Colleges reach out to poorer students

Boston Globe
Critics question commitment to diversify
By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff November 10, 2008

CAMBRIDGE - Williams College recruiter Elizabeth Tilley touted the elite liberal arts school's scenic campus and small classes, many of which are no bigger than the group of nine high school students gathered around a table at Prospect Hill Academy Charter School to hear her pitch.
But before long, Tilley turned to the elephant in the room: On a whiteboard, she wrote the price of a year at Williams - $50,000. Several students winced and groaned.
"Right, I see it on everyone's face. How are we supposed to pay for that," said Tilley, the college's assistant admissions director. "But with financial aid, it's possible." For students from low- and moderate-income families, she said, Williams waives nearly the entire cost.
"Duuude," senior Julian Baynes said, as a disbelieving smile crossed his face.
Tilley's recent visit to Prospect Hill, where two-thirds of the students qualify for free and reduced-cost school lunches, illustrates a growing push by top-tier colleges to recruit economically disadvantaged students. Using socioeconomic data to target promising candidates and flying in prospective students for campus visits, colleges say they are redoubling efforts to let students like Baynes know they can attend virtually for free.
Yet a host of education specialists question elite colleges' commitment to economic diversity, citing evidence that top colleges are becoming increasingly stratified by income. While they applaud colleges for expanding financial aid policies, even allowing students to attend without taking out loans, they say colleges must do more to puncture the perception that expensive private colleges are reserved for the wealthy. [Full story: