seriously now, how much of an edge do we really have?

FLVADAD
Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:36:11 +0000

Many colleges value diversity and believe it is critically important to their current mission. I happen to agree. But sadly, there are simply not enough high achieving African-American students to meet demand. Thus, schools do the best they can from their respective applicant pools to recruit the most capable students that apply.

This is not unfair to asians, whites, or other groups as people often complain. Why? Because colleges absolutely engage in social engineering, and they are going to make sure they get a certain mix of backgrounds, talent, life experiences, etc. within their student body. An admit for an African-American student does not = a rejection for an Asian or Caucasion student. It is much more likely to = a rejection for another African-American student. Applicants are most often competing against other applicants with similar profiles that the college wants as part of its socially engineered community.

It wouldn’t matter if the top 10,000 applicants to Harvard (based on stats) were all 100% Asian, far more than the number of seats available. Ultimately, the overall racial and ethnic make up of the admitted student body would very likely be similar to what is right now. They are not engineering for a monolithic student body, they are engineering for diversity – of all types.

Think of it like an orchestra. Even if the very best auditions were consistently delivered by those playing the flute, there are still going spots for those playing the bassoon, clarinet, french horn, etc. It would be absurd to hear the rejected flute players claiming discrimination because their audition was “technically” better than the chosen bassoon players. Sorry, the orchestra needs people to play all the needed instruments, not just the flute. Same with admissions. Colleges and universities need all types of students to make them attractive, vibrant communities – not just the statistical superstars.

This is why it’s important for people to select the right colleges, especially if they are looking for scholarships. Different schools have different needs and most will do a little extra to fill their needs if they are having difficulty. Students are best served when they find colleges that need more people with what they have to offer, whether it’s something adding to the school’s diversity, or a specific talent.