I disagree with Emily. Race and socieoeconomic status and overall culture deeply effect how hard you are pushed. If you come from a culture with few examples of academic success it is not expected that you will succeed where others have not. Culturally, it is also true that education is more valued in some cultures than others. What your parents do is not always strong enough to overcome such barriers, and sometimes it is necessary to distance yourself from your own culture so that you will be suscessful academically, like choosing to come to a school that is prodominantely white to get a better education for example. The MSA program is a response to these ideas. Saying that cultures/races/ethnicities that are underrepresented in higher education need an extra push. And on a side note: These kinds of discussions are what the heart of the MSA program is trying to encourage. Getting along fine when we don't talk about race doesn't mean that race isn't an issue. The heated discussion over it now that it has been brought up is proof that it is an important issue.