<p>basically, the top 10 percent rule says that if you are black and have bad grades, that's perfectly fine, but if you're white, you are rejected.</p>
<p>Reverse racism.</p>
<p>Not that it matters to me, as I will easily get into UT, but for some of my friends, it's unfair.</p>
<p>basically, the top 10 percent rule says that if you are black and have bad grades, that's perfectly fine, but if you're white, you are rejected.</p>
<p>Reverse racism.</p>
<p>Not that it matters to me, as I will easily get into UT, but for some of my friends, it's unfair.</p>
<p>Could you explain how the top 10 % rule, which many of us are unfamiliar with, would work to bar white students but not black? I can see how affirmative action does but what does that have to do with the 10% rule?</p>
<p>Write to your state legislator.</p>
<p>I was exaggerating, of course, and I am against racism.</p>
<p>I'm not bitter because I didn't get in because I will be attending there if I feel like it next year, but it's the principle. Here's a site.</p>
<p>University</a> of Texas Admissions Process :: Home</p>
<p>Of course, it is true that a lot of people complain that the reason they didn't get in was because they were white, and though they may have gotten in if they were black, they should've studied harder for their SAT's and then it wouldn't matter.</p>
<p>Basically, the top 10 percent rule says that the top 10 percent of all texas high schools get into UT automatically, regardless of test scores, ec's, or difficulty in course load. This rule was made to help make UT more racially diverse, as UT was not allowed to actaully show racial preference as they admitted people.</p>
<p>So your argument is that since many black students go to highschools which are not as competitive it is easier for them to be in the top 10% of their class and get into UT, and that is unfair? If that's your argument then I agree. I didn't understand the top 10% rule as working that way. A quick and dirty fix would be to slap a minimum SAT score on there as well.</p>
<p>Or apply somewhere besides UT.</p>
<p>Wow, you seem to be making a lot of assumptions that are probably false. Where are you getting these ideas? Are you angry because you are not in the top 10% or something? (guessing from this and another of your posts) If you go to a very competitive school and take hard classes and have a life beyond school, colleges will definitely recognize that, and it will trump whatever "being in the top 10%" means, especially if your school is already comprised of students who are in the top 10% of the general applicant pool already.</p>
<p>lala, I think the OP intimated that his acceptance at UTs is fairly secure so I'd guess that he is in the top 10%. Btw, he was referring to the UT school system specifically, which grants automatic admissions to the top 10% of instate high schools I believe. So no, in this instance none of the rest of that stuff matters.</p>
<p>jmanco: your vitriol aside, what do you think the state policymakers/legislatures were trying to correct when they instituted the 10% rule?</p>
<p>Do you think that they weighed the plusses and minuses? Do you think that they realized some groups (who traditionally have had easier access to higher education) might be disadvantaged slightly in order to assist other groups that would have zero to little chance of admissions to higher ed?</p>
<p>These aren't the highest performing kids taking the slots at the top state schools anyways. </p>
<p>I hope you can work on your policy analysis before you get into collegiate level classes .</p>
<p>I don't understand your argument. The basic premise of the 10% rule is that bad grades are the one thing that could keep you out. There are a lot of things to not like about the 10% rule, but your argument isn't clear to me.</p>
<p>But as for blacks being able to get in with bad grades....it is equally true that a white students with bad grades might also get in--as long as they go to school where bad grades are so much the norm that you can earn them and still make it into the Top 10%. The 10% rule doesn't care about your race, ethnicity, religion, test scores, or anything else. It's all about your class rank, which is determined by your grades and where they put you relative to the peers at your school. Now it's true that income, race, and other factors may play a role in the school you go to, and what a Top 10% ranks really means in terms of preparation and hard work. </p>
<p>What is more troubling to me is the assumption inherent in your opening statement. Which seems to be that all blacks in Texas go to schools where they can get terrible grades and still get top 10% status. Is that what you meant?</p>
<p>I think the OP knows that the top 10% law doesn't mean "if you are black and have bad grades" that you get in. Anyone of any race/ethnicity who is in the top 10% of their graduating class gets in. Top 10% is determined by each high school. Lots of people don't agree with the top 10%, but it doesn't seem like it's going away any time soon. As another poster said, write to your legislator and try to get it changed if it makes you so angry.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Anyone of any race/ethnicity who is in the top 10% of their graduating class gets in.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yes, that's what the Texas law really says.</p>
<p>The argument isn't that all black students go to bad schools or that all white students go to good schools. To be honest to me at least it isn't a black or white issue, it's an overall fairness issue. The truth is more black students go to less competitive schools that white students. It's just how things work, and there are a million reasons for that but they're not really worth getting into here. The 10% rule as I is understand it allows a student of any color who gets in the top 10% of their uncompetitive class to get into UT over a student who was in the 15% of their very competitive class, regardless of ECs, test scores, or anything else. It just seems like they're giving far more relevancy to unadjusted class rank than is logical. Trying to frame it as a black or white issue muddles the whole issue, though it actually may be relevant if that was UT's reasoning in the first place. I still firmly believe that no policies should be in place that reward or punish a persons race.</p>
<p>It's not just a racial thing. The rule also benefits kids from rural schools. That is why there is wide support in the legislature - support from both urban and rural districts.</p>
<p>Are there a lot of urban high schools in Texas that are predominantly black? If all the kids in the school are black, then the top 10% of the students in that school are also black, even if it's a weak school. Perhaps this is what the OP means.</p>
<p>It creates the odd situation that Texas is achieving ethnic diversity in its university system by relying on de facto segregation in the state's high schools.</p>
<p>I fail to see how the top 10% of any race at any school gets in is discrimination. I'm staunchly against affirmative action (I considered putting hispanic on applications simply so I could be on a level playing field, I won't though), but this isn't discrimination in any way.</p>
<p>I think you're creating an issue where none exists.</p>
<p>What this 10% rule seems to guarantee is that the top students at each school can get admitted, whether they were FORTUNATE enough to go to a top high school with a more challenging curriculum or not.</p>
<p>Things like APs, Honors, and special advanced learning opportunities are a privilege that rural and poor schools cannot always offer, even though their top students may be capable of it. Why would you want to penalize their best students for something that is out of their control? High school students can't help where they're born and where their parents choose to/can afford to live.</p>
<p>It may not be discrimination, but it's definitely social engineering. You can figure out the impact of a rule like this by looking at the makeup of the high schools in the state. This rule gives a boost to schools where the top performing students still do not perform as well as the top students at other schools. If those less-performing schools are populated by an identifiable group (i.e., ethnic minorities, rural students, poor students), then that group gets a boost as a result of this policy.</p>