I hope one day ETHNITY will not be a factor

<p>Same standard for everyone, regardless of ethnity. Currently it is unfair.</p>

<p>Well, if they do not factor in ethnicity, many ORMs would get in unless they do not play sports and that sort of thing. URMs would not be significant in the boarding schools and boarding schools love diversity.</p>

<p>What…is a ORM, and what is URM. Boarding schools do love diversity. That’s why they post the diversity rates on their sites and boardingschoolreview. Even my father tells me that I’ll have a better chance of getting in because I am smart, middle-class african american girl. So I basically hit all the minorities in one, and I’m not ghetto in the least bit. I agree with him, but it is sad that many asians are rejected because they’re perfect, but as soon as admissions sees their last name its on to the next one. Oh and @FlyHighFly, it’s spelled ethnicity.</p>

<p>“and I’m not ghetto in the least bit”.</p>

<p>Oh never mind.</p>

<p>That is because You bebefit from the Ethnicity factor; if that factor hurts you, what do you think?</p>

<p>Yes, it does hurt some individuals, but if ethnicity didn’t factor in, don’t you think there’d be a lot more, say Chinese students? Nothing racist, but just because there are so many more Chinese students, and many Chinese are very wealthy and likely to apply to boarding school. You wouldn’t necessarily want a large % of your students to be from one country, would you?</p>

<p>ORM = Overrepresented Minority
URM = Underrepresented Minority</p>

<p>PieLover,</p>

<p>Same standards do not induce many Chinese go there. I can not understand your logic.</p>

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<p>Reputable BS’s schools limit the number of int’l students from China, not because of the students’ ethnicity, but because of their nationality. These schools do not want a huge group of int’l students from any one country, be it Sweden, Egypt, Argentina or China.</p>

<p>@FlyHighFly,</p>

<p>What standard would that be? See, the problem is aspiring students look at the scores and other data on a boarding school site and assume THAT is the standard. It’s not. There is more to it.</p>

<p>For example, ne of the world’s most exclusive schools - Le Rosey in Switzerland - charges $125,000 a year. Their policy is that they don’t allow more than 10% of their student body to come from a single country. So in that case you could also argue that “ethnicity” is a factor. Only in that case, it’s France versus Germany versus US versus Canada versus …keep going.</p>

<p>As GMTplus7 said, schools desire a cultural mix on campus. Their job is not to educate a homogeneous group of students with a singular mindset. If you want that, you can probably get that closer to home. Boarding schools are private institutions that can admit any student they want for whatever reason they want. A mix of economic status, gender, sexual orientation, region, etc. - all make up “diversity” and add to the campus culture.</p>

<p>That’s why schools look at the “whole” student rather than a single determining factor. So I’m curious of your standard includes simply test scores and grades. Because I can tell you from experience that some of the worst students at prep schools have come in with perfect stats, and some of the best students came in with “less than” perfect stats. And the range is everywhere in between.</p>

<p>So how do we distinguish the kid who is truly smart and got the marks on his/her own from the kid who was endlessly coachd and had the money and consultants to get them to the top scores? Hmmm. What standard are you using?</p>

<p>Frankly - I think the standards Boarding Schools use is fair and equitable because of all they look at beyond ethnicity. But it is always the student who feels left out that wishes the rules worked in their favor and knocked some other kid out of the running.</p>

<p>Let’s suppose that the new rule is not to worry about diversity, but how much money the school can rake in. A single standard will now be the rule: You have to be the child of a multimillionaire to matriculate and there would be no financial aid for any child of any ethnicity. Would you still qualify? If you didn’t would you still think that was “fair?”</p>

<p>Fortunately, Boarding school has a bigger picture than that. Wishing you luck on your own personal journey, though.</p>

<p>@momof7thgrader: I actually liked that reference. I was reminded of a TV special on Jennifer Lopez when her career was just starting to take off…she was getting dressed for an awards ceremony and Harry Winston had lent her some jewelry. Someone (the interviewer?) asked her “Are you going to keep those?” And she said, very matter of factly: “No, I’m not ghetto.” Jenny from the block indeed.</p>

<p>Regarding the OP: These schools are private institutions, so they can choose to admit who they want to. Frankly, I’m happy that they aren’t the exclusive bastions of wealthy whites anymore. </p>

<p>I’m going to make an assumption here that you are an ORM, perhaps Asian? Well, so am I. And I have absolutely no issue with the admission practice of trying to build a diverse class — ethnically, socio-economically, geographically, and within some limits, academically. I don’t want my kid to be at a school where everyone is like her…what fun would that be?</p>

<p>@GMTPlus7</p>

<p>Ehh, I agree, but what about Chinese-Americans? or Chinese from Malaysia? Indonesia?
Do you not think that a smaller percent of Chinese people in general will be accepted? Or do they go by, you may be Chinese, but you’re technically from Malaysia, and since we have no Malaysians, you have a higher chance of being accepted?
Sorry if this doesn’t make sense. :p</p>

<p>@PieLover,</p>

<p>I thought you were referring to int’l students, not domestic ones. </p>

<p>Ethnic Chinese (int’l applicants) from under-represented countries<a href=“e.g.%20Malaysia”>/U</a> may have a geographic hook.</p>

<p>Chinese-Americans (domestic applicants) from under-represented states<a href=“e.g.%20Mississippi”>/U</a> may also have a geographic hook. </p>

<p>Chinese-Americans (domestic applicants) from well-represented states (e.g. Massachusetts) have a steep hill to climb.</p>

<p>Agreed, @GMTplus7. Very good example. Schools don’t look at Asians as a homogeneous clump. They’re proud to be able to state “how many” countries and states students hail from. So if you’re from a place where there isn’t a huge applicant pool, it can be a hook.</p>

<p>Bottom line is whether you are ORM or URM, domestic or international, full pay or FA, you have no control over any of these things. All you can do is apply and try not to stress over it. I know it is easier said than done, but try to worry about things outside of your control. Focus on making your applications the strongest they can be.</p>

<p>Er, but I read on DS’s Gateway Candidate Profile form: “Race/Ethnicity information is optional. Information you provide will NOT be used in a discriminatory manner. Please check all that apply…”</p>

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<p>Wise advice for everything in life!</p>

<p>Haha…insert would “not”</p>

<p>MODERATOR NOTE: Per CCs Terms of Service pro/con AA threads are not permitted. Such discussions are limited to the Race FAQ sticky thread on the Admissions forum.</p>