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

Entertainer
Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:18:14 +0000

FLVDAD, that was a very interesting and insightful approach to the importance of diversity in a college setting(I liked the analogy). Personally I’m for diversity, even if it means that other races will be at a “disadvantage.”(Not really) There are people that constantly ■■■■■ these forums stating that the African Americans that are getting into elite colleges are unqualified. Maybe they are in certain admission criteria, but colleges aren’t looking for that.

People keep making the assumption that the only things colleges want are people with the best grades, achievements, awards, standardized tests, etc. That is very true, but they also want, different kinds of students, whether its racially, ethnically, or culturally motivated. They want outstanding students from any race, gender, or creed.

Honestly I get that, “you got in because you are are black” crap all the time. I just ignore it because I know that I will succeed wherever I go. I’m smart, but I don’t have the best grades to show it. When I went to Michigan for orientation I was surprised at how people wanted to know me. Even though I was shy and quiet, people were really interested in what I was about. No one questioned “what” got me in, or how I got in. Everyone wanted to meet new people and share their experiences. That is what college is about. After you are accepted into your dream school or college that you were ecstatic about attending, you will find that no one cares about how you got in. They just care about getting to know you and working with you.

This is how you build life-long friends. Seriously we have an edge because the African American applicant pool isn’t necessarily as strong as the Asian or Caucasian applicant pool. However don’t rely on the edge to get in. Just put all your effort into your application and see what happens. If you get in, Congratulations. If you are denied; at least you tried.

Like you said: " colleges want to attract students." I honestly would have never attended Michigan if its African American population population was less than 3.5%. I would never apply to any UC school or school with a low percentage of black people. Even though most prestigious universities have low percentages of blacks, it’s still a turn off when I see universities with black populations less than or equal to 3%. It’s just disgusting. Honestly the UC schools, or similar schools won’t attract many URM’s because of the low chances of getting accepted.