Top Ten Percent Rule In Depth: Is It Really Fair?

Over the past 100 yrs, or nation has struggled with discrimination and prejudice, but through dire times attempts by people such as Martin Luther King to create racial equality have proved to be successful. Fortunately, Americans are now better informed and many of the unintelligent unreasonable prejudice among individuals, has been lifted. Sadly what has not changed is the racial wealth divide among communities that seek to attain economic equality. Contemporary society needs to take the proper measures to raise public awareness of the historical and contemporary barriers to economic equality and racial justice. While many Americans would consider wealth to be monetary, wealth is not just about money. True wealth, according to Manoj Sharma [1], the head of DifferWorld's [2]faculty makes a very strong case of the importance of factoring in both financial wealth and non-financial wealth. Manoj Sharma's definition of True Wealth, the combination of financial, mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wealth and how it is channeled towards the general good of humanity provides a more accurate meaning for the old English word “weal,” the derivative of wealth. If the society where the individual resides is unable to meet there needs, it compromises the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
In Texas, colleges no longer use affirmative action when considering applicants. Instead Texas took a broader approach to diversify higher education institutions, and implemented the “Top Ten Percent” rule, which allows any graduate in the top ten percent of his or her class admission to the Texas College of their choice, permitting they follow the guidelines for applying under the new rule. Unfortunately, for many students, the guidelines they follow, which permit certain applicants, s arguably unjust. While the universities seek to diversify their population, many applicants from states other than Texas, applicants who have notably higher grades, are being denied access due to the “top 10” percent rule. This raises questions about the admissions process, as well as questions about the skill level some of the students are at who are being automatically accepted to some of the best schools in the country. With numerous numbers of high schools not meeting satisfactory standards, what does that say about the education they have received, as opposed to a magnet schools “top 10” percent. You answer the question, is it really fair