'A whole new world': College-bound students process Supreme Court affirmative action ruling
BOSTON - The Supreme Court's polarizing decision about affirmative action now has future college students processing how it will impact their prospects. It will benefit some and hurt others.
"It kind of shocked me honestly," said rising high school senior Alan Cai.
The conservative Supreme Court majority struck down affirmative action, saying race as a factor in college admissions violates the Constitution.
"I kind of can see both sides, because I'm Asian American right, it technically helps me personally and also I can kind of understand the arguments like why should race be part of college applications," Alan said.
The Noble and Greenough student has his eyes on Harvard, or the University of Chicago.
On one hand, he benefits from the ruling. The case brought on by Students for Fair Admissions argued that Harvard discriminated against Asian Americans.
But on the other hand, Alan believes disadvantaged and underrepresented students should be given a chance because race shapes a person's life experience, like his.
"I feel like we're kind of blinding ourselves, like we're like plugging our ears and closing our eyes to the reality in America which is that race permeates all parts of our society," Alan said.
Neil Chyten, president of Avalon Admission, is getting ready to help college-bound kids with the new reality.
"It does put us in a whole new world and it's a world that hasn't existed for 50 years in the US," said Chyten.
He's already been helping kids get into college for three decades as the president and college counselor for Avalon Admission. His advice for students: Make all your high school years count.
"The most important thing is you can just continue to be a good person. To show compassion and to show worldliness and to show grit and determination," Chyten said.
The court said the admissions essay will become the place to talk about race. Experts say that makes the essay even more essential.
"It's always been important and it's going to be more important now because it's a place for you to tell your story," Chyten said.
It's still unclear what the actual college application will look like for the next admissions class, but universities will now have to create a new roadmap for cultivating diversity in their student bodies.