<p>Does a black kid with a 3.7 UW (3.2 UM GPA-because of sophomore yr) and a 1950 SAT from MAryland have a shot at Michigan. I visited with my firend and I liked it a lot. Any feedback would be nice</p>
<p>I think you've got a good shot because although your GPA is below average, they'll see the upward trend and the solid SAT score and URM status as probably being enough to make up for the sophomore grades. Just my opinion though.</p>
<p>This kid sounds ALOT like me but I did worse on SATs and I am retaking. I'll probably be visiting UM in August I have family that lives near there.</p>
<p>3.2 GPA because of your Sophomore year pretty much means you did well Freshman and Junior year but had a bad Sophomore year. Your SAT is slightly lower than the Michigan average. You are out of state. I'd say Michigan is a reach for you.</p>
<p>hmmm...im going to apply hoping that my URm status can get me in.</p>
<p>Oooops. I did not notice you are African American. In that case, Michigan is a match for you...a safe match. Just be sure to continue doing well your senior year and you should have a good chance.</p>
<p>GODDAMN it's people like the OP that **** me off so much by tooling the Affirmative Action system that is present in American college admissions today. The OP is clearly not financially challenged(or else he would have mentioned it) but he will still get an admissions boost from UM even though he was lazy and kept a poor HS GPA and has low test scores, with which a white or Asian applicant would certainly have been rejected.:mad: Just because African Americans are not able to overcome the same challenges that EVERY other minority group in this country had to endure for the past 200 years, the United States has to provide them with a myriad of social/financial benefits such as increased welfare and a significant college admissions advantage just so they can keep afloat in the competitive global marketplace that we are all a part of today. Seriously, what is the black race contributing to American society(besides an increased crime rate and a higher incidence of gang warfare) that they deserve such rewards???:mad:</p>
<p>On a more positive note, it's people like the OP that lower the curve once you get to college and make your life a lot easier by being dumb. And on the off-chance he's not as dumb as you think and you're rushing to pass judgment on someone who could very well be more academically capable than you are, well then, the University made the right decision.</p>
<p>In response to ThE<em>GuRl</em>NeXt_DoOr racist comments, I'm wondering where her empirical data on the so-called "African American race" and its collective inability to succeed comes from. Must be one of those good 'ole "next door" Midwest farm schools, gyu-huck. I am also curious about these other mutually down-trodden minorities in the U.S. who were enslaved and oppressed for three centuries. I'm sure anything you say that's at least marginally more intelligent than that last joke of a post of yours will be a major improvement.</p>
<p>I was really hoping I could just visit this forum for guidance on choosing schedules, professors, orientation info, and various other things, without actually having to partake in the posting festivities, but these absolutely inane anti-affirmative action posts that seem to permiate this forum really put a stick in my craw, especially from students who attend a university as prestigious as Michigan (I'm assuming UMich students are the ones posting on this board). More disappointing is that these racist posts go uncontested, or the people who do argue for affirmative action are like the Colmes to this forum's Hannity-majority.</p>
<p>I realize there's a whole topic about this issue, to which my post is most likely better suited, but whatever.</p>
<p>I'm too lazy to write a whole paper's worth of an argument defending affirmative action, so I'll just lay out a few key points, most of which you're probably familiar with. First, affirmative action is a temporary policy to correct the illness of racism that society faces, and posters like ThE<em>GuRl</em>NeXt_DoOr show us that we still have a ways to go before we can completely abolish affirmative action. Sandra Day O'Conner, in the Michigan Supreme Court decision in 2003, described it as a "25 year bridge" between each program: Plessy v. Fergusson, Brown v. Board, Bakke v. California, and then the Michigan court case.</p>
<p>Proposition 209 deposed Bakke, and already the recession in African-american students (AND APPLICANTS) at UCLA has drastically fallen. Now I don't subscribe to the idea that these minorities will go back to their hometowns and "uplift their community," there's no data to support that, but rather the idea of critical mass does make sense, and the lack of a critical mass is evident in UCLA's dwinlding African-american applicants, who are turned off by the increasing whiteness of the university.</p>
<p>I suppose the popular argument is that Affirmative action is reverse racism, but this fails to take into account the idea that racism is instutionalized and based in a power structure, and another is that it gives under-qualified minorities a chance to get into prestigious universities, but I believe there's a certain place on the Michigan application (and pretty much every university application) called "List of legacies." What does this have to do with your qualification except that it gives people whose relatives attended the school to get in. Does this remind anyone of anything called the "Grandfather clause"?</p>
<p>I will concede, however, that the U.S. is overly sensitive when it comes to treating blacks "equally". Read Freakonomics' section on Weakest Link for some interesting insight into modern American racism, but on that same note I believe affirmative action could be improved if, instead of focusing on race, it focused on children who are in low-income families, that way the distribution of income doesn't permanently stay in the hands of people like the Bushs or the Kennedys. With government funded grants to those that can't afford to attend decent universities, this could go a long way to benefit not just blacks, but anyone, which is its appeal to me. Latinos are hugely overlooked when it comes to affirmative action, in my opinion (and universities with huge endowments like Harvard and Stanford are already doing this!)</p>
<p>I'm white, by the way, and my conscience isn't really that guilty, my great-grandparents came over from Germany at the turn of the century. I've been debating this topic for a while (originally against affirmative action, in fact), and actually last week I was debating it with a WUSTL pre-law friend of mine, and at one point we were talking about modern day racism. I was insistent that racism is mostly a thing of the past, at least in comparison to the days of yore, but reading the posts on this board has made me realize my own naivete, which only makes me feel as though "25 years" isn't nearly long enough.</p>
<p>I have often read posts from GuRl and I must say I am surprised by her last post. She is geberally a positive poster. I think she is just venting and wrote without giving much thought to the content of her post.</p>
<p>i sorta made that statement about my URM status getting me in as a joke...</p>
<p>
[quote]
Seriously, what is the black race contributing to American society(besides an increased crime rate and a higher incidence of gang warfare) that they deserve such rewards???
[/quote]
Ummm, they are outstanding athletes and are great entertainers. JK.</p>
<p>Whoa, the gurl next door, breathe easy. His scores and GPA are in the middle 50 range.......</p>
<p>And why would he have to mention his economic status? What does that have to do with anything? He's "qualified" regardless.</p>
<p>Maybe you were just having a bad day...</p>
<p>i wouldn't jump to conclusions like calling gurl<em>next</em>door racist just like i wouldn't jump to a conclusion like calling goodcolleges dumb or lazy. gurl<em>next</em>door thinks that the current AA program is flawed and gave a few legitimate reasons to support her opinion (despite the underdeveloped, slightly ignorant comments axeon pointed out), and we can't know why she's formed these opinions. Maybe she's racist, maybe she's looked at flawed statistics, or maybe she's just angry because she didn't get in somewhere and needs somebody to take it out on. In the same way, I don't know why goodcolleges has the GPA and SAT score he/she does, but I don't think they reflect either a lazy or a dumb student, and I'm thinking it isn't a lack of intelligence since his/her junior year GPA is higher than other years. I don't know anybody's circumstances, so I don't think any of us are in the right place to cmment on someone's motives, character, or intelligence.</p>
<p>Why does everyone assume that affirmative action is for dumb kids? People on these boards need to stop the racism because AA is hurr to stay!!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Why does everyone assume that affirmative action is for dumb kids? People on these boards need to stop the racism because AA is hurr to stay!!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The above is either tasteless satire or, if serious, had the opposite of its intended purpose. <em>shakes head</em></p>
<p>Goodness, assumptions about people! "Gurl" is a boy, by the way.</p>
<p>Too tired to think. Goodnight.</p>
<p>lol chibears, i was just joking around, but at the same time i was serious. So i guess its both. AA is great for its objective; I honestly feel that people should put more thought into it rather than just call it discriminatory against whites or those of color.</p>
<p>My comments aren't racist folks; you all just perceive it as such due to preconceived notions about being politically correct, overly protective about race, and being nonjudgmental when it comes to issues like this. Trust me axeon, I don't want to believe and accept the truth anymore that you do but unless we acknowledge what is currently going on in American society today with regards to the characteristics of different races/ethnicities, we really can't progress as a successful, socially integrated country.</p>
<p>Let's face it, if goodcolleges was not a URM, then Michigan would be a definite reach for him. However, due to AA, he is ensured to get in over a White/Asian with the exact same stats, credentials, and income level. Now is this fair??? African Americans aren't highly educated in the US today not because they were enslaved and discriminated against for 300 years, it's because they don't value ideals like education as much as other races/ethnicities do. Remember the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1888 and Japanese internment during WWII??? Both these ethnic groups were discriminated against much like Blacks were but yet they rebounded and are among the most socieoeconomically prosperous minorities in the United States. Oppressed minorities that have come from places from Eastern Europe and Asia over the last century to the United States have all surpassed native African American in all most every economic factor including job rate with the FIRST GENERATION. African AMericans clearly have the opportunity to succeed in this country yet they are mroe drawn to the allure of the "gangster" lifestyle and to athletic endeavors instead.</p>
<p>I'm not saying no Black has ever been successful since that is clearly not the case as African Americans have made many contributions to this country socially and politically(Colin Powell, Will Smith, Jackie Robinson, etc.). However, the majority of the Black race in the US today lives below the poverty line when many of their counterpart races wh osuffered equally inhumane treatment are now occupying professions such as biochemistry and corporate law. By offering academic benefits to Blacks without paying any attention to their financial status only reinforces the feeling among African Americans that they don't have to work hard to live prosperously and thus are given an incentive for being lazy. HELL, A ROCK CAN FIND OPPORTUNITIES AND BECOME SUCCESSFUL IN THE UNITED STATES. It's not of question of ability, it's a matter of willingness.</p>
<p>As the effects of globalizxation on our society widen today, what is the role of Afrifcan Americans??? Hispanics are rapidly overpopulating the unskilled labor market and manufacturing industry as they seem to have found their special niche. Whites, Asians, and Europeans control skilled labor in our country and the remaining customer support jobs are exported overseas to places like India and China where they can be performed at a chaper cost. The majority of African Americans today are either unemployed or work in the minimum wage service industry.</p>
<p>I am not launching an ad-hominem attack on African Americans but merely informing you of the status of this race in the US today. While millions of immigrants have embraced the United States as the "land of opportunity" and found employment and a satisfactory lifestyle here, African Americans have been largely left out to dry following the relievment of their slave duties. They have had almost a century and a half to do what many other ethnic groups has accomplished MORE SUCCESSFULLY in several decades. Today, Blacks are assoicated with increased crime, drug smuggling, gang warfare, illiteracy, etc. Nearly all American citizens and the rest of the world essentially believe that African Americans in the US embody everything that is wrong with the US today.</p>
<p>This may not be an individual problem as it is a cultural issue but we cannot afford to keep spoonfeeding African Americans from birth in the US anymore. If colleges insititute a more financially focused form of AA, then Blacks will be forced to earn their way to the top colleges instead of cherrypicking their way on top of the miseries of qualified applicants. It is up to every Black today to not demand for reparations for the enslavement of their ancestors, but to make these same ancestors proud today by becoming academically successful and leaving their mark on American higher education as to not let the efforts of their forefathers in the fight for justice, freedom, and civil equality go to waste. The issues surrounding African Americans such as slavery and civil rights instigated the Civil War and deadly race riots in the 1960s that nearly burned cities like Los Angeles and Detroit to the ground. White people cannot ask for financial repayments for the trouble and instability that Blacks have precipitated within the United States for hundreds of years that nearly tore our great nation apart MULTIPLE TIMES.</p>
<p>Although slavery was bad, what's happenign today in present-day Africa is 20X worse. Famine, poverty, and deadly diseases prohibit most Africans today from even being able to function normally and go to school. Also, tribal warfare and civil wars in countries like Angola, Rawanda, and Sudan have left a political crisis behind that has produced millions of refugees whose only goal every day is to live to see the crack of dawn the next morning. You can bet your money that these poor Africans would be willing to swim across the Atlantic Ocean just to becme ENSLAVED in the United States. Of course, this does not justify the despicable insititution of slavery but at least African Americans live in a society today which provides them with an academic and social foundation to succees. Blacks in decades past have died in the protest for freedom and basic rights; it is thus the duty of every African American today to make use of the opportunities bestowed upon him/her and become great scientists and economists to help preserve the great, eternal struggle of their ancestors. At some point, Blacks will need to take it upon themselves to realize that a life of serving hamburgers is not for them and that there is no reason why a Chinese person who can barely speak English when he first arrives to the US is able to hold a high-paying HR job in an automotive country only a few years alter.</p>
<p>I want to envision a country where it is the African American that is sitting at the counter of McDonalds in the morning and reading a newspaper, while a newly-arrived immigrant provides the fresh brewed coffee.</p>
<p>If you still call me a racist then so be it, that's your opinion. I'm glad that I live in a country where I am allowed to voice my "racist" comments without any reprisals besides saracastic remarks made by nonjudgmental posters. You may try to ignore the problems of our free nation but I wish to rectify them.</p>
<p>"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the COLOR OF SKIN but by the CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER."-MLK Jr.</p>
<p>Amen to that.</p>
<p>"Slavery was bad"? Is that the best word you can use to describe the forceful ownership of another human being? Why not describe slavery using more appropriate words, such as "evil" "inhumane", "disgusting", "hypocritical"?</p>
<p>And you used the term "slave duties". Those two words do not go together. Duty has an element of self-determination. Slaves had no rights and therefore, no choice. </p>
<p>You also seem to think that blacks have had 150 years of freedom to turn things around. That is completely incorrect. Blacks were so discriminated against in the US until the 1960s that they might as well have remained slaves. Blacks have been allowed to advance their cause only for the last 40 years, and even then, it has been only partial. In 1919 (ove 50 years after the abolition of slavery in the US), after WWI, France felt complelled to send over 200,000 black American soldiers medals for bravery because the US government and military refused to decorate black soliders. Whereas caucasians have had close to 1,000 years to prosper and develop, blacks have been colonized and forced into servitude until merely 50 years ago. You expect blacks to catch up to in a mere 50 years when it took whites 1,000 years to get to where they are today?</p>
<p>I am not saying that affirmative action works or that it is right, but not to admit the injustice that has plagued blacks in the US and to downplay its significance in the development of the black race in the US is just plain ignorant.</p>
<p>And I really don't see why you are proud to live in a country that allows you to voice your opinion freely. You can voice your opinion freely in 50 countries around the world. It is hardly a distinction to claim to have the freedom to express oneself freely.</p>