Dear University of Texas, Austin Office of Admissions, I write this letter to you in regards to your race-based affirmative action program that has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court as of 2013. Just a few years ago, a woman by the name of Abigail Fisher challenged your affirmative action program created to increase the enrollment of minority students. The Supreme Court decided in favor of this program, and by doing so, upheld the use of race-based affirmative action in higher education, specifically in your institution (“Equality” 1). I believe that after the Supreme Court’s decision, rather than continuing the use of race-based affirmative action, you should have taken a closer look at your admission process and made changes accordingly.
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However, what factors do these universities consider when seeking diversity? Many times this diversity is sought through programs such as race-based affirmative action. This is a result of a widespread misunderstanding that diversity only pertains to race, culture, or religion. In my opinion, diversity, as it pertains to a college student body, is a state of having a variety in students that are from different races, cultures, and religions, but also students who have lived through different life circumstances and were offered varying opportunities throughout their educational career. Of course, in any group made of a large multitude of people, this diversity will be achieved naturally, however, if you want to contribute to the artificial creation of this variety in your student body (which many colleges strive to do), race-based affirmative action is not the answer. Diversity is a concept that can prove beneficial, especially in a college setting. However, the full effects of it cannot be discerned until people have an accurate grasp for what diversity truly entails. As a part of a high ranked research institution and leading college in the nation, you have the responsibility to not only make the true nature of diversity known to your student body but to also utilize its many elements as a basis for your admission process. Again, by using race-based affirmative action, you will not achieve …show more content…
These measures (education, income, and occupation) can pertain to the student themselves, the student’s parents, or immediate and extended family members. To integrate an applicant’s socioeconomic status into their application, you should design and add questions and essay prompts that pertain to the measures stated above. I believe the socioeconomic status of a prospective student is an important aspect to consider due to the implicit information it can reveal. I also believe that it can oftentimes be an accurate predictor of a student’s social, mental, emotional, and academic success and acclimation in the college they choose to attend. For example, The American Psychological Association states that a 2006 study revealed that, “First-generation college students are 51% less likely to graduate in 4 years”(Mompremier 1). Another statistic that exhibits the effects of a student’s socioeconomic status on their academic performance in college, is one restated by Forbes, “about 55% of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in the U.S. went to students from top-quartile families with 2010 income above $98,875; 9.4% of those degrees went to students with family income below $33,000” (Fisher 1) Both of these statistics reveal the effects of two of the
However, what factors do these universities consider when seeking diversity? Many times this diversity is sought through programs such as race-based affirmative action. This is a result of a widespread misunderstanding that diversity only pertains to race, culture, or religion. In my opinion, diversity, as it pertains to a college student body, is a state of having a variety in students that are from different races, cultures, and religions, but also students who have lived through different life circumstances and were offered varying opportunities throughout their educational career. Of course, in any group made of a large multitude of people, this diversity will be achieved naturally, however, if you want to contribute to the artificial creation of this variety in your student body (which many colleges strive to do), race-based affirmative action is not the answer. Diversity is a concept that can prove beneficial, especially in a college setting. However, the full effects of it cannot be discerned until people have an accurate grasp for what diversity truly entails. As a part of a high ranked research institution and leading college in the nation, you have the responsibility to not only make the true nature of diversity known to your student body but to also utilize its many elements as a basis for your admission process. Again, by using race-based affirmative action, you will not achieve …show more content…
These measures (education, income, and occupation) can pertain to the student themselves, the student’s parents, or immediate and extended family members. To integrate an applicant’s socioeconomic status into their application, you should design and add questions and essay prompts that pertain to the measures stated above. I believe the socioeconomic status of a prospective student is an important aspect to consider due to the implicit information it can reveal. I also believe that it can oftentimes be an accurate predictor of a student’s social, mental, emotional, and academic success and acclimation in the college they choose to attend. For example, The American Psychological Association states that a 2006 study revealed that, “First-generation college students are 51% less likely to graduate in 4 years”(Mompremier 1). Another statistic that exhibits the effects of a student’s socioeconomic status on their academic performance in college, is one restated by Forbes, “about 55% of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in the U.S. went to students from top-quartile families with 2010 income above $98,875; 9.4% of those degrees went to students with family income below $33,000” (Fisher 1) Both of these statistics reveal the effects of two of the