<p>You all are talking about Asian people like they are some kind of infestation, some kind of plague in college admissions. It’s quite disturbing….</p>
<p>There is such an absurd lack of understanding behind the complexities of race-based affirmative action in this thread.</p>
<p>To correct some people, colleges do NOT use a "quota" system. When you are applying for college you aren't competing just against people of your race alone; you are competing against all of the other applicants. No college uses quotas anymore, those all died in the 1980s.</p>
<p>Oh and PS, b151, mark whatever the hell you want for the UCs, UC schools don't look at race as a factor.</p>
<p>They don't ACTUALLY decrease your SATs. The decrease is the projected decrease at an admissions office. That said, it's still unfair they punish Asians for working hard.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
On the common app, I have a choice as to weather I state what race I am from or not. Technically (!) I am Asian. I hail from Iraq. Would it be better if I stated this or if I did not?
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Iraqis are classified as white according to the US Census. But they may have a different standard.</p>
<p>I have a Christian (normal American) name but I'm an Indian American. Should I choose not to mark "Asian" on it if it is optional? Since my name obviously doesn't sound "Asian", wouldn't I get away with it?</p>
<p>I think it depends heavily on the major. I didn't mark mine, and didn't declare a major. Hopefully that'll obfuscate things nicely.</p>
<p>Look just put it this way. </p>
<p>A yellow kid gets 4.0 GPA, basketball team captain, score of 2300 on SAT</p>
<p>Now a white kid comes along and has the exact same resume the yellow kid has. </p>
<p>The white kid will be admitted over the yellow kid.</p>
<p>I'm sorry but that's just the way it is. If you were to go to an asian country, it will be the other way around.</p>
<p>kk19131 You all are talking about Asian people like they are some kind of infestation, some kind of plague in college admissions. Its quite disturbing . </p>
<p>hate to think of it, but everyone with some sense knows it's true...</p>
<p>especially according to that Princeton Report. </p>
<p>Besides, I think it may not qualify as "infestation" since asians in the US still remain a relatively small number. But if you look at the influence taking in account of the population, I guess it works.</p>
<p>I don't believe that schools discriminate against Asians. If you have an Asian kid who can be a contributing athlete on a college team,given all stats being equal, he will not be at a disadvantage over caucasians. Actually adcoms I know at selective schools tell me that they do not bother to track race except for URMs which are put in a category of their own and assessed separately. I believe it. When you see the tons of apps that come in, I doubt that the adcoms scrutinize them for Asian characteristics, and many non URMs do not bother to fill out the optional ethnic origin/race part of the app as it is optional. So when you are looking at Asian numbers at a school, they are grossly under the actual count. If you think the college tries to figure out who is of what race by name, picture, app and categorizes the students from their best guesses, you are mistaken. A Fernandez is not URM if he does not check off the Hispanic space.<br>
There are a lot of reasons a number of asians do not get into highly selective schools despite high test scores and grades. First of all, scores are clustered into categories so a 2400 and a 2300 may be given the same rating. So when the colleges look at their cheat sheet to decide who is to be admitted some of those very top students are indistinguishable from some slightly less perfect in test scores and other academic qualities. Then after the kids who have something very special to offer the school are immediately pulled for acceptance, the adcom tries to get some variety in majors, interests, different schools, geographics, all within a framework of those academic categories. Asian lose out because so many of them have the same profile whereas the top colleges want a good mix. Most adcoms like Asian students as their success rate is high and their trouble/dropout index is low once they are in college. I have seen other non URMs also not accepted despite high academic numbers when their profiles are so similar to Asians, since that profile has become so prevalent among the most selective colleges. Even then, percentage wise Asians are overrepresented statistically because of the high academic numbers they do tend to have. Only about a third of the top colleges admits are accepted on a pure academic basis.</p>
<p>Both of the papers sybbie cited conclude that Asians are screwed in college admissions. The only disagreement b/w them is the degree to which Asians are hurt by affirmative action.</p>
<p>Asians are over populated, but still lower than they could.</p>
<p>As an example (just an example, not actual numbers)
Asian students represtent 5% of the student body. </p>
<p>Merit wise, they could have 20% at the top schools, but actually there's only 10%.</p>
<p>10%>5%, they're overrepresented, but they should be even more due to the effort they had and achievements they made.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse are u an asian or not?
It's very funny when people say asians don't stand at a disadvantage competition.
If the truth is what you said, then what makes that report?
the affirmative action may directly and/or indirectly screw asians no matter one wants to admit or not.</p>