Two separate class reports, bound together tête-bêche (each report starts from "the front" depending on how the volume is held); each report paginated independently.

Two separate reports, bound together tête-bêche (each report starts from "the front" depending on how the volume is held); each report paginated independently.

This text tells the story of how Harvard, America's oldest and foremost institution of higher learning has become synonomous with the nation, their goals and standards reflecting each other, each setting the other's agenda. It is a narrative of the individual achievements of its leaders and of the intense power struggles that have shaped Harvard as it pioneered in setting the priorities that have served as exemplars for the nation's educational establishment.

Drawing on decades of research, Karabel shines a light on the ever-changing definition of "merit" in college admissions, showing how it shaped--and was shaped by--the country at large.