How affirmative action works in practice

In a typical year Harvard, a $53bn endowment with a university attached, receives nearly four times as many candidates with perfect grade-point averages as it has places available. It distinguishes between these well-qualified candidates using four criteria: academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, personal qualities and athletic abilities. Admissions officers also need to keep that endowment growing, which means admitting the children of alumni and of big donors. And they strive to create a racially diverse class. The process is opaque but goes by a soothing name: holistic admissions.