Every so often, you come across defenders of racial preferences who say that the mismatch argument is merely a theory — and they often insinuate that those who make the argument are motivated by animosity towards the students who supposedly benefit. I suggest that they read this L.A. Times piece about a black student from one of the worst areas of Los Angeles who did his best in a miserable high school and found himself enrolled at UC Berkeley. As much as we want this student to succeed, it’s obvious that he would have been much better off at one of the Cal State schools or a community college. At Berkeley, he was in over his head academically.