<p>Tizil, when people use the word “disadvantaged”, it can mean two different things: 1)You’re “disadvantaged” in college admissions because the percentage of your race is higher in the educational institution than in the population as a whole, in which case, in the interest of maintaining ethnic diversity, colleges may favorably admit those of a less represented race; 2)You’re from a race that overall has lower socioeconomic status and is underrepresented in higher education, hence you’re “disadvantaged”. </p>
<p>And this affirmative action only applies if you’re a domestic student, not an international student applying from India, so it has nothing to do with “strong educational system”.</p>
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<p>The whole application is looked at holistically at the top schools, and race is merely something that helps the admission office understand the environment you came from, just like they use information about your high school, geographic location, parent education, and so on. Because every applicant would want to maximum his/her chances, it’s understandable that many want to avoid putting down something that people suspect may put them at a disadvantage.</p>