I don’t want “affirmative action” to work in my favor, but it probably will even tho I don’t want to

I agree with the other posters that you should focus on things they’ll definitely care about like grades, GREs, and recommendations.

Assuming any other factors “work in your favor” I also don’t see why that should be a problem. Many things I have no control over have worked in my favor. In terms of education, my upbringing and role models influenced the fact that I went to college and grad school in the first place. Beyond that, I’ve benefited from the lottery economy–more than many people I know and less than some others, e.g. who became millionaires at a young age.

I don’t resent my luck, good or bad. The only question is what you make of it. Get into the best graduate program, put in the best effort you can, and get the most out of it. Let other people worry about how you got there.

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