<p>A lot of times, being an URM helps schools statistically ("we have 50+% students identifying with a minority")
And I think they see it in this sense also (not necessarily the stereotypically disadvantaged URM)</p>
<p>MODERATOR NOTICE in "Asian is NOT A HOOK" thread: </p>
<p>I'm about to combine the several affirmative action/ethnic identification threads into one combined thread. There have been several member requests to not have too many threads on the same issue. But look at for posts that get out of sequence after the threads have merged.</p>
<p>MODERATOR NOTICE in "Affirmative Action???" thread: </p>
<p>I'm about to combine the several affirmative action/ethnic identification threads into one combined thread. There have been several member requests to not have too many threads on the same issue. But look at for posts that get out of sequence after the threads have merged. </p>
<p>Please remember all of the College Confidential Terms of Service </p>
<p>as you participate in College Confidential threads.</p>
<p>The arguments they use to keep Asians out sound as spurious as they arguments used decades ago to keep Jews out.</p>
<p>MODERATOR NOTICE in "How much does checking the "Hispanic" box really help?" thread: </p>
<p>I'm about to combine the several affirmative action/ethnic identification threads into one combined thread. There have been several member requests to not have too many threads on the same issue. But look at for posts that get out of sequence after the threads have merged. </p>
<p>Please remember all of the College Confidential Terms of Service </p>
<p>as you participate in College Confidential threads.</p>
<p>
[quote]
even if you leave the ethnicity box blank, admins. will automatically know that you're asian once they see:</p>
<p>800 M
800 M SAT II
Piano 14 years
AIME</p>
<p>Oh, and don't be offended by the post...it's no secret that Asians typically excell in mathematics and play piano (or violin).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'd be much more likely to get something like this:
800 CR
800 English Language/Literature
High scores in Spanish and Chinese
And then some achievement related to debate/art/FPS/Theater/creative writing. </p>
<p>And THIS is why I wish my name was Emily Lee.</p>
<p>My pet peeve in discussions relating to affirmative action is that someone will always bring up the fact that Asians are only more qualified because they are "hard workers"--and somehow imply that this is less of an achievement, or imply that therefore the results aren't worth anything/ half as much. And that's the silliest thing I've ever heard. </p>
<p>It's worth NOTHING if you're born brilliant and you achieve more- you didn't do anything for that. But hard work- it means a lot to be able to motivate yourself to work hard consistently, day by day, to achieve your goals. And before somebody asks, this is not because I'm a bitter little child over my wrongs- I'm so far from a hard worker it isn't even funny. </p>
<p>So it really, really annoys me when people mention that slightly scornfully, as if- "They're such overachievers, they only succeed because they study so much for the SATs/their homework"- as if that isn't just as good or BETTER than achieving the same result through talent alone. And for admissions purposes, it should be worth exactly the same.</p>
<p>Eh. You sound bitter.</p>
<p>If I was in admissions, I'd choose the brilliant underachiever over the hardworking overachiever. The former has the potential to get his act together, work hard, and do something incredible. The second one isn't gonna be able to do anymore than he's already doing- he's already "maxed out.'</p>
<p>I think if I were on an admission committee, one thing I would be looking for is acheivers, all the time, because they tend to increase their capacity to achieve in the future. I wouldn't limit my definition of "achievement" to what happens in the high school classroom or the admissions test testing room either.</p>
<p>Keshira: I think you have to understand WHY asians typically perform much better on standardized tests than other racial groups. Culturally, they have a much different view of success than other racial groups. Specifically, they see success and failure as a group effort. For example, performing poorly on the SAT would be a failure and disappointment to the whole family. So, typically families of Asians push their students into performing well. Now, for other racial groups, these people are not pushed as hard.</p>
<p>Now, what I said above is no doubt based on some form of stereotypes -- but I know many high-achieving asian people, and the response as to why they do well is pretty uniform - they want to please their families. In contrast, the non-asian people I've met throughout my high school career are typically not AS driven(that's not to say they're not driven at all, just on average, less so). </p>
<p>So, assuming that Asians are pushed much harder, we can further assume that Asians are being pushed to their maximum potential(i.e. there's almost no room for improvement). So, a non-asian person with an SAT of, say 1400 may be CAPABLE of achieving an SAT of 1550, but just not driven enough by his family to do so. By contrast, if an asian gets an SAT score of 1400, based on the above assumption, we can assume that the student has no possibility of performing better.</p>
<p>Again, I know what I said above is heavily based on stereotypes -- it does not apply to everyone by any means. However, it provides an explanation as to why asians typically perform better on average, and why they are often considered to be mere harder workers - not smarter.</p>
<p>
[quote]
So, assuming that Asians are pushed much harder, we can further assume that Asians are being pushed to their maximum potential(i.e. there's almost no room for improvement).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't assume that at all, and I have research-based reasons for doubting that assumption. </p>
<p>STANFORD</a> Magazine: March/April 2007 > Features > Mind-set Research</p>