[81alum]

I'm not sure, but I think my kids all checked the "decline to identify" box on their college applications, just on general principles

I still feel guilty for checking the box as an underrepresented minority when I knew full well that it would give me an advantage as far as getting into Stanford.


But I reasoned that if Stanford wants this sort of information to put together a diverse class, it's really not wrong to check the box. In a way, I would be helping the university reach a goal of racial/ethnic diversity that is, basically, I believe, a good goal.


There's "white guilt," I suppose, and there's very definitely "affirmative action guilt." EDIT: My "guilt" is a kinda-sorta-but-not-really kind, fyi, and I would encourage anyone who fits into the category of underrepresented minority to check that box when applying to Stanford (or any college).

I do believe that a diverse student body is important for enhancing the quality of education--and so I firmly support certain kinds of affirmative action for college admissions.  A good admissions process looks far beyond race or ethnicity, though, and looks to admit students who have genuinely diverse backgrounds and experiences.  Race and ethnicity are often aligned with diverse social and economic experiences, but not always.  On the other hand, I probably got admitted in part because I was from Idaho, and Stanford quite definitely looks for geographic distribution.  That's a form of affirmative action too.  Perhaps I should feel guilty about taking a slot away from a more qualified California student!

Actually, I joke about it now, but as a frosh I definitely felt a little out-of-place, coming from the sticks, compared with the much more sophisticated and worldly kids who had traveled, knew the Bay Area, had attended prestigious prep schools, etc.  A common phenomena for Stanford frosh is to feel inferior to their peers, and I certainly had my version of that.

[81alum]

I'm not sure, but I think my kids all checked the "decline to identify" box on their college applications, just on general principles

I still feel guilty for checking the box as an underrepresented minority when I knew full well that it would give me an advantage as far as getting into Stanford.


But I reasoned that if Stanford wants this sort of information to put together a diverse class, it's really not wrong to check the box. In a way, I would be helping the university reach a goal of racial/ethnic diversity that is, basically, I believe, a good goal.


There's "white guilt," I suppose, and there's very definitely "affirmative action guilt." EDIT: My "guilt" is a kinda-sorta-but-not-really kind, fyi, and I would encourage anyone who fits into the category of underrepresented minority to check that box when applying to Stanford (or any college).

I do believe that a diverse student body is important for enhancing the quality of education--and so I firmly support certain kinds of affirmative action for college admissions.  A good admissions process looks far beyond race or ethnicity, though, and looks to admit students who have genuinely diverse backgrounds and experiences.  Race and ethnicity are often aligned with diverse social and economic experiences, but not always.  On the other hand, I probably got admitted in part because I was from Idaho, and Stanford quite definitely looks for geographic distribution.  That's a form of affirmative action too.  Perhaps I should feel guilty about taking a slot away from a more qualified California student!

Actually, I joke about it now, but as a frosh I definitely felt a little out-of-place, coming from the sticks, compared with the much more sophisticated and worldly kids who had traveled, knew the Bay Area, had attended prestigious prep schools, etc.  A common phenomena for Stanford frosh is to feel inferior to their peers, and I certainly had my version of that.