Looking at the way affirmative action is set up in colleges today, it almost makes me want to be an African American rather than white. Seeing how much easier some colleges in America make it for minorities to get in over whites is astonishing. Today colleges can give up to twenty points on a student’s college application just based on their race. It’s argued everyday whether affirmative action is fair or not. Some people claim that it shows the racism in our country, while others argue it brings out diversity. Personally, I think affirmative action is needed, but should be given based on the quality of the school and not by a person’s ethnicity.
If affirmative action were given based on quality of school it would be a lot fairer than if done by race. For example, today some may question if the African Americans and Hispanics getting accepted into colleges really deserved it or did they just get in because they received extra points? This can create controversy and make it seem like minorities need help with their education while whites don’t. Therefore making it seem as though affirmative action is racist and is undermining minorities. If affirmative action were set up to give extra points based on the quality of high school then no one could argue it being a racist factor because it would have nothing to do with your nationality.
Receiving points based on the quality of school would hold a student responsible for the education they received at that school and not the entire nation. Some students today are deprived of proper education due to uncertified teachers or an unfit learning environment. These factors make the quality of the school decline and not look so impressive on student’s college application. So many students that come from less fortunate schools work really hard in their academics and may be at the top of their class yet they still fall short when applying to colleges because their SAT scores didn’t match up to the rest of the country’s. But this is not the student’s fault; the fault lies with the high school they came from for not preparing them with the proper education that the rest of the country receives. If points were given to people who came from poorer schools then they would have a more equal chance of getting accepted into college compared to someone from a wealthy school.
Affirmative action today gives extra points to minorities whether wealthy or poor. For instance, a African American student who may have been raised in a wealthy home their entire life and attended a top rated private school throughout their high school years would still receive twenty extra points on their college application just for being black. They in no way needed these points to make up for lack of education or prosperity yet they still will receive them. If affirmative action were done based on quality of school it would ensure that only students who were deprived of fitting education would receive these bonus points.
Some people argue that affirmative action should just be based on grades and SAT scores. If this were in position then students who came from less fortunate schools would be at a great disadvantage. When colleges look at your SAT scores they compare your score with the rest of the country’s, which means that if your school did not prepare you the same way other schools did with their students then your chances of getting in will suffer greatly even if you happened to be more intelligent than the student chosen over you. Therefore extra points should be given by quality of school so that students who are underprivileged academically will still have an equal chance at a college education.
Most schools today claim to have affirmative action in place to create a cultural diversity on campus. But is diversity really more important than giving a fair chance to a determined student who worked long and hard to get the grades they received? If colleges were to let in a Hispanic student mostly because they were seeking diversity in their school than that’s being selfish because the other student that was turned down in this situation was at a disadvantaged just because of their race, which they have no control over. A person’s ethnic group has nothing to do with academics, so why let it affect a student’s chance at a higher education?
You may be wondering exactly how a person is to determine whether the quality of the school is at an advantage or a disadvantage. A way to figure the quality of a school compared to other schools in the nation would be to look at the average of the school’s SAT scores. If the overall average were low then that would be evidence for a low standard of education being provided for the students at that school, in which case they would be granted extra points. If the general SAT scores were on a higher level then it would prove that the students at that school wouldn’t need bonus points because they’re being provided with a well-established education.
In conclusion, affirmative action should bestow students’ points depending on the quality of their high school and not by their nationality. This would provide a fair chance for students to have a future filled with a surplus of opportunities even though they may have suffered a disadvantage in proper education. It would also give the underprivileged students of our nation hope that they still have a chance at a bigger and better future in a college of their choice. Your children, and your children’s, children deserve an equal chance at their future. Don’t be the one to deny them of this.