Affirmative Action Based on Race?

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Five seniors have started their applications for college. One is black, one is Hispanic, one is Asian and two of them are white. All of them apply to the University of Michigan, a prestigious school. All of their letters come in on the same day, while sweat trickles down their faces and their hearts quicken. This is their top choice school and they worked hard to try and get in. They knew full well that it could be rejection or acceptance and that it could either make their dreams or break them. They begin to tear open the letter and there it is. The word sorry is the first thing the two white students see. Tears streamed down their face, not understanding how they could be rejected, especially since their SAT scores were in the 2100s. On the other hand, the Black, Hispanic and Asian students saw the word acceptance instead. A smile broke out on their faces, knowing they worked hard for this chance. However, both the black and Hispanic students got a 1900 on their SAT’s so how is it possible that they were accepted? Does it have anything to do with race? The only way to find out is to look deeper into affirmative action. Affirmative action is based on the representation of women and minority groups in a workplace or school. This idea was created to bring more diversity in America and try to control racism amongst the different groups in the states. However, it has started to become a problem in the educational system rather than the workplace. In college, the affirmative action law is used most of the time for accepting students. Affirmative action is supposed to help the minority students, particularly African-Americans, in having the chance to get a better education. It helps colleges decide on who to admit in their school base... ... middle of paper ... ... had graduated with honors, after having a change of friends and the confidence he needed to excel. (Blake) So depending on the situation, this type of affirmative action can be better than the current one. Therefore, affirmative action in college admissions focuses on the race of the students and not their credentials. Affirmative action is something that gives advantages for minorities, including women, for obtaining a better education or job. It’s a system that brings more diversity into America and there have been instances where there were problems with this type of system. On the other hand, there has been progress increasing s by having an idea of basing college applications on their class, instead of race; but for now this system will continue to remain and will only evolve into a new system that will eventually benefit most of the American population.

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