{"id":58353,"date":"2023-08-02T12:15:20","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T19:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/applicant-opportunities-in-the-wake-of-the-affirmative-action-decision\/"},"modified":"2023-10-04T05:49:01","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T12:49:01","slug":"applicant-opportunities-in-the-wake-of-the-affirmative-action-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/applicant-opportunities-in-the-wake-of-the-affirmative-action-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"Applicant Opportunities in the Wake of the Affirmative Action Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Writing Your Way Aboard \u201cSpaceship MBA\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

While many in the admissions world were dismayed by the Supreme Court ruling that ended the use of Affirmative Action in US college admissions, I remember reading the words of Chief Justice Roberts in the majority Supreme Court opinion and feeling at least initially hopeful about the opportunity it provides for candidates to tell their unique stories.<\/p>\n

As Judith Silverman Hodara and Caroline Diarte Edwards shared in this recent P&Q article<\/a>, Roberts made it clear that applicants have every right to use application essays to share how their identity \u2014 any aspect of their identity, including their race \u2014 has shaped their \u201cquality of character or unique abilities.\u201d Admissions committees are free to consider these stories when evaluating applicants.<\/p>\n

The result? Schools are updating their applications to provide more opportunities for applicants to express their identity through storytelling . New essay questions invite candidates to share how formative experiences related to race and other aspects of identity shaped who they are and what they hope to achieve in life.<\/p>\n

Business schools are responding to the ruling by providing more ways for candidates to tell who they are and share their unique stories \u2014 and that\u2019s an opportunity every candidate can seize.<\/p>\n

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Promptly Adjusting Prompts<\/b><\/h2>\n

Since the ruling came down, Fortuna has seen business schools release their applications with significant changes likely inspired by their desire to recruit a diverse class under new rules. For instance, Harvard Business School removed an optional essay used last year that specifically asked about race from its 2023\u20132024 application. However, the primary component of the HBS application remains an open-ended 900-word essay question applicants answer however they\u2019d like:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program?\u201d<\/p>\n

This offers candidates a wide-open opportunity to explore and explain their identity on their terms. Similarly, Wharton took out an item seeking ethnicity information under the biographical section of its application, with this added note: \u201cAt Wharton, we recognize that one\u2019s cultural affinity cannot be confined to simple checkboxes. Please feel free tell us more about your cultural background and identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schools that have not faced direct legal challenges similar to Harvard\u2019s responded by nimbly realigning their essay prompts to stay within the \u201cRoberts loophole.\u201d The Fortuna team has already written about<\/a> Kellogg, Tuck, and Fuqua\u2019s updated essays. Other top schools have application formats that provide blank canvases for candidates to share relevant aspects of their identities or have added open-ended questions to provide space for this. For example:<\/p>\n

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