As you may have noticed, college is a huge thing for seniors right now, even though it is still only September. And, of course, it is almost impossible to discuss the college admissions process without discussing the role that affirmative action plays in the acceptance or denial of applicants.

Affirmative action is a process – nearly all colleges utilize it to some extent – that favors certain races and national origins, most notably African-Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics. As a result, these favored minority groups can have notably lower scores than Caucasians or Asian-Americans, but still receive acceptance over more qualified students.

There is no need to spend time discussing the often huge differences between the scores of “affirmative action students,” who are accepted, and “non-affirmative action students,” who are rejected. While these are troubling, there are other reasons why affirmative action simply is a damaging system.

Initially, affirmative action was created to level the playing field for black people who had suffered for centuries under slavery and discrimination. However, it soon attracted the attention of the Supreme Court in Bakke v. Regents of the University of California. In this case, a well-qualified candidate applied to the University of California, Davis School of Medicine and was rejected, in part because the university used a quota system that reserved 16 of the 100 seats for minority students. In the decision, the Court decided that the quota was wrong, but that race could be used as a factor in admissions for the sake of diversity. It is this that leads to the continuation of affirmative action.

I choose to address the diversity argument because of its ludicrous nature. Diversity is important from state schools to elite colleges. However, diversity can be achieved just as easily in a class of all whites. Diversity can be described in a multitude of ways. A white student living in a small town differs greatly from a white student living in New York City, perhaps even more so than a black student and a white student both living in New York City. Furthermore, it is wrong to think that all black students are the same. Black students, just as much as other races, are unique individuals, and assuming that they will provide a special, diverse blend is almost insulting.

Even if the diversity argument was credible, it is impossible to deny that affirmative action is a form of discrimination. Identical candidates are being treated differently because of their race. While not as extreme as the separate water fountains of the 1950s and 1960s, this is separation on the basis of race.

A recent print Panorama article noted that racism was still not extinct in America. The article is absolutely correct. Until there is no longer a bubble for race on the Common Application, we will never achieve a color-blind America.

I’m just saying.