Introduction. April is the cruellest month -- Demystifying merit -- The multiple missions of modern universities -- Open admissions and the community colleges -- How the academically rich get richer -- The test : understanding the SAT -- Admissions tests : uses, abuses, alternatives -- The SAT on trial -- Affirmative action and the legacy of Bakke -- Justifying affirmative action -- Sowing the seeds of higher education -- Summing up, looking ahead.