The race-based college admissions debate: What it really means for you?

Post By: COYD Staff

There has been a lot of debate and discussion around race-based college admissions. For years, affirmative action has always been a hot political and social topic. There are those who are adamantly for it and others, adamantly against. It’s as polarizing a topic as abortion in this country. There’s an old saying “Don’t discuss Religion or Politics” so this post is not about our stance on affirmative action. Our blog’s goal is to empower our students to understand the college admissions landscape and help them strategize on how to get into the college of their dreams. In order to do that, it is important to be aware of the factors that surround college admissions and one of them is affirmative action. It is important to know the psychology of affirmative action, how it came to existence and how it relates to your application and getting into the college of your dreams.

Let’s start with the Wikipedia definition of affirmative action. “Affirmative action refers to policies that take “race, color, religion, sex or national origin” into consideration. “Affirmative action” is action taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. Historically, affirmative action in the US began as a tool address the inequalities for African Americans in the 1960s. President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson both advocated the importance of affirmative action to achieve true freedom for African Americans.

Now let’s discuss affirmative action specifically for college admissions. In the present, the opposition believes that affirmative action is a form of reverse discrimination. They believe that affirmative action unfairly gives minorities an easier chance for college acceptance. However, there is a flaw in that argument because Asian-Americans are minorities and statistically, they have to score 50 points higher on their SAT than their counterparts to get into the same colleges.

So why am I highlighting that point? How can it affect your strategy in getting into your #1 choice?

Answer this question: why do you think Asians have to score higher than their counterparts? Let’s think about it. Asians as a whole have a higher SAT score and test scores and stereotypically are good at math and science. So when a college admission counselor sees an Asian candidate with a high SAT score and high math and science grades, he/she is not that impressed because this candidate is pretty much a dime a dozen. For this candidate to really stick out, they have to possess qualities that a typical Asian American does not possess.

So ultimately, each person is evaluated based on race. However, instead of feeling like a victim of racial profiling and/or affirmative action, use your knowledge of it to your advantage.

Be the Anti-Stereotype and break out of the crowd!

On the top right hand corner, there is a box where you can download the #1 secret for getting into the college of your dreams: Be the Anti-Stereotype.
When you understand the psychology behind college admissions, you will empower your mind and your strategy on how to get into the college of your dreams.