What do you think about affirmative action used in the college process?

Question

What are your views on affirmative action, especially in the college admissions process?

Answer 1

i think our country needs to work on fixing the problem in a different way. try giving better elementary and high school education to everyone. if we had school choice, this would alleviate the problem with the educational gap and the difference between schools. better schools with better teachers would get more money because more students would attend. bad teachers would lose their jobs because no one would want them teaching their children. if someone isnt good at their job, they should work in a different field.

I believe we should not have affirmative action programs. how long do we need to give preferential treatment to those whose family members were discriminated against? there arent any people alive today who were ever slaves in this country. I believe people should get the job or admittance into school because they have earned it through hard work. whomever is the most qualified candidate should be given the position.

Answer 2

Outright unfair to use color as a factor in college admissions. (As much as society ingrains in our youth the idea that color doesn't matter, some colleges prove that color does, indeed, matter.)

Also, affirmative action, itself, discriminates against certain minorities. (When was a "C" average Asian student admitted to a college practicing affirmative action? Most Asian-Americans aren't considered minorities when it comes to college admissions. How's that for hypocrisy? ("Okay, you're a minority but just not the right kind of minority."))

Additionally, affirmative action could result in backlash. (A highly successful black doctor once said that some people felt him to be less-than-qualified to practice medicine because they felt he got into med school based on his color and not his GPA. One has to wonder if this type of thinking is the norm or an abberation?)

Finally, I agree with the respondent above who said that the problem needs to be addressed at the lower grade schools. Affirmative action, while intended to level the playing field, accomplishes nothing but resentment and preferential treatment.

Answer 3

as a "minority" I personally feel that while affirmative action has its benefits (for all parties) it also has its downsides. Yes there are some schools that admit subpar applicants to fill their "minority quota" because they are afraid to be hit with a AA suit. But on the other hand there are some schools that do hesitate on admitting minorites (whether theyre black asian hispanic or whatever). People please do not say that this doesnt happen...IT DOES...the benefit of affirmative action is to give these students who are just as qualified as the non minority students a chance to advance. The benefit to "non minority students" would be that some of them are raised in areas where they have little to no contact with people of other cultures and traditions...IMO this helps to round out each student as they prepare for life in the real world. Like I said AA has it's ups and it's downs.....

Answer 4

I wish it existed, but it has been outlawed here. And I saw this as a White person. Recent tests in our school district confirmed that the gap between White students and those of color on scores remains frighteningly large, even when economic conditions are controlled for. Clearly, the schools are doing something wrong. Somewhere, someone needs to rectify the situation.

Answer 5

If you mean that non-nationals get preferred access to higher education and deferred fees, I think it stinks! Too many American kids can't afford college and have no options.

Answer 6

GET Rid OF IT