Legacy Admissions Aren’t Fair. But Are They Wrong?

Elite colleges are facing a reckoning over their admissions practices. But is there a case for upholding policies that give preferential treatment to some students?

On this episode of “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts examine whether it really matters if you go to Harvard and what the upside could be of favoring family connections.

(A full transcript of the episode will be available midday on the Times website.)

A photo illustration of a gate at Harvard as if printed in a newspaper, with part of the page folded over, revealing type.“Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Consequences of Admission to Highly Selective Colleges,” by Raj Chetty, David J. Deming and John N. Friedman in…