<p>“Look, the UCs don’t use race as an admissions factor. By law they can’t and they don’t. However, as I mentioned before, they do look at the ‘whole’ applicant in the context of scores, first gen, economic background, etc.”</p>
<p>I guess many people can’t help suspecting that the UCs (and lots of private schools, as well) are in fact using race as an admissions factor, but relying on other elements of holistic admissions to justify the decisions. Of course, this is essentially impossible to prove, because holistic admissions are so subjective. It’s against the law to admit somebody because he’s an African-American, but it’s legal to admit him because he’s a member of an African heritage dance troupe. Again, I approve of this approach.</p>