"Navigating College Admissions: Addressing Affirmative Action and Diversity"

The recent Supreme Court ruling that Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the Constitution by considering race in admissions decisions has significant implications for college admissions. Affirmative action, which is common at highly selective institutions, is no longer allowed. Students of color express concern about the impact on their applications and outlook. However, colleges can still pursue diversity goals through other means, such as considering applicants' discussions of how race affected their lives. The ruling may lead to more emphasis on personal statements and essays, where race often comes up. Legacy admissions and standardized test scores may also face scrutiny. Colleges will need to focus on recruiting from a wide range of communities to ensure diversity in their applicant pools. The ruling is expected to result in less racial diversity at highly selective universities, and efforts to achieve diversity through other measures may take time.