<p>Honestly speaking, unless you sit on the admissions committee at Harvard or any “prestigious” school for that matter, then you literally have no idea how or why admissions decisions are made at that particular instititution on a case by case basis. </p>
<p>With most highly selective colleges, you can probably go to the admissions website or read their viewbook, and you may come across something written like, “There is no set criteria that guarantees admission. Our approach is holistic.” Obviously, prospective applicants seem to ignore this statement or simply don’t think it pertains to them. Who knows? But, this moves into the discourse of affirmative action because of the argument of who’s more qualified and who’s less qualified to attend highly selective colleges. Unless the school states that a certain grade point average or test score is required to gain admission, then saying, “her ACT score is higher than his, she should’ve gotten in over him, he took her spot,” is, at the end of the day, rather pointless. High test scores and grade point averages don’t guarantee admission for anyone unfortunately. Sorry, but that’s the way it is.</p>
<p>Indeed, there are minorities who receive a tip factor in admission. It’s also important to note that these schools just don’t accept any underrepresented minority who applies. The underrepresented minorities accepted to the Ivy League, Northwestern, the University of Chicago, Stanford, Duke, and the like are qualified because, at the end of the day, they were qualified enough to get accepted. </p>
<p>The mission of these schools seems to be building a well-rounded class. Of course grades and test scores are important in admissions, but they are not the “end all, be all” as some would prefer. Essays, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, intern and job experience, letters of recommendation, geographic location, hobbies and interests, etc. all have important voices as well. College admissions is kind of like a game. It’s all about building a strong, convincing application and presenting your case to an admissions committee varying in age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, race, personality, interests, etc. If someone is rejected from a very selective school, the admissions officers at this institution probably thought that he/she wouldn’t be an asset to their school environment, or, simply put, they didn’t like his/her case. If this happens, it’s imperative to move on. But generally speaking, never assume that underrepresented minorities are “taking spots” away from the “more deserving and qualified” because only admissions officers can say who “deserve” to attend their schools, not prospective applicants.</p>