Diary of Systemic Injustices Showcase – College Admissions Process

The college admissions process has become virtual over the last decade. The Common App has taken over, as every university requires it. Often, if you need a letter of recommendation or other documents, you need particular platforms or websites. Technology is essential for college admissions, and not everyone has easy access to it. Money is the primary contributing factor to the lack of technology. As seen in the image, White people are over 10% more likely to own a computer than Black or Hispanic people. The lack of technology is a systemic problem because kids who don’t have the technology or proper internet connection can’t get a good education, making them less money in the future on average, leading their kids to deal with the same problems. Another contributing factor is that the college admissions process relies on parents, counselors, and teachers to inform kids when to apply or get started with the admission process. In communities and school districts with fewer people applying to college, fewer people are stressing particular dates. The college admissions process is the first significant independent process for many kids, and not having the resources to succeed is a systemic problem. Economic inequality plays a huge role in who can apply for college. There are high application fees, increasing tuition costs, and expensive tests. People of low-income households may not apply to every school they wish or study for the ACT with a tutor. These are all contributing factors to the racial inequality regarding the admission process. The economic disparity is systemically racist because minorities are more likely to be living in low-income households, leading them to have more difficulties conquering these problems, which ends up falling to their kids. There are solutions to this problem. First of all, every kid in America should have access to a computer and a proper internet connection. Then, technology would not be the problem. Another bonus to this solution is that it could aid schoolwork, as most high schools are shifting to a more technology-based curriculum. Also, there should be mandated days every school year for seniors whose only focus is college and future planning, where everyone can access the same news. Having equal opportunities for higher education is a problem many Americans face, a systemically racist problem.

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/07/16/home-broadband-adoption-computer-ownership-vary-by-race-ethnicity-in-the-u-s/