Porcoro 1

Jessica Porcoro
Mrs. Harrell
English III
May 21, 2015

We hold these truths to be evident, that all men are created equal.. (Constitution)
The constitution itself says that all people should be treated equally, yet in college admissions
this statement doesnt hold true. Racial preference is constantly used in the admissions process
and some student with better academics get turned down over other students with similar or even
worse academics solely because of the color of their skin. At one point things like Affirmative
Action were necessary in colleges so that minorities couldnt be turned away, but in todays
society were past needing it, I mean look at our president for example. Today America is a
place where people of all races and genders can be whatever they want to be through hard work
and determination. Colleges should follow this pace and let people who work the hardest and
have the best academic skills into their campus. Race should not be a major consideration in the
college admissions process.
Using race as a factor in the college admittance process not only affects majority students
with higher credentials from getting in, but affects minority students as well. (Cohen) They will
not be doing as well in a school they got accepted to with a curve based on their race as they
would in a school they got accepted to based solely on academics. There are even studies that
prove, (contrary to what most people think) diversity doesnt really improve social or academic
life in colleges. (Should Race Be) Race preference in college just goes against what America

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stands for in general, we should all be treated equally based on hard work and performance, not
the color of the skin we were born with whether its white, brown, yellow, pink, none of it should
matter in academic affairs. When affirmative action was originally put into place it was needed
because schools werent accepting African Americans even if they had amazing academics and it
gave them a chance to get ahead after the years of oppression. We are past the point of needing
affirmative action in America though, African Americans through hard work have the same
opportunities as Caucasian Americans do. Keeping affirmative action in place is almost
America saying were still not equal when this is obviously not the case. How can we tell people
that everybody is created equal when two individuals can have the same credentials but one gets
chosen over another because of their skin color? Applications should be blind, meaning there is
no ethnicity questions asked, and students should have only their achievements looked at, not
factors they cannot control like their ethnicity and skin color.
Colleges should base their acceptance decisions off of academic performance alone and
not a persons race. Todays society doesnt need things like affirmative action, it does more
harm than good and the college admissions process would be much fairer without it. Studies
have shown that racial and ethnic diversity does not have a positive impact on campuses, even
though many people were taught otherwise. (Should Race Be) We have to start giving all people
equal opportunity in the schools they apply to, there should be no advantages based on being a
majority or a minority group. There have been countless court cases on this issue where people
were turned down even though they clearly had better credentials than other students that were
accepted. We need to start following the concepts that this country is based upon and treat every
individual equally, those who work hardest should get the most reward no matter who they are.