<p>I attend a Korean high school, which sent more than a dozen kids each to Ahmerst and Swarthmore but only two to Williams last year. When I asked my teacher why the acceptance rate varied so much, she said Williams tend to reject Asians. Is this true? If so, is it because Williams have a smaller Asian quarter, or because Asians generally share some charecteristic that Williams doesn't like?</p>
<p>Perspective is often an interesting topic. I live in a town recognized as one of the most affluent in the country, with one of the best school systems in the nation. Our public high school graduated 900 last year. One went to Williams, none to Amherst, none to Swarthmore. I think you should be proud of the amazing sucess your school had in placing students at these elite institutions as opposed to wondering if there is some kind of nuance in the admission process at Williams that reguires scrutiny.</p>
<p>Swarthmore has the highest % Asians but I wonder whether its proximity to a city gives it an advantage. Amherst has the 5 college area which gives it a fairly large Asian community. Williams actually has a very high percentage compared almost all other New England LACs located in rural collegetowns. Many Asian students, like those in most minorities, probably feel comfortable when there is a critical mass of other students with similar race and ethnicity. </p>
<p>I also agree with the previous poster's point that it is amazing your high school did so well last year. I think it is too amazing and question whether the acceptance rates for Amherst and Swarthmore from your high school are correct. You will only know 100% who was accepted by who actually attends. All these schools have a small class size and really stress diversity-including the number of different schools represented and countries represented. Even the most elite NE prep schools which may have had a relationship with these schools for over a 100 years, typically only send two or three students at most in recent years. Those admitted students often will identify an elite college as their top choice and apply E.D. Once accepted, it is virtually impossible for others from these same schools to get accepted. On the other hand, this process maximizes the chance for students get their first choice from a given prep school. I have not heard of more than two or three students from a given public high school being admitted. If it occurs, it is an exceptional year. My children go to a magnet school in the D.C. area that will send a fair number of students to the Ivies (they have larger class sizes); however, Amherst, Williams, and Swarthmore probably each will take one or no students in a given year.</p>
<p>I've heard (from a reputable source) that Williams actually gives a small admissions boost to Asians, or at least they did a few years ago. Asian students are statistically more likely to lean towards the "big-name" schools like Harvard, so Williams tries to equalize that. How that compares to other LACs, though, I have no idea.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Swarthmore has the highest % Asians but I wonder whether its proximity to a city gives it an advantage.
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Swarthmore is also one of the few LACs with an engineering program (many LACs offer 3-2 engineering programs in conjunction with other schools, but Swarthmore has its own 4-year BS program). There has been speculation that the engineering program, as well as the relatively urban location, may make Swat particularly attractive to Asians. Don't know if this is true, but it doesn't sound totally unreasonable. </p>
<p>LACs in general don't have very high Asian enrollments, except for some women's colleges (notably Wellesley). This is true even in California; the percentages of Asians at top LACs like Pomona or Harvey Mudd is dwarfed by the percentages at universities like UCLA or UC Irvine or Stanford. </p>
<p>I would suspect that Asians probably do get a boost at most northeastern LACs, including Williams.</p>
<p>Asians are reasonably well represented at most of the LACs although there are several notable exceptions (percentages are for the class of 2010):</p>
<p>Bowdoin: 13%
Tufts: 12%
Colby 11%
Williams: 11%
Amherst 10%
Middlebury 10%
Hamilton: 8%
Bates 6%
Trinity: 6%
Conn College: 3%</p>
<p>Interesting. Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Colby historically have not had many Asians, so there may actually be preference at these schools. One would have to look at acceptance rates, GPAs, scores, etc. to see whether that is the case. It is definitely a recent trend. They also have had trouble recruiting URMs because of their rural locations, so perhaps they feel increasing the Asian student population is a way to increase diversity. Tufts is urban so it attracts Asians. I have mentioned on CC before that Wellesley is popular among Asian women, even those from abroad, because famous alumnae like Madame Chiang attended. She was the public face of China (and Taiwan) during WWII and until the early 60s. Its suburban location and proximity to Boston also makes it attractive. Asians are increasingly attending northeastern LACs because of their high academic reputation and name recognition (to some extent). If you look at LACs outside the region (with a few exceptions like Pomona and Carleton) or at second tier LACs, you will find relatively low number of Asians. First generation Asian Americans also are pushed to attend larger, more well known universities by their immigrant parents who are not very familiar with the American college system and know about schools based mainly upon their graduate or professional programs. I remember reading about the dilemma of a young woman here last year who wanted to attend Williams but felt pressured to attend Cornell, and ended up doing so. On the other hand, I think the top LACs are being increasingly recognized among the Asian community, here and abroad, for both the quality of education and prospects in future endeavors so hopefully those numbers will continue to climb.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if America students get some kind of preference at Tsinghua University the top ranked school in China or Beijing University or Zhejiang University which are second and third respectively or at South Koreas Cheonan University? Is diversity a global objective?</p>
<p>What about Asians without US citizenship?</p>
<p>It's true that LACs are less prefered among Korean students. Reason #1, the only American Universities widely recognized in Korean society is the so-called Big Schools, such as Harvard or Yale. Reason #2, Koreans statistically tend to care more about their reputation than their education. It's likely that most Koreans will choose schools based on their name value rather than what you can actually learn there. My peers do, at least.</p>
<p>Not me, of course. I aspire to wisdom, not a graduate certificate. :)</p>
<p>Regarding the Korean bit, try this www.oikono.com</a> » Your Guide to Marrying a Korean Girl</p>
<p>jhl,
Very informative and very funny! The Chinese tend to be somewhat more inclusive, part of being the "Middle Kingdom." I have been told that that among Chinese the preference ranking (since it is CC) is: Chinese > Koreans and Japanese (perhaps more similar culturally) > other Asians > Jews (there is an appreciation of their history, family values, and emphasis on education) > other Whites > other ethnic/racial groups. Sad but true. On the other hand, among assimiilated first, and in particular, second generation, families it does not matter as much. Educational status and profession do matter, as they do with almost all ethnic groups. I personally know of several Chinese/African American marriages. Both partners were highly educated in these cases. In the Carribean, where intermarriage among races is common, Chinese/Black marriages also occur and both cultures are celebrated.</p>
<p>I have done some reading on this subject. It is interesting (and maybe even ironical) that Korean women in the U.S., tend to marry outside their ethnicity at higher rates than any other Asian group (with non-Korean Asians and whites-close to 50%) so despite their families' preferences, true love wins out. On the other hand, Korean-American men marry at the highest rate within their ethnicity when compared with other Asian-American men. I do not know whether this holds true for native Koreans who come to the U.S. to study and/or live here afterwards.</p>
<p>Impsuit, I had to make a similar case many years ago to my parents when I wanted to go to Amherst (I'm sorry, I know) over Yale. Fortunately, they agreed. Hopefully, more Asians and Asian-Americans will learn to appreciate the value of a LAC education.</p>
<p>i think you mean fewer asians</p>
<p>Williams seems to prefer people who are very athletic, team-oriented, and socially gregarious, regardless of ethnicity.</p>
<p>I have to say based on my S's freshman entry the last statement is not really true.</p>
<p>The students are quirkier, nerdier, more intellectual and interesting than Williams' students are given credit for. What selects students with strong interests who have pursued a variety of activities.</p>
<p>I once read an article by a Williams alum in which he felt the college seems to attract well-rounded, renaissance-type, students with multiple talents rather than students who only excel in one individual area. I think part of it is the liberal arts ethos that one's education is broad, interconnected, and interdisciplinary. Students attracted to that type of environment have found different areas to learn and exel. The second is that places like Williams are small, so if students can contribute to the college community in multiple ways, it will enliven the campus by allowing more activities to go on. I don't think it is unusual to find a football player who also sings in an a capella group or someone interested in math and debate at a place like Williams. I also know a number of Williams alums who did not focus on sports, so there are many who do not fit the student/scholar sterotype.</p>