Isabelle Boundy
September 22, 2013
Color and Money: Race and Social Class
Persuasive Essay: Debating policy in The College simulation
This essay was assigned to be written from the perspective of a class matters advocate, and does not necessarily represent the views of the author.
Since at least the time of President Lincoln, the United States has embraced the idea of social mobility– idea that everyone, regardless of socio-economic class, has the opportunity to climb the social ladder and achieve a higher standard of living than that of the previous generation. The United States’ Educational System has long been regarded as the engine of this meritocratic society, and the system through which all people have the opportunity succeed and achieve a better standard of living than that of the previous generation. However, recent sociological studies into the education world and college admissions in particular have shown a very different reality. These studies have shown monetarily disadvantaged students to be at an incredible disadvantage begins the day they start kindergarten, and follows them to the admissions decision round table when college admissions and financial aid committees come together to discuss who will receive admission and necessary aid, and who will be let go.
When evaluating various applicants for admission, one should not assume that all candidates were afforded equality of opportunity. The steps and achievements necessary to receive a letter of acceptance from any one of the nation’s elite institutions comes with a hefty price tag, and thus more privileged applicants are provided a significant advantage. In a system so infested with inequality, it has become the job of the admissions officers to evaluate discrepancies of opportunity among applicants, and take these differences into consideration throughout the decisions process. However, during The College simulation, it does not appear that such an evaluation took place as less affluent students repeatedly lost their letters of acceptance to more affluent students. Although actions taken by the simulation admissions committee may have been legal, the process as a whole most certainly did not promoted equal educational opportunity, and thus did not necessarily result in the best possible entering class.
With regard to the college admissions process, students who come from lesser means are put at a significant disadvantage that begins the day they are born. For most privileged families, decisions regarding college are made even before their children are born: they buy homes in communities with strong public schools, and start trust funds and savings accounts in anticipation of future tuition payments. Some families pay for prestigious kindergartens and eventually prep schools, SAT/ACT prep classes, and nearly all sign their children up for a laundry list extra-curricular that surely included athletics and performing arts (Stevens, 243). However, the ability to provide these opportunities for their children is a luxury enjoyed almost exclusively by America’s most privileged elites, leaving less affluent applicants at a significant disadvantage.
It is the responsibility of the admissions officers to consider issues such as the aforementioned regarding inequalities of opportunity throughout the admissions process. However, participants in the simulation admissions process did not necessarily follow through on this task.
Throughout the beginning stages of the simulation, issues of socio-economic class were disregarded almost entirely. Students were evaluated largely in the arenas of academic and extra-curricular accomplishment, and while many saw this as a meritocratic and therefore just system, this was not so. Students were given a rating for academic and extra-curricular accomplishments respectively, and received extra points for their enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes, in addition to their achievements in various performing arts and athletic competitions. However, many high schools, particularly schools in less affluent areas, do not offer AP and/or IB classes, and thus these students are penalized in the college admissions process for circumstances which are beyond their control. Moreover, it is very common for more affluent students to attend SAT/ACT prep courses that can raise an applicant’s score by several hundred points. However, these classes are expensive and thus available almost exclusively to the wealthy. Additionally, it should be noted that while that nearly all individuals have the opportunity to participate in athletics to some degree, nurturing a strong athlete requires quality medical care, good nutrition, routine physical training, and quality coaching- all of which are more readily accessible to those with greater means (Stevens, 99).
Despite the simulation admissions officers’ total indifference towards socio-economic class during earlier rounds of admissions, when it came time to make final admissions decisions each student’s financial history and ability to pay tuition was very much a part of the conversation. After receiving an admissions grand total rating based largely on academic and extracurricular achievements, each applicant submitted to an “F-Round” in which a Net Price Calculator was used to determine the dollar amount the admissions committee could except the families of each applicant to contribute, and how much would need to be supplemented with various forms of financial aid (primarily in the form of grants, in addition to work study and student loans) (F-Round financial aid).
Each candidate’s admissions grand total rating and estimated family contribution became the primary determining factors during the final round of admissions, although it soon became clear that estimated family contribution was perhaps the dominating factor in the decision making process. The clearest indicator of this phenomenon was that regarding the applicants Caitlin Quinn and Rosa Martinez.
Caitlin Quinn was the first applicant to be offered admission to The College. With her near perfect GPA and dual-sport varsity captains (Caitlin Quinn), Ms. Quinn certainly demonstrated herself to be both a stellar student and an accomplished athlete. However, it was undoubtedly her family’s legacy and substantial financial means that granted her the position of most desirable candidate. According to the simulation calculations, the Quinn family would be able to pay full tuition, and more (F-Round financial aid). A letter from The College’s Vice President of Development reminded simulation participants of Ms. Quinn’s legacy status and her family’s generous financial support of The College in previous years (Correspondence from Dean of Admissions). Ms. Quinn’s privileged background and the before-mentioned letter provided her with considerable clout at the simulation committee table, and thus she was the first to be offered admission to The College.
Next, it came time for the simulation admissions committee to discuss Rosa Martinez. With a phenomenal GPA, stellar SAT scores, and leadership positions on her highs school yearbook committee and Student Advisory Council (Rosa Martinez), Ms. Martinez proved to be an excellent candidate at least as impressive as Caitlin Quinn. However, coming from a less affluent family, Ms. Martinez would require 52219 dollars in grants from The College that would create a deep hole in The College’s 70000 dollar financial aid budget. Her hefty price tag proved to be a significant blight on her application as she was waitlisted upon her first review by a vote of 5-7 with 6 simulation participants abstaining from the vote (Decision day). Consequentially, Rosa Martinez’s place in the entering class was given to an apparently less promising candidate with a smaller price tag.
Many argue that higher education does promote social mobility, pointing to various heart-warming success stories of individuals born into poverty who worked hard and, with the help of scholarships and financial aid, managed to obtain a college degree. However, stories like these are few and far between. And, while The College in this simulation did provide nearly 55000 dollars in grants to needy students, this was not enough for Rosa Martinez and countless other students just like her who were denied acceptance simply because they were too poor.
While the actions of The College simulation admissions officers may seem unfair and unjust, it should be acknowledge that, with regard to the legality of the simulation admissions committee’s actions, no laws were broken as there virtually are no laws regarding socio-economic class and college admissions. When the issue of race-based affirmative action is challenged in a legal setting (as it frequently is), it is often suggested that the nation, state, or institution switch to a system of class-based affirmative action that would arguably maintain racial diversity while simultaneously providing a leg up to students who have been born into a lower socio-economic class (Gaertner, 1). However, it remains that no such class-based alternative to affirmative action is currently on the books, and thus The College simulation was well within legal bounds.
Despite the legality of the simulation committee’s actions, they undoubtedly provided a significant advantage to more affluent applicants. These advantages have made higher education a cloak over existing class inequalities, and a system by which less privileged students are held back, and more privileged families are provided the opportunity to justify their own class advantage (Stevens, 11).
These inequalities could be greatly diminished if the country were to adopt a class-based system of affirmative action, and the federal and state government provide greater funds to colleges and universities to decrease tuition and increase financial aid budgets. Although the higher education system may seem grim for those of lower socio-economic classes, there is certainly hope in the future for greater equality and restoration of the American dream.
Works Cited
Caitlin Quinn, Simulation Applicant Files, Color & Money seminar at Trinity College, Fall 2013, http://commons.trincoll.edu/colorandmoney.
Correspondence from Dean of Admissions (from simulation), Color & Money seminar at Trinity College, Fall 2013, http://commons.trincoll.edu/colorandmoney.
Decision day, Color and Money Admissions Simulation Data, Trinity College, Fall 2013, http://commons.trincoll.edu/colorandmoney.
F-Round financial aid, Color and Money Admissions Simulation Data, Trinity College, Fall 2013, http://commons.trincoll.edu/colorandmoney.
Gaertner, Matthew, and Melissa Hart. “Considering Class: College Access and Diversity.” U of Colorado Law Legal Studies Research Paper 12.18 (2012): n. pag. Social Science Research Network. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.
Rosa Martinez, Simulation Applicant Files, Color & Money seminar at Trinity College, Fall 2013, http://commons.trincoll.edu/colorandmoney.
Stevens, Mitchell. Creating a Class: College Admissions and the Education of Elites. N.p.: n.p., 2007. Print.
4th round review, Color and Money Admissions Simulation Data, Trinity College, Fall 2013, http://commons.trincoll.edu/colorandmoney.