Affirmative Action Must Play a Role in College Admissions Essay

Anxiously awaiting its contents, the high school senior stares at his mailbox. He has been awaiting a response for months from his dream college. He has endured the endless questions from friends and family, "Did you hear from that college yet?" He has spent many a night he should have been sleeping lying in bed wondering whether he would be heading to his dream school in the fall. He has read numerous books and has done serious research on just what it took to get where he wanted to be. He continues to stare for hours, shaking from either anticipation or fear, though he cannot decide which. Finally his parents arrive home and encourage him to open the letter. He then opens the box. Now I ask this. Should this senior’s ethnicity impact whether his envelope is thin or thick? Should he have a better chance to attend his dream school because he is a minority? Or do the questions go deeper than the single factor of ethnicity? The issue of Affirmative Action, preferences towards persons of racial minorities to compensate for prior discrimination, in college admissions is a quite complicated one. Many sides must be explored to gain a better understanding of the theories and views on this issue. It is not easily answered with a yes or no. Since its inception, Affirmative Action’s use has been a major debate in American society. Many questions are left to be investigated. Many believe that we should live in a society where preferential treatment could be eliminated, and admission to college is based solely on one’s merit and character, yet this view seems quite unrealistic. The United States Supreme Court handed down its first decision on this complex issue with the case of Allan Bakke. Allan Bakke was a white male who applied to ... ...ns. The evidence supports the fact that if racial preferences are not used in admissions, the country will be withholding quality educations, both graduate and undergraduate, from large numbers of minority students. One of the staples of slavery when it is employed in this world is preventing those who are enslaved from becoming educated. We must work for the advancement of the human race as a whole, and this includes making sure that entire races of people are not left off prematurely on the road of education. Sources Cited Cross, Theodore. "What if There Was No Affirmative Action in College Admissions?" The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. No. 5. Autumn 1994. 52-55. Â   Dreyfuss, Benjamin W. "Reverse Discrimination’ or ‘Equal Opportunity’?" http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~dreyfus/bakke.html. 1995. Â   Mundy, Bob. Personal Interview. 27 April 2001