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Chapter Analysis Of College Admissions By Bruni

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1a:“College is a singular opportunity to rummage through and luxuriate in ideas, to give your brain a vigorous workout and your soul a thorough investigation, to realize how very large the world is and to contemplate your desired place in it. And that’s being lost in the admissions mania, which sends the message that college is a sanctum to be breached — a border to be crossed — rather than a land to be inhabited and tilled for all that it’s worth.”(Bruni 10) 1b:This passage, which is included in the final pages of Bruni’s introduction, helps define both his thoughts on the purpose of college and, at the same time, why he believes the rapidly increasing focus on college admissions is a problem. By revealing these ideas, Bruni also shows the …show more content…

This passage is important, as it underlines a point that Bruni makes throughout the entire book: top class schools cater mainly to the top socioeconomic class. This prevents these schools from providing both socioeconomic and ethnic diversity. Bruni wants the reader to examine the experience at highly ranked schools and decide whether that is something worth chasing after and worrying about. Finally, this passage also employs ethical appeal by referencing the American dream: social mobility. Public universities like ASU allow a vast majority of people in and as a result provide a greater opportunity for poorer students to receive educations for life. This is in contrast to Ivy League colleges which, again, mainly focus on those already at the top of the socioeconomic ladder. Bruni wants readers to consider which universities actually represent the values they hold to be just. Ultimately, he wants his readers to consider yet another factor which makes universities

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