Not Everything is Black and White

I came across an article in the New York Times by Op-Ed Columnist Ross Douthat called The Roots of White Anxiety. In this article, Mr Douthat addresses issues regarding racial divide, mainly in the higher education system.

According to Mr. Douthat, whites, white Christians, and the white working class aren't viewed equally to minorities in the college admissions process. He states that income plays a factor as well, the lower the income for minority families then the greater the chance to be admitted and with white Americans it is the higher the income that increases chances of being admitted. He also argues that even though most extracurricular activities will help you get into these schools, if the extracurricular activities show a likeness to conservatism or being rural, such as ROTC, your chances are affected negatively.

In this article, the author is addressing the argument to the middle class working white Americans and also called out specifically white Christians. His claims are based on a study performed by two Princeton sociologists that examined the inter-workings of elite college admissions. The author also challenges admissions officers to adjust their admission criteria.

I agree with some points of the author's argument. Mainly that minorities are favored by college admissions. Not that they necessarily get in easier the poorer they are but that with the right criteria(i.e. extracurricular activities and grades) they are more likely to be accepted. I really think that criteria is a big part of the selection process. A college, an elite college at that, is not going to select a poor black young women who couldn't get a passing grade in high school just to meet a quota.

I think you have to work hard during your high school career in order to stand out during the college application process and that anybody can get accepted as long as their hard work shines through. The material from the Princeton study was taken from 1980 to the late 1990's. A lot has happened within the last decade such as economic turmoils which has probably decreased the number of young adults attending college. The price of higher education is going up and I am sure that recruitment efforts within the colleges are also going up. There may be some slight differences in the admissions process amongst races but I hardly think that there is really one group that is truly being victimized or having a very difficult time getting in.