10 undergraduates and two Asian-American recruiters … work for the Admissions Office’s minority recruitment program, … One goal of the program is to increase the diversity of the Asian-Americans who apply to Harvard.<br>
The minority recruiting program aims to bring in Asian-Americans who are underrepresented at Harvard, in both socioeconomic and ethnic background.</p>
<p>The groups that are least represented include urban, less advantaged East Asian-Americans, and students of South- and Southeast Asian descent.</p>
<p>Mina K. Park '98, a program coordinator, says the program targets Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese students who are less likely to apply.</p>
<p>“They’re worried because of the stereotype of Harvard,” Park says. “They’re worried whether or not they’ll fit in, whether they’ll be marginalized when they get here.”</p>
<p>According to Margot Hsu Carroll, a senior admissions officer who oversees Asian-American admissions, the program helps Byerly Hall target those who are underrepresented throughout the admissions process.</p>
<p>“People think everyone [in the Asian-American community] wants to go to Harvard, but there are students who believe they would never get into a place like this,” says Carroll, who is one of two “fourth readers” of Asian-American applications.</p>
<p>Although most applications for admission are read by three admissions officers, applications submitted by students of certain minorities–African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans and Puerto Ricans–are read a fourth time.</p>
<p>“We want to make sure that everything is considered fairly,” Carroll says. “Sometimes things could be biased against Asian-Americans and we try to make sure things are fair.”</p>
<p>For example, Carroll says, she may have a better understanding of the experiences students list on their applications, such as attending Chinese school.</p>
<p>“I went and I kind of know what that means,” Carroll says. “[I know] the pressures their parents put on them.”</p>
<p>Despite the emphasis on minority recruiting, Carroll says all students are given equal treatment in the admissions process.</p>
<p>“We treat Asian-Americans just as we treat all the other ethnic groups,” she says. “[The process] is fair to every individual who applies. We don’t pit people against each other and we don’t have any quotas.”