<p>I'm sorry I offended you Vyse, and J281 as well. It was not my intention and, in fact, I used the phrase "something else to the table" on purpose because I was not referring to race. My desire was to learn more about UT admissions without inflaming the issue; however, I would appreciate it if you would let me explain.</p>
<p>First, in my earlier post I was specifically trying to understand what the top-10% system is intended to do, and I was not expressing what I think about this sytem. As I stated a few posts ago in my dialogue with IDMom06, I favor individual merit-based admissions.</p>
<p>Second, I was raised in a small Texas town and, in the year I went to college, I was the only freshman from my town that enrolled at UT-Austin. I am not a minority and, while I might have been admitted under the top-10% rule (had that existed then), I believe I brought something different to UT than what the typical Houston-area freshman brings. Not better, but different. In addition, I was able to take back to my home town the things I learned and my experiences.</p>
<p>Having said this, I do believe that state institutions have a duty to educate everyone. Like IDMom06, I think we need to improve the quality of education in high school (and earlier) so that colleges can select applicants based on merit. If we do a good enough job educating students in K-12, merit alone will yield an enthnically and intellectually diverse student body.</p>