Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard held that race cannot be used as an admissions factor, except for which aspect?

Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard held that race cannot be used as an admissions factor, except for which aspect?

• A. Personal Essays
• B. Athletic Ability
• C. Financial Need
• D. Legacy Status

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how race can be used in admissions within a holistic review while avoiding discrimination. The best answer is that race can inform the personal essay because that written, narrative piece reveals the applicant’s lived experiences, identity, and perspectives in a way that helps a admissions committee understand how they might contribute to campus diversity. It allows race to be considered as part of the applicant’s broader story rather than as a blunt, quantitative advantage. The other factors—athletic ability, financial need, and legacy status—are separate criteria that don’t hinge on interpreting a student’s racial background through a narrative lens, so they aren’t the type of exception described in this framing.

The idea being tested is how race can be used in admissions within a holistic review while avoiding discrimination. The best answer is that race can inform the personal essay because that written, narrative piece reveals the applicant’s lived experiences, identity, and perspectives in a way that helps a admissions committee understand how they might contribute to campus diversity. It allows race to be considered as part of the applicant’s broader story rather than as a blunt, quantitative advantage. The other factors—athletic ability, financial need, and legacy status—are separate criteria that don’t hinge on interpreting a student’s racial background through a narrative lens, so they aren’t the type of exception described in this framing.