<p>Here's my little theory about immigrants. The biggest thing is that people that have to learn their second language are much more alert both at school and in everyday environment outside the school. I came to america a year and a half ago, and first six or seven months i literally had to listen to every single word people say, to me or not, because i desperately wanted to improve my english, especially understanding of different ways to say things and acents - we all know how frustrating it is when you don't understand what people say to you. Also, you not only have to hear things that are being said, but also to comprehend and understand them, and the first 2-3 months you have to translate them into your native language in order to understand them completely. You might think that this elevated level of attention has to do only with language, but after being like that for an extended period of time, you just cant completely get out of it. So even though i do not have problems with english anymore, i still listen to every single thing the teacher says and i still understand them. I think this is what they call "active learning" - when you think things through instead of just listening. And i still subconciously make myself read every single word it the book even if i absolutely hate it but i have to read it for school. So my point is: people with english as their second language are more able to learn and more concentrated, but not because they are asians or representatives of other races, but because they had to go through this whole process of learning English.</p>
<p>Good explanation, dima, and congratulations to your success. Your English is impeccable! It shows also the points you made about being careful to listen and evaluate, and it translated to your writing as well.</p>
<p>You have learned extraordinarily well in such short time. As an aside, I can't wait to read your future college essay :)</p>
<p>It's true that many Asians are smart...but then it's also true that many Caucasians are smart...and it's also true that every race has people who are smart. What I'm saying is: it's not because Asians are "Asians" that we seem smart but because we ourselves as individuals are smart and dilligent. I live in a nation with almost 100% Asians, and my friends and acquaintances are DEFENITELY NOT all smart. Like all races, Asians have their smart ones and their average ones. It's just that most Asians in the U.S. work extra hard or are born of higher class, privileged families that have better genes in their DNA.</p>
<p>Lol, no asians are not necessairly naturally smarter. They are pressured WAY more by their parents to do well. They are pressured to do well academically, much more so than athletically. It's funny I go to a school that is 20% white, 20% Asian, 20% Filipino, 20% Latino, 10% black, 5% Arab, and 5% other. (I'm white) All the Asians I know at my school are smart, but have to study A LOT. I study 5 minutes before class starts and pull a higher grade than them. W/e.</p>
<p>Umm...I wouldn't say that all Asians who do well study a lot. I for one hardly studied in high school.</p>
<p>Some good points were exchanged here. I wouldnt dismiss it as flame. If one cares to read enough through this thread, a plausible pattern does emerge, and helps explain the preposition, or dispels myth, depending on your point of view.</p>
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Umm...I wouldn't say that all Asians who do well study a lot. I for one hardly studied in high school.
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<p>Did I say ALL asians, I said all asians at MY SCHOOL.</p>
<p>Does Takeru Kobayashi count as an athlete? :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Asians do so well in school because they get hounded by their parents. That's it.</p>
<p>SO, you have to admire their parents for putting in the effort to hound the kids. Some kids need to be hounded, else they waste their youth and become bums.</p>
<p>Asian culture emphasizes education strongly, and kids are taught to work hard in everything. </p>
<p>Also, only the top of the top (in China, but I'd assume it's like this for most of the East Asian countries) are able to secure a green card and emigrate to America. Therefore, what you have is a disproportinate amount of smart Chinese people living in America. There are in fact plenty of dumb Chinese living in China who end up as like, taxi drivers and doormen. So in America, all people see are mad smart Asians everywhere</p>
<p>It's all about US Immigration policy. We try to keep most people out and get a few in.</p>
<p>I was in China last summer, and the difference between Chinese-Americans and Chinese in the PRC was almost too great to be believed. But when I got home and thought about it, it began to make sense: your average person living in a poor neighborhood or rural village in Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, or the PRC may want to come to America, but can't afford to. The ones who are able to afford to make the trip are only the most exceptionally qualified. Remember: the cost of a plane ticket from China to America plus all the visas and documents necassary to move to America are close to half an average person's yearly income, so most immigrants have to be making way more than average. To do that, they need a good education. So naturally, they come to place a high value on education, which their American children then inherit. </p>
<p>Also, Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans prosper the most, while Southeast Asians have high rates of poverty.</p>
<p>they just work hard, everyone is smart if they work hard</p>
<p>"I was in China last summer, and the difference between Chinese-Americans and Chinese in the PRC was almost too great to be believed."</p>
<p>lmao what were you expecting? a whole nation filled with kids who get straight A's and get 1300 SAT scores?</p>
<p>wrathofachilles, I think the cost of coming over to the USA is just one factor restricting immigration from East Asia... another, and perhaps more important factor, is that the USA no longer hands out visas like candy, and is quite restrictive in Asian immigration, essentially only handing out visas to grad students or professionals. I don't know of anyone from China getting a visa to come to the USA to do manual labor.</p>
<p>I don't think the US Government gives visas to anybody to come do manual labor...immigrants who do manual labor are most likely not here legally or are here on family reunification visas.</p>
<p>btw, when was the US handing out visas like candy? I think I missed this lol</p>
<p>well, i forgot the numbers, but average brain size actually increases in measures of square inches from black to white to asian. this of course means nothing in terms of intelligence, since those with smaller brains can have tighter and more concentrated neural connections, but its just something to think about.</p>
<p>Correct 1337hax0r, statistically people with smaller craniums tend to be more intelligent than those with larger ones.</p>
<p>that doesn't make sense
ants would be the smartest animals ever according to that logic</p>
<p>There is no proven strong correlation between brain size and intelligence. There were studies done that have shown no relationship or a very weak one where larger brain equaled more intelligence. Men pack about 10% more brain than women but they are surely not 10% smarter. This kind of difference would have had dramatic consequences on SAT performance and college admissions of women, which is not there. Relative to body size, women actually pack a bit more brain than men. So brain size can simply be reflecting the size of your body.</p>
<p>Ants are smart. They colonized almost every continent as did humans. They live in societies governed by monarchs as did humans. And they wage ant wars for territory. If some disaster strikes they may very well outlive humans since there also have more genetic diversity (more species present than just one).</p>