How does the college process look different?

Micah Lyles, Co-Director of College Counseling, said the ruling changes some application questions for colleges.   

“Simply, colleges can no longer ask students to check a box indicating their race,” Lyles said. “Many applications still have the checkbox for data-collection purposes, but when it’s sent to colleges, they will not receive that information.” 

Lyles added that many schools now include an extra question in their applications, allowing students to discuss their background in the form of an essay. He added that one downside of the ruling is the way he hears students reflecting on it.  

“I feel that some students feel like their identity is being undervalued,” Lyles said. “To me, the most apparent con that we see is just the impact that it has had on students in how they perceive their identity.” 

Lyles said that the actual effects of the ruling are yet to be determined. However, he added that because of the Court’s decision, he sees more students who are willing to write about their identity.  

“I do think there is a tendency to misconstrue, and people assume it’s just about college when affirmative action is so much larger,” Lyles said. “That’s some of the conversations we have with students, and we try to make it clear that there is no case where one single factor is causing one student to take a place from another student in the overall context of the admissions process.” 

Lyles stresses the importance of researching each college before applying, something the College Counseling Team helps juniors with during the spring. He encourages students to visit the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) website, which provides more information about the ruling in detail.  

“Students are making their college lists based upon their research,” Lyles said. “They are going to find the places that value them, where they can find what they are looking for in an academic and personal environment.”  

Lyles also said that the immediate impact on the Hockaday College Counseling Team really consists of the amount of time they are having to spend understanding the ruling and connecting with college representatives about their stances on the law.  

“As far as our daily work with students, the overturning hasn’t changed anything,” Lyles said. “We are so fortunate here to have a process that is so individual that we sit behind these doors and help students fully represent themselves in their application, and we will continue to do that.” 

Tracey Tevis, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Hockaday, got involved with DEI (Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX) initiatives during her time in college. Since then, she has held roles throughout all education groups, recently working in the DEI office at Baylor University. She was working at Baylor at the time of the ruling, allowing her to observe the direct effects of what overturning affirmative action meant for colleges.  

“We were having conversations at Baylor about the overturning in my office,” Tevis said. “For me at first, I was a little shocked when I heard about the Court’s decision.” 

Tevis stressed the importance of doing research before forming an opinion, especially when it comes to polarizing topics like affirmative action.  

“You can’t just look at TikTok and Facebook,” Tevis said. “You need to hear both sides so you’re able to form an opinion on things.” 

Tevis added that students will still talk about how their race plays a role in their lives if they choose to discuss it in their applications. She also outlined how research shows that learning in places with diverse individuals helps develop skills like creativity and problem-solving. She encouraged students to discuss in their college applications what makes them who they are, especially if that includes certain identifiers (e.g. race, socioeconomic status, ability, age, gender, religion).  

“If you feel like your race, socioeconomic status, gender or age (or other identities) affect how you see or view the world, I encourage students to speak about these things because that makes you who you are,” Tevis said.