Reply to private schools that do not use affirmative action

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Affirmative action does not mean that admitted students do not have "credentials." It means that a college looks at more than just test scores and GPA in the admissions process. [/quote]True.  The farm boy from Nebraska from a little known high school of 100 could fall under that category also.[/quote]

Exactly. Affirmative action helps many people. At schools with a STEM focus, women of any color may benefit. At a small liberal arts school, men of any color may benefit. At wealthy schools with lots of financial aid to give and an interest in providing opportunities to underprivileged students, applicants from poor families--of any color--may have an advantage over others. At "need-aware" schools with small endowments, applicants from wealthy families who can pony up full tuition will be chosen over financial-aid-seeking students with similar credentials. At many schools, athletes and children of alums--again white as well as non-white--get second and third looks that other applicants with similar credentials will not.

Colleges and universities can build their student bodies any way they see fit. If they feel their campus environments are improved by having a gender balance or by increasing the racial/economic diversity or or by having lots of students who can pay the bills or by having great football players, they are free to do so. It is naive to think there is any school anywhere that is not doing this to some extent. Even in states that prohibit race-based affirmative action, universities still make decisions based on apparent financial need, high school attended, essays, activities, etc., that give them clues about students' backgrounds. Even schools that admitted solely on the basis of SAT scores would have to find some way to choose among the dozens/hundreds/thousands of students who apply with identical SAT scores.

OP, what are you looking for? Because looking for a school that doesn't practice affirmative action is a waste of time and might not be what you want even if you could find it. File this one under: be careful what you wish for.[/quote]

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