This thread has nothing to with whether a.a. is right or wrong. So please no flaming.
Anyways, from my personal experiences it seems that qualified underrepresented females are much more common than qualified males. IMHO, the girls I know seem to be more driven and care less about the “being smart isnt gangsta” stigma that may be keeping many minority males back. Also, I remember reading that very few black males, something like less than 200, received very high SAT scores (1500 or higher).
So do you think qualified URM males have an ever bigger advantage than their female counterparts, or does it not matter?
P.S. These opinions are just from my observations, so they may be wrong.
<p>I don't know if they have a bigger advantage, but I know my son's GC said most colleges are short males in general. She steered him toward a few that had turned co-ed the last few years, but she also reiterated that it was that way everywhere to some degree. If you are a URM and male and have solid grades (they don't have to be the average on this site) I can't help but believe it would help at some colleges.</p>
<p>However, there are certain majors with excessively high male-female ratios (i.e., science & engineering, esp. computer-related), so those may not work that way.</p>
<p>I've been told, though, that a black male with a 1600 (2400 now) can go to any college he chooses...whether or not this is an exaggeration, I'm not sure...it sure isn't true for us Asians, though :p</p>
<p>You are right about the different fields I think to some degree. Because URM's are a minority and males haven't caught up in applying to college, you are probably close in your assumption about having more choices . I've heard of some doors that weren't open with high grades, etc. Selection will always be a crap shoot. One small example I've seen in my diverse neighborhood is 2 males, one white, one black, similar high grades, different EC's,income, same school. They both applyed to Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Swarthmore and maybe a few others I don't remember. They both got accepted to 4 of the same ones. The only difference I heard was the black male told me they sent him free invites to diversity weekends and they inquired about his intentions from a couple of colleges more than once. The black male was just given a little more of a nudge. Again, though, I've heard many a disapointed story too.</p>
<p>Regardless of gender, high scoring African Americans are rare and are highly sought after. As a November, 2003 Washington Post article said about high scorers on the old SAT:</p>
<p>"The competition is particularly ferocious for blacks and Hispanics with SAT scores that put them on par with the most talented white students. According to the College Board, only 1,877 black students (about 1.5 percent of blacks who take the tests) scored higher than 1300 out of a possible 1600 on the SAT in 2003. Only 72 scored higher than 1500. </p>
<p>Among the overall student population, 148,024 (about 10 percent of test takers) scored higher than 1300, and 13,897 earned scores higher than 1500. </p>
<p>"Most of these students don't realize that they are being fought over," said Joy St. John, an Amherst admissions officer who specializes in minority outreach, gazing over a room of 70 or so black, Hispanic, Asian and American Indian students whose SAT scores ranged from the low 1100s to above 1500. "They are modest, and they don't know the options that are out there."</p>
<p>With such a small number of African Americans scoring above 1500 on the SAT, I assume that virtually all would be in great demand regardless of their gender.</p>
<p>I was thinking more of the Ivies and other elite schools. Like you guys said, scores like mine (1500/2270) aren't that common among URMs. However, it seems like from some of the articles I've read, URM males with those scores (which I understand aren't really that incredible, I plan to retake next November) are even more rare.</p>
<p>Emperor, I don't know why you'd bother retaking a 1500/2270. Regardless of what your race is, your scores are already so high that it's unlikely that higher scores will tip you in anywhere. If you want to expend some productive effort, work on developing extraordinary ECs or essays that will stand out in a pool of candidates who also have high scores.</p>
<p>Yeah you're probably right. I guess I could use that prep time to better prepare for my SAT IIs. If I had got a double 750, I definitely would not be even considering retaking. However, I got 700 on math, which is near the lower quartile for some schools. But I think it'll be more beneficial to just use that time to try to ace my SAT IIs.</p>
<p>emperor550 i just sent you a private message.</p>