Gillian Miao

Noelle Nagales

English 2100

12 December 2022

   The Reality of Affirmative Action

The College Admission Process is highly selective in admitting applicants that meet the qualifications of their programs. They look at numerous factors when selecting their prospective students, one of them being language and race. During the college application process, you’re asked to fill out information regarding yourself, and the question concerning your race is always asked. This could be asked for a number of reasons such as differentiating the diversity of the application pool for that year. Some schools may even be more likely to accept you based on your race, particularly schools that value diversity so the question now is whether or not to check off your true ethnicity and whether it’ll benefit your application. When the race or background details of an applicant affect the chances of college admission, it’s known as affirmative action. Originally, affirmative action was implemented as a means of addressing past and ongoing discrimination against certain groups, such as racial minorities and women. However, some critics argue that affirmative action has outlived its usefulness and is no longer needed to address these issues. Colleges should remove the question concerning your race in the application process as it should not determine the admission of an individual. This should be discussed more as it plays a bigger role in your admission process than most think it would. Although it may not be a significant factor in the acceptance of the student, it still remains a factor that may influence their admission into a school. The college admission process should select applicants based on their academic qualifications and not on their race or ethnic background to level the playing field.

Affirmative action should be abolished as it can be seen as unfair to those who are not part of the targeted groups. For example, if a university uses affirmative action to increase the representation of underrepresented groups in its admissions process, it may result in more qualified candidates being turned away in favor of less qualified candidates who are part of the targeted groups. This can be seen as unfair to those who have worked hard to achieve academic success and may discourage them from pursuing higher education. With college admissions already being stressful enough, the biased selection process only adds to the anxiety and self-doubt that thousands of students experience. 

Moreover, admission of less qualified students can lead to significantly higher failure rates and lower graduation rates.  For example, in one study of top law schools, more than 50 percent of African-American law students (many of whom had been admitted pursuant to affirmative action policies) were in the bottom 10 percent of their class. And the dropout rate among African-American students was more than twice that of their white peers (19.3 percent vs. 8.2 percent) (Slattery 2015). This suggests that these students may have been better served by being placed in institutions that were better suited to their academic abilities. When students are accepted into schools based on their background, it questions the purpose of colleges. Is it to forward a diversified student body to the world or is it to provide students with an opportunity to pursue higher education? If students are failing out of college programs, there’s no real benefit in accepting them for the “diversified” look. 

Affirmative action effectively supports unfair stereotypes. Studies have shown that certain ethnicities may even have to work harder than others to appeal to the top colleges. According to the Mercury News, ​​the National Study of College Experience (2009) showed Asians need to score 140 points higher than white applicants, 320 points higher than Hispanic applicants and 450 points higher than Black applicants on the SAT to be viewed in an equal light (“Letter: Asians,” 2020). How could this be fair to less academically talented Asians who have to compete for selective spots in the college admission process? It remedies an unfair assumption that all Asians are “smart” and, therefore, they should all get better test scores. To add, in “Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan discusses the challenges that she and her family faced as a result of their limited English proficiency and the biases they encountered due to their accent and way of speaking. For example, she describes how her mother was treated disrespectfully by a salesperson because the salesperson assumed that she was not intelligent due to her accent and limited English vocabulary (Tan 2). This experience can be seen as an example of the negative consequences of language-based biases and discrimination, which can also be a factor in the implementation of affirmative action policies. While affirmative action is intended to address past and ongoing discrimination against certain groups, it can also be perceived as reverse discrimination that can affect the ability of minorities to fully participate and be recognized in their chosen fields. 

Furthermore, affirmative action may not be the most effective means of addressing discrimination and inequality. Studies have shown that other approaches, such as targeted outreach and support programs, can be more effective in increasing diversity and inclusion. For example, a review of the literature on diversity and inclusion initiatives in higher education found that targeted outreach and support programs, such as mentorship and academic support, were more effective in increasing diversity and inclusion than affirmative action policies (Banks, 2014). If affirmative action isn’t doing what it’s intended to, why continue to enforce it? Why forward a misleading message about inclusion when it’s not all that effective? The negatives of affirmative action certainly outweigh the positives. 

Some critics argue affirmative action is still necessary in specific cases to address persistent disparities and discrimination. For example, data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that certain racial and ethnic minority groups continue to experience lower rates of educational attainment and higher rates of poverty compared to white Americans (Waddington 2021). Without affirmative action, it is possible that these disparities could persist or even worsen. The truth is, however, affirmative action can actually perpetuate discrimination. By giving preferential treatment to certain groups, affirmative action can create a sense of resentment among those who feel that they are being unfairly disadvantaged. For example, a study published in the Journal of Social Issues found that white Americans who perceived that they had been passed over for a job or promotion due to affirmative action were more likely to report negative attitudes towards racial minorities and to support policies that would roll back affirmative action (Crosby, Iyer, & Sincharoen, 2002). This can lead to a cycle of discrimination, where certain groups are consistently given preferential treatment, while others are consistently disadvantaged. 

With colleges being highly selective in their admission process, it’s important for students to carefully review their applications and do research on the schools before making their final decision. Most colleges pop the question regarding race to collect data on their application pool as well as assess diversity on their campus. Although it is a factor for colleges to consider, it should not determine one’s acceptance into the school. Affirmative action should be abolished because it can perpetuate discrimination, feed into pre-existing stereotypes about minorities, and doesn’t necessarily promote inclusion. Instead of relying on affirmative action, we should focus on addressing the underlying issues that lead to underrepresentation, such as access to education and discrimination in the workplace. By addressing these issues, we can create a more equitable and inclusive society for all.

Works Cited

Banks, J. A. (2014). Diversity, group identity, and citizenship education in a global age. Review of Educational Research, 84(3), 261-301. 

Crosby, F. J., Iyer, A., & Sincharoen, S. (2002). Affirmative action attitudes among white Americans: The role of racial anxiety, identification, and ideology. Journal of Social Issues, 58(4), 633-648.

Editor, Letters To The. “Letter: Asians Need to Score 140 Points Higher than White Applicants.” The Mercury News, The Mercury News, 24 June 2020, https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/23/letter-asians-need-to-score-140-points-higher-than-white-applicants/. 

Waddington, David. “Census Bureau Statistics Measure Equity Gaps across Demographic Groups.” Census.gov, 10 June 2022, https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/09/understanding-equity-through-census-bureau-data.html. 

Slattery, Elizabeth. “How Affirmative Action at Colleges Hurts Minority Students.” The Heritage Foundation, https://www.heritage.org/courts/commentary/how-affirmative-action-colleges-hurts-minority-students. 

Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan – University of Missouri–St. Louis. 1990, https://umsl.edu/~alexander/Mother%20 Tongue%20 by%20 Tan.pdf.