As someone who entered college at a time when there were very, very few African-Americans on campus, there is no question that affirmative action has literally changed the face of higher education. But being admitted to a great school under special preferences often be a mixed blessing. The WSJ piece focuses on "mismatch" issues where the admitted student is significantly less prepared than most other students at a school. The key finding:
There is now increasing evidence that students who receive large preferences of any kind—whether based on race, athletic ability, alumni connections or other considerations—experience some clear negative effects: Students end up with poor grades (usually in the bottom fifth of their class), lower graduation rates, extremely high attrition rates from science and engineering majors, substantial self-segregation on campus, lower self-esteem and far greater difficulty passing licensing tests (such as bar exams for lawyers).The authors call for more transparency in admissions decisions and a sharply curtailed role for affirmative action. I am sure WSJ will get letters pointing out that colleges still have a way to go to truly represent the full range of diversity we have in our society. Tough issues, no easy answers.
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