Asians at Swarthmore, Haverford, Penn

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm a 9th grader at a Catholic school in Reading, PA with an enrollment of ~700. I'm starting to research college choices and my goal is to get into Swat, Hav, or Penn.</p>

<p>I did well my first quarter: took the most challenging curriculum offered and got a GPA of 3.96W or 3.76U. My EC are good but will be improved as I focus on them more.</p>

<p>So... my question is this: assuming I continue to work hard and get all the top "numbers" (standardized tests, most challenging curriculum, GPA, class rank, ECs, recs, ect.), taking into consideration I am an Asian male (born in US, parents r Vietnamese), does this factor help or hurt my chances at Swat? I believe from what I've read that my racial background would lessen my chances for acceptance at HYPS types of schools.</p>

<p>Does anyone have recent stats on the number of Asians that applied to and were accepted at Swat? Hav? Penn?</p>

<p>I believe the # of Asians at Hav is much less than at Swat. Is this because less Asians apply there? or is it because Hav accepts less Asians? Would I have better or less chance of being accepted at Hav based on my race?</p>

<p>Right now, my goal is to just get into any of these 3 schools and I'm trying to determine where I may have the best chance since all 3 are so selective. My personal preference is a LAC since one of the things I love about my HS is its small size and intimacy. (btw, the composition at my HS is very similar to Hav (~5% Asians, ~8% Hispanics, ~4% AA, ~2% internationals)</p>

<p>I'm writing this in my 8th period computer class. My teacher is impressed I'm researching colleges already. Hahaha. I'm such a nerd.</p>

2

<p>Being Asian will actually probably help you with Swat, just given that it’s composition (~1/6 Asian) pales in comparison to the schools of a similar caliber (HYPS probably have more of a 1/3 Asian ratio). Therefore, I don’t think it’ll hurt you.
Plus, if your Asian at Swat, you’re considered a minority. I heard speculation that when they sent early writes (a.k.a. likely letters) this year, they specifically targeted minorities, which allegedly includes African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans.</p>

3

<p>Not sure where you’re getting the 1/3 Asian ratio, given that HYP is less than 20% asian.</p>

4

<p>The holistic admissions processes used at highly selective private schools are opaque, so no one on the outside can really answer your question for sure.</p>

<p>Be aware that “diversity” is not just about race or ethnicity. At many of these schools, they want to “build a diverse class of unique individuals”. So, among applicants with similar academic records, if you are one of thousands of Asian applicants whose primary extracurricular is playing piano and/or violin, and whose secondary extracurricular is math club, you may not stand out as well compared to having more unusual and less commonly stereotypical extracurriculars.</p>

<p>(Yes, Amy Chua’s daughter got into Harvard as a stereotypical “tiger child” – but she was a double legacy and a celebrity.)</p>