Indians likely be excluded by Harvard's application process, says author Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell, the author of The Tipping Point has come up with his next book and he has highlighted Harvard's admission officers' "bias towards affluent white students".

Study in US: The author of the best-selling book The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell is back with another book which is its dark sequel Revenge of the Tipping Point.

The author discussed the book with The Guardian and said that Harvard's admission officers' "bias towards affluent white students."

He compared the Harvard admission process with the Caltech admission process which is as per him merit-based. "My suspicion is that for many people it's unconscious, but there must be a point at which [Harvard admissions tutors] are confronting the fact that they have gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure that their campus hasn't become dominated by Asians and Indians," as reported by TOI.

Caltech witnessed an increase in Asian American students

He talked about Caltech, where according to him the admission process is highly competitive. Caltech's merit-based admissions system resulted in an increased proportion of Asian American students. Between 1992 and 2013, it increased from 25% to 43%.

Earlier, the US Supreme Court outlined that the public and private universities must stop giving preferences to students as per race and instead, the admissions should be merit-based.

"In contrast, at Harvard, where the admissions process is influenced by factors such as legacy, donor contributions, and athletic scholarships, the percentage of Asian American students has remained consistently between 15 to 20% during the same period. Indian applicants are even more likely to be excluded by Harvard's application process," said Malcolm Gladwell.

He added, "Meritocracy is one of the most beautiful inventions of the 20th century - it is a foundation of a free society."

Second annual Harvard Chan Community Day of Service

The university celebrated the second annual Harvard Chan Community Day of Service. All its faculty, staff and students participated.

"Students, staff, and faculty participated in a variety of projects during the second annual Harvard Chan Community Day of Service. At locations on campus and in Boston, volunteers filled backpacks for newly-arrived migrant students, created winter kits for unhoused individuals, made fleece blankets for local children in need, and more," reads Harvard University's post on Instagram.

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