Although this is not what a lot of folks want to hear, the information you mention here matches what I have read elsewhere and also witnessed anecdotally.

Also, as you point out, the Roberts opinion makes it clear that colleges can still consider how race has impacted an applicant’s life. But that will need to come out in an essay or interview.

The difficulty for admissions officers, however, is that the process is data driven. They will no longer be able to separate Black applicants into a pile because they have checked a box on a form but will have to look more carefully at each application.

The president of U Michigan acknowledges that doing away with affirmative action has led to fewer Black students, but he and other college administrators are pursuing a more wholistic approach.

I appreciate the factual basis of your article and am glad you’ve pointed out that affirmative action programs have tended to benefit well-off African Americans. It remains to be seen whether economically disadvantaged applicants will benefit from the court’s decision. And I’ll be particularly interested in what happens to legacy admissions in the future.

Thanks for taking the time to write this.