VOA教育报道2023--US Colleges Ask for More Writing after Affirmative Action Ban

US Colleges Ask for More Writing after Affirmative Action Ban

August 1 is the start of the new college admissions season in the United States. It is the day students can start to complete the Common Application for college admission in 2024.

The Common Application is accepted by over 1,000 colleges and universities. The service permits students to apply to many schools by submitting their information only one time.

However, some colleges and universities that accept the Common Application are asking students to send in an extra piece of writing. They are using the extra "prompt" to give students a chance to discuss their background.

The reason for this new writing prompt is the U.S. Supreme² Court's recent decision to end affirmative action in college decisions.

The court said selective colleges and universities, such as Harvard University or the University of North Carolina at Chapel³ Hill, can no longer use race as a way to decide between two qualified⁴ students.

But the court did say schools can consider "an applicant's discussion of how race affected⁵ his or her life..."

That is why some schools are re-writing their prompts.

At Yale University, students who apply with the Common Application must also answer one of three questions.

The first question permits students to write about a time they discussed an important issue with someone holding an opposing view.

Another question asks students to discuss a meaningful community to which they are connected.

But a third question is new, compared to past years. It asks students to talk about part of their "personal experience that you feel will enrich your college."

That question permits a student to state their race and discuss how they would add something special to the group of students at Yale.

At Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, a new prompt asks students to "tell about a community that you have been part of where your participation⁶ helped to change or shape the community for the better."

Timothy Fields is a top admissions official at Emory. He said the new questions "are going to be much more targeted."

At Sarah Lawrence College outside of New York City, a new question asks students how the Supreme Court decision on affirmative action might affect their lives.

Kevin McKenna is a vice¹ president at the college. He said the new question gives students a chance to discuss the decision "that could impact the student bodies of the colleges to which they are applying."

An acceptance campaign

In addition to the new questions, many colleges and universities are thinking about how to connect with Black and Latino students. The school leaders worry that those students may think they are no longer welcome at selective universities after the Supreme Court decision.

Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez is the top admissions official at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He and his team are planning extra time at high schools and more meetings at college information events to tell minority students they are still welcome.

He also will offer more training to his admissions officers so they can work to build a diverse group of students without going against the Supreme Court's decision.

Visits such as those by the Wesleyan team are important, said Angel Perez. He is head of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Perez said some college counselors⁸ for high school students are uncertain how their students should address their race in applications.

"The general feeling with school counselors right now is mostly anxiety," he said.

But those who work with students, like private admissions counselor⁷ Shereem Herndon-Brown, say students should not overstate how race affects their lives.

Herndon-Brown wrote a book with Fields, the admissions leader at Emory. He said students need to write "authentically¹⁰" about how they think and have developed as a result of their background.

He gave an example of a Black student from New York who recently visited relatives in the southern part of the U.S. Herndon-Brown encouraged the student to write about that experience although it was not in the student's original plan.

That he said, is a better idea than declaring their race or overstating their disadvantage.

"There is no way to trick an admissions officer or a school into believing you're something that you're not," he says.

Words in This Story

admissions –n. the act or process of accepting a student into a college or university study program

apply –v. to submit information to an organization such as a college for the right to be admitted as a student

prompt –n. a suggestion for a conversation or piece of writing

selective –adj. choosy; interested in picking something of higher quality

enrich –v. to add something memorable¹¹ to an experience

participation –n. the act of being involved in something

impact –v. to make an impression or have an effect on something

diverse –adj. used to describe a group made of people or things that are different from each other

anxiety –n. an emotional state of being worried or very concerned

 

authentic⁹ –adj. something true or real

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

4 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

7 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

8 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

9 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

10 authentically   

ad.sincerely真诚地

参考例句：

• Gina: And we should give him something 2 authentically Taiwanese. 吉娜：而且我们应该送他有纯正台湾味的东西。
• A loser is one who fails to correspond authentically. 失败者则指那些未能做到诚实可靠的人。

11 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。