Cover
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Preface
Introduction: Gatekeeping Reconsidered
Doctoral Students and Their Professional Pathways
Gatekeeping Reconsidered
Defining Merit
Untangling a Paradox of Admissions
Notes on the Research Design
Reading This Book
Conclusion
Chapter One. Decision Making as Deliberative Bureaucracy
An Overview of Admissions Procedures
Quantifying Judgment
“We Definitely Try to Make People Happy”
Compromise: When Collegiality Trumps Taste
Costs of Deliberative Bureaucracy
Friendly Debate and Drawing Group Boundaries
Conclusion
Chapter Two. Meanings of Merit and Diversity
Theories of Organizational Excellence
The First Cut: Merit as Conventional Achievement
The Short List: Merit as the Future of the Discipline
Disconfirming Evidence: Risk Aversion and Academic Preparation as Final Considerations
Conclusion
Chapter Three. Disciplinary Logics
Economics
Philosophy
Comparing the Cases
Struggling for Consensus
Worldview Moments in Political Science
Conclusion
Chapter Four. Mirror, Mirror
Awareness of Preferences for Self-Similarity
Homophily of the Pedigreed
Pedigree and Privilege in Classics
Homophily of the Cool
Social Mobility Homophily
Counterscripts and Critical Mass
Conclusion
Chapter Five. The Search for Intelligent Life
General Impressions of Intelligence
Qualities of Thought and Mind
Research Experience and Disciplinary Engagement
Conclusion
Chapter Six. International Students and Ambiguities of Holistic Review
International Students and Organizational Interests
Ambiguities of Reviewing International Student Applications
Quantitative GRE Scores and Admissions Ethics
The Search for Credible English Skills
Portraits of Admissions Interviews
Cultural Distinction Work
Ambiguities Create Conditions in Which Stereotypes Thrive
Conclusion
Conclusion: Merit beyond the Mirror
Summary
Multiple Interests, Multiple Contexts
Preferences Imply Aversions
Resistance to Change, Ambivalence about Diversity
Revisit Admissions Routines and Make Them Explicit
Strengthen Recruitment and Align It with Admissions
Examine Assumptions about Merit
Stop Misusing Standardized Test Scores
Seek Small Wins in Admissions as Part of a Multifaceted Change Process
Conclusion
Methodological Appendix
Case Study as a Methodology
Sampling
Recruitment
Data Collection
Data Management
Case Development and Cross-Case Analysis
Trustworthiness and Reliability
Researcher’s Role and Establishing Rapport
Conclusion
Notes
References
Acknowledgments
Index