Cracking down on the role of race in college admissions for Black students… but make it Reddit-style

“You’re Black… you’re guaranteed an Ivy.”

Was a quote a friend told me that constantly plays back in my mind.

When such claims are made, the idea of Black students succeeding based on merit is thrown out the window. The years and hours the applicant spent thriving and excelling throughout high school are not a topic of discussion when it comes to college admissions for Black students. Instead, it is believed that the color of the applicant’s skin determines whether or not they are admitted to the university of their dreams.

Disclaimer: if you’re here to read about legacy admissions, feel free to disregard this post. Sorry– apparently it’s just not the hot topic right now– or ever! 

The Reddit rabbit hole

Recently I came across a post on Reddit (yeah, I know– but hear me out) that was supposedly written by a Black person who wanted to know if their average application for NYU would be prioritized over a similar application from someone of a different race. The wording and format of the post obviously resembled rage bait by asking oddly specific questions about a controversial topic that has forced Black people into becoming scapegoats in the college admissions process.

So I left a comment:

Soon enough, I get a reply:

Oh, and they came back an hour later to leave some edits:

Let me walk you through my initial reactions:

1. Oh we got a paragraph. Two, actually. Ok, now three.
2. I quite literally wrote that this troll post sparked “unnecessary debate.” Why are they starting a debate?
3. Whatever, I’m confident in my stance. What do they have to say?

Post-reading reactions:

1. Ooooh I can’t wait. So many bits I to dissect.
2. I’m not sure when we decided admissions were solely based on academics, but ok. Guess I’ll throw my essay drafts and Common App activities and honors lists in the trash.
3. What is the methodology behind these numbers?
4. Where did they even come from?
5. Wait, where’s the source?

So after putting my copy-paste skills to work, I luckily found the source that the commenter had failed to link. Opening the webpage, I scrolled down to the segment extracted by the commenter. Ironically, next to the segment, there was a heading labeled:

“Race per se does not influence the personal rating… but a student’s experience based on race might.”

Understanding the motivation behind the comment

What’s funny is that my comment wasn’t even on the topic of whether or not Black students are more successful in the college admissions process. I honestly didn’t know that spreading the idea that this issue of race in college admissions has overlooked the academic and extracurricular achievement of Black individuals would be seen as a threatening viewpoint that needed to be debunked.

By providing a multitude of ambiguous numbers, the commenter sought to refute this claim– and circle back to the idea that race was the reason for the admission of Black scholars. Considering the response wasn’t even relevant to my original “prompt”, it can’t help but sound like the commenter really meant to say, “Right– Black people are incapable of achieving any sort of notable merit. And let me prove it.” After all, people normally put in the effort to refute a claim when they disagree with it.

Regardless of the commenter’s intentions, this viewpoint is discriminatory, as it undermines the hard work that Black high school students put into achieving college success. By attributing their accomplishments to their skin color, it takes away from the value of their intellectual abilities and excellence, instead supporting the idea that it was luck and philanthropy from higher-up individuals that allowed them to be accepted into any prestigious institution.

And if that statement causes your blood to boil, or initiates an urge within you to retaliate back, you might want to take a look at your values and what you’re advocating for– or, rather, who you’re advocating against.

Why i’m not cracking down on the commenter’s numbers

Numbers are everywhere. And oftentimes, we don’t know where they came from or how they were acquired, or even what they really mean. Most importantly, when it comes to supporting an idea, numbers are valuable– however, when it comes to proving an idea, numbers alone are rarely sufficient. 

In the end, regardless of the reliability of the comment’s numbers, the commenter simply failed to acknowledge the fact that college applications consist of much more than academic scores. Extracurriculars, honors & awards, letters of recommendation, supplemental essays, demonstrated interest (the list goes on) are all often crucial parts of the college application. Considering the holistic admissions approach that colleges across the U.S. now employ, it would simply be meaningless to attempt to decide whether an applicant should be admitted or not based solely on their academic achievement.

Also, as a side note, I have experience engaging with unproductive debates online, and it’s just useless. It’s childish, a waste of time, and 99% of the time ends up facilitating the spread of factually inaccurate assumptions or insensitive and derogatory claims. 

Don’t get me wrong– I encourage civil discourse and debate (emphasis on “civil”). And let me tell you: Reddit is not the place for that.

My race shapes how I view the world– is that wrong?

If I get rejected, I get rejected. If I get accepted, I get accepted. At the end of the day, I market myself throughout the college admissions process and show admissions officers who I am. 

I could showcase through my application essays how my racial identity shapes how I’ve been treated, how I view the world, and how I challenge existing perspectives in the pursuit of my own curiosity. My background has strongly influenced who I am today. 

And if expanding on such racial experiences and their impact on me makes me a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) admit, I can’t help but wonder: What’s next? Will you forbid me from writing about race– my identity– in my essays? Will you forbid admissions officers from being influenced by my words and my authentic story despite that being the core of their job? Will you forbid me from using my voice to speak my truth?

Many people say that Black people have to work ten times harder to have their accomplishments seen and appreciated. The case of race and college admissions is actually a perfect example of this. Because in this case, no matter how hard Black individuals work and accomplish, many people simply can’t see the gifted intellectual & rising changemaker while they’re too busy blaming the applicant for the color of their skin that supposedly granted them admission. 

Once again, prejudice overshadows rightful recognition.

Discussing higher education should promote unity, not hate

Main idea: the prejudice and mistreatment of students from all backgrounds, including Black scholars, needs to change. Further, I thought we pretty much came to this conclusion decades ago, but I suppose it needs more emphasis: skin color should not determine what one can and cannot achieve. 

All scholars deserve to be recognized– and if you believe this, then we’ll advocate for each other.