Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Current Information Need

I think I will stick with the topic of affirmative action in college admissions. I believe that it won't be to difficult finding sources of information. I'm sure if I go to the library there will be atleast a few books on the subject and even more on specifically affirmative action. There will be tons of information on the internet about it but the only difficulty here will be deciphering which sources are reliable. I'm sure many people may write about this controversial topic in a biased viewpoint and since I'm trying to use a strictly objective view, I'll need to avoid using some of the websites I find.

One of the main reasons I want to stick with this topic is because I feel like I could get a lot of insight from an admissions counselor right here on campus. My other ideas would have been much harder to find an expert and even if I did I don't think they could shed much more light then what I could find in books and on the internet. However, actually speaking to an admissions counselor, I could see what goes through their head as they are reviewing a minorities application and how much of a factor it is for them. They may even have insight into how other colleges do it.

The only thing that may change about my topic is whether or not I decide to focus it more. I may try to narrow down my research to a certain region like the south but I'll only do this if I find sufficient information while I'm researching.

Monday, August 27, 2007

My Prospectus

I would like to address the issue of how big of a factor affirmative action plays in college admissions. Through my research I will identify the common practices of most colleges regarding affirmative action. Then I will also look at some of the unique schools who have completely gotten rid of affirmative action and compare their student demographic to the colleges that still use it. I will also address how well the schools that use affirmative action are doing at establishing diversity.
In order to gather this information I will consult multiple sources. First I will look in books found in the library. I will also search the internet and use information and statistics from reliable sources. Then I will try to find information from a scholarly journal or magazine. Finally I will attempt to interview a couple of college admission counselors to gage how much they take into account race in college admissions.