Ever since the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College came out last year, I have been bombarded with the thought of how it would shift college admissions in my favor.
The case decided that race-based affirmative action in the college admission process violated the Equal Protection Clause. Now that college application season is coming around again, it’s once again resurging as a central topic amongst my peers, friends and family.
Despite the overturning of affirmative action, skepticism still remains as to whether college admissions are a completely fair process. As an Asian American in the midst of college application season, the only comment I hear about my chances is “You’d get in if you weren’t an Asian guy.” At this point, I’ve heard it so many times that my mind goes numb whenever it’s mentioned.
The constant reminders of this fact are neither conducive to my application process, nor to any movement in a strive for equality. In fact, hearing that I have lower chances to get into my top college actively discourages me. Once I am made acutely aware of my disadvantages, there is a point in which it only bogs me down.
While focusing on inequality is extremely important, especially when it dictates the future of young students, it sways in pertinence when it verges into meaningless reminders; I don’t need to hear that my top college won’t take me because of my race everyday. Rather than constantly reminding students about how they are being discriminated against, students should focus on the application process and helping these students create the best application they can should remain the highest priority.
These statements of injustice however, are not unfounded of course. The percentage of Asian American applicants being admitted to college is significantly lower than it should be based upon merit, as shown in a 2024 study. But I am not questioning this. Rather, I am asking that, in the face of unfair treatment, is complaining truly the best option?
Though one must face the fact of discrimination within college admissions, it should not remain on the forefront of applicants’ minds. The biggest reminder to students is not the discrimination itself, but rather those around them telling them that they are being discriminated against. Amidst the stressors and obstacles of college applications, applicants should not have to balance the idea of justice and equality at the same time.
