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In a groundbreaking ruling, the Supreme Court has put an end to affirmative action in college admissions, effectively eliminating the consideration of race in the process. This decision has prompted renowned Opinion columnist David Brooks to call for a complete reevaluation of the college admissions system, which he contends has historically favored privileged students. To hear his thought-provoking audio essay on this topic, click the link below. A transcript of the essay follows for your convenience.
DAVID BROOKS: Hello, I’m David Brooks, a columnist for The New York Times. My areas of focus encompass politics, sociology, and whatever captures my interest during any given week.
The topic of affirmative action has been the subject of debate for as long as I can remember, and it has increasingly drawn the attention of the Supreme Court. The latest ruling has effectively eradicated racial preferences in college admissions. While I may hold some regret about the demise of affirmative action, I am hopeful that this pivotal moment can serve as an opportunity to rethink the entire college admissions system. It is high time for us to step back and create a fair and equitable process that considers students from all backgrounds.
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Let’s take a look back at Harvard University’s mindset in the 1950s. Determined to look beyond the elite, Harvard decided to prioritize academic performance and standardized testing, making them the primary factors in admissions decisions. The goal was to welcome the brightest minds from a wider range of backgrounds. However, after several decades, we find that the elite haven’t disappeared; they have simply been replaced by a new elite. Prestigious schools like Harvard have witnessed an intensification of the competition to gain admission. Those from upper-middle-class families, who receive substantial investments in their upbringing, possess an advantage over students without such financial resources.
Consequently, we have arrived at a system where affluent students dominate elite colleges. Economist Raj Chetty’s 2017 research revealed that students from the top 1 percent of earners were 77 times more likely to be admitted to Ivy League institutions than their less privileged counterparts. Additionally, there are numerous schools where the number of students from the top 1 percent surpasses those from the bottom 60 percent. These exclusive institutions become enclaves for the wealthy to perpetuate their advantages, forming insular communities while leaving behind those who lack similar resources. Our current college admissions system has effectively created a caste society predicated on institutional exclusivity.
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To understand the college admissions process, I draw from my personal experiences. By today’s standards, I would not have qualified for admission to elite schools. I attended a public high school near Philadelphia, where my academic performance was unremarkable. My GPA was around 3.0, and I didn’t rank in the top third of my class. Nevertheless, the University of Chicago admitted 70 percent of its applicants back in those days. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work while in college and to excel in areas such as writing. I managed to build a successful career that far exceeded my initial expectations. However, under the current standards, my achievements would not have been possible.
As an adult, I have witnessed the college admissions process from multiple perspectives: as a professor and as a parent. I have observed how this process not only fosters division but also denies individuals the chance to alter the course of their lives.
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In my opinion, colleges should approach the selection process holistically. They should consider academic performance, standardized test scores, and also assess qualities such as resilience, kindness, and generosity. Considering our class-divided society, it is crucial to implement a system that favors students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, providing them with a fair chance to compete against their wealthier peers.
Richard Kahlenberg has long argued that we should establish a system that allows a child from West Virginia or a poverty-stricken area in New Orleans to compete on equal footing with a child from Beverly Hills or Manhattan. Kahlenberg has developed models that schools like Harvard or the University of North Carolina can adopt. These models take into account factors such as neighborhood of origin and family wealth, yielding a student body with equal or greater racial diversity compared to the current system. Moreover, this leads to a substantial increase in the number of first-generation students, whose parents did not have the opportunity to attend college.
Now that the era of affirmative action is coming to an end, colleges and universities are faced with the possibility of less diverse campuses. Consequently, the only legal means to maintain diversity will be through consideration of socioeconomic status. This moment, when the Supreme Court has reshaped the admissions process, presents a unique opportunity to enact change.
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This Times Opinion piece was produced by Sophia Alvarez Boyd and edited by Stephanie Joyce and Allison Benedikt. Fact-checking was conducted by Kate Sinclair, Mary Marge Locker, and Michelle Harris. Original music was composed by Carole Sabouraud and Sonia Herrero, while mixing was handled by Carole Sabouraud and Isaac Jones. Special thanks to Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski.
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