<p>ben, also, im not completely hardcore AA as i am arguing, but i am also trying to play devils advocate a bit, as no one else seemed to stand up for it, i was simply showing the other side. no harm done, i hope :-)</p>
<p>to respond to what you say, though, im sorry i sort of went off on a tangent. part of AA is that different cultures and socioeconomic classes tend to (and i know this is a generalization and i might get crucified for it) stress education as a value over others. oftentimes education is second to survival, and being a minority can land unwanted hostility. some of the effort that may not be reflected in an applicant's stats can possibly be reflected in an explanation as to how being a minority has changed that one person's life, or at least thats how i have understood it. its hard to cite evidence or stats as to who would have gotten in if they were not URM, and i'm not going to say that it doesnt affect a decision, but when it does affect a decision usually there is more to it than, one kid is white and another is hispanic. if the hispanic kid says, well i have been treated terribly due to being a minority in a hostile environment, and still have this passion for learning, and the white kid says, ive pretty much gone through school scot-free, then it plays into the picture.</p>
<p>again, im just seeing the other side, and i dont want to provoke any ill will, but its a tough internal battle for me and everyone else it seems, so we can definately help each other through a civilized discussion.</p>