The University of Michigan revised its admissions process this fall so that it will give more weight to academics but continue to take race into consideration.
UM changed its admissions policy in response to a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring universities to consider applicants individually.
In a 6 to 3 ruling, the Supreme Court shot down the previous UM admissions process that gave a 20-point advantage on a 150-point scale to minority students, equating the difference between a 3.0 and 4.0 student. Admissions will now give highest priority to academics and will consider applicants on an individualized basis, reducing the risk of comparisons between minorities and others.
“We felt like we were complying with court rulings and affirmative action positively, ” UM spokesperson Julie Peterson said. “Now it’s a very individualized, holistic review.”
The revised procedure mimics the workings of the UM Law School admission policies, which seek a “critical mass” of minorities. In addition, academic factors such as the quality and competitiveness of each applicant’s high school curriculum and standardized test scores will determine the applicant’s fate.
“It changes the process, but not the fact that race is still important. It affirms the principle behind race,” UM senior Jackie Bray said, who has dealt with affirmative-action issues with UM’s student governments.
In addition to altering the logistics of the process, the UM modified the admission application form to include a student essay regarding the applicant’s commitment to diversity, as well as information on the educational background of each applicant’s families and relatives.
An applicant’s high-school counselors or principals are also required to provide socioeconomic, personal or educational conditions that may have altered an applicant’s academic abilities in either a positive or negative way.
Peterson feels that this application will not only personalize an applicant, but also make the campus climate more multi-faceted.
“We feel like this application has more information on students than we’ve gathered before. It will help us not in only in racial diversity, but in other elements of diversity, such as socioeconomic status,” Peterson said.
Bray, however, said the new policies are only one aspect of many that are needed to create a comfortable environment for minorities. She said students played an integral role in the newly adapted procedures, and said the university will continue to ensure that minorities are welcomed at the UM, even if that entails making admission alterations once again.
“We have significant work to do, and it’s everyone’s hope that it’ll yield the critical mass,” Bray said. “It’s my hope that this policy will be critiqued and changed as it needs to be changed.”
Transfer students seeking enrollment this winter will be the first to experience the new system, as will those seeking admission for the fall of 2004.
Both groups will undergo a new review process that will include a trained application reviewer and a professional admissions counselor.
A manager in the admissions office will make final admissions decisions based on their recommendations.
