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ALPERN AT LARGE - So the ending of affirmative action for college admissions, and the all-racism-is-BAD ruling from the Supreme Court has led to anxiety, particularly about the essay.
And that essay part remains as viable and vital as ever with respect to getting into college, and it should be good to know that you will be treated as an individual.
The Supreme Court still stated, as per Chief John Roberts:
“Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise.”
Because good grades are important, but not ALL-important, with respect to what kind of hard worker, high-productivity, stand-and-deliver kind of person you are.
If you’ve had to overcome racism, bullying, a lack of education in your family, then you DESERVE consideration and GREATER likelihood of college admission.
But if your grades SUCK, then your ethnicity should NOT get you into college over an Asian (South or East) or White student with much better grades, and who’s had their own challenges to overcome.
We NEED more underrepresented minorities in college, and particularly medical, law, and STEM graduates programs…but we need them to be ready to “drink from a fire hose”.
If you love both science and liberal arts, say it loud and say it proud.
If you love both education and athletics, say it loud and say it proud.
If you love organizational and non-profit efforts, say it loud and say it proud.
If you’re an Eagle Scout, or some other high-ranking achiever in a youth development program, say it loud and say it proud.
If you’re a role model for others without having had the benefit of your own role model in a rough world and environment, say it loud and say it proud.
And so on.
But most importantly, make sure your essay is well-written and grammatically-correct…
…and not like the bullet points you’d see in a CityWatch article, where (as with all newsletters, newspapers, and online journals), one-line paragraphs are the rule.
And don’t blow off your grades, AP, SAT or whatever tests you need to perform in order to show you can keep up with the other high achievers in college and/or grad school.
The world needs YOU, my young fellow Americans, who will achieve what the rest of us have had to achieve, and must continue to achieve, in a 21st Century where results and a “no coasting” paradigm is now the new reality for our unforeseeable future.
(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father. He was active for 20 years on the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) as a Board Member focused on Planning and Transportation and helped lead the grassroots efforts of the Expo Line as well as connecting LAX to MetroRail. His latest project is his fictional online book entitled The Unforgotten Tales of Middle-Earth, and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
