The Call To End Affirmative Action In College Admissions: Turning A Blind Eye To Educational Inequality

Right now, New York University’s class of 2023 is being celebrated as “the most diverse undergraduate class in its history, a testament to its unwavering commitment to diversity”. Across the board, the nation’s most competitive colleges are boasting about their record-high application numbers for the class of 2027. On the surface, both achievements seem to affirm that college admissions practices are moving toward greater equity and access. After all, colleges are clamoring for the label of “most diverse” classes of graduates and newly admitted students. Somehow, at this moment of celebration for so many, the US Supreme Court takes center stage as it will soon decide whether to remove race from the college admissions process. How can these two realities exist at once?

There have been some glimpses of equalizing policies in the college admission selection process. All the Ivy League schools are presently test-optional, with Columbia University announcing that they have permanently adopted the policy. Still, there are those who feel disadvantaged in the current system of supposed holistic admissions, and feel they are being unfairly denied admission to top schools. They’ve secured high test scores, rank at or near the top of their class, and have taken several AP courses, in order to meet, or even exceed, a standard they thought they understood. Some argue that the “standard” academic merits, such as an SAT score, or class rank, have somehow lost their value in the admissions process, and have been replaced by race or ethnicity. They may not be aware that affirmative action mandates colleges can only consider race as one minor component of an admission review process. All of those achievements and data points, optional or not, are still very much a part of the holistic admissions evaluation. Now, as the admissions applications process slowly reaches a more inclusive approach in evaluating students, the question of race or ethnicity will no longer be an option.

The Supreme Court cases against affirmative action argue that the academic goal post has been moved, and in its place, the admissions process has ranked established standards for academic achievement at the lower part of the scale, while elevating the importance of race and ethnicity to the detriment of white and Asian applicants. The reality is that colleges have moved to create more inclusive policies - like being test optional - to give students more control and flexibility in how they present their applications for consideration. Students who excel in standardized tests can share their scores while others can opt-out and allow colleges to focus on other aspects of their academic background, such as grades, course rigor, extracurricular activities, etc. The fact is that strong test scores can make up for some doubts about academic proficiency or get an admissions committee to reconsider an applicant. Submitting poor test scores can hurt in the admissions process, and having the option to omit them can allow for other parts of the application to carry more weight. These policies put students in control of what information is shared with the institution - repealing affirmative action removes a student’s choice for the consideration of their race in a higher education system riddled with racial disparities.

Let’s get back to that goal post, that has supposedly been moved to make room for students of historically underrepresented groups, such as Black and Hispanic. The assumption being made is that when race is considered, academics and out-of-classroom accomplishments are not as important. Completing and submitting a competitive college admissions application to top private colleges, and many public colleges, is part of a highly complex process requiring interviews, academic and non-academic recommendation letters, transcripts, and multiple essays on different topics. In addition to demanding high academic proficiency, they also reinforce the value of out-of-classroom activities, and are strengthened by the exploration of talents and skills that are often out of the reach of educational institutions serving a considerable portion of students of color, such as community colleges.

When a Black or Hispanic student identifies their prospective college(s), they are set on a journey where they will be assessed against the same rigorous standards as their fellow applicants, regardless of how holistic the process is supposed to be. How else could we end up with an average SAT score ranging from 1468 to 1564 across all the Ivies? Students being admitted to these schools must still demonstrate a “holistic” match to each college’s academic standards. Historically, the college admissions goal post was never meant to be clear or within the reach of all students, and that applies to both public and private institutions. If the assumption is that these diverse students are taking spots from more qualified white and Asian applicants, why aren’t policies providing preferential treatment for legacy and athletic admissions included in these cases?

If we simplify part of the argument in defense of race in college admissions, we come to an understanding that today’s colleges are tasked with preparing students for a global labor market with increasing, and often dominant, participation from countries outside the USA. At a national level, there are drastic and continued shifts in demographics, where the majority-minority population grows not just through immigration, but through multi-ethnic and multi-race families. The world, including college campuses, will only continue to grow in its racial and ethnic diversity. Organizations across many sectors are investing heavily in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as the business case has been made for the value of securing a talented, diverse workforce. Companies are relying on higher education institutions to graduate students prepared to meet the challenges of a quickly changing work environment. Who benefits from forcing students to hide core components of their identity, like race and ethnicity, when the world is in desperate need of diverse problem solvers?

The call to end affirmative action in college admissions is the latest test of how much economic, educational, and social inclusion we, as a society, will tolerate in spaces where we are seeking a remedy for exclusionary practices. The Supreme Court may come back with a decision that says, “we have tolerated enough.” Perhaps, they will make a decision that says, we have opened enough doors, we have reached a moment when race no longer matters, and therefore, it should no longer be an option. Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules, colleges will need to find ways to keep an eye on the goal post of diversity, and still seek the multiplicity of experiences and backgrounds that will make the US competitive and relevant. While race may be removed from consideration in the college admissions checklist, such a decision cannot remove how race impacts people's lives and academic experiences. Race is not simply a check in a box. Race will still present itself in different ways throughout the holistic application process. For anyone deciding how to make the class of the future, it is their job to find it.