The reaction to the SAT “adversity score” element on this board is telling

[Anonymous]

Some of us buy into the traditional political culture of the United States: individualism, hard work, etc. We see this as yet another sign of the tide turning toward a desire for equal outcomes, not equal opportunity. I know there will be screams about "there is no equal opportunity" but there are people who have risen beyond their circumstances throughout the history of this country. The kids now are the least likely to be held back by those circumstances of any generation, yet the screams now are the loudest, and the accommodations the most extreme.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rational thinkers understand that the attempts by selective colleges to socially engineer the perfectly balanced class is a farcical undertaking driven not by a genuine desire for better outcomes or an enhanced student experience, but by the misguided belief that they must hew to a socially progressive agenda. The payoff for all of this wonderful micro-segmentation of diversity is supposed to be a richer experience for students by facilitating interactions and understanding with people different from ourselves. The truth is that you see more segregation on campus today than a decade ago with race specific clubs and housing and greek life and graduation ceremonies. Ironically, the net result of the diversity explosion is a reduction in integration. So yeah, I think it's all a joke and the system is corrupt and rigged and ultimately so capricious that it makes little sense. Thus, the only applicants I care about are my DC.

This is so true. As long as there are clubs, organizations, learning communities, ceremonies, and events that invite or exclude based on skin color, we have made zero progress. My dd is a member of the admitted students Facebook group for the college she will attend this fall. Another incoming student just made a post saying she wanted to start a Snapchat group for Latina/Latino students only. I understand wanting to connect with people who share your culture. I don’t understand wanting to exclude those who do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rational thinkers understand that the attempts by selective colleges to socially engineer the perfectly balanced class is a farcical undertaking driven not by a genuine desire for better outcomes or an enhanced student experience, but by the misguided belief that they must hew to a socially progressive agenda. The payoff for all of this wonderful micro-segmentation of diversity is supposed to be a richer experience for students by facilitating interactions and understanding with people different from ourselves. The truth is that you see more segregation on campus today than a decade ago with race specific clubs and housing and greek life and graduation ceremonies. Ironically, the net result of the diversity explosion is a reduction in integration. So yeah, I think it's all a joke and the system is corrupt and rigged and ultimately so capricious that it makes little sense. Thus, the only applicants I care about are my DC.

This is so true. As long as there are clubs, organizations, learning communities, ceremonies, and events that invite or exclude based on skin color, we have made zero progress. My dd is a member of the admitted students Facebook group for the college she will attend this fall. Another incoming student just made a post saying she wanted to start a Snapchat group for Latina/Latino students only. I understand wanting to connect with people who share your culture. I don’t understand wanting to exclude those who do not.

You know what is being discussed in your kids admitted students Facebook group??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rational thinkers understand that the attempts by selective colleges to socially engineer the perfectly balanced class is a farcical undertaking driven not by a genuine desire for better outcomes or an enhanced student experience, but by the misguided belief that they must hew to a socially progressive agenda. The payoff for all of this wonderful micro-segmentation of diversity is supposed to be a richer experience for students by facilitating interactions and understanding with people different from ourselves. The truth is that you see more segregation on campus today than a decade ago with race specific clubs and housing and greek life and graduation ceremonies. Ironically, the net result of the diversity explosion is a reduction in integration. So yeah, I think it's all a joke and the system is corrupt and rigged and ultimately so capricious that it makes little sense. Thus, the only applicants I care about are my DC.

This is so true. As long as there are clubs, organizations, learning communities, ceremonies, and events that invite or exclude based on skin color, we have made zero progress. My dd is a member of the admitted students Facebook group for the college she will attend this fall. Another incoming student just made a post saying she wanted to start a Snapchat group for Latina/Latino students only. I understand wanting to connect with people who share your culture. I don’t understand wanting to exclude those who do not.

You know what is being discussed in your kids admitted students Facebook group??

DP. JFC....that’s your takeaway from her post? And yes, my DC share with me their experiences on social media.

[Anonymous]

It’ll be interesting to see if the Supreme Court ends affirmative action, if the Harvard case gets there. I highly doubt it. Thus, we’ll have the following two step approach. An SAT adversity that is not based on race. Following that, colleges may review the application holistically, taking the adversity score and race into account as they already do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rational thinkers understand that the attempts by selective colleges to socially engineer the perfectly balanced class is a farcical undertaking driven not by a genuine desire for better outcomes or an enhanced student experience, but by the misguided belief that they must hew to a socially progressive agenda. The payoff for all of this wonderful micro-segmentation of diversity is supposed to be a richer experience for students by facilitating interactions and understanding with people different from ourselves. The truth is that you see more segregation on campus today than a decade ago with race specific clubs and housing and greek life and graduation ceremonies. Ironically, the net result of the diversity explosion is a reduction in integration. So yeah, I think it's all a joke and the system is corrupt and rigged and ultimately so capricious that it makes little sense. Thus, the only applicants I care about are my DC.

This is so true. As long as there are clubs, organizations, learning communities, ceremonies, and events that invite or exclude based on skin color, we have made zero progress. My dd is a member of the admitted students Facebook group for the college she will attend this fall. Another incoming student just made a post saying she wanted to start a Snapchat group for Latina/Latino students only. I understand wanting to connect with people who share your culture. I don’t understand wanting to exclude those who do not.

I don't know why people get so upset about people forming groups like this. That doesn't mean you only associate with Latinos. My roommate in college was Chinese and was a member of the Chinese Student Association. I'm not Chinese and went to all their parties and had a good time. No one was upset I was there and I became friends with other members too. I also had white and black friends. Like it or not, many Latinos probably come from a different socioeconomic background than your DD. Some might be dreamers, some might have parents who are undocumented...Maybe having a group where they can discuss things free of fear of judgment is useful to them. I think the goal is having all groups in our country having equal access to economic success. You see segregation now because URMs sometimes still don't feel comfortable and accepted on campus because many are of lower SES. Once there is economic equality people will live in the same neighborhoods, and second or third generation college kids won't feel the need to self segregate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of us buy into the traditional political culture of the United States: individualism, hard work, etc. We see this as yet another sign of the tide turning toward a desire for equal outcomes, not equal opportunity. I know there will be screams about "there is no equal opportunity" but there are people who have risen beyond their circumstances throughout the history of this country. The kids now are the least likely to be held back by those circumstances of any generation, yet the screams now are the loudest, and the accommodations the most extreme.

Yes, the adversity score that merely places the SAT score in context and is in no way race based is extreme This is not a quota and not a bump up in the actual SAT scores. Get a grip.