[quote=flu]
Evidence. None… yet. Especially since the score is confidential and private and how it is used will be behind closed doors, which was intentional…Perfect for institutional discrimination, just like affirmative action and quota limits.
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Having always opposed affirmative action and similar programs/ideas, I agree with your basic position. I think that discrimination against more-well-off students is already occurring. This may add to it; it may not. It certainly won’t help those with resources. UCs in particular already give a massive advantage to first-generation students.
[quote=flu]
seems like our colleges care more about making things “fair” than expecting the best. and yet, employers always say they can’t find enough well qualified technical people, and that’s why they need to hire H1Bs. [/quote]
I think you overestimate the effects (on the size of the pool of well-qualified technical Americans) of colleges’ efforts to make things “fair.” But that doesn’t change the basic truth that it is, in fact, unfair to students with resources.
[quote=flu]
Your kids might not have gotten into those UC schools if they had the same crendentials today. neither would I. of course we can’t turn back time and prove that is true. and since your kids don’t need to worry about it, it’s not your problem. so this is a good thing obviously…. lucky you.
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My kid graduates high school this week and did, in fact, get into UCSB and UC Davis (she’s going to USC). Would she have gotten into Berkeley and L.A. without the priority given by UC to first-generation students? I’m pretty sure she would have. So, maybe not so lucky in that sense. But, the way I see it, she’s lucky to have resources and to be smart and to live in California and to have what it takes to have gotten into some excellent schools. So, despite that probable discrimination, I don’t think she or I are in a position, overall, to complain about luck.
Would she have gotten into L.A. and Berkeley if we had the same resources but moved to a poorer neighborhood to take advantage of a higher adversity score (if they were in play now)? I doubt it. I doubt it more for the additional, peer-generated motivation she had in Carmel Valley than the lack of impact of the adversity score.
At this point, obviously, it’s impossible to tell what impact the adversity score will have. But it obviously won’t help and probably will hurt the already-discriminated-against, better-off applicants. Which I agree is unfair and, to some small degree, results in fewer well-qualified job applicants.
