are you poor? do you live in a poor neighborhood made up of majority minorities? do you live in a poor neighborhood made up of majority non-minorities?
i ask these three questions because you referred to "a system which puts more weight on soft factors would be better suited to finding good students who have overcome adversity." by this statement, are you referring only to poor people who have overcome their economic hardships and made good?
you do realize that there are social hardships that exist as well that have nothing to do with 'qualifications?' i live in philly. if you apply for a gov't chemist position it states that one must have a degree, unless they have experience. do you know what this is? it's an end around to allow for cronism. how do you become a chemist without a college degree? i'm not even talking about a few credits shy of a degree, i'm talking about high school diploma + experience.
i once had a friend look me dead in the face and say, "i'm so glad i'm white. minorities have it too hard." this guy was poor but he realized that he would always be white and that gave him peace. why? because he wouldn't have to put up with the stupidity. he was my friend and would tell me what the supervisors were saying about the minorities when they thought their conversations were being held in confidence. i have another friend who looks white but is actually half black-half asian. he would also tell me stories of people saying racist comments to him in the work place.
i hope you are a twenty something with time to learn. it would really sadden me to come to know that you are in your thirties and have these antiquated views of 'qualified minorities.' the fact that you are going to law school and could possibly one day have some small part in shaping future policy is frightening.
i find an individual who has dodged bullets and watched those around him/her struck down by the streets and yet somehow fought their way to a degree quite worthy. i find that an individual who has been through that and has the audacity to try for a jd so that he/she can come back to the community and make a difference remarkable.
i find that an individual, like yourself, who cannot see the 'quality of merit' in this to be repugnant. i wish i could go around knocking sense into people just like you. the fact you can make a statement that you are "personally saddened by the fact that it is so hard to find qualified URM students" is condescending and down right biggoted. this is one of the most ingenuine remarks that i have ever heard. are you from klan country? remarks like this were made during the sixties by racists trying to protect their schools from intergration.
did you know that states like alabama would send 'qualified' negros to harvard and pay the tuition because they were so afraid to integrate? you are a truly sad individual. are you trailer park made good-but just not good enough for top 14? there is such a strong odor of bitterness to your words that this is the only thing i can figure. grow up and grow out of this foolishness.
"i find an individual who has dodged bullets and watched those around him/her struck down by the streets and yet somehow fought their way to a degree quite worthy."
Yes, I agree with you too. And if the person it black or white, or asian they should be given the same credit for overcoming such adversity.
You totally missed my point. What makes an applicant "qualified" to go to a good law school is a high LSAT and a high GPA. If you score below a 150 on the LSAT, you may still be "qualified" to go to law school and make a great lawyer, but most ABA approved schools won't believe you qualified enough to be accepted. By changing the emphasis of the admissions process from a quantitative system across the board, people who are traditionally hurt by the quantitative system will benefit.
You said: "the fact that you are going to law school and could possibly one day have some small part in shaping future policy is frightening. "
It still escapes me why people just can't make a point without a personal attack. If you disagree with my points, and want to discuss the morality of AA in this thread that's fine. However, I won't debate a topic with someone who can't stick to the topic and its merits. If you REALLY believe in the validity of your point and you want to change my views, attacking me personally won't help accomplish that.