“In my view, the oldest form of affirmative action in the U.S. is the Electoral College which gives voters in small states 2-3x the weight of a big state voter in a presidential election. Who lives in those small states, disproportionately? White folk. That’s a different essay.”
Julie, thank you so much for this wonderfully written article, I am white and grew up poor, but besides that my family didn't care about education. I did get my bachelor's until I was 60, because nobody believed I could it. Thanks again, I learn so much from you each week.
I am so furious about the legacy vs Affirmative action discrepancy, and couldn’t agree more about standardized tests. If we are going for “merit” let’s at least implement it across the board.
You are exactly right. Bias is built in! I have been on both sides of this issue myself. My parents both went to Stanford. As did my uncle. (So in fact did my husband.) So I was one of those legacy kids. But I had all the credentials to get in if I had) not been a legacy. One of our daughters also went to Stanford. I guess that made her a double legacy! But she had spectacular grades and awards from her high school (and later ditto from Stanford). This put our family in the pro-legacy bias group, although I didn't know it at the time.
But I have also seen the other side. I am a woman. I chose two different careers (sequentually, not at the same time!) Early on (the 1960's). My first job (the phone company) I applied for a management training position, but was told that because of my gender I was only allowed to be a service rep (and sell princess phones). I "didn't have a family to support" was their reasoning! So I quit. I then went into the brokerage business, but it was the same story. I couldn't be a broker but only a secretary because that was what women did. Later (at age 40) I went to law school and became a lawyer. I was somewhat better because the world was changing—but only a little bit. When I made phone calls, the person who answered assumed I was a secretary and asked to speak with "my lawyer." There were all sorts of other things, but I've rambled enough!
I started out to simply put forward the idea that females had also been the object of bias. (Then I thought I better explain how I know this.) Oh well. Thanks for letting me "rant."
Thank you for saying this, Julie! I couldn't agree more, and it needs to be said, over and over. I've been reading "Palo Alto, a History of California, Capitalism, and the World," which includes the racist and elitist history of Stanford admissions policies, among those of other big-name universities. The ruling against Affirmative Action doesn't eliminate an unfair favoritism; it's the other way around. It allows colleges and universities to return to the older favoritism enjoyed by wealthy white (and don't forget tall!) males before Affirmative Action was put into place.
Our kids felt seen because they each had a niche where they could pour their energy into outside of classes. While that is huge, we did not feel seen and, consequently, graduation is a very isolating experience as a parent.
To disappoint an applicant because of ramping up the metrics for the various lists is hard at a high stress time of a student's high school life. Makes framing expectations from parents and college counselors a tough job, especially on the days when all that's important to our kids to be dressed "correctly" and all the other things that swirl during this develpmental time. I'm heartened to see how our son is after college as he found a path that represents himself best and awaiting that for our daughter. Time and brain development are good things in life...which means your book is spot on as to whether I "hovered" or "honored" where they were at.
Thank you for the time and space to think about more than my "to do" list today.
And yet, with all of this grabbing for students who have contributing families or students who are first generation or BIPOC not once has a college professor ever acknowledged - to us - the existence of our children in their campuses. Write the check (which we don't thanks the their deceased grandparents who set up an education fund so they send themselves to college yet their consciousness aid is based on us... don't get me started) and then get pressured to send me a a donation: is that all this partnership is worth?
Yes, our children choose small eastern liberal arts colleges versus more reasonable costing institutions, somewhat at the urging of their private high school (White privilege on full display here). It amazes me where I see colleges are spending to attract students and their parents (landscaping, athletic centers, buildings) and I then question why no one on campus can spend a few minutes remarking on something my child has done, big or small, too have contributed to their classroom. I don't believe it happened while I was in college but I do recall mingling with faculty during parent weekend so it might have been then.
My prayer is that there is joy and personal satisfaction felt by each graduate - and that their family is aware of what a student has contributed to the classroom. It comes back to the kindness we need more of and the hope that such a kindness of a positive word to a student's family can alleviate the fear of their wonderful child being unseen.
From the endless brochures sent to amp up their application numbers (so they can deny more and increase their ('selectivity') to the relentless asks for money it does feel as if we and our children are on one big assembly line. One hopes the tiny schools are still places where a student can feel seen.
“In my view, the oldest form of affirmative action in the U.S. is the Electoral College which gives voters in small states 2-3x the weight of a big state voter in a presidential election. Who lives in those small states, disproportionately? White folk. That’s a different essay.”
I’d love to read that essay.
All white people need to read this. (And, yes, let’s start by getting rid of legacy admissions.)
Thank you for your voice, Julie.
Julie, thank you so much for this wonderfully written article, I am white and grew up poor, but besides that my family didn't care about education. I did get my bachelor's until I was 60, because nobody believed I could it. Thanks again, I learn so much from you each week.
I am so furious about the legacy vs Affirmative action discrepancy, and couldn’t agree more about standardized tests. If we are going for “merit” let’s at least implement it across the board.
Yep. You’re so right on.
You are exactly right. Bias is built in! I have been on both sides of this issue myself. My parents both went to Stanford. As did my uncle. (So in fact did my husband.) So I was one of those legacy kids. But I had all the credentials to get in if I had) not been a legacy. One of our daughters also went to Stanford. I guess that made her a double legacy! But she had spectacular grades and awards from her high school (and later ditto from Stanford). This put our family in the pro-legacy bias group, although I didn't know it at the time.
But I have also seen the other side. I am a woman. I chose two different careers (sequentually, not at the same time!) Early on (the 1960's). My first job (the phone company) I applied for a management training position, but was told that because of my gender I was only allowed to be a service rep (and sell princess phones). I "didn't have a family to support" was their reasoning! So I quit. I then went into the brokerage business, but it was the same story. I couldn't be a broker but only a secretary because that was what women did. Later (at age 40) I went to law school and became a lawyer. I was somewhat better because the world was changing—but only a little bit. When I made phone calls, the person who answered assumed I was a secretary and asked to speak with "my lawyer." There were all sorts of other things, but I've rambled enough!
I started out to simply put forward the idea that females had also been the object of bias. (Then I thought I better explain how I know this.) Oh well. Thanks for letting me "rant."
Yes Sheryl!
Thank you for saying this, Julie! I couldn't agree more, and it needs to be said, over and over. I've been reading "Palo Alto, a History of California, Capitalism, and the World," which includes the racist and elitist history of Stanford admissions policies, among those of other big-name universities. The ruling against Affirmative Action doesn't eliminate an unfair favoritism; it's the other way around. It allows colleges and universities to return to the older favoritism enjoyed by wealthy white (and don't forget tall!) males before Affirmative Action was put into place.
i'm grateful for your perspective Cindy and thanks for bringing these facts in.
Our kids felt seen because they each had a niche where they could pour their energy into outside of classes. While that is huge, we did not feel seen and, consequently, graduation is a very isolating experience as a parent.
To disappoint an applicant because of ramping up the metrics for the various lists is hard at a high stress time of a student's high school life. Makes framing expectations from parents and college counselors a tough job, especially on the days when all that's important to our kids to be dressed "correctly" and all the other things that swirl during this develpmental time. I'm heartened to see how our son is after college as he found a path that represents himself best and awaiting that for our daughter. Time and brain development are good things in life...which means your book is spot on as to whether I "hovered" or "honored" where they were at.
Thank you for the time and space to think about more than my "to do" list today.
And yet, with all of this grabbing for students who have contributing families or students who are first generation or BIPOC not once has a college professor ever acknowledged - to us - the existence of our children in their campuses. Write the check (which we don't thanks the their deceased grandparents who set up an education fund so they send themselves to college yet their consciousness aid is based on us... don't get me started) and then get pressured to send me a a donation: is that all this partnership is worth?
Yes, our children choose small eastern liberal arts colleges versus more reasonable costing institutions, somewhat at the urging of their private high school (White privilege on full display here). It amazes me where I see colleges are spending to attract students and their parents (landscaping, athletic centers, buildings) and I then question why no one on campus can spend a few minutes remarking on something my child has done, big or small, too have contributed to their classroom. I don't believe it happened while I was in college but I do recall mingling with faculty during parent weekend so it might have been then.
My prayer is that there is joy and personal satisfaction felt by each graduate - and that their family is aware of what a student has contributed to the classroom. It comes back to the kindness we need more of and the hope that such a kindness of a positive word to a student's family can alleviate the fear of their wonderful child being unseen.
From the endless brochures sent to amp up their application numbers (so they can deny more and increase their ('selectivity') to the relentless asks for money it does feel as if we and our children are on one big assembly line. One hopes the tiny schools are still places where a student can feel seen.