Do Minorities Deserve College More Than The Rest? | Teen Ink

Do Minorities Deserve College More Than The Rest?

January 11, 2010
By Zinkerman SILVER, Houston, Texas
Zinkerman SILVER, Houston, Texas
6 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Poor and starving kids in East St. Louis walk through halls laden with sewage. They don’t even have the chance to go to school half the time because the sewage is toxic and could harm them. More than half of the senior girls are pregnant and don’t care about life anymore. This is something that every kid that is working hard to get into a good college is thinking about. They are wondering if they won’t get into the college of their choice because of affirmative action. Affirmative action gives you extra brownie points on your resume, which makes you more likely to get in. Many teenagers that have great grades and test scores are not getting accepted because they are not part of a minority. The arising question is affirmative action the right thing to do or is it just making racism worse? Or is it fair that someone that is poor and came from a bad school should get extra points, because they didn’t get as good of an education as someone who went to a private school? What has America come to, accepting minorities just to have diversity in their school, even if it is sacrificing integrity and school pride.

Working hard your whole life and having a resume as long as the Chicago Towers is high and still getting rejected by a college. That’s what affirmative action is, it allows minorities extra points on their resume just because they are a minority. I don’t about you but I don’t think that is even close to being right. Someone could work their whole life to get into a good college and another person could coast their whole life and get in just because they are a minority. You should have to meet standards because it is not fair that this should ever happen to any hard working American. We should make sure that person that gets in on extra points is actually tries and doesn’t waist it, and if he waist it then they should kick him out and accept the hard worker. Sounds like something Obama would support.

True the people in poverty stricken areas don’t have the best education, but they could make the most of it and try harder. By trying harder and showing the colleges that you try hard even though you don’t go to the best school will set you apart from the rest of the applicants. I think they should look longer and harder at your resume if you come from a poverty stricken area, but not give you bonus points and especially not a lot. As long as you have good grades and try hard then they aren’t going to be beat out by some lazy rich kid.

Racism has been around for hundreds of years and will probably continue for a while. Race should have nothing to do with getting into college, it should be based on how you perform. So many people have tried to create diversity in the colleges, but is that really better? Do we want to accept someone that might not be as good as another person but is a minority? This could lower their schools average test score if you do this too much, but if you control it then it could give benefits. If you control it then you will have diversity and keep the high test averages. Besides when you use affirmative action it is just flipping the tables on racism. You just started to accept a lot of minorities but now you left out the middle class white person and that’s not fair. So you have to find that perfect median or else it doesn’t work.

Lowering test scores to create diversity in colleges, and sacrificing school pride to make sure the diversities get an equal shot at getting in. If you are trying to get into Harvard and get rejected because they accepted someone that isn’t as smart as you, but they are a minority that doesn’t seem fair. It’s not fair that the smarter person wasn’t accepted because he isn’t a minority. This is why many people don’t like affirmative action, but I think there can be a balance between minorities and none minorities. That is what affirmative action should try to do! It should create that balance so that smart people get a chance and the minorities that try hard and work hard get a chance.



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 62 comments.


Jim s said...
on Jun. 18 2016 at 8:05 am
Sieg Heil you loser.

on Nov. 13 2015 at 11:33 am
IAceEnglish PLATINUM, Altamonte Springs, Florida
26 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
One does not have a claim on one's life, only the right to use it. – Dharma Master Shih Chang Yen

The number one rule in writing an opinion essay is NEVER MAKE ASSUMPTIONS WITHOUT RESEARCH. Here is a list of the main assumptions you have made: people who are poor do worse at school, race has everything to do with getting into college, people in minorities are less smart, and that minorities do not try as hard as people. I think that the only kind of minority you forgot to mention are people with disabilities! Another big rule of opinion essays is to provide a basis to one's argument, which I can't find other than inferring that you have an innate bias towards people who are not lily-white, blond-haired and blue-eyed? This essay (if it can be called that) gets a C- for sloppy structure, several typos and overall racist suggestions. Please try to make a rational argument next time.

on Jun. 4 2015 at 4:29 pm
AshleySD BRONZE, Campbell, California
1 article 1 photo 90 comments
What is wrong with you people? Amelia_R-F you don't know Zinkerman, and you don't know if he is privileged or not. Writer_Jordan Zinkerman is not saying that all minorities are lazy. He is saying that if a person who is a minority who did not try at all in school got accepted into college instead of a White person who tried very hard just because the school wants diversity, that is wrong.

heather said...
on Nov. 18 2014 at 9:38 am
Whoever wrote this essay needs to look over their writing carefully - there are a lot of grammar mistakes and other errors, like waist (the middle of your body) rather than waste (throwing away something that still has value). Also, the author should be more careful to avoid a tone of complaint and build a rational argument to support his/her opinion.

on Jul. 31 2014 at 7:44 pm
As an Admissions Coordinator at a university, I would like to inform you of our outlook when reviewing a student’s application. Seeing a student with a 4.0, 4.5, or 4.8 grade point average, with a 28 or 29 on the ACT enrolled in five AP courses their senior, and a part of 7 extra-curricular activities is incredibly common. Colleges and universities are now searching for students that standout in ways beyond the common notions of success. In particular we are looking for whether a student is a perfect fit for our institution and in our more selective programs (Honors Program, Accelerated Programs), we are looking for students that possess passion in their respective fields, maturity, and creativity among other factors. Take a moment to read Bill Gates’ Rules of Life.   Whether a student is a minority or not is irrelevant in college admissions. We will not admit and enroll a student that we feel is inadequately prepared for the rigor of our institution and our programs. For students that struggle with the anxiety of college admissions, here is my advice: take time in high school to find your passions and pursue them wholeheartedly. When your passions and ambitions direct you, your successes will be authentic to who you are as a person. Much success to all of you. Remember, your first choice school may not be the best choice school for you, nor is being denied from that school a measure of your potential. Your ability to succeed regardless of your circumstance is a greater indicator of your character than your admissions letters.

on May. 22 2014 at 4:12 pm
mylifeasapincushion GOLD, Redlands, California
14 articles 0 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Extremist have shown what frightens them most: A girl with a book"
-Malala Yousafzai

I respect your article and actually agree with a lot of your points, yet, your wording is highly offensive. To imply that someone being poor and going to a bad school is their fault is the most ridiculous thing i have heard and your Obama commment was done only to make controversy

G. said...
on Aug. 9 2013 at 11:54 am
I think, to get better feedback on this article, that you should consider rewording some things. Saying that minorities get "extra points" because they are minorities, or saying that under-privileged teens are more likely to get into college because they are under-privileged isn't true. Yes, colleges have quotas they must meet, and no one wants their college to be dubbed as "racist" because they are not diverse enough, but the people who get into these colleges deserve these spots. Unlike what you said, many of these people are the ones who work hard to overcome their circumstances, and many of my friends at school, all of us being minorities, have worked since the sixth grade to make ourselves look as appealing as possible to colleges, by taking advanced classes, studying really hard, taking on leadership positions, doing community service, and participating and joining in impressive clubs/organizations like NSHSS or HOSA or Governor School. If we get accepted into great colleges, obviously it won't be because we were JUST minorities. In fact, many the minorities who presumably beat you out of college probably worked harder than you ever had just so that they could evade these sorts of stereotypes.   I'm sorry, but next time, be careful of what you say. You need to take in everything for consideration, not just the obvious.

ALenny GOLD said...
on May. 5 2013 at 7:30 pm
ALenny GOLD, Melbourne, Other
11 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
Colour my life with the chaos of trouble.

Despite the negative comments that you have received, I agree with your perspective. I come from a less privileged background but my mother and I worked hard to bring ourselves to where we are today. I won scholarship after scholarship based on merit until now I go to a great school, and can get into college based on merit, not on where I've come from. Not everyone gets to go to college, but who does shouldn't be about where you've come from it should be about what you've achieved and what you will go onto achieve. In giving minorities handouts, the system makes the majority disadvantaged, the system therefore being completely hypocritical and backwards. Whilst the manner in which you went about writing this article is not something I agree with, as the majority of my friends are minorities and you seem highly bias against them, your point is valid. Merit should be the basis of who gets in, not background.

Silogram GOLD said...
on Apr. 27 2013 at 7:06 pm
Silogram GOLD, Radnor, Pennsylvania
11 articles 0 photos 11 comments
Jeseer, you are right in saying that equality would be enhanced by giving more extracurricular opportunities to minorities, but that does not change the fact that the family of a minority HAS been discriminated against in the past few generations, resulting likely in lower income, lower confidence due to racism, etc...

Silogram GOLD said...
on Apr. 27 2013 at 7:03 pm
Silogram GOLD, Radnor, Pennsylvania
11 articles 0 photos 11 comments
Amelia, you are exactly right! 

Silogram GOLD said...
on Apr. 27 2013 at 6:59 pm
Silogram GOLD, Radnor, Pennsylvania
11 articles 0 photos 11 comments
Sorry, but this article is too biased to even argue with--I am shocked teenink posted this as an editor's choice because clearly little research was done, and all credibility was lost when I read "Sounds like something Obama would support". Minorities have to deal with a lot of other issues besides school work. As a middle class white person, I mainly have to worry about my school, friends, etc. People of lower incomes and of different ethnicities have other dilemmas they must work through. So you can't judge "hard-working" only on stats (although this argument is more applicable to low-income students rather than minority students).

on Feb. 28 2013 at 9:54 pm
jeseer PLATINUM, Auburntown, Tennessee
22 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Truth without love is a killer, but love without truth is a liar. The Bible commands us to have both: It says to speak the truth in love."--Elliott Nesch
"To love another person is to see the face of God."--Victor Hugo

...or PREJUDICED??

on Feb. 28 2013 at 9:52 pm
jeseer PLATINUM, Auburntown, Tennessee
22 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Truth without love is a killer, but love without truth is a liar. The Bible commands us to have both: It says to speak the truth in love."--Elliott Nesch
"To love another person is to see the face of God."--Victor Hugo

Umm...Why is it okay to assume that college admissions faculty are racist?...Isn't that, I don't know, RACIST??

Dynasty GOLD said...
on Jan. 8 2013 at 12:12 am
Dynasty GOLD, Rio Grande, Ohio
11 articles 3 photos 29 comments
I understand you're perspective on the issue and I agree with the fact that to a non minority it could seem unfair, however people who live in urban and low income areas don't always have the option of making school a priority because of their home lives. And everyone makes bad decisions. Affirmative action helps to make sure that it doesn't always seriously affect a person's chance to get into an acrredited college. Being an African American, I do feel like that certain schools would deny me acceptance into their intstituion and I am a 3.5 student. I may not be a perfect student, but I've put the work in to be above average. Now I may be accepted over a 4.0 white american student, but I can become a 4.0 student as well as bring a little flavor to other people. It doessn't always sound great on paper, but a mixture of races helps people to make greater connections and can ease the racial tension between people.

aligirl195 said...
on Nov. 26 2012 at 5:43 pm
I am a minority and I am offended by your article. I will get into a great college not because I'm a minority, but because I worked harder than others to EARN my place. I'm not getting a free seat just b/c my parents are immigrants. I probably work twice as hard as you to keep up with all my honors courses. English is my second language and I'm an honor student. Most minority kids DO work harder than the average white male because they know the alternative to finishing college. We don't get things handed to us on a silver platter. If anything, we work harder.

truth56 said...
on Oct. 25 2012 at 3:35 pm
This article sucks because I am black, I had to pay 600 dollar(working my butt off by the way) for three saturadays to up my ACT score. I was the only black kid in the class. I worked my butt off to get into college, they treated me like anyone else. I was graceful. Do not take your anger out on everyone dude. you are upset about something.

Truth said...
on Oct. 25 2012 at 3:21 pm
he really sound upset, and I totally agree with your post.

on Oct. 12 2012 at 7:48 pm
I think that you should've done more research, also the facts about East St. Louis is a lie. I live in the St. Louis area, and how could toxic sewage get in the halls of a school?

UptownGirl said...
on Sep. 20 2012 at 5:12 pm
UptownGirl, Honolulu, Hawaii
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
While I understand your frustration, you may have been able to write a more convincing argument if you had actually done some research. You obviously have no statistics or historical examples to back up any of your claims, you are just spewing hateful ideas that probably came from your parents and did not require you to think. Also, spellcheck is a beautiful invention, you should try it out sometime.

Katie1234 GOLD said...
on Sep. 20 2012 at 3:02 pm
Katie1234 GOLD, Velva, North Dakota
10 articles 0 photos 77 comments

Favorite Quote:
"When life becomes more than you can stand; fall to your knees"
"To be normal is to be boring."
"You cannot make men good by law."
"Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God because He said so."
"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."

I agree with you. Affirmative action creates a sense of hatred in this country that doesn't help racism. It worsens it.