Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am not a troll; my son is not a candidate for Harvard or like schools.

Some helpful advice here, but I think it underscores the validity of my question, meaning it’s really unclear right now for minority applicants.

OP, I encourage you to focus on fit and where your child really wants to go. Yes, there are still invitations in the very open-ended essay topics to communicate anything diversity/experience-related that supports a kid's candidacy. That's clear.

However, the best school for your kid may be the one with a strong alumni network in the industry your child wishes to work in. Or the size of school that is comfortable, etc.

I would recommend that your kid try to make some direct non-AO contacts at the schools of most interest. That could be through clubs, foreign language departments, student LinkedIn pages, etc. Personal insights may help determine how best to present a candidacy. You also may want to do an advance check on how welcoming the campus feels to your child. That's very personal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The opinion was clear. Schools can’t use the checkbox anymore but can take race into account in admissions. You aren’t shooting in the dark. Write about being a URM.

This is not true.
They cannot take race into consideration. They can consider discussions about race. if the applicant writes a compelling essay about some adversity they overcame or how they were inspired by their particular racial background, etc. but they can't simply get a preference for being black.

So in a long winded manner, they can take race into account.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your student is a junior and likely to have scored high on the PSAT, you will find out in February if they are eligible for College Board's National African American (or Hispanic) Recognition Program award. As long as the kid has the required GPA and has their counselor verify by the deadline in late spring/early summer, the award is automatic and posted in August of senior year.

If your student gets this award, have them include it in the honors section in Common App.

For sure will get this and be semi t. Trouble is semi finalist doesn’t seem to get you much.

This. Mine got PSAT 9 hispanic recognition and it is meaningless except schools will see the minority status

Yes, this is the value of the award.

Exactly. Get the URM info into the application at every opportunity. Awards, activities, clubs, essays. It does not have to be an essay about overcoming oppression either. The schools don’t actually care if you have or haven’t.

Just indicate your son is URM in the essay in a creative way of course. Like talk about being the first black lead in a school play type of thing. You would still need decent stats.

Anonymous wrote:The opinion was clear. Schools can’t use the checkbox anymore but can take race into account in admissions. You aren’t shooting in the dark. Write about being a URM.

This is not true.
They cannot take race into consideration. They can consider discussions about race. if the applicant writes a compelling essay about some adversity they overcame or how they were inspired by their particular racial background, etc. but they can't simply get a preference for being black.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like we don't all know who OP is. Trying to stir the pot again suggesting there is some kind of a secret handshake that gets minorities in Harvard.

???
OP could be applying to any number of private and public schools.

Let me guess, you're white and hoping your kid is going to get into a top school? I don't know if you saw the acceptance rate by academic decile chart for Harvard pre-SFFA but schools like Harvard are desperate for high (really even medium-high) performing minorities. If I remember correctly the admission rate for some minority applicants at the 5th academic decile was something like 50% at Harvard?

If minorities do get in it won't be because of a secret handshake, it'll be because of concerted efforts made by Harvard AOs to recruit them. Sorry.

Presently, when minorities get in it is because they are high performing students like everyone else on campus. Is the fact these kids have the temerity to even submit an application really all that awful?

DP.
They are not like everyone else on campus.
Their academics are significantly worse.
Everyone on that campus knows it.

Anonymous wrote:Trying to put together a college list with our URM son.

College placement at our private has no guidance in terms of how he may benefit from diversity interests.

Anyone have insight here? It used to be quantifiable, now we feel we are shooting in the dark.

I am one of the most active anti-affirmative action posters on this board.
But I don't blame any parent using the advantages that the colleges want to apply to their kid.
The benefit will be smaller than it used to be.
It will no longer be 120 SAT points at Harvard and 250 points at the T10-25.
Expect to see that number at least halved at test required schools.

If you want to see the benefit of racial preferences you will have to bare your wounds.
Talk about the adversity you had to overcome because of the race anbd how you grew or learned from that experience.
It will have to genuinely sound like something pretty impressive to really get the full boost.
You can't just drop the fact that you are black into an essay and realistically expect to get much of a racial preference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your student is a junior and likely to have scored high on the PSAT, you will find out in February if they are eligible for College Board's National African American (or Hispanic) Recognition Program award. As long as the kid has the required GPA and has their counselor verify by the deadline in late spring/early summer, the award is automatic and posted in August of senior year.

If your student gets this award, have them include it in the honors section in Common App.

For sure will get this and be semi t. Trouble is semi finalist doesn’t seem to get you much.

This. Mine got PSAT 9 hispanic recognition and it is meaningless except schools will see the minority status

Yes, this is the value of the award.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your student is a junior and likely to have scored high on the PSAT, you will find out in February if they are eligible for College Board's National African American (or Hispanic) Recognition Program award. As long as the kid has the required GPA and has their counselor verify by the deadline in late spring/early summer, the award is automatic and posted in August of senior year.

If your student gets this award, have them include it in the honors section in Common App.

For sure will get this and be semi t. Trouble is semi finalist doesn’t seem to get you much.

This. Mine got PSAT 9 hispanic recognition and it is meaningless except schools will see the minority status

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your student is a junior and likely to have scored high on the PSAT, you will find out in February if they are eligible for College Board's National African American (or Hispanic) Recognition Program award. As long as the kid has the required GPA and has their counselor verify by the deadline in late spring/early summer, the award is automatic and posted in August of senior year.

If your student gets this award, have them include it in the honors section in Common App.

For sure will get this and be semi t. Trouble is semi finalist doesn’t seem to get you much.

OP, if your student is a junior and likely to have scored high on the PSAT, you will find out in February if they are eligible for College Board's National African American (or Hispanic) Recognition Program award. As long as the kid has the required GPA and has their counselor verify by the deadline in late spring/early summer, the award is automatic and posted in August of senior year.

If your student gets this award, have them include it in the honors section in Common App.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am not a troll; my son is not a candidate for Harvard or like schools.

Some helpful advice here, but I think it underscores the validity of my question, meaning it’s really unclear right now for minority applicants.

It's very clear: get your grades and SAT score up. College admissions is very competitive for the top schools.

The opinion was clear. Schools can’t use the checkbox anymore but can take race into account in admissions. You aren’t shooting in the dark. Write about being a URM.

Anonymous wrote:Essay should be I am black, the end

Same thing every month. I guess hating other people this virulently leaves you less time to hate yourself?

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am not a troll; my son is not a candidate for Harvard or like schools.

Some helpful advice here, but I think it underscores the validity of my question, meaning it’s really unclear right now for minority applicants.

Affirmative action still very much exists. It now falls under the guise of wholistic admissions.