Affirmative Action and Minority Enrollments in Medical and Law Schools

Affirmative action is one of the central issues of American politics today, and admission to colleges and universities has been at the center of the debate. While this issue has been discussed for years, there is very little real data on the impact of affirmative action programs on admissions to institutions of higher learning. Susan Welch and John Gruhl in this groundbreaking study look at the impact on admissions of policies developed in the wake of the United States Supreme Court's landmark 1978 Bakke decision. In __Bakke__, the Court legitimized the use of race as one of several factors that could be considered in admissions decisions, while forbidding the use of quotas. Opponents of affirmative action claim that because of the Bakke decision thousands of less-qualified minorities have been granted admission in preference to more qualified white students; proponents claim that without the affirmative action policies articulated in __Bakke__, minorities would not have made the gains they have made in higher education. Based on a survey of admissions officers for law and medical schools and national enrollment data, the authors give us the first analysis of the real impact of the Bakke decision and affirmative action programs on enrollments in medical and law schools. Admission to medical schools and law schools is much sought after and is highly competitive. In examining admissions patterns to these schools the authors are able to identify the effects of affirmative action programs and the Bakke decision in what may be the most challenging case. This book will appeal to scholars of race and gender in political science, sociology and education as well as those interested in the study of affirmative action policies. Susan Welch is Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Professor of Political Science, Pennsylvania State University. John Gruhl is Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Affirmative action is one of the central issues of American politics today, and admission to colleges and universities has been at the center of the debate. While this issue has been discussed for years, there is very little real data on the impact of affirmative action programs on admissions to institutions of higher learning. Susan Welch and John Gruhl in this groundbreaking study look at the impact on admissions of policies developed in the wake of the United States Supreme Court's landmark 1978 Bakke decision. In Bakke, the Court legitimized the use of race as one of several factors that could be considered in admissions decisions, while forbidding the use of quotas. Opponents of affirmative action claim that because of the Bakke decision thousands of less-qualified minorities have been granted admission in preference to more qualified white students; proponents claim that without the affirmative action policies articulated in Bakke, minorities would not have made the gains they have made in higher education.
Based on a survey of admissions officers for law and medical schools and national enrollment data, the authors give us the first analysis of the real impact of the Bakke decision and affirmative action programs on enrollments in medical and law schools. Admission to medical schools and law schools is much sought after and is highly competitive. In examining admissions patterns to these schools the authors are able to identify the effects of affirmative action programs and the Bakke decision in what may be the most challenging case.
This book will appeal to scholars of race and gender in political science, sociology and education as well as those interested in the study of affirmative action policies. Susan Welch is Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Professor of Political Science, Pennsylvania State University. John Gruhl is Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

"In this study, Susan Welch and John Gruhl look at what impact policies developed in the wake of the landmark 1978 United States Supreme Court decision, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, have had on admissions. The Bakke decision legitimized the use of race as one of several factors that could be considered in admissions decisions, while forbidding the use of quotas. Using the results of a survey of admissions officers for law and medical schools and national enrollment data, the authors give us the first analysis of the real impact that the Bakke decision and affirmative action programs had on enrollments in medical and law schools. The authors then review affirmative action cases and analyze the current debate over affirmative action policy in light of Bakke's effects and in light of the changing nature of American demographics and politics." "This book will appeal to scholars of race and gender in political science, sociology, and education as well as those interested in the study of affirmative action policies."--Jacket Contents 6 Preface 8 Introduction 10 1. Desegregation, Affirmative Action, and Bakke 16 2. The Context of Bakke: Resources and Competition 46 3. Perceptions of Bakke and Its Impact 70 4. Bakke and the Applicant Pool 94 5. Bakke and Admissions Decisions 116 6. Minority Enrollment and the Courts 142 Appendixes 186 A. The Survey 188 B. Schools Whose Surveys Were Completed 190 C. Statistical Information for Chapters 4 and 5 193 Notes 196 References 206 Subject and Author Index 222 Index of Court Opinions 232