Universities are becoming more and more concerned with broadening their horizons; they want to become more attractive to a larger group of prospective students because they would like the revenue that more students would bring. In diversifying the collegiate atmosphere the acceptance committees are doing more harm than good. They are placing students in an environment which may seem like a good idea to both parties at the time, but in the long run there is a greater chance that neither group will be as pleased as they could have been with a different decision.

Legally Blonde provides the audience with good examples of the difficulties plaguing higher institutions of learning today. The universities feel that diversity is necessary to imitate the situations found outside of campus. They also think that this idea is the best way to educate students both in the classroom and out. As Barone and Jenkins make clear students would benefit most by going somewhere that causes them to work hard and is somewhere that they would prefer to be, not in a place that money bought for them or that skin color “earned” them. In going to a university simply because s/he was different, it is very likely that the student will feel unfulfilled and try to do something to remedy that. Barone feels that the most selected option is that of leaving the university, and therefore not earning the degree that they deserve. If the university’s top priority is that of betterment of the students, why would they force an option on them that tends towards that of lowered success?

The stretching is not limited to just choice of major however. As one of the board members is reading Elle’s list of extracurricular activities, the others pad her résumé by stretching the truth to make Elle seem more suited for the Harvard Law environment. They turn her designing a line of “faux fir panties” for a charity event into her being “a friend to the animals, as well as a philanthropist”. By showing such relaxed methods when most people have only heard about them, it places a stronger emphasis on them, even more so since it is Harvard. The confused look on the head board member’s face as he considers everyone’s outlandish claims in Elle Woods’ behalf and finally accepts her highlights the fact that some colleges try very hard to diversify their environment. It is not a belief held by only one person, it is like a disease that infected the entire college admissions community. Like Rabkin said, such college representatives are out for their own personal and professional gains; they are not looking out for the well being of their prospective students even though that is what they should be doing.

It appears as though universities will go to almost any lengths possible in order to ensure their excellent reputation and reinforce its standing in the minds of society. As the movie Legally Blonde illustrates some prestigious universities engage in practices that can be very controversial, like affirmative action. In the scene where the Harvard board of admissions is watching Elle’s admissions video essay the viewers can see the stretches that some universities take in order to broaden their horizons. They even explicitly state that it seems o

Some topics in this essay:
Quotas Way”, Opportunity Agenda”, Elle Woods’, , Legally Blonde, Bites Back”, Harvard Law, Barone Jenkins, Michael Barone, Jeremy Rabkin, affirmative action, college admissions, learning environment, students feel, action procedures students, harvard law, truth elle, racial backgrounds, acceptance committees, socioeconomic racial, students feel fulfilled, elle woods’ behalf, affirmative action procedures, legally blonde,