How does affirmative action affect college admissions?

Hey guys, I've been hearing a lot about affirmative action and how colleges use it in the admissions process. Can someone explain how it works and how it might impact my chances of getting into my dream school? Thanks in advance!

Affirmative action was a policy aimed at providing opportunities to underrepresented minority groups by considering race as one of the several factors in college admissions decisions. However, in June 2023, the Supreme Court struck down the use of race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions. Colleges are no longer allowed to use race as a criterion in their admissions decisions.

Now, colleges may still consider how race may have impacted a student as an individual. For instance, if a student writes in their essay about how their racial background has led to hardship or shaped their experiences, colleges can take that into account when making admissions decisions. However, they cannot use race as a primary factor or create quotas based on race or ethnicity.

Eliminating race-conscious affirmative action has removed a direct consideration of race in the admissions process for many schools, but colleges still value a diverse student body. They continue to seek applicants with a variety of socio-economic backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to contribute to the overall campus community.

To assess the impact of this change on your chances of getting accepted into your dream school, it's essential to examine your academic and extracurricular achievements, essays, and recommendations, as these factors will be the primary basis for your admission. Focus on building a strong application that highlights your strengths and unique experiences. Keep in mind that colleges will continue to use a holistic review process, by considering various facets of your application and emphasizing your overall fit with the institution, even without affirmative action.

For more information about how the end of affirmative action will impact admissions moving forward, check out this blog post from CollegeVine: https://blog.collegevine.com/end-of-affirmative-action/. Keep in mind that the impact may not be immediately quantifiable - this is the first cycle without affirmative action, and with major changes like this, the consequences can take some time to become clear.

I hope this initial overview is helpful to you, though!