Potential Admissions Issues & Acceptance Rates for Minorities

America’s reputation as the great melting pot, where people of every race, nationality, and religion could peacefully live together has helped cement this country as the greatest one on earth. While abrasive at times, diversity is a fact of life in America since people of all backgrounds must work, live, and study together. Nowhere is this more evident than on today’s college campus, which are often a United Nations of cultures, and a rainbow of colors. While a wide diversity of people allows for unique viewpoints and a cross-section of reality, there are certain issues minorities entering colleges should be aware of to help them succeed.

Prior to the Civil Rights movement in America, college was by and large a bastion of white male dominance. Blacks, women, and other minorities were simply not admitted to many institutions of higher learning, and their place in society suffered as a result. Alabama governor George Wallace’s infamous speech in 1963 of "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" seemed to slam shut the door of opportunity to minorities.

As a result, minorities had to content with their own specialized universities such as historically black colleges and universities or women’s colleges. Tragically, many of these schools avoided teaching critical curriculum and instead focused on instruction that resulted in limited career opportunities. As recently as 1972, a report by the former Bureau of Higher Education out of Washington D.C. concluded that some black colleges “only promoted industrial education...and manual labor” for blacks. If it were not for the outbreak of World War II in 1941, many women would have had to choose between the careers of secretary, librarian, nurse, school teacher, or waitress.

Today, such vile institutional discrimination is by and large gone from colleges, to the point where more women attend and graduate from college than men and affirmative action programs help to include formerly excluded groups. Extraordinarily controversial, affirmative action is practiced by colleges to help diversify their schools with students who might not normally seek admission. Leaving aside the vehement debates about affirmative action that saw Obama and Romney sparring during the last election cycle, the simple fact is that the law and programs are, for now, here to stay. What minority students should be aware of is how affirmative action affects their chances for admission to college, and what impact it might have once they arrive on campus.

ethnic origin The first thing to know is that when a school is attempting to admit more students of a particular demographic is that race can be used as a plus factor in admissions. It cannot however, as the Supreme Court ruled over a decade ago in Gratz v. Bollinger, be the only factor in deciding admissions. Stripping away convoluted legal verbiage, the ruling means that a minority has a slightly better chance of being admitted to a university than an equally qualified non-minority. As a result, minority students should identify themselves as such on their applications, and even talk about how they have had to overcome issues of discrimination in their personal statement.

A second issue of how affirmative action factors into college admissions is that a student might be admitted to a program that they are not academically prepared for. In a zeal to boost minority admissions numbers, academically weak students might gain entry who would otherwise not be considered. Similar to placing a fifth grader into a calculus class, failing grades and withdraw from school soon follow. Part of this issue is because in American culture minorities have a lower concentration of wealth, income, and access to quality K-12 education. Typically, public schools with a high concentration of minority students are located in undesirable areas of town and do not have the same resources available that well to do suburban schools offer. Additionally, suburban schools tend to have the expectation that many of their students will go to college and prepare them for that, while poorer schools might be content to simply pass their students thru and give them diplomas. The end result is that minorities graduate from college at a lower rate, often 20% or more according to a US News study, than whites do.

Admission to the college of one’s dreams means nothing if someone is unable to stay there. To help prevent this, minority students who have benefitted from affirmative action should give themselves a serious gut check to determine if they really possess the skills to succeed at a new level. If the skills are not there, taking remedial courses, having a tutor, or attending community college for a year might be a wise course of action. Universities for their part should further their outreach efforts to economically and socially disadvantaged students and provide academic support in greater amounts.

affirmative action negative Finally, a tragic consequence of affirmative action is possible backlash from other students who may feel the minority student did not earn the right to be there. Snide remarks about being a “quota queen” and not the best person qualified for admission might be uttered. A Washington Post news article summed up the problem when it quoted Shirley Powell venting "Blacks . . . walk around with a chip on their shoulder, like we owe them something." While hopefully rare, any minority student subject to such harassment should immediately bring it to the attention of university administration.

Paying for college is always on the forefront of everyone’s mind, and due to wealth disparity it may weigh with greater force on the minds of minorities. The good news is that specific scholarships and grants exist for the singular purpose of assisting particular disadvantaged groups. When researching colleges to attend, prospective students should inquire about money that might be specifically set aside to assist their demographic. Another source is corporate America as many Fortune 500 companies offer scholarships to deserving minority students. Much of this money goes unclaimed year after year and an aggressive, deserving individual has a good chance at getting it.

Since the college experience is arguably the most important years of someone’s life, it stands to reason that a student should find an institution they will enjoy spending so much time at. This is why campus visits to get a first-hand feel for a school’s culture are so critical. All students should feel comfortable and welcome, university administration should have very firm policies and procedures for dealing with racial violence and harassment, and a culture of inclusion should be present. Minority students should also take the time to research their potential university online, possibly even asking local independent organizations such as the NAACP if the university’s reputation is a good one. The outcome of following the above advice will help to ensure a successful and happy college experience.

Author
Recent Posts

Bryce Hall

After graduating with a degree in Communication Studies from San Jose State University, Bryce has worked in sales and marketing. With nearly a decade of business development expertise under his belt in the education industry, he now operates AcceptanceRate.com to help future students get reliable data in the palm of their hands easily and effectively.