ummmm… not exactly. As everyone else who has posted on this thread has said, this article is basically not true. The article, upon further reflection, clearly cherry picks certain individuals and consulting firms. The only way I can see that you can draw a conclusion that basically all Asians are prestige obsessed is from the one girl who was disappointed in her UPenn acceptance. 1- This article was written by a Caucasian author, so really a person of another race is creating this stereotype, and 2- that is one example, give me some data or some real non-anecdotal evidence that shows that Asians are prestige obsessed. Also, you miss a larger point that this obsession with prestige is not unique to Asians, it applies to all races. I really hope that you keep your ignorant comments to yourself in the future.
@HRSMom
Yes, thank you. I have realized that this article is basically propaganda that is really taking a narrow view on the subject. I was worried unnecessarily.
If you are planning on Med school then there is no reason to be shooting for elites. Find a fit, ace your classes, and kill the MCAT. Undergrad prestige matters very little.
A lot of stereotyping in this thread.
Live your life for the now, not because it will help you get into Yale or looks better to Vandy. Do what you like, be honest on applications and in interviews. My daughter is Asian but you’d never know it from her resume or application. Took Spanish, played lacrosse, likes country music, no interest in medicine at all, likes to wear Billabong and Ripcurl clothing, has an Irish name, likes Mexican food much more than Chinese. I can’t think of anything except checking the Asian box under race that would have indicted that she was Asian, and you are not required to indicate your race on the applications.
If you are from NYC or San Fran or another highly Asian population center, you will have more competition and being Asian might go against you, just because they only accept a certain number of people from each area. If you are from Kansas City or Santa Fe or Atlanta, areas that get a regional plus at the Ivies, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Or you could send me $100,000 and I’ll whitewash your resume for you.
I guess this thread is based off of the consideration of stereotypes in admissions, but some of the stereotyping on this thread is unacceptable…
@twoinanddone
I think I will take the last option lol
To change the direction on this thread, OP, it might be helpful for you to know that medical schools are much less ‘prestige oriented’ than many other graduate schools. It’s more about your GPA and MCAT score than where you attended college. For many serious pre-meds, the goal is to attend a school where you feel confident that you can be at the top of the class academically (and not go into debt because medical school is extremely expensive). Here’s some data you might find useful:
I could go to North Dakota State University and do my pre-med there. there’s no point on going to elite schools for pre-med. Every pre-med is the same.
While I am pretty sure that I want to be a doctor, my parents have seen many students who have changed their mind midway through college or have not been able to get into med school, so they believe that I should go to a strong college so that if I do change my mind, I can still get a very highly valued degree.
There are 100+ schools outside of the Ivys that will give you this. Probably even 200+
I understand that; however, it is hard to argue that getting a degree from Georgetown, Notre Dame, Cornell, etc would not provide a good alumni network and possibly a prestige factor that would give you a leg up in the job market.
Penn state has the biggest alumni, compared to the ivy’s
There are some obvious exceptions such as Penn State, but biggest alumni network does also not equate to best. Going to Dartmouth, for example, would be far more useful in getting a job on Wall Street, especially at Morgan Stanley, than Penn State. Dartmouth is a very small college but the alumni network has its clear benefits.
There’s a staff member working at my community college who went to Columbia…
Follow your dream. Be yourself. You sound like a bright kid with a good plan.
I am not trying to argue that going to a good college is everything, far from it. There was a post in HONY today about how a student who went to Columbia can’t find a job anywhere because he didn’t study. If you work hard in either situation, you will find a job and can work your way to success. However, at the end of the day, all things being equal, the Columbia grad has the advantage over the Penn State grad.
@HRSMom
Thank you for your kind words.
^ there’s only one ivy school…