How the United States Cultivates Elites

Author: Xue Yong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The greatest contribution of the United States to higher education is the concept of serving society. The sons and daughters of wealthy families must complete their elite education by participating in grassroots society. Since World War II, almost every two decades, American higher education has presented new challenges to elite youth, forcing them to constantly adapt and never become complacent. Many children from elite American families start planning for college when they are 13 or 14, and begin traveling the world at 15 or 16, gaining experience in poor developing countries and becoming active participants in global society. Although issues of wealth inequality and uneven distribution of educational resources remain far from resolved, many wealthy young people participate in summer programs and "gap year" courses to attend college, changing their perspective on the world and understanding the lives of people from different social classes. As a result, they do not become self-serving privileged classes but instead become socially responsible elite members. The greatest contribution of the United States to higher education is the concept of serving society. The sons and daughters of wealthy families must complete their elite education by participating in grassroots society. Since World War II, almost every two decades, American higher education has presented new challenges to elite youth, forcing them to constantly adapt and never become complacent. American elite families' children, many of whom start planning for college at 13 or 14, begin traveling the world at 15 or 16, gaining experience in poor developing countries and becoming active participants in global society. Although issues of wealth inequality and uneven distribution of educational resources remain far from resolved, many wealthy young people participate in summer programs and "gap year" courses to attend college, changing their perspective on the world and understanding the lives of people from different social classes. As a result, they do not become self-serving privileged classes but instead become socially responsible elite members.