<p>Use socioeconomic based affirmative action rather than raced based and more financial aid.</p>
<p>My measures:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Abolish affirmative action altogether. No more tracking of race, place of birth or whatsoever. Even race-councious policies would be banned under my tenure.</p></li>
<li><p>Set aside a fixed number of freshman spots, with guaranteed need-based aid, to the highest SAT/ACT scorers who apply for them, no more questions asked.</p></li>
<li><p>Shut down the “athletic’s admission track”.</p></li>
<li><p>Digitalize the document flow almost entirely and reduce the admission fee.</p></li>
<li><p>Waive admission fee for any applicant whose SAT score would put him/her on the highest quartile of past year’s freshman roll.</p></li>
<li><p>Set up webcam interviews with some applicants, as a good conversation can give a better clue of one’s personality and “college fit” than an extensive list of curbersome ECs in HS.</p></li>
<li><p>Drop legacies preferencences if allowed to.</p></li>
<li><p>Agressively try to recruit top students (in relation to my college’s level) offering them generous merit aid.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is simply not true. Lets think about this in alternative manner by considering a hypothetical scenario.</p>
<p>Student A is born and raised in a lower-middle class suburban background. Student B is raised in a lower-class inner city background.</p>
<p>Student A:</p>
<p>Goes to a private suburban high school. Has middle class parents with jobs, who modestly encourage education.</p>
<p>Student B:</p>
<p>Goes to an inner city high school. Has lower class parents who are addicted to hardcore drugs, actually tells kid that school is a joke, and to not go. School is filled with students with similar students. School is filled with low paying teachers that went to ****ty colleges and dont care about education, but it was the only job they could get.</p>
<p>While student A is encouraged from the get go, student b gets an inferior education in all aspects from birth. Student B doesnt receive any help from parents, goes to kindergarten without knowing how to properly say his/her name. The kindergarten, with ****ty teachers, ends up having to play catch up for all of these students, while student A’s classroom is not filled with “problem families” and already knows everything coming out of kindergarten that student B is taught by the end of second grade.</p>
<p>There is a big gap from the get go, in every single way. Forget student b’s family knowing anything about going to college, they didnt even finish high school.</p>
<p>It is impossible for some students to have any say in where they go to school. In some cases, it is entirely possible for a student to have done dual enrollment with 12 courses in high school, have a 98 average including numbered college class averages, use the prep books, and it still be impossible for the kid to get over a 700 in ANY section. There is just so much missed by that point, that its impossible for the student to apply concepts when they dont even know the background information.</p>
<p>I was one such case, and can tell you with complete certainty that with prep books, and a summer of studying myself(the library didnt offer up-to-date books, and I had to buy books from the library for 10 cents that were only vaguely related to the material to study, because I couldnt actually afford the book). You cant tell me that I have an equal opportunity to get the score, as any student had from a supporting background. BUT, I can tell you that I DO have more self motivation. Thats the only factor in most lower income students getting to college. Most dont even think college is an option for them due to the parents and income background they are from.</p>
<p>For anyone to say that they should barely consider socioeconomic status when it comes to college admissions is bigoted.</p>