The Sorting Hat Goes to College

In the Harry Potter stories [R], each new year at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry starts with the ceremonial assignment of the new first-year students to one of the four houses: Griffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. This is a milestone for the young students because their assigned houses greatly influence their future direction. The crucial assignment process is entrusted to the magical Sorting Hat, which provides a moment of revelation for the student. Indeed, this sentient garment uses its magical perception to reveal the student’s personality and strengths, and consequently places the student into the bestsuited house. However, we cannot help but observe another pattern in the assignments. Every year, the 40 students are split evenly, both among houses and by gender. Perhaps the Hat respects some constraints as it divides the students.