The College Fix

Asks applicants to write about affirmative action ruling’s affect on them

The Supreme Court’s decision to prohibit affirmative action in higher education is creating “added anxiety” for minority applicants, the director of admissions for Sarah Lawrence College said.

That is why the school is asking applicants to write about how the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision might affect them.

Dean of Admissions Kevin McKenna told Business Insider:

Like many institutions and organizations working in higher education, our admissions office is concerned about the added anxiety this year that students (particularly black, brown, or indigenous students, but also students who may identify as LGBTQ) are going to feel forced into relaying narratives that they wouldn’t otherwise choose to share with college.

One of the three essay options for first-year applicants asks:

In a 2023 majority decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “Nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university.”

“Drawing upon examples from your life, a quality of your character, and/or a unique ability you possess, describe how you believe your goals for a college education might be impacted, influenced, or affected by the Court’s decision,” the college asks prospective students.

McKenna said the question “is not intended to set any expectations that an applicant should feel that they need to address past traumas or injustices in order to gain admission to the college.”

Conservatives responded to the essay prompt with their thoughts on why the school chose that question.

“Through an application essay prompt, Sarah Lawrence College channels its disappointment that it can’t continue race-based admissions,” Neetu Arnold with the National Association of Scholars tweeted.

Through an application essay prompt, Sarah Lawrence College channels its disappointment that it can’t continue race-based admissions 😂 pic.twitter.com/CuhexShzqT

— Neetu Arnold (@neetu_arnold) July 20, 2023

“Perfect, huh? Maybe it’s just a guess, but I suspect there is a wrong answer to this question,” conservative commentator and former University of Chicago Professor Charles Lipson wrote in response to the question.

MORE: Follow affirmative action ruling or get sued, group warns

IMAGE: Public domain

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter