Initiative, instills a goal: to increase the number of Pell Grant recipients attending college within ten years. Michael Bloomberg creates a coalition of colleges including private and public colleges to commit to being more diverse. Moreover, Jeffrey Valdespino Leal, a Stanford freshman, is an exemplar of a low-income student intermixing with the elite university students. Jeffrey Valdespino’s experience shows people that the middle class can achieve success at an Ivy League school. Overall, Leonhardt urges colleges to enroll more working-class students to increase the diversity at

His article spoke a powerful truth that millions of Americans must be aware of. I agree with his call for more working-class students of all races at elite universities. The opening lines of the article where he mentions that most qualified low-income student do not attend Ivy League schools are upsetting since their financial status acts as a negative component to their college application. The privileged point of view of trustees and administrator present serious obstacles to these intentions ever manifesting into reality. The fantasy that all young people are running the same race blinds many university trustees and administrators to the reality that they undervalue students who always have to run uphill. There is no relationship between being intelligent and inheriting wealth. Therefore, the “poor” smart students have the ability to master skills at Ivy League schools. On the other hand, Leonhardt describes local colleges as “an injustice.” The term “injustice” is a negative connotation to local colleges which instills the same education and easier accessibility to students. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, is a prime example of someone who did not attend an elite university, but still became successful working with software. In order to establish a more united country, we must start with unifying universities and allowing middle-class