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DON& #39;T LET YOUR KIDS USE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TO GET INTO COLLEGE: A THREAD. I graduated this year w/ degree in mathematics. Four years ago, when I was applying, several people, including my doctor, told me I could aim much higher than I was applying (local state school). I am 1/7
deaf, I have PTSD, I have a bizarre backstory (an abusive childhood mostly spent in a church basement school reading Genesis for "science class"), and I write well (a childhood escaping reality by reading will do that). Grades in such circumstances are meaningless, but I did 2/x
respectably well on the SAT (740 verbal, 680 math). "Everyone wants diversity," they said. "A physical and mental health disability both, plus you& #39;ve proven you can overcome adversity." I didn& #39;t go that route, partly because I had found a therapist who was helping me and 3/x
wanted to stay local, but mostly because I didn& #39;t want the pity. Guess what? Mathematics is hard! It& #39;s harder when you were your own high school mathematics teacher. I got up at 5am to study for years and worked much harder than my classmates. I cried with joy when I got B& #39;s. 4/x
But I did it--I got a mathematics degree. If I had leveraged my oppression points and gone to a much tougher school? I& #39;d probably still have a degree, but it would be in English or Studio Art or some grievance study field--where an eloquently expressed opinion earns a good 5/x
grade, something without absolutes and right and wrong answers. If I had taken advantage of affirmative action policies? THERE WOULD BE ONE FEWER DISABLED WOMAN IN STEM. This was my experience, and I& #39;m very, very grateful that I gave myself the best chance to succeed by going 6/x
to a school where work ethic and discipline were enough to make up for poor prep, compared to my classmates. If your kids have oppression points available, especially if they& #39;re interested in STEM, think twice about letting them leverage that. You might save their dreams. /end
