OMG, I'm in, a minority at Middlebury

Colleges and Universities A-Z Middlebury College
1

<p>I can't believe it, I thought it was a serious longshot given my sub-par gpa and test scores, but I've been accepted.</p>

<p>I know Middlebury has struggled with developing a diverse student population, does anyone know if they've made any real progress, is my admission a sign of such effort?</p>

2

<p>

</p>

<p>Congrats. Without knowing everything about you, there’s no possible way for anyone to tell how much of a factor race played in your admission. Middlebury’s acceptance rate for URMs is higher than for white students, but that’s a sign that the college thinks that diversity adds to the learning experience. They wouldn’t have accepted you if they thought you couldn’t handle the work and thrive there.</p>

3

<p>Didn’t you get that little book with your acceptance package stuff? The commentary from a bunch of students/profs etc. I thought it showed a lot about the people… all kinds of people. I liked it.</p>

4

<p>Dude, its 70% acceptance for blacks. Not a big deal, and no I’m not racist, I’m just WAY anti affirmative action because schools like MIDDLEBURY abuse the policy.</p>

5

<p>^ care to share your source for such information?</p>

6

<p>It used to hover around 70%, but now is closer to 50% (which is still way above the overall acceptance rate). The black student yield at Middlebury is very low, which means that the college has to admit a larger percentage of African Americans to get a more diverse class. </p>

<p>Here are the numbers from 2006:
<a href=“http://www.jbhe.com/preview/liberalarts.jpg[/url]”>http://www.jbhe.com/preview/liberalarts.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>I do find affirmative action a little frustrating because I’m white and I think they should look more at social class and the corresponding lack of opportunities than race. But I am also hugely in favour of a diverse class with all ethnicities and viewpoints so I appreciate they have to do certain things, and are willing to do things, to get such a class.</p>

<p>But my specific comment about this black acceptance rate is, to some degree, wouldn’t the black students be more self-selecting?? my impression is that pretty much all the smart rich WASP kids from Northeast apply, whereas other backgrounds would probably have more convinction that this would be a great fit for them to even bother applying? just a thought</p>

8

<p>In any event, American is a land of opportunity, and these days, there is the mass media and internet to gain knowledge of schools like Middlebury, even if you are a minority. What I HATE about affirmative action is how many PRIVILEGED African Americans and Hispanics are accepted!!! If an Admissions Department can’t not abuse affirmative action, they shouldn’t be permitted to use it.</p>

<p>I will say though, I am a legacy at Princeton, Harvard, Dartmouth, Michigan, and Amherst. My argument in support for legacies is that they provide continued financial support and stability to a school. This does not mean that I do not fit the credentials without being a legacy. I am top of my class and have many ECs as well as good test scores.</p>

9

<p>I agree that if you disregard that hand that has fed you for generations you’re going to end up a lot thinner. And if we’re talking endowments etc, you definitely want to consider this connection. </p>

<p>Looking at that chart… I’d have to agree that, relative to the general application numbers, very few African Americans are knocking down the doors to spend four years being cold in vermont.</p>

10

<p>Though O’Reilly’s generally a bit of a blowhard, he did have one quote on this issue I really liked which I thought summed up the situation nicely:</p>

<p>“Who’s more deserving: the white son of a taxi cab driver who grew up in a lower-middle class background, or the son of a black millionaire record producer? Under Affirmative Action, it would be the latter.”</p>

11

<p>colinization:</p>

<p>Yes, he can be a bit of a “blowhard”…but you weren’t a pin-head in your comment! ;)</p>

12

<p>Thanks; I do watch him occasionally, I don’t want to come across as overly liberal or anything, but there are certain times I question his sanity. (And others when I commend him heartily, so it’s a bit of a wash…)</p>

13

<p>The wealthy already have affirmative action: it’s called “Early Decision.” This year, Midd filled up half of its incoming class with ED.</p>

14

<p>Muastat, I would venture a guess that privileged minority kids are accepted at a higher rate than poor minority kids because they could afford a good college prep education and therefore had higher stats. Same reason that privileged white kids are accepted at a higher rate than poor white kids.</p>