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Bias in College Admissions

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Bias in College Admissions
Bias in College Admissions
There is no mistaking that getting into college is highly competitive, a college degree is now more necessary than ever. There are many kinds of bias race, gender, grade point average, financial ability and more important class.
The Oxford American College Dictionary defines bias as "Prejudice on favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. Many in this country view the college or university admissions process to be unfair. One of the most divisive issues involving admissions is race.
As on many issues involving race, whites and blacks have different opinions regarding which race currently fares better in the college admissions process… The majority of whites (54%) tend to view affirmative action programs as giving preferential treatment to minorities in work and education, while the majority of blacks (65%) generally think that they mainly ensure access for minorities that they otherwise might not get... The number of white Americans earning a bachelor 's degree or higher has tripled, from 8% in 1960 to 26% in 2000. During the same time period, blacks have nearly quintupled their college graduation rate in 1960, just 3% of blacks earned a college degree, compared with more than 14% today, (Lyons, 2005).
Affirmative action has a great deal to do with the increase in minority enrollments in colleges and universities. "In the United States existing literature on affirmative action is not clear on its origin and the precise date when Affirmative Action is still a conundrum. Nevertheless most of the literature pin the origin of Affirmative Action… in 1935," (Antwi-Boasiako & Asagba, 2005, p. 734).
In July of 2003, the United States Supreme Court struck down the University of Michigan 's undergraduate affirmative action admissions program. Which favored African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Hispanics. But three new CEO studies show that preferences, for



References: Antwi-Boasiako, K., & Asagba, J. (2005). "A preliminary analysis of African American college students perceptions of racial preferences and affirmative action in making admissions decisions at a predominantly white university." College Student Journal, 39(4), 734-748. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from Academic Search Premier database. Chavez, L. (2006, October 23). "Discrimination Is Alive and Well." Human Events, 62(36), p.19. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from EBSCOhost database. Fliegler, C. M. (2007, February). "Dim Days for Affirmative Action." University Business, 20(25), p.7. Retrieved February 15, 2007, from EBSCOhost database. Glazer, N., & Thernstrom, A. (1999, September 27). "Should the SAT account for race?" New Republic, 221(13), 26-29. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from EBSCOhost database. Holsendolph, E. (2006, June 1). "Grappling with the gender disparity issue." Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 23(8), 12. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from EBSCOhost database. Lyons, L. (2005, September 13). "Blacks: Whites Have Advantage in College Admissions." Gallup Poll News Services, pp. 1-4. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from EBSCOhost database. Nussbaumer, J. (2006). "Misuse of the law school admissions test, racial discrimination, and the de facto quota system for restricting African-American access to the legal profession." St. John 's Law Review, 80(167), pp. 167-181, pp. 181A-181F. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from EBSCOhost database. Symonds, W. (2003). "College admissions: the real barrier is class." Business Week. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from Academic Search Premier database. Taylor Jr., S. (2003). "Myths and realities about affirmative action." National Journal, 35(15), 1125. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from Academic Premier database.

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