"Good morning everyone! I know that today is a stressful day, especially since we as Admissions counselors have many college applications to go through. And while we will eventually become tired and potentially lose interest in these applications, we must remember that we are molding the future of Green College (an elite ivy league college), and must uphold its rigorous expectations on these students. Now, shall we begin?" Ted said standing at the end of the long and wooden oval table. We all nodded, answering his question, and the sounds of papers moving, began.

"Hi, everyone. I wanted to get your opinion on these two applications" Anne asked us an hour into the start of our application selecting process. "Now, I have here a Mary Whitman and Jackie Green, who both have very high SAT scores and did numerous activities in their high school careers, but I don't know which one to choose. I think both could fit and adapt to Green very well" she stated.

"Well, which one needs more financial aid?" Bill asked from across the table. The deafening sound of moving papers in the room ceased before Anne could say "Jackie". "Then in that case we should take Mary Whitman, since she her needing less money would help us save money" he replied. "But that doesn't sound fair though" Gabriel responded. "Isn't it unfair to dock Jackie simply because of her family's income. I mean, no one chooses to be poor" he continued. "But Jackie's financial assets are not our problem, and if we admit more people like Jackie, then Green would lose money. I know it sounds cold, but we have to think about us too, especially in this recession we're in" Bill said.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with Bill on this one. While it does feel terrible to deny Jackie because of her lack of income, we have to save Green money. I mean it's 2009, as Bill said, we are currently going through a bad recession, and we need to take into account our own financial situation" Ted remarked. "But what about outside grants-" I started to say, but was cut off; the argument against Jackie was valid, but it just didn't feel right.

About 2 hours later, Maria asked for the opinions between two of her applications as well. "I have two great students here who have done extraordinarily well on their SATs and also did a variety of extracurriculars in high school; Eric even was the valedictorian in his class" she explained. "Sorry, what are their names?" John asked. "Their names are Anthony Garcia and Eric Chen," she responded. "Since their tests scores are very high and they have around the same number of extracurricular activities, I think we should choose Garcia in this case; he would probably bring more diversity to Green" Anne stated. "But by looking at Garcia's activities, it seems like he hasn't done anything cultural. Chen by contrast was the president of his high school's National Chinese Honor Society, and was actively involved in other cultural activities at his community center. Therefore in this case, I think Chen would be a better fit if you argue for more diversity among Green students" John replied. Anne stared at him for a couple of seconds, then turned to Ted.

"While this is a tough decision, I think we should go with Garcia. I just think that there are less students like Garcia at Green, and more students like Chen. And to follow Green's goals of diversity, us choosing Garcia would help accomplish that" Ted remarked.

"More students like Chen, what do you mean?" John said while leaning forward, directly facing Ted. "Well, we already have many Asian students at Green already and less Hispanic ones. Therefore, it would be more diverse if we chose Garcia instead" Ted explained. "I'm sorry, but that's not fair" Joh remarked. "They are both minorities with exceptional applications, we should let them in" John stated. "Sorry, but that's where I disagree, Asians and Asian Americans typically do better than other minorities, and because of that, I think it's only fair to let in Garcia. Him being accepted to Green would definitely help him become more successful later on. Plus, people like Garcia have simply faced more obstacles than those like Chen" Ted said. "But Ted, what about the Chinese Exclusion Act, and have you even heard about the discrimination against Asian Americans in early 1900s San Francisco? I think-" John continued to say until he was cut off by Ted. "My decision is final" Ted stated, and John walked out of the room in anger.

A couple of hours and a lunch later, I came across two applications, one from a Mason Stevens, and the other from Robert White. "Hi everyone, I am having some difficulty deciding between these two candidates. They both have very high SAT scores, did a lot of extracurriculars in high school, and wrote great supplements; I'm having a hard time choosing" I stated. "Well, what races are your two prospective students?" Bill asked. "Stevens is Caucasian and White is African American, and while I don't think-" I started to say until I was cut off by Bill. "Then that decides it, if they have both equally great applications and supplements, then White should get it" Bill claimed. "But you haven't even read how Stevens is of lower income, and had to also hold a demanding job for the entire 4 years of his high school career. I mean, he helped his parents pay rent, and helped around the house too. White, coming from an affluent background, did nothing of the sort, and actually now looking at his extracurriculars, did nothing out of the ordinary for Green to take him" I explained. "Yes, but what about our history? African Americans have been victimized for so long that they deserve to have an extra boost for college" Anne stated. "I understand the history, however does that mean that Stevens deserves less of a collegiate education compared to White because of his race?" I questioned. "Well, no, but we need to give African Americans-" Bill began to explain. But I continued, "yes, we do as a country, but White himself comes from an affluent background. And I could say without a doubt that White has had more opportunity than Stevens, and because of that, we should admit Stevens. He should not be denied from a great opportunity to study here at Green because of him being a race he didn't choose".

"While both you, Bill, and Anne have made compelling arguments, I must choose White. He is African American, and his ancestors have gone through some of the most horrific things imaginable. Sure, he didn't choose his race, and he is rich, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that we help diversify our campus, and by helping minorities such as African Americans, we can achieve that" Ted explained. "But Stevens comes from a totally disadvantaged background!" I exclaimed, but Ted would have none of it.

After the long day ended, I drove home and made myself a ham and cheese sandwich, and ate it on my porch. "White has so much opportunity for him, and Stevens will struggle to achieve half that" I told myself. "Why couldn't we base our preferences on socioeconomic classes instead? That way, it would not only help minorities of lower-income, but people like Stevens as well. This is something that I'll never understand" I muttered. I gazed up at the moon and stars above me, and after awhile, noticed that the black of the night, and white of the stars, turned slowly to a mellow gray, and seeing this, I smiled.

For Further Reading:

What If Colleges Embraced Affirmative Action for Class Instead of Race?

Affirmative Action Battle Has a New Focus: Asian-Americans

Even With Affirmative Action, Blacks and Hispanics Are More Underrepresented at Top Colleges Than 35 Years Ago

Affirmative action guidelines dropped by Trump administration