Posted on 08/22/2022 5:08:31 AM PDT by karpov
Among the arguments against the policy of admitting students to colleges because they have the right ancestry—that is, they appear to come from “underrepresented” minority groups—is the fact that it can mismatch students and schools. At least sometimes, students admitted to fulfill perceived diversity needs are far behind their classmates in academic ability and find the level of rigor in the classroom to be overwhelming.
Opponents of racial preferences contend that mismatch has serious consequences that are usually overlooked. Defenders of racial preferences minimize the extent of mismatch and say that the benefits of increased diversity outweigh any costs.
A recent Manhattan Institute paper entitled “Does Affirmative Action Lead to ‘Mismatch’? A Review of the Evidence” usefully focuses attention on this issue. Author Robert VerBruggen sums up his findings: “The research is mixed but generally consistent with a framework in which mismatch can be a problem but is not always, depending on such factors as how severely a student is out of step with his peers and how demanding his academic program is.”
(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...
The thing that's pernicious about race-based student mismatch is the way it welds race consciousness into the equation in a sort of indelible way. My friend seemed to be unconcerned about his racial identity in elementary school and high school, and none of his friends (including me) ever mentioned it except as a joke, and that was very occasional.
When he came back from the elite college he was initially admitted to (which was filled with extremely wealthy, highly privileged young people), race seemed to be all he thought about. He was hyper-conscious of it, to an extent that made me feel uncomfortable in his company, in a way I never had before. It was very sad and disturbing, and gave me a strong sense of loss and defeat.
What makes you think that will change in 2022?
Yes, but the cancer of liberalism and so called higher education destroys more lives every year than all the illegal drugs put together, it is just much more subtle poison. friend would have been better off and been a much better person to go to Chipola College, and that is a dud school or have gone to junior college. Those liberalism doesn’t destroy they corrupt utterly. This is the Bill Clinton effect. Perhaps in a century liberalism will be seen as the destroyer of as human beings as communism or Maoism only it will be the souls of multiple tens of millions who were destroyed not the bodies.
My first two weeks on campus were a sobering experience: most of the other students I spoke to were either the valedictorian or salutatorian of their class.
However, there were no hints of elitism, the undergrad population at the time was around 2000, and roughly 40% lived on campus. There were no sororities or fraternities, though there were natural allegiances to the dorms you lived in.
I ended up with a 2.94 GPA during my 4 years there. I was a mediocre student at best, enjoyed the "Gonzaga Experience" for all it was worth. The main objective was to graduate in 4 years, be commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant, and serve on active duty for 4 years. I wasn't looking much beyond that.
Just like in Top Gun, seniors in ROTC had their own "call signs." Mine was given to me by a couple of buddies at the Bulldog Tavern: Pinball Wizard, for my prowess on the machines. That skill was developed in HS, as I kept score at the local bowling alley during HS. Left me plenty of time to learn how to play pinball.
Many of these schools have "099" curriculums for remediation. A few minorities progress through these and obtain a BA (or AA). The rest spend one or two semesters chasing da womens and then go to work at a warehouse.
The fault lies with the K-12 public schools. Period. The one thing you can look at re: Khrushchev's predictions that absolutely came to pass, was tearing down the US public school system -- the greatest public school system history had ever produced -- in the short span of 50 years.
‘It diminishes the academic excellence of all American graduates and the knowledge base of the American workforce.
It debases the currency of science & logic and corrodes morality, eviscerates meritocracy...’
ah, excellent points...
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