History Commons^™

A Social History Of Admissions Policies At Harvard, Yale, And Princeton, 1900-1930, Marcia Graham Synnott

Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014

Harvard, Yale, and Princeton were selected for study for two major reasons. First, the "Big Three" are among the most prestigious universities in the United States, and they have trained proportionately more "leaders" than any other undergraduate colleges. Secondly, because of their urban locations, Harvard and Yale began to attract after 1900 the ambitious sons of immigrants, who were chiefly Catholic and Jewish. In contrast, Princeton, with its more collegiate atmosphere and its comparative geographical isolation, attracted few of them. While the "Big Three" were willing to admit students of immigrant and minority backgrounds, their traditional role was to educate …