Affirmative Action Response to Dovie

Posted this reply comment on a post by Dovie regarding the issue of affirmative action.

"Affirmative action is something I often feel conflicted about as I know that score wise Asians usually wipe out the competition. This would leave a total imbalance on campus that would definitely stirred up resentment. Perfect examples of the large imbalance are easily seen in the specialized high schools. However, with affirmative action the standards are often rearranged in favor of less “competitive” candidates. This often leaves to the lowering the learning standards especially when there are a flood of under “qualified” students. This is rather unfortunate as these underprivileged students are given the double pressure of trying to achieve their families dreams while also being thrust into a unfamiliar hyper competitive environment.

I admit that it sucks when you recognize that you will have to work harder to achieve a seat than some other candidates. Often now there are attempts by different Asian groups to fill out the “other” section with something else like Thai, Indonesian, Burmese, Sri Lankan, or Cambodian in order not to be lumped with the huge competitive “Chinese” pool. However at the same time when admissions becomes a numbers game, it becomes extremely hard for other groups even get represented at all. I say this as a person who used to laugh at the whole push for diversity in the workplace and in the classroom. Back then I was more of a cold, quantitative person that believed that numbers should decide the correct placement of students and workers. Who cared if your race was not in the classroom? You don’t have the numbers? Then you don’t make the cut. Simple, easy, no whiny philosophical debates.

However, now that I am a bit more older (and hopefully more mature) I am seeing that the numbers, while great do not usually flesh out the whole picture of the candidate. That is why the new wholistic application process does select for the more balance students capable for taking accelerated courses. These new added hoops are done in order to select for the creme de le creme of the student body.

For students who complete the rigors of academia as well as extracurriculars, not getting the school can feel like a smack to the face. However, students that are as competitive as Michael Wang across the board would probably succeed in just about any well organized school, private or state university. The most important thing in my opinion is not just smarts, but drive. A single minded focus to achieve a certain goal in mind. It is not the school’s name, the grades, or the occupation that should be the focus. It should be what you want to achieve and personally find yourself enjoying. The “wholistic” should extend beyond just applications and go into learning.

These joys of learning new ideas and techniques should extend to all groups in society so that people can pursue their interests without having to measure up to each other by what school someone goes to and how much their pay is. In a society that is divided along the ethnic lines, this is an impossibility."