<p>And, perhaps Asian-American parents can be over involved in a way that other people's parents are usually not (there are exceptions of course).</p>
<p>"Asian Guilt" (i.e. shame and invisibility) is a powerful tool in a parents box of tricks to use against an impressionable teen. If that doesn't work, they could always use the line: "what will all the other parents think...look at so and so at ____________, why can't you be like him/her?" Disappointing your community and how that reflects on your whole family are enough to have most Asian teens give in.</p>
<p>honestly, stanford vs princeton doesn't really matter all that much. I live in NJ, and in my school, we've got about a 3:1 ratio of people applying to Princeton and Stanford. Both are absolutely incredible, it just depends on location. Being Ivy League means pretty much nothing, since the ivys are mostly east-coast based anyway. The real point of the thread is the "ceiling" placed on asians...I'm an Indian and I'm well aware of of this...my guidance counselor actually told me..."apply to places in the midwest, where the asian population isn't so high...even then, a URM with a bit lower stats in me would be a shoe in to any college over me."</p>
<p>What???</p>
<p>Although Asians are comparatively pushing harder to get into top-tier schools, colleges are still a business...and they still have to market themselves as being ethnically diverse...If princeton ended up with a 60% asian population...many many other ethnicities would be hesitant to apply...</p>
<p>I'm glad that Antarius & Valentina have made some of my points for me. I won't repeat their thoughts, but I wanted to expand a tiny bit on what PipingHotTofu said. (Love that screen name.)</p>
<p>"colleges are still a business...and they still have to market themselves as being ethnically diverse."</p>
<p>True, but to my knowledge, business reasons are not at the heart of the goal of wide-ranging diversity: economically, ethnically, geographically, & in <em>types</em> of different talents, different special interests & accomplishments, brought to a college. The reason for this is that even private colleges have what is called a mission. (Often formally included in a mission statement, & you may already know this -- but always publicly available & often a subject of public discourse in local & larger media.) Admissions policies must reflect the U's mission, as well as current needs & "deficits."</p>
<p>"If princeton ended up with a 60% asian population...many many other ethnicities would be hesitant to apply..."</p>
<p>With Berkeley's 47% Asian population, many students hesitate to apply. This does not define diversity, to many students.</p>
<p>i don't know how i'd feel about someone who didn't apply to a school just because it was 47% of one minority. i suppose it's your loss. berkeley's an amazing school.</p>
<p>Yeah, they don't want to see another "boring asian" that wants to major biology, go to med school, math/science club, math/science genius, and piano/violin prodigy. They have too many of those already. </p>