<p>When I went for my Exeter interview, I noticed that 3/4 of the applicants there were Asian.
However, I know that the Asian population at the school is around 20%.</p>
<p>I have seen many times in threads people saying that you don't have a shot cause you're just an Asian.</p>
<p>Insights?</p>
<p>Take anything people say here with a grain of salt. Asians are well represented at these boarding schools so it is not like it’s harder for them to get here, it’s just the matter of being better than the next asian</p>
<p>Stuyvesant High School in NYC is now 70% Asian. There is no subjectivity to the application process. I think it’s safe to say that 20% would not be the percentage at the BS if some subjective factors/priorities were not at work (especially given the growing pool of international applicants). I don’t know if any schools break down the applicant pool by ethnicity although they all capture the data. [Stuyvesant</a> High School - The New York Times](<a href=“Times Topics - The New York Times”>Times Topics - The New York Times)</p>
<p>Out of all the boarding schools I just got a feeling that Exeter seems to like Asians and judge them less based on their race, I don’t know if this is true or not though. And I don’t want to assume things without any proof at all, but since the Asians applying to these schools form such a large group, it is very possible that instead of being compared to all other applicants, you are being compared to other Asians.</p>
<p>Something I think many boarding schools are wary of with asian applicants is that their parents will often push them severely to excel (it’s generally a part of asian culture) They’re looking for Asians who pursue their own interests and will drive themselves independently without their parents in boarding school. Also, they look for uniqueness among Asians. It’s not necessarily bad if an Asian fits the math-excelling, tennis playing, chess-loving piano playing Asian stereotype, but if they do they really have to be the BEST of the BEST since there are so many others like them.</p>
<p>For Asians who do underheard activities among the Asian population, they may have a better chance. But then again, this is true for every race.</p>
<p>Anyway…don’t think about it too much. It’s not like you can change what you were born as, right? 
Just go along with your application.</p>
<p>@Thatgirl96,
Most of the people who post advice on this website are people going through the application process. While a lot of the advice on this website is incredible, some of it is completely bogus. So, just because a few random people on the internet said it’s harder to get in as an Asian, doesn’t mean it actually is.</p>
<p>I am not sure if in general it is harder for Asians to get in. 28.2% of Exeter students are Asian, which I believe include Asian Americans, Asians as international students, biracial/multiracial but self-identified as with Asian heritage and adoptees born in Asian countries etc. My understanding is that the international applicant pool has been getting bigger and stronger but the schools don’t seem to be admitting significantly more international students, so international students from Asia may be facing more competitions. As for Asian Americans, I think they compete with both the students in the general pool and other Asian students, but judging by the student body composition, as a whole, I don’t think Asians are disadvantaged in the admission to schools like Exeter.</p>
<p>DA: I wish your argument can hold water. First of all most other BS don’t have 28% of A/AA. You can only tell if it is harder for them is by comparing how many of them apply and how many of them get accepted, ie, A/AA admit rate and by comparing the stats of admitted A/AA applicants with the general admitted population. Without this info, whatever you say will at best be a conjecture (SSAT word?).</p>
<p>Yes I agree. I made an argument based on impression and my general knowledge and experience - the best I could do on this topic.</p>
<p>Yes, all is a conjecture because all we have is antectodal evidence: how many Asian families we saw in waiting rooms etc. It is a fact that AAs are very much overrepresented at Exeter with 3% of the population comprising over 20% of the student body.</p>
<p>Neato, I think you missed the point the OP is asking: That is not whether they are overrepresented at one school, but whether it is harder for them to get in compared to the rest of the applicants. Based on the stats posted by AAs on CC, I tend to think that it is harder for them because so many of them apply and they have amazing stats. I think it is not a question about fairness, but the reality of the admission stats for them ie they are compared with other AA applicants who all seem to be superstars based on browsing the chances threads.</p>
<p>DISCLAIMER: I’m not AA.</p>
<p>Since the OP referenced Exeter and how many she saw in the waiting room, that is what I addressed. I agree with you, without knowing how many AAs apply, it is impossible to know if they are at a disadvantage or not. </p>
<p>Ethnicity is not something that an applicant has control over so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Change the things that you can.</p>
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</p>
<p>To the OP: Great advice from a veteran who has been there, done that…</p>
<p>I apologize for Changing the subject, but can someone tell me how to start a thread? I don’t know how.</p>
<p>Right above where the list of threads are is a button that says, “New Thread.” click it. It will create a thread in whichever forum you click it it. So, if you want a chances thread, got to the chances section and there will be there one to click there as well.</p>
<p>The button is not there!</p>
<p>Do you see the “post reply” button right above my post? It looks just like that, but it’s on the first page. So…hit your back button and look in the same place.</p>
<p>ThatGirl,</p>
<p>I interview for them. They don’t have a bias against Asians. They are looking only at individual students and fit.</p>
<p>But I’ll make an observation from about three decades of interviewing for them and for MIT. Students from Asian countries are almost always focused solely on academics, test scores and perfect grades. The parents often push them along the same lines required to matriculate to a good college in their home country not realizing the process is different here.</p>
<p>It’s also well known - and much talked about at many schools across the country - that a number of students are coming in highly “prepped” and “coached.” That comes through in the interview and sometimes in the applications. </p>
<p>So if you’re an Adcom trying to build a diverse student body not based on race but on geographical area, non-academic interests, etc. - those things come into play. Think of it this way - if you’re trying to build an orchestra and you have 25 students who play violin, but only one student who plays a saxophone and you NEED a saxophone and all the stats are similar - guess who will get the nod. That’s not a euphemism, by the way, it just means they look beyond grades (all things being equal) for hobbies, sports, musical interest, etc. Jobs, volunteer work, things that make a student stand out.</p>
<p>I once got yelled at by parents at college meetings when I answered that colleges routinely turn down students with perfect stats for those without them. Immediately the conversation turns to race and affirmative action. Actually the truth is just the opposite. Competitive schools have so many applicants they don’t need to go “there” anymore. The person who got that spot might just be a rural kid who had to drive three hours in each direction to complete a Scouting project. Or the girl who has great technical stats but also sings in a show choir, or rehearsed with Alvin Ailey, or tap dances, or studied martial arts, or competed in ballroom dance, or writes poetry, etc…</p>
<p>So if you’re concerned, make sure you show “all your cards” in an interview. Because a lot of the other applicants forget that it’s those little things that might tip the scales. And the ones that didn’t get in may have been left out because - after a while - you can’t distinguish their grades and accomplishments from the 1,000 others in the pile.</p>
<p>IMHO</p>
<p>Urgent-should essays be written on loose leaf (paper with lines) or computer paper? Please answer asap-i need to hand write my essays thanks!</p>
<p>Whatever you think looks best. It should be neat!</p>
<p>Can You whiteout mistakes? Thanks for the help.</p>