<p>Does anyone have opinions on Harvard's affirmative action? Do you think that harvard should have a race blind admissions process? I strongly feel that there should be no affirmative action, but what are your opinions?</p>
<p>This is always a heated topic, there are many forums and websites that focus on this topic already, no need to start another one. Check these ones out:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1316664-affirmative-action-ban-upheld-ca.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1316664-affirmative-action-ban-upheld-ca.html</a>
[Student</a> Opinion: Do You Support Affirmative Action? - NYTimes.com<a href=“%5E%5E%5ECheck%20out%20the%20opinions%20below%20the%20article”>/url</a>
[url=<a href=“http://www.understandingprejudice.org/readroom/articles/affirm.htm]UnderstandingPrejudice.org:”>http://www.understandingprejudice.org/readroom/articles/affirm.htm]UnderstandingPrejudice.org:</a> Ten Myths About Affirmative Action](<a href=“http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/do-you-support-affirmative-action/]Student”>Student Opinion: Do You Support Affirmative Action? - The New York Times)
[Conflicted</a> Views of Affirmative Action | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press](<a href=“http://www.people-press.org/2003/05/14/conflicted-views-of-affirmative-action/]Conflicted”>Conflicted Views of Affirmative Action | Pew Research Center)
[Opinion:</a> College admissions, post-affirmative action - NorthJersey.com](<a href=“http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/college_022912.html]Opinion:”>http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/college_022912.html)</p>
<p>Some of these websites are in favor of AA and other’s are not, it is always good to get a multitude of opinions. 
I really think there should be a specific forum dedicated to this topic rather than many forums in many places.</p>
<p>I see AA is a topic close to your heart. Exhibit A (on the same Day): <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/california-institute-technology/1319595-caltech-has-best-admissions-processes.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/california-institute-technology/1319595-caltech-has-best-admissions-processes.html</a></p>
<p>Good luck in your quest man, I highly suggest checking out scholarly articles on the topic so you can better back up your views or see all sides of the argument. Cause things are not always as simple as they appear. </p>
<p>My 2 cents: work your hardest, do what you can, leave the politics to the politicians ( scary thought huh?), and pray they do not mess up.</p>
<p>It is not affirmative action in the actual definition of the term. Affirmative action quotas, etc., were banned. Colleges may not use quotas (neither can government) and they may not have a separate admissions tracts for different ethnicities (Regents of California vs. Bakke supreme court decision). Colleges, however, may use race as a factor in the decisions process, and I think they have every right to. They are creating a student body that is diverse and that they want to make optimal, whatever their definition of both the former and the latter is up to them.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court in June is hearing a new case about affirmative action in colleges admissions and may not uphold previous precedent… Stay tuned.</p>
<p>All hinges on whether folks speak of state colleges and universities, which are mandated to serve their residents’ interests- or privates which can do pretty much what they want, as long as they can justify and show overall fairness.</p>
<p>a2014: if you feel Harvard’s holistic evaluation policies, which include factors such as ethnicity are so noisome, I suggest you apply to schools w/ mandated race-blind policies.</p>
<p>While you have one opinion, Harvard and its peer colleges, as private institutions, feel their admissions policies have brought them no small amount of success, wouldn’t you agree?</p>
<p>Lucky for you, no one is compelling you to apply to any of these “awful” schools and therefore you won’t be sullied by their impurities.</p>
<p>^^^Amen! :D</p>
<p>I really think that in this day and age, there are so many extremely qualified minority students that top colleges (like Harvard) don’t have to lower their admission standards at all to create diversity.</p>
<p>Some lower tier schools might have to do this but in my experience with <em>other</em> Ivy league minority students, I have found that a great deal of them to be staggeringly intelligent.</p>
<p>For this reason, it makes me upset to see people automatically assuming that they would’ve been accepted if their skin color were different. I hate anecdotal evidence in arguments like this because it really doesn’t prove much, but I know an AA individual with a 2400 SAT and 800x2 subject tests, and solid EC’s (in my opinion) that applied and was rejected from HYPSM. It’s a tough world out there and no one thing can seal your fate.</p>
<p>EXACTLY. People act like Harvard is accepting C students just because they are minorities. Some people have such a skewed idea of what affirmative action actually is. All minorities accepted by HYPS are qualified - I can guarantee you that! Food for thought: white women have benefitted the most from affirmative action.</p>
<p>Hey guys, if the Supreme Court decides that affirmative action is unconstitutional, will their ruling be taken into affect immediately or does it take a few years?</p>
<p>Also, I am really confused as to why top tier colleges put so much value on ethnic diversity? Do they receive government grants or money if they hold certain diversity standards or something?</p>
<p>“All minorities accepted by HYPS are qualified - I can guarantee you that!”</p>
<p>Qualified is not a high bar to meet; but the advantage accorded to minorities is substantial.</p>
<p>@thebioguy: are you planning on applying to Harvard? Just an FYI: many college apps ask you your opinion on diversity. Your question shows an enormous disconnect with the world around you.</p>
<p>Obviously, I know the value of diversity, but I’m asking why they value diversity above merit.</p>
<p>FYI: One of my peers got accepted into Harvard this year. He thinks diversity is complete BS. But obviously, he wouldn’t write that on his application and neither would I.</p>
<p>No the top privates don’t value diversity over merit. But, they do value diversity. Geographical, political, ethnic, interests, talents, etc- a whole host of things not usually discussed on CC. The issue is more complex than whether someone on CC knows someone they think was so perfectly qualified…and hey, they think that URM who got in was less qualified. </p>
<p>These colleges dont ^ “lower their admissions standards.” Kids have to be “in range” with stats and show accomplishment, personal strengths and potential in a variety of ways- same for all categories. Top private colleges don’t pack their freshman class with underperforming minorities who can’t hack the coursework and campus life, just to get some rainbow feel.</p>
<p>The court cases, so far, primarily relate to public U’s. But, remember this: with the magnitude of applications to the top privates, “quality” to an adcom is more than the stats you hear about in your hs or the circle of young people you know. The whole application package matters, all umpteen pages. They review holistically.</p>
<p>^
I get this argument every time. In countless cases at my school, black and hispanic students who have atleast a 1950 SAT and a 3.8 g.p.a almost always get into atleast 1 ivy. All non URM applicants from my school have never been accepted to ivies with a sub 2200 g.p.a or a sub 3.9. When the sample size gets large enough, its not too difficult to make a rational conclusion.</p>
<p>That’s really not rational, it’s anecdotal. And again, it focuses on stats only.</p>
<p>Transcripts are unequivocally the most important aspect of your application.
-Dean of Admissions at Stanford</p>
<p>" When the sample size gets large enough, its not too difficult to make a rational conclusion."</p>
<p>What is your sample size? Countless…so that is too many to count? CC students seem to know so many of these kids! I do not even know ONE!</p>
<p>I know approximately 200 minorities who applied to college this year, and have a general idea of what schools they applied to and where they did and did not get in (facebook, lol). Not ONE with a sub 1950 score got in to an ivy league school, and it wasn’t for not applying.</p>
<p>Now it’s my anecdotal evidence against yours.</p>
<p>Perhaps you should stop speculating about how other people got into college and start focusing on being the best you can be. All colleges really want to see is that you took advantage of every opportunity that was given to you. They want a go-getter, not a sit-on-the-porch-and-complain-about-everything-er.</p>