Should Race be an Issue in Collge Admissions? Essay -- Persuasive Argu

Should Race be an Issue in Collge Admissions? One of the first questions that people ask me is â€Å"What country are you from?† I originally took this comment as an insult, but then saw that this comment came from the ignorance of people in my community who had seen very few Asians. Realizing that my peers were just curious about who I was lightened my tone and I began to laugh every time I got that question. For me it was hilarious that I could be mistaken from really being from another country. I am half Chinese and half Caucasian and was actually born in Alabama. My ethnicity has helped me in many ways though. It has helped to distinguish me from my peers and may have helped me get into college. Getting into college is a wonderful thing to experience and affirmative action has helped minority students get into colleges have this experience and education. Many minorities are not given the opportunity to better their standing in life and use of affirmative action in college admissions has opened a door for many of these people. Conservatives argue that affirmative action is not fair and that it is reverse discrimination. Liberals argue that without affirmative action our society would be unbalanced and diversity will deteriorate without it. Chang-Lin Tien is a Chinese immigrant who was Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley from 1990-1997. In his article â€Å"In defense of Affirmative Action,† Tien explains that he took on the debate on affirmative action because of his role as a professor in higher education and his experience as an immigrant. He states that, â€Å" I had seen the promise of affirmative action come true†. He had also seen that â€Å"through daily interaction in classrooms, laboratories, and... ...ave emerged on top and it has been these minorities who have suffered from lack of opportunity. Without someone there to help pull them up, minorities will stay near the bottom of education. Whites will argue that is they are determined enough they will be able to succeed. The counter of that is that a person will only try so many times without hope. When you have been continuously been told that you won’t amount to much one either stands up and rebels against this thought or accepts it as a truth. Many minorities have been told for years that they are not capable of being successful and they take it in stride because that is the way they are accustomed to. Minorities need a push to help themselves out. It may seem unfair to the white conservatives, but if minorities are not shown preference now, when will the deep problems of racial division ever be solved?