What Does the SCOTUS Decision Mean For Your Child?

Last week, the Supreme Court struck down granting preferences during college admissions to students from disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups.  I’m not a lawyer or a politician.  I’m an academic tutor, test prep coach, college counselor and college essay coach.  I’m not about to weigh in on the merits of the case or the decision.  (Full disclosure and hint, hint.  I did graduate from Harvard, a defendant in one of the cases.  Moreover, I earned my undergraduate degree one year after Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson, who wrote “a scorching, 29-page dissent” in the case against UNC, earned hers.)  I will, however, offer some guesses about what the decision might mean for students applying to college this fall.

This College Essay Coach believes its Importance will grow

I agree wholeheartedly with The New York Times’ Stephanie Saul that “the personal essay [will] become[] more important.”  Chief Justice Roberts deemed “considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise” acceptable.  The Common App won’t forward students’ racial identities to colleges anymore.  Therefore, such a “discussion” will likely take place in a student’s essay.

Matthews Hall in Harvard Yard, where I watched — with friends of all races — many of the episodes of The Simpsons’ first season during my freshman year. Image by @someshks on Unsplash.

Some of my past students of color chose to write their college essays about their racial identities.  Some wrote about other topics that were meaningful to them.  However, colleagues who are also college essay coach es agree that last week’s decision incentivizes future applicants – who realize that universities still want to create diverse campus communities – to write about the role of race in their lives.  I just discussed the case with one student this morning while we debated the merits of two different drafts she’d written.  I imagine other college essay coach es are having similar conversations with their students.

The Admissions Process Will Become Even More Opaque

Chief Justice Roberts described the admissions policies of Harvard and the University of North Carolina as “’opaque’” and “’elusive.’”  Students denied admission to elite institutions like these no doubt harbor this assessment.  Nevertheless, some university officials predict that in the wake of Fair Admissions Inc., admissions will become an even ‘more opaque’ process.  Schools may rely more heavily on subjective measures like teacher recommendations and the personal essay.  At the same time, they may downplay quantitative data like test scores and class rank.

Several studies, suggesting bias inherent in letters of recommendation, question their validity in admissions.  As someone who’s read hundreds of college essay first drafts, I can tell you that students who receive skilled one-on-one coaching produce much more effective personal statements than those who do not.  Unfortunately, I think the justices – who set out to make what seems like an unfair process more rational – have rendered it even more unpredictable.

Image by @framemily on Unsplash

What Will All of This Mean for Your Child?

The Atlantic bemoaned that AI killed the college essay in December 2022.  Evidently it resuscitated, as the magazine declared that Supreme Court killed the essay last week.  As a college essay coach, I’m here to tell you that the college essay isn’t dead.  Its importance will surely grow in the coming years.  Nevertheless, students who strive for admissions to highly selective universities should continue doing what they’ve always done to prepare.

1.    Learn how to study well. 

2.    Take challenging courses. 

3.    Do well in those courses. 

4.    Take and score high on the SAT or the ACT. 

5.    And, yes, write a great college essay – whether or not it’s on race. 

Following these steps isn’t just a recipe for admission to a highly selective college.  It’s a roadmap to becoming a deep thinker, a disciplined student, and a self-reflective human being.  Aren’t those the purposes of a college education, anyway?