<p>Several days ago I posted a question raising concerns about my rather conservative; car fixin; outdoors loving; no nonsense son's chances of being admitted to the strong college of his first choice (University of Washington). I got a few snide remarks about "being narrowminded" and so on. Some said he just needs to focus on what he is drives his passion and stay positive. Good advice. However, now comes documentation that my concerns may have not been so far off the mark. "No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal"
Expenshade & Radford) has just been published by Princeton. While I have not read it yet;
press reports are consistent in reporting the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Typical underrepresented minorities have almost a 300 pt. SAT advantage in admissions and almost one half GPA advantage.</p></li>
<li><p>Volunteer work in JROTC; Church related activities; 4H club; Future Farmers of America
actually hurt admissions chances. (All my sons volunteer activities are connected to his Catholic Parish)</p></li>
<li><p>White Catholics have lower admission rates (holding GPA and SAT constant)</p></li>
<li><p>Lower class White kids, particularly from rural areas have lower admission rates (holding
GPA and SAT constant). The authors conclude this reflects a feeling on the part of elite universities their families will not be a source of big bucks after graduation.</p></li>
<li><p>Elite univerisity outreach to underrepresented minorities focuses on those groups who tend to reflect liberal viewpoints in general. (little effort is made to reach out to veterans)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Let's face it. The vast majority of admissions officers have to be liberal. My sons essay isn't going to get very far expressing his admiration for Ronald Reagan or Sarah Palin.</p>
<p>My daughters are both conservative, one quite religious, and they did well. I wouldn’t have allowed an essay about a polarizing political figure, just to be careful, but think religious activities are fine – I live in NY and am mainstream Protestant. Many liberals are mainstream Protestants, at least on paper, and have related activities. Religion isn’t all perceived as some weird, right-wing cult. I think Future Farmers of America would be an excellent thing to have on the app. If the admissions folks are, in fact, doing their jobs through a liberal filter, that would be a great activity. Environmental awareness, unusual, under-represented.</p>
<p>I really wouldn’t worry about it. oh wait. I did have that worry before my girls went through the process. It was fine. Good luck!</p>
<p>Well, I think you have to just plunge in and not worry about who does and doesn’t get a boost at admissions. The Radford book (now available on Amazon) does show all the things you note, but it’s not entirely clear why. I think it has to do with lots of thing - I won’t go into that here and now.
An essay about his love of cars might actually go over well - it will, at least, not be something the adcoms have read a thousand times already. I would stay away from political essays in general on the grounds that most kids won’t be any good at them, and that such essays don’t really reveal much about the authors and are distracting.
I might look for good schools that have ROTC.</p>
<p>mantle: JROTC was my primary EC and I was recruited from an urban school district. I considered a West Point appointment, was admitted at all Ivies applied, eventually matriculating at one of the HYP colleges. I and I’d say most of my friends were conservative to moderate. Plenty of jocks and frat guys all around – despite my alma mater’s decidedly liberal reputation.</p>
<p>I think that elite college admissions liberal bias is an easy whipping boy for the conservative airwaves. In my almost 20 years of volunteer work for my “liberal” (egads!) college, I find the “liberal bias” accusation to be a straw man. Actually, I think it’s baloney. That’s my point of view.</p>
<p>In my group of friends, two went into the clergy with conservative denominations, several MBA types (including 2 wall streeters), one went into law, eventually a top level appointment in Bush II’s Justice Dept (and considered further right than Ashcroft!). One avowed liberal in the group: an actor living in CA doing TV and theater work – and loving life.</p>
<p>Overly liberal? My college? Naw. Just very diverse. Which is why I loved it.</p>
<p>Having conservative economic views will not hurt your sons chances. However, if he engaged in hate speech about gay people that is well known, then that will hurt him and rightfully so.</p>
<p>Hm, I don’t feel this way, and I’m poor, Irish, and Catholic. I do lots of volunteer work, but most (and pretty much all that is recorded) is through my Church. I mean, I’m not conservative (I’m in neither party, but a Socialist), but Catholic values are fairly universal (see what I did there? Catholic=“Universal”). I don’t really think I’d be penalized for my religion. Or my economic status.</p>
<p>Anyway, the University of Washington has both a Catholic Student Union and a College Republican club. Any admissions officer that makes political decisions in a job probably wouldn’t last long. I’m sure a Reagan essay would be okay (like if I wanted to do Kennedy. Though I’m thinking Bobby Sands), but Sarah Palin may not… Current politics + publicly denouncing “liberal educated elites” = bad.</p>
<p>Overall, I wouldn’t worry about it. Your son’s activities sound good, and the only way political affiliation would be known, anyway, would be if he mentioned it in an essay or was a part of a Republican club. But many of my friends are conservative and got into good colleges just fine.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the feedback. I think I am going with the lady who posted above who said she worried about the same thing, but all for naught. My son will do his best and let the chips fall where they may; and NO WHINING!! Whining is for liberals! It’s now on to the state tournament for his legion team where he will be pitching. I have other important things to worry about. I just heard about the book and thought I would see what others thought. Good luck to all you young people and your future plans. And to my fellow parents; our kids will end up just fine.</p>
<p>Sounds like the OP has reached a good perspective on all of this, but I will caution that UDub defines diversity in a pretty PC way, so when writing the “how I will add to the campus’ diversity” essay or whatever the equivalent requirement will be this upcoming admissions season, I would caution the essay writer to be very careful in his phrasing, lest the admissions folks jump to the same kind of conclusions that are embodied in posts #4, 6 and 11.</p>
<p>mantle: I concur with your conclusion about let the chips fall where they may. But if I may say this: your language needlessly inflames/insults those of differing views. I don’t like when people automatically assign malevolence to my moderate-to-conservative views. I won’t do the same to those with liberal/progressive views – you know those people – our fellow citizens!</p>
<p>Drop the name calling. It reflects poorly on you. Really</p>
<p>I really cross lines as far as politics goes. I won’t go into specifics, but trust me when I say im not just coming from a liberal point of view. With that said, calling all liberals whiners is not only highly immature for a father, but serves as an insult for the people you claim run the admissions office at the college your son wants to go to. Furthermore, you quoted a bunch of inconsequential and inconclusive statistics from an article you didn’t read, trying to get us to believe admissions officers across the country are out to get white conservative catholics. You really aren’t representing conservatives well.</p>
<p>I’m always surprised by how much some folks (from both ends of the political spectrum) want to make even the most common experiences into political pitches.</p>
<p>We live in a town that is very liberal, but the surrounding area is very conservative. My son has friends --good friends-- from both camps. Just the other day he told me he was looking forward to going back to college in the fall, because while he had friends who were interested in politics and held differing views on things, that they were all quite cordial about it and didn’t use it to separate themselves from one another.</p>
<p>Here at home on the other hand, he said his friends just seem like they’re so intense and opinionated. He has his socialist environmental crusader friends and his gun shooting right wing radio listening friends… and he’s pretty sick of all of it. I can’t blame him.</p>
<p>Hate to play the he started it game, but if “whining is for liberals” isn’t looking for an argument, I dunno what is. I too come from both sides of the political spectrum as well (liberal parents, conservative grandparents) and find uninstigated name calling about as political as a teacher scolding an unruly student. Lucky for mantlemaris, most people on these forums are smart enough to know that his conduct is not characteristic of the Conservative party on a whole, and therefore any retaliatory measures taken are not politically motivated.</p>
<p>I am saying this as a member of the socialist think tank The Fabian Society: I think he was being sarcastic when he said “whining is for liberals”.</p>