Discussing Race in College

DISCUSSING RACE IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

UNIVERSITIES SHOULD ADOPT RACE-BLIND ADMISSION POLICIES AND FOCUS MORE ON SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS

BY THE COLT CHRONICLE EDITORIAL STAFF

Adviser’s Note: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this opinion article belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the view of whole The Colt Chronicle Staff, Kinnelon High School, or its students and staff members.

During the college admissions process, race is ever-present in the minds of both applicants and admissions officers. On Common App, College Board, and other websites utilized for college admissions, there is always a question pertaining to race. As an effort toward a more diverse student body, top institutions have, at times, given historically disadvantaged races lowered standards for admission. Now, with the practice disenfranchising deserving applicants from “overrepresented” racial backgrounds, many question the extent to which colleges take race into account when deciding who to admit and who to deny.

Over recent years, college admissions have become more intense at top schools. Despite this, more students than ever continue to apply to these schools. According to Forbes, “highly selective” members (admit rates below 50%) saw a 25% increase in applications since 2019-20; “more selective” institutions (admit rates of 50-74%) saw an increase of 11%.

It is evident that more schools are trying to incorporate a more diverse community. Based on different areas of the application, schools can get a grasp on how unique an individual is. According to journalist Kirsten Courault, in the Common Application, and applications for several other colleges, some main essay prompts ask about how your background, identity, or experience has affected you.

School counselor Marlene Goudreau says,

“Colleges profess to not factor race or ethnicity in because that is illegal, but I do think that colleges want to have students from different walks of life. “One of my favorite representatives from [Fairleigh] Dickinson College said the first thing that you have to understand is that the college application process is not fair. You will have advantages and disadvantages based on your gender, race, and ethnicity. I do think that when there are certain majors they do look at those factors.

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of their short essays asks students to “describe an aspect of your identity (for example, your religion, culture, race, sexual or gender identity, affinity group, etc.). How has this aspect of your identity shaped your life experiences thus far?” Some students believe this is helpful toward certain groups of people or minorities, while others do not.

Senior Alanna Gallagher says,

“I think they consider race a big amount. I know at Dartmouth, about 50% of their students are minorities. Different colleges classify minorities differently. I know some colleges consider Asians as minorities, some don't. But you have to imagine a bigger part of that is African Americans or indigenous people.

First, colleges will always look at your academics and the level of classes you have taken. Senior Andrew Garcia says, “The first thing colleges look at is definitely your GPA and the rigor of your classes. I went to the Governor's School in the sciences last summer; it's pretty selective. What I noticed with the people selected, they had some sort of spike. Something different about them that helped them stand out.

Similarly, Goudreau says,

“They look for students who are going to be successful on their campus and also students who are going to be full members of the campus and be involved in campus activities. They are looking for people to fit into a diverse community of student life.

While extracurriculars can definitely be a factor in making a student stand out, so can racial and ethnic background.

However, students believe it is only fair to a certain extent. Gallagher says,

“It matters to some extent. If it's someone who is less fortunate than me and has higher grades than me then yes it matters a little bit.

But if they are taking it just off of the fact that they need more diversity then that's not exactly fair.

Additionally, some races tend to score better than others on standardized tests. According to Brookings, over 80% of Asian students meet college readiness benchmarks, compared to about 20% for other minorities such as Blacks and Hispanics. Garcia says, “If you look at the SAT scores, the Asians in particular have a disportionate amount, being almost perfect. However, race isn't the only metric of diversity. Which is why I do think it's unfair, because people should be based on who they are, rather than the color of their skin.

While race may factor into one’s chances of getting into a college, socioeconomic status should be considered to a further extent. Goudreau says, “For example, I could see that students who come from backgrounds where they didn’t have the same opportunities as students like in our school.

Biggins states that there are two different types of colleges: need-blind and need-aware.

“Need-blind means they assess you 100% based on your academic caliber not on the needs of the student. Then there are needaware, there are some colleges that evaluate the student based on their financial caliber and there is a lot of hesitation whether that is really fair assessing a student on if they can afford going there.

-Lauren Biggins, School Counselor

Gallagher says,

“I actually think socioeconomic status is a much bigger component than race should be. You can determine the students that actually need the help that are good students and you’re not basing it off of race, you’re basing it off of grades at that point. “You can't choose your status, where you come from, or what you look like. Yet, through colleges compensating by allowing a student who maybe has lower numbers but giving them the opportunities at their school, though they started off lower, they still deserve it.

Historically, different races perform differently on standardized tests, as well as those of different economic backgrounds.

According to College Board, students who come from families with an income of less than $20,000, have an average SAT score of 970. In comparison, those with an income of over $200,000, have an average SAT score of 1230.

That being said, income seems to be a better indicator of academic success than minority status; therefore, affirmative action policies should focus on income disparities. These policies would still likely benefit minorities because they are historically more poor, but it is unfair for those given the same opportunities to be given a leg up simply because of their race.

Students applying to colleges should be aware that their gender, race, ethnicity, financial status, and academics are all taken into account by admission officers. Though some colleges are needblind, all aspects of one’s application can showcase how unique an individual is, regardless of their race or socioeconomic status.

The college admissions process attempts to turn every student into a plethora of factors to be compared with others in their graduating class. The factors that students control can dominate the lives of many high schoolers attempting to optimize their application to get into their dream school. This makes it frustrating for many students when inalterable factors that cut across economic lines may hinder their chances, and it is on the affected students to drive change. In the upcoming Supreme Court term, they are hearing cases against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard for discriminating against Asian American students. If these cases rule against the established policy of factoring in race, then a more meritocratic society may be in sight.

COLT CHRONICLE//FALL ISSUE NOT FAR FROM YOUR ROOTS

DO FIRST-GENERATION AMERICANS AT KHS CONNECT WITH THEIR HERITAGE?

BY AARUSHI KUMAR, LAYOUT DESIGNER AND STAFF WRITER

As of 2022, 47 million foreign-born immigrants live in the U.S, a record high in American history.

According to history teacher Danielle Elia, when the U.S gained independence from Great Britain, “people saw that as a change, because of the different rights that we have in our Constitution, and how more freedoms are allowed. ” Be it for employment opportunities, escaping from violent conflicts, education, or environmental factors, the United States became a beacon for a better future for those abroad.

American cities today often have sections heavily influenced by foreign cultures, as immigrants strived to make their new homes more familiar than the lives they left behind.

“The point of that is not necessarily to change what the United States was standing for, but also bring that sense of home and what people know with them, ” said Elia.

Over the years, immigrant families still hold onto their cultural identities. Their religion, food, clothing, language, music, and traditional values are all things that get passed down through generations.

Living in communities with people of similar ethnic backgrounds is also helpful to connect with your heritage and talk with family that may live in other countries. “I grew up only speaking Russian, and then I went to preschool and daycare with all Russian-speaking teachers, ” said sophomore Marie Levi, who is Russian and Israeli.

This reporter also experiences the struggles of a firstgeneration American. Both of my parents are from India, while I was born and raised in the U.S. They taught me Hindi, our culture, and sent me to Sunday School since first grade. Since I was a kid, I’ve traveled to India almost every year and visited my family. Before understanding Hindi, talking to relatives was difficult. It was disheartening not to be part of the family the same way my cousins were.

But back in the U.S, my classmates and teachers treated me like a representative of India. Translating whatever words they want me to say, asking me what life was like there; it was completely different from how I felt with my relatives. In a room full of white kids, I was the outlier.

“I’m mostly from America, and speaking a different language here can get you in trouble, ” says sophomore Fairooz Kabir, who’s Bangladeshi. Even though some native-born citizens have lived in the U.S. their whole lives, xenophobia, or prejudice against people from other countries, is often targeted at those with noticeable foreign features, like skin color.

At KHS, 18.9% of students are minorities, according to US News. Due to the large cultural diversity in the state, functions, and events can be celebrated with the community.

“We do celebrate some Jewish holidays, and then at home, we only speak Russian and eat mostly Russian food, ” said Levi. “And over the summer and during the year, we go to gatherings or festivals, or places where a lot of Russian people go so my parents can keep up with the culture and music.

Not only does Kabir attend gatherings and functions with her family, but she also practices traditional art forms from her country.

“I did cultural Kathak and Bharatanatyam dances [...] I used to do performances at really big parties because they used to make big festivals and functions.

PHOTO BY FAIROOZ KABIR

TED TALK DEMONSTRATION OF THE CLASSICAL DANCE KATHAK BY DANCER VIDYA PATEL