The Impact of the Supreme Court’s Decision on College Admissions

In over ten years as an independent college advisor and twenty years in education, I did not see higher-education turning into the hot-button and national political issue it is today.?

I’ve spent much of the last week thinking about what this Supreme Court decision on Affirmative Action will mean for students and their college admissions journey.?

Unfortunately, I think it has added another layer of uncertainty to an already stressful process for students and parents.?

It will be hard to comprehend the impact of this decision until we complete another full admissions cycle.?

Colleges and universities are diligently figuring out how this decision will affect the technicalities of the college application process as we speak. Reading many of their statements in the last week has given me a glimmer of hope that things won’t change too much.?

It is clear that the majority of schools remain committed to admitting as wide of a range of students with different backgrounds and perspectives as before and will still be looking for students with curiosity, character, and a readiness to challenge themselves while on their campus.

When I look back on what happened with the University of California System and University of Michigan, I think that those universities were still committed to admitting a diversity of students.?

However, I do know that several of my students in the past have chosen not to apply to those universities because of the lack of diversity, which shows how this Supreme court decision could influence the applicant pools and therefore, who is admitted.

I feel as dedicated and passionate about my work as ever now, and I’m excited to help students and parents through the college admissions process with whatever this year brings!

What have your reactions been to the Supreme Court’s decision on Affirmative Action?