I think I always forget how privileged I am. I benefited from many points laid out in the article by Mr. Levy: my parents explicitly moved to one of the best school zones in Tallahassee just for me to get a better shot at college applications, I also had the benefit of them expediting the citizenship process so I could apply as an American citizen, and they provided enough money for all the extracurricular I needed. All this after living in graduate student housing for 2 years.
I like to think that I can do what I am doing without my parents’ support, but the truth is I can’t. So much of success is dependent on having a good family. I don’t think any of the people currently in my graduate program came from an under-privileged home… and to be honest, all of my friends are quite affluent.
Do I agree with the article? Yes. Do I think it’s enough? No. College is the end of the road which starts from pre-K. Certainly universities can offer more aide, or allocate more slots for under-represented students, but will this really pull them up? I don’t think so; the system right now is too fundamentally broken for a top-down approach.