Affirmative Action College Admissions example essay topic

If one is to discuss and problem solve a program, he or she must first know what the issue is really about. Affirmative action is defined as the equal opportunities given to minorities, small groups, and women so they will have the same resources, and allotment to achieve their goals in life. Affirmative action today, is considered to be one of the most controversial dilemmas facing our equal status of individual rights. As we all know affirmativeaction was implement with the idea and hope that America would finally become truly equal. So far, it has lasted for thirty years and had not solved any of our current problems concerning equal rights. It has made things worse.

It was created with the intention of using reverse discrimination to solve the problem of discrimination. In that minority students are being chosen over the qualifications of others. This creates a mainstream of problems; some find affirmative action unfair, while others find it helpful. A portion of students benefit from the program, while others may not.

Everyone has there reasons why they support affirmative action. The opportunity to succeed is given the rest up to themselves. If they want a chance in life to succeed affirmative action is the helping stone that makes all equal as it should be. This is the land of opportunity, affirmative action gives the person the shot and what they do within is up to them. However, in today's society women and minorities have an tremendous increase in the application of jobs. Affirmative action has made a difference where as thirty years ago job opportunities were mostly given to white males.

Affirmativeaction has also influenced collegiate admission. Many believe had it not been for affirmative action they would have never received the rights which this country promotes. This thinking of fairness and unfairness ties into the seeking of higher education where many students are pushed away because of their gender or skin color. Minorities who have never had a chance in being accepted into colleges, are now being accepted.

There are changes that need to be made in some cases, but many others benefit from it's perfection's. Therefore, I ask the question: What's wrong with affirmativeaction? Racial quotas are unjust. Affirmative action is a betrayal of the Civil Rights movement. The goal of civil rights was to end discrimination. The Declaration of Independence established that all men are created equal.

Affirmative action assumes not only minorities are inferior but that are incapable of success, the program undermines the achievements of blacks and other minorities, implying that their position were handed to them rather than being earned. Doesn t that phrase make these of racial quotas unjust? Are all men being considered for the position equally? Ifa college turns down a well qualified white male applicant in order to accept a less qualified minority applicant, are racial quotas not unjust? If race is the first thing that is looked upon whe none applies for a job, a scholarship, or acceptance into a college, are racial quotas unjust?

Are all men being considered for everything equally? I think not. Obviously, any program or practice that uses race, instead of qualification, as a deciding factor is wrong, unjust, and immoral. Lamar Alexander once said Discrimination has no place in this land, but nether does quotas, special preference or benefits that you only get because you belong to a group... Minorities are not obtaining college admission because of their character, but because of their ethnic background.

Black students have been found to score lower on tests than white students. Harmon believes that this is because they do not think they have to work as hard as other students because it was easy for them to get into schools. Affirmative action college admissions has proven to be one of the most controversial issues of the era. In this area both minorities and non-minorities are discriminated against, when affirmative action was in use the admissions board was divided into two groups one for minorities and another for non-minorities, standards for minorities were lowered; again equality fails to be shown.

In the University of California Berkley the average SAT score for blacks was 947, while whites had an average score of 1235 (Forbes 14). Grants and scholarship are wasted among the irresponsible and unprepared minorities. Although, in the same university forty-two percent of blacks dropout, compared to the sixteen percent dropout rate for whites (Mergers on 15). These minorities use the funds and soon drop out; funds that are wasted should go to financially challenged person no matter what the ethnic background is. The main problem for minorities I feel is poor education facilities and resources, urban schools are below average, and unfortunately generally occupied by minorities. This is where the funds should go to, repairing the urban education facilities and resources; the government should attack the root of the problem, which is inferior teaching institutions.

Affirmative action should now help any financially challenged individual; race should not be an issue. I would begin restructuring affirmative action with the schools enrollment. Only take the top 30 percent of students who pass the SAT or college entrance exams should be enrolled in prestigious colleges and universities, due to the factor of minority drop out rate is nearly fifty percent higher than whites. This way we would not put one's race above others like affirmative action rules. Also, programs such as that atthe University of Maryland, the Academic Achievement Program should be placed nation wide. The AAP program offers 120 positions for any student with low income.

Which is open to minorities and non-minorities; most importantly it helps financially disadvantaged students (Curry 1). These types of programs should be interjected into colleges. Should a student from Trinity Presbyterian School who score high on her ACT be admitted in to a prestigious school vs. a black male which scored lower onthe ACT but played on the football team of Wetumpka High School. Which student should be admitted into a prestigious school. Parents have a responsibility to prepare their children on reliance on themselves an their merit because universities seek to educate those likely to become leaders, which enforces merit rather than race. Race does not make one a good leader nor is ita factor of creating a good leader, but rather merit and self-reliance are.

Success and acceptance is all based in the personal responsibility one puts forth, not quotas. In conclusion, minorities do not need special treatment; Minorities need equal treatment. Affirmative action assumes and implies that minorities are inferior to whites, that minorities need to be treated special just to have a chance. According to Van Den Hang, Ernest, through the years perseverance has resulted in a decrease of illiteracy from eighty percent to forty-five percent, black newspapers increased from 2 to 154, blacks attorneys increased from 2 to 250, black physicians increased from 3 to 749. All of these accomplishments were achieved under the Jim Crow laws, practices or institutions that resulted from segregation of blacks from whites, which demonstrate the power and potential of perseverance. The people from this exemplary generation have proven that even with limitations and no special treatment minorities can achieve anything.

People once came to America to be free to work hard to become qualified for a job. Will people now come because their skin color will help them receive a job? Martin Luther King said that he would like to see the day when his children are not judged because of their color, but because of the content of their character.