How Will the Affirmative Action Ban Affect College Admissions?
If you’ve been paying any attention to the news, you probably already know that the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has finally put an end to the long debate surrounding affirmative action programs in college and university admissions.
In essence, the Court’s recent ruling that such programs at both Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were unconstitutional and discriminatory has effectively banned their use altogether in the United States.
If you’re looking ahead at your own admission journey and wondering if or how this will affect you, here’s what you need to know.
What Is Affirmative Action and Why Is It Surrounded by Controversy?
In higher education, affirmative action is a method that recognizes that not everybody has equal access to the same educational opportunities by taking into consideration a student’s background and personal characteristics (including their race) when considering them for admission to their school of choice.
Proponents of affirmative action have always maintained that it is a necessary tool to promote student body diversity and give more opportunities in higher education to historically underrepresented groups. In turn, this helps break down social barriers and creates a more inclusive society.
However, opponents feel that affirmative action can actually put students at a disadvantage by perpetuating stereotypes. For example, Latino or Black applicants may be perceived as less than qualified for admission and only got a slot in a school’s roster because of affirmative action. That perception can undermine all their hard work and stellar achievements.
Opponents also argue that affirmative action defeats the idea that higher education is a true meritocracy, where everyone is equally rewarded based solely on their abilities and accomplishments. They believe that affirmative action can cause less-qualified candidates to be admitted over more-qualified ones, all in the name of racial diversity.
What’s Changed in the Wake of the Supreme Court Ruling?
In the past, schools were permitted to consider a student’s race as a factor in the admissions process along with their academic transcripts, test scores, extracurriculars and other qualifications. When a school receives a high number of applicants and the admission slots are scarce, someone’s race might be the deciding factor between two equally deserving candidates.
Right now, schools that once had robust affirmative action policies are no longer permitted to consider a student’s race as part of the admissions process. Despite that, they can still consider a student’s gender, income and nationality to create the diversity they want on their campuses.
How much that may affect your admission journey can depend on which schools you have on your wish list. If the schools you want to attend weren’t using affirmative action before, nothing is likely to change. If they did (which was common in elite schools), you may have a harder time “tipping the scales” in your favor when it comes to admissions.
That means that it is going to be more important than ever to set yourself apart from the crowd through your academic achievements. The already competitive process just got even more cutthroat. Now, it will take stronger personal essays, more advanced coursework, better letters of reference and carefully chosen extracurriculars to give you the edge you need to matriculate at the university you prefer to attend.
