<p>Damn racial profiling >:(</p>
<p>Asians had racial profiling (AA) a few decades ago. They capitilized off of it immensly (like every racial group was supposed to) and now no longer need it. Why give a leg up to a group that is no longer underrepresented in college, (with regards to the US population)?</p>
<p>PEALS-05, Where do you get that idea that Vietnamese are considered URM? It's true that they are poorer as a group because most left the country without any money, unlike other Asians who came here with money, but Vietnamese certainly not under represented in colleges or top colleges. Vietnamese do not get any special treatments, if they do because of the hardships they overcome which is what college want to see student overcome. When I get together in my families, I was a little embarrassed by my lack of degrees, the younger generation all have degrees like Phd from big name schools such as MIT, CalTech, etc...
In fact, San Jose had a study and compare within the same Socio-Economic level of the Vietnamese to other Asians, they tend to outperform other group when it comes to education.</p>
<p>No, Vietnamese and other several other South East Asians do get special consideration when applying to some schools. Some schools don't specify that far, but others do and give applicants from: Vietname, and especially the Filipines a little bit of slack. That's because all Asians are different, and not all groups can come and prosper in America right away. These groups have had trouble integrating themselves into society, are often not as wealthy as some other asian groups, and their children are more likely to join gangs. This isn't everyone, of course, but it's something that ad coms are now trying to view in light of applications. My Vietnamese friend qualified for minority status at her school because of this.</p>
<p>Well, SusieQ, not to be offensive, here, but the majority of Vietnamese in America are NOT as succesful as your family/friends. I am glad that your family is succesful and well-educated, but a large segment of the Vietnamese population in the States is pretty poor. They are often recent immigrants. </p>
<p>I live in the South. Most of the Vietnamese here-- and there are a lot, actually, more than most other Asian ethnicities-- are considerably lower income, subsisting with jobs that aren't exactly choice-- nail salons, janitors, cashiers. This is not particular to Vietnamese- most recent immigrants, especially from countries as poor as Vietnam, do not start life in their new country with cushy jobs. Also, when I went to a public middle school with a fair number of Asians, most of the Vietnamese students were seen an "underachieving" or not as "motivated" compared to other Asian ethnicites like Koreans and Chinese. Even my Vietnamese friends tell me that comparatively, many Vietnamese students here don't seem as "smart" as other Asians, mostly because they don't seem as motivated. For whatever reason.</p>
<p>I am DEFINITELY NOT saying all or even most Vietnamese immigrants are like this. This just seems to be prevalent where I live, just as I'm sure that successful Vietnamese-Americans are more prevalent where YOU live.</p>
<p>Maybe in California, many of the Vietnamese are doing well and are successful. Here on the East coast, more particularily in the South, they as a group are definitely NOT doing so well. Maybe in CA, not here.</p>
<p>Actual, I did say they do take into considerations of the fact that they are poor and that is the only preference, social economic factor.
I have actually never lived in the South but I have lived in the East Coast and back then in the early 80's I did hear positive things from other Asians(Japanese to be specific) about Vietnamese students.
However as far as in the South, I have a brother/niece that live in Houston who graduated from Rice Summa Cum Laude, who are also in Baylor Medical School, as well as a cousin who is a single mother with 5 children, who works in a nail salon, have 3 kids graduated from colleges such as Pharmacy, dentistry, etc..
There are way too many factors here, perhaps the South because of the low cost of housing has attract the lower income people or people who actually never did go to school much less college like fisherman, etc..
I do know when the Vietnamese first come here, the Washington DC/Virginia area attracts the most elite from Vietnam.
Have you watch the ABC show "The Scholar"? There is this Vietnamse kid, who's born here, whose parents are low income(mechanic&nurse), who's got into 3 Ivies: Yale, Stanford, Princeton, and top UCs.
So that is why I said Vietnamese in general is not considered URM at least not to college. I know Vietnamse kids who's parents are doctor but did not even get into any top UCs because adcoms expect that they lead a priviledge life and they must be judged accordingly. Therefore, it all comes down to socio-ecomic level.
Actually, my family is not even close to a success story, it's more like the norm around here.</p>
<p>More generalizations here:
"Also, when I went to a public middle school with a fair number of Asians, most of the Vietnamese students were seen an "underachieving" or not as "motivated" compared to other Asian ethnicites like Koreans and Chinese. Even my Vietnamese friends tell me that comparatively, many Vietnamese students here don't seem as "smart" as other Asians, mostly because they don't seem as motivated. For whatever reason."</p>
<p>Not to get into a race or ethnic war of somekind, but here is a little bit of history/information for you.
Did you know that Vietnam is only country in SoutheEast Asia that have successfully defended against powerful country/people such as:
1) Ghengis Khan
2) French
3) USA
4) Recently China invasion in the 70s</p>
<p>I also used to live with or know some white Americans that people would labeled them "whiteTrash" or "underachieving", do I think of the rest of the white Americans people as "unmotivated" or "underachieving"? hardly.</p>
<p>You shouldn't take what is being said personally. What I was trying to communicate to you is that several asian sub groups do recieve preference because they are currently underrepresented. I didn't mean to turn this into whether or not Vietnamese are successful people, or who knows more smart/not smart or poor/rich Vietnamese.</p>
<p>No, I don't really take things personally, this is after all the internet. But I would like to correct some misconceptions cause by some generalizations. I must admit Vietnamese people as a whole is more laid back, heck we just came out of a war that last for more than 30 years( it seems), so it seems right that Vietnamese people can be a bit laid back, that is why some Vietnamese in general are not as gunk ho about things, but I don't want people to think they are not motivated in any sense until they themselves experience what these people actually been through. That said, I have never experienced any of that kind of experience but I do have a lot of respect for those that do. My 2 cents</p>
<p>actually it is true, those from vietnam/laos/cambodia (mainly southeast asia) are considered URMS since many from these groups are indeed disadvantaged and have less opportunitites than those from east asian countries. asians from these countries are not lumped together from those from china/japan/taiwan/korea/india.</p>
<p>True in what sense, you're an insider in admission or what? Disadvantaged is not the same as URMs, if you really spell out the acronyms. Under Represented Minority.</p>
<p>I have question concernenig the status of URM
I am born in the Netherlands and got dutch nationality only.
I have got a chinese heritage, but both my parents were born in Vietnam.
I am considered a URM or not. And am I an asian or dutch??
I am really confused and really want to know how iy is.</p>
<p>You're Asian with dutch nationality, no on the URM</p>
<p>We're not saying that Vietnamese are 'liad back'. I think that they're a hard working group of people, just like most recent immigrants. I just think that it's unfair and wrong to compare them with other asian groups who have not had the hardships (like the war you mention) that they have. Vietnamese and other South Eastern Asians are underrepresented, sadly. The overrepresented groups tend to be Koreans, Chinese and Japanese. This comes straight from admissions booklets. But again, I'm sorry if I've offended you, or if it seems that I am insinuating that Vietnamese aren't hardworking.</p>
<p>it really sux.. because I got vietnamese parents I am considered asian, while I grew up in a european/ dutch society</p>
<p>But if I want to write about my heritage, I could better change chinese into vietnames, am I right???</p>
<p>if u read admissions books or just ask/know people who work with the admissions process. yes, urm in the college sense DOES mean disadvantaged. aa is strongly built upon the fact that hispanics/blacks/some asians just dont have the same opportunities as everyone else. and vietnamese are urms. im not sure why u are denying this, its not like its bad?</p>
<p>the colleges don't ask for nation of origin...(as far as I know anyway)
so in terms of the admissions process, it's irrelevant if vietnamese are underrepresented. Asians as a whole aren't.</p>
<p>yes they do they ask u to specify country of origin</p>
<p>messed up.....</p>
<p>I really think Laos and Cambodians are indeed URM because very few of them immigrate to America.
And I don't like the tone "and vietnamese are urms. im not sure why u are denying this, its not like its bad?" because it will denigrate the achievements of some Vietnamese who actually got in to top schools purely base on their abilities.
I'm sure what you don't realize you're saying is that some Vietnamese is not as qualified as other Asians(Koreans, Chinese, & Indians) because they receive special treatments due to URM, this is why the Afirmative Action was banned because of the UCB Board of Regents(who is black) felt that it was not good for African Americans to be given this treatment. No I don't want this thread/post to be about AA. That is why they give points for hardship and not special treatment base on whether you're URM or not.
Other things you probably have not taken into account is that there are more Chinese and Indians in general then there are Vietnamese, for the pure fact there are more than 1 billions Indians and Chinese while there are only 60-80 millions Vietnamese.</p>