# What effect will the SC decision about affirmative action have on college application essays? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 1, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-will-the-sc-decision-about-affirmative-action-have-on-college-application-essays/986410 "2023-07-01T16:07:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-will-the-sc-decision-about-affirmative-action-have-on-college-application-essays/986410/1 "2023-07-01T16:07:42Z")
There’s an interesting article in[The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/06/affirmative-action-ruling-race-conscious-college-admissions-essays/674590/) about minority students now needing to write their application essays about their racial backgrounds, so as to get around the new requirement that colleges ask about their racial identities. The thinking there is that the colleges will still want a diverse student population, so the applicants will need to volunteer that information (making the essays, according to the article, boring boilerplate stuff: “As an African-American, I have experienced several forms of racism…”) But the article made me think that now white students will include hints, and maybe outright lies, about their racial identities, to get admitted as (wink wink) minority students by colleges seeking (wink wink) to gather that information in their essays. And in an underhanded way, that’s a good idea. Say I’m a white high school senior with good grades, test scores, extra-curricular activities etc. applying to Yale or Harvard. I think I’ve got a chance to get admitted, but it’s by no means a lock. So I write my application essay about the SC decision, and how unfair it is, and how it hurts students like me, and so on. The college is going to read this and decide “Maybe one of our (wink wink) minority admissions?” And what’s to stop them from just lying “As an African-American…” It’s not supposed to be a factor, so Yale can’t say after admitting Whitey McWhiteson, “Hey, you lied! You’re not black at all!” because that would be admitting that they used race as an admission criterion which would violate the new law. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-will-the-sc-decision-about-affirmative-action-have-on-college-application-essays/986410/2 "2023-07-01T16:28:07Z")
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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-effect-will-the-sc-decision-about-affirmative-action-have-on-college-application-essays/986410/3 "2023-07-01T16:29:25Z")
See this thread: > [@Supreme Court poised to strike down affirmative action in Harvard and UNC cases - let's talk about the ramifications (now struck down, June 29, 2023)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-poised-to-strike-down-affirmative-action-in-harvard-and-unc-cases-lets-talk-about-the-ramifications-now-struck-down-june-29-2023/981710): > > There are existing threads but I figured it might be best to start a new one. The Supreme Court is poised to deliver rulings on two cases: SFFA vs. Harvard and SFFA vs. University of North Carolina. Rulings will probably come out in June. In both cases, it appears that the plaintiff will win and affirmative action is going to be struck down in some form or other. Are we going to see student bodies that look something like: 80% white and Asian, 20% all other races as a result of this? Al…