The beginning to one of the most daunting tasks for a high schooler-- first name, middle name, last name, social security number, date of birth, and race-- the college application. A simple task comprised of simple information. But one must question: why does race matter? Martin Luther King once proclaimed, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Race should never matter; this includes college applications.
Colleges provide an advantage to minorities in the college acceptance process since they attempt to create the most diversified campus possible. This means they may accept an Indian American over a White American even if the White American has better credentials, such as grades and test scores. To me, this is not fair; this is discrimination. And as the majority of Americans would agree that discrimination must be outlawed in this country in all forms, even if it's against the majority. In addition, many students unfairly capitalize on this diversity mindset that universities maintain. These students will utilize affirmative action and write down a race that only applies to them in the smallest of percentages. For example, a person may be 99% white, but they may find a distant blood relative that was of a different, minority race, which allows them to be considered 1% of that race. Thus, that student will mark that race down on their applications since it will better their chances of getting into a school. However, once the students arrives on campus, they do not add to the diversity since they are still prevalently white. Also, people can lie; people will lie. Students can easily exploit the system and mark themselves down as a minority race, when in fact, they are not. It is nearly impossible for a college or university to detect the lie due to the fact that they could be a small percentage of that race, even though they do not appear to be. Therefore, this lying student gains an unfair advantage over another morally sound student who marked down their actual race, even if it's a majority race.
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Clearly, the system is flawed and race must be eliminated from the college application. Its presence creates an unjust process and promotes discrimination, both of which are shamed upon in the United States. Character should matter; credentials should matter; integrity should matter; race should not. That's the America Dr. Martin Luther King envisioned.
