Joke Issue: Admissions office imposes cap on applicants from Westchester, NY

In an effort to promote more diversity among its students, Penn has imposed a quota on the number of students from Westchester, New York it can admit — just 45 percent of every incoming class.

The information was provided to the Daily Pennsylvanian by a Penn admissions officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The admissions office itself was not available for comment.

The officer said the decision was made after growing concerns regarding the number of students in each freshman class who hail from the New York City suburb.

“Geographic diversity has always been one of our greatest priorities,” he said. “In order to promote the deepest forms of collaborative learning and growing among students, we feel it is necessary to ensure that students from all parts of the country and the world are represented equally.”

Although the idea was originally raised years ago, the officer explained, the quota was not introduced until now because of concerns over losing alumni donations. Many Penn alumni, particularly those with high salaries, reside in the Westchester area.

“As a nonprofit institution, we just didn’t have the funds to shut out that entire segment of donors,” the officer said. “But despite the potential for financial insolvency, we decided to take the plunge — for the greater good.”

Penn students from Westchester feel slighted by the new policy, arguing that qualified applicants shouldn’t be passed over because of their geographic background.

“I don’t think it’s fair at all,” said Wharton junior Preston Johnson IV, who resides in Westchester and is the sixth in his family to attend Penn. “I worked very hard to get in here — I remember staying inside my Hamptons vacation home studying for the SAT while all my friends were out partying. It’s not fair.”

Johnson also said he was concerned about his younger brother Parker, who plans to apply early decision to Wharton next year.

“Parker, I mean — he’s worked even harder than I have. He quit his sailing team and polo class for an entire summer so he could build homes for orphans in Africa.”

College sophomore Mary Livingston, who also calls Westchester home, agreed that the new rule will shut out applicants who deserve to get a Penn education.

“Life was hard for me, growing up,” Livingston said. “I didn’t know whether I’d be able to attend Penn or whether I’d be stuck at somewhere like Dartmouth or Cornell. And I just want everyone following in my footsteps to have things just a little bit easier.”

Editor’s Note: This article is part of The Daily Pennsylvanian’s annual joke issue. Read more about the history of joke issue here.

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