Malcolm Gladwell Sets Off Debate Over Whether Good Campus Food Prevents More Aid for Low-Income Students
Malcolm Gladwell says trade-off exists between high-quality
campus dining and admitting low-income students.
In his new podcast series, Revisionist History, he makes
this point by contrasting Bowdoin College, which is regularly
cited by campus guides for outstanding food, with Vassar College,
where students tell him the food is mediocre. Both are elite
liberal arts colleges, with highly competitive admissions,
respected faculty members and beautiful campuses. But Vassar
enrolls a much larger share of low-income students than Bowdoin,
and Gladwell blames the gourmet food Bowdoin students enjoy.