I'm Asain and don't want to notify colleges of my race?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hey guys, </p>

<p>I've heard that colleges often increase the standards of students who are Asian, so I don't want to notify them of my race. Furthermore, I do have something going for me. My last name is Portuguese and my first name is American (Same for the rest of my family). Colleges have virtually no way of even knowing that I'm Asian. *I'm applying to top Engineering Schools such as UIUC and UMich to name a couple.</p>

<p>Would it be an advantage (if at all) if I don't put down my race in my college applications?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>It is an optional section on all the applications I have seen. If you don’t want to tell them, you are under no obligation to. My daughter is caucasian, and she does not check any of the boxes (just leaves it blank). Being Asian might actually be an advantage at some LACs if you have those on your list, though.</p>

3

<p>“I’ve heard that colleges often increase the standards of students who are Asian,” </p>

<p>I contend with that rumor. It’s just that Asians, as a whole, tend to not be very diverse when it comes to the type of student body that a small amount of very selective colleges may desire. On the whole, Asians have among the best HS grad rates, best ACT/SAT scores, best college attendance and grad rates. To be frank, your suggestion is 180 degree wrong.</p>

<p>“so I don’t want to notify them of my race” You don’t have to. You didn’t know that?</p>

4

<p>T36E4, “I contend with that rumor”… what does that mean? I think it is a fact that some of the top US universities recieve a very high number of very qualified Asian applicants, and it is harder to for them to get in given the college goals of also admitting a diverse class. So while it might not be 100% accurate to say that they “increase the standards”, in fact it is sometimes true that an Asian student with a given set of scores/GPA/etc. may be rejected in favor of another applicant of any other ethnic background with lower statistics.</p>

<p>This is a legitimate concern from the OP. But, as you stated, it does not have to be included in the application if the OP chooses not to.</p>

5

<p>“what does that mean?” Let me clarify. I disagree that top US colleges discriminate against Asians per se. They discriminate against students who are not multi dimensional. Many whites and Asians fit this bill according to the following scenarios.</p>

<p>I also disagree with this: “in fact it is sometimes true that an Asian student with a given set of scores/GPA/etc. may be rejected in favor of another applicant of any other ethnic background with lower statistics.”</p>

<p>Here’s why I disagree: Top colleges have unofficial quotas and targets for various sub categories. Be they ethnic groups, be they super scientists, musicians, athletes, etc. Once those categories and their allotted spots are calculated, then each applicant is compared within that group – sometimes these applicants cross several groups (all the better for them – the super scientist who happens to be an All State women’s point guard). </p>

<p>For example: let’s say X is the number of slots are slated for a URM. Y number of slots are allocated for athletes. Z number of slots are allocated for super musicians/actors. Everyone who is of these sub-groups will then vie for those slots among themselves. </p>

<p>If the South Asian kid isn’t in any of those three groups, she is in what I would call the “general” pool. She gets to vie for a slot with everyone else in the general pool.</p>

<p>you could have an athlete who is pretty good – but not good enough to make the team. No slot from Y is given to him. But he has great academics and he’s pushed into the general pool – 2nd chance!</p>

<p>The South asian kid gets no second chance. As a matter of fact, kids who don’t get slots in Y or Z filter down and dilute her chances. Here’s the thing: SHE NEVER WAS ELIGIBLE FOR X, Y OR Z. </p>

<p>The URMs in group X? The so called “mediocre” SAT kid in that group – pushes out someone with even worse SATs of that same URM. Those slots in X were never open to kids in the General pool-- never were. That “mediocre” kid doesn’t keep out the Asian kid as much as he would keep out the “OK” athlete.</p>

<p>Those slots were allocated before the first app came in.</p>

<p>But also exists this fact. Schools will have minimum requirements of kids in the X pool. If not enough qualified applicants fill the allotted slots, X actually gets those taken away and they are given to other pools. One can argue that a school actually is accepting less X URMs than they would desire.</p>

<p>That’s my take on things. It mirrors what I’ve seen and experienced first hand.</p>

6

<p>And if it seems or feels unfair, the most affected sub group is the internationals. They get the shaft – highest GPA/test scores – lowest admit rates. But you don’t get people decrying how unfair it is for Harvard to put a ceiling on kids from Saudi or Singapore. Admissions slots are a zero sum game. Someone has to decide who gets what. Terrible business – but the top Privates don’t want to become UCBerkley or IIT or Seoul University.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for all the replies. </p>

<p>@T26E4 I know that I don’t have to put down race if I don’t want to, that’s a given. I only wanted to know if notifying colleges that I’m Asian puts me at a disadvantage versus not putting down race at all. I know this is a very delicate topic.</p>