Reflective Essay: Specialized High School Admissions

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"No matter how good you are, no matter how big your brain or sophisticated your words, once your pigmented skin changes from caramel to chocolate, your good will never be good enough." This was an ignorant, although well-intentioned, statement addressed to my impressionable eighth grade classmates - misguided advice that discouraged half of the already small group of students from taking the Specialized High School Admissions Test. My concerned teacher's opinion cost my classmates - and almost cost me - the educational opportunity of a lifetime.

In the fall semester of eighth grade, I watched my best friend succumb to self-doubt. As we researched the racial composition of the specialized high schools, she cried out, "This is sad. Out of the 6,400 African Americans who took the test, a measly 320 received an offer of admissions. Let's be real, we don't belong in those schools." I wanted to disagree with her, but I …show more content…

Despite the fact that I am the only female Black student in many of my classes, I have rarely felt out of place. With the help of encouraging teachers and a rigorous curriculum, my school has helped me grow intellectually and emotionally. I am appreciative of the endless opportunities that it offers, but I cannot help but wish more African American students were afforded these same possibilities.
The rapidly decreasing number of African Americans in the specialized high schools troubles me. I am convinced that the decrease is not due to intellectual aptitude, but to lack of preparation and confidence. In my final fall semester of middle school, my school did not have the funding to prepare us for the Specialized High School Admissions Test. Instead of the months, or even years, of preparation that more privileged students undergo, my classmates and I received a three-week crash

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