<p>@TigerCC2014 Ah yes. I am a racist for calling out the racism being spouted against Kwasi in this thread. </p>
<p>Yes you are </p>
<p>@jumbatales
You know, there was a guy who once said, “There are lies, there are damn lies, and then there are statistics.”</p>
<p>Seeing your statistic, one might be lead into thinking Blacks are poor. However, according to the National Poverty Center, about 27.4 percent of Blacks are in poverty. Now do you realize? The kinds of URMs that make it into Ivies definitely not the impoverished. They are a part of the other 72.6 percent of those who are not in poverty. Chances are, they are doing well and live in the “privilege” you speak of. They are your middle-class kids, or even upper-middle class like the kid who is the subject of the thread.</p>
<p>@SlackerMomMD - Context is missing from your statement, and I say this without hesitation. "At Harvard and the other Ivys “a high-achieving, viola-playing … baritone who also throws the shotput and discus.” is absolutely normal. </p>
<p>That level of achievement is standard for the Ivys. Yes, I purposely took out AA to show that without that description he is just like many other standard Ivy students, and that is the point.</p>
<p>Why is this rare? “He also comes from a family of achievers (uncles and cousins also attended Ivies). This is a rare person indeed.” There are tens of thousands of Ivy kids that can say the same. They graduate like 14,000 kids a year (not exact but the point is made). This concept that if your family members went to Ivys that makes you rare is a bit off. Nothing rare about it.</p>
<p>@kerkolus you do realize that poverty means the base line. People living above that base line aren’t exactly well off either lmaooooo. If you add together the percent of poor and working class blacks you’d get a whopping 50% wow!!! Then another 40% are only just middle class! 8% is in the upper middle class and 1% in the upper class! Wow! Information’s great when you use all of it!!! </p>
<p>Middle class is 35k - 100k which is not a lot if you’re supporting two or more kids which the majority of black families are. If you’re pointing out that the only black kids succeeding are in the upper 10% as a problem, then yes I agree 
Obviously blacks aren’t as advantaged as you claim :/</p>
<p>Anyways, I’m done here. I try to not argue or seek to reason with racists to keep my stress levels low. Try to not blow your carrot top when you see another black kid get into Harvard</p>
<p>@jumbatales
I’m just pointing out that Blacks as a whole aren’t some oppressed class relative to others, especially those who gain admission to Ivies. I’m not sure where you got those percentages but they look kind of BS to me. Further, you took 50%, added it to 40%, added it to 8%, then added it to 1% and somehow got 100%. No, you get 99%. You can’t even make your own bogus statistics look legitimate. You can’t even add, it looks like.</p>
<p>I’d just like to get a word in about the admissions advantage again. If Blacks are so confident get into all these schools on their own merits, why don’t they just not check the box? If you are about to apply to schools, I dare you to not check it. And no rational human being would decide not to check the box if they are a URM, because there is a very real advantage in admissions if you check it.</p>
<p>Wonder how many parents are now going to fork over big bucks for viola lessons? (Sorry I thought this thread was getting a little heated.) Congrats to this young man! </p>
<p>You both sound like Al Sharpton throwing around stats. </p>
<p>Wow, “gross people” and “racists”. Some mod please ban this guy. Again, someone please show me exactly where I said something racist. I’m not sure where this charge comes from.</p>
<p>@kerkolus Nah because being black is a part of who I am. It’s shaped my life. I’m going to put myself in my college application. i’m making sure they know ME and why i would be a great addition to their school. Stayy presseeeddd :)</p>
<p>@kerkolus Ah yes. I should be banned because I thoroughly called you out 
Stay mad :)</p>
<p>@jumbatales
What a cop out. Anyone can describe their personality and the way they think without checking the box. How much can an admissions officer discern your personality by seeing a checked off box? You’re finding an excuse to exploit a system.</p>
<p>You called me out, alright. Please quote the exact statement where I said something racist. Do it.</p>
<p>@kerkolus I’m going to talk about my black experience in my essays as well lmaooo. Why would I not check the box? Why would I lie just because you’re insecure? I like being black. I’m gonna check my box :)</p>
<p>Okay, @jumbatales, I’m tired of this. I’m Nigerian too. And please could you take your bloated opinions of black people and shove them up your overly-aggressive behind?</p>
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<p>The ‘plight’ of Kwasi, who happens to be the child of obviously successful, obviously reasonably wealthy and educated parents? What are these ‘experiences’? Someone called him the ‘n word’? Gasp! Shocking! Kids like me who boarding-schooled within an hour’s drive of several bombings are soooo lucky. And I personally do not see how mental, physical and emotional repercussions bleed through at least three generations, except your point is that our race is a bunch of ninnies.</p>
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<p>I presume Africa itself falls under this world that has a culture of anti-blackness? And all those Caribbean islands that have a majority/large minority of blacks? Interesting.
I am very sure the several hundred million native African kids do not hate the color of their skin because they are not constantly getting dumped on by the non-existent other races.
If the effects of slavery have not diluted in the <em>black</em> community, then that is nobody’s fault but the blacks’.
Black girls bleach, white girls tan.</p>
<p>And the point that you and many people seem to be missing is that Kwasi is NORMAL for the class he’s in, not EXCEPTIONAL. Getting into all eight Ivies is, IMHO, not news for anybody of any race, because there are likely several hundred kids each year who could do just that if they felt like throwing away another four or five hundred dollars on applications. There are truly exceptional kids who get into one, or none, of the top ten schools - kids who have won national/international competitions, kids who hold patents, kids who have started recognized non-profits. Forget skin color - look at kids like the finalists at the Google Science Fair. THOSE are brilliant kids who deserve to be headline news every single day, if possible, because they are actually changing countless lives with their work as teenagers (some as young as thirteen/fourteen). Forget the prestige sticker of the Ivies - what has Kwasi actually done that should make me sit up and care about him? I’m not saying he hasn’t worked hard to get where he is, or that he doesn’t deserve his success. But really, all this media coverage is absurd, compared to kids the world over who have actually distinguished themselves in adult fields, not just gotten into a bunch of schools.
Okay, I will end my rant now, but believe me, this does more harm than good to the ‘black cause’, whatever that is. The fact that we need to celebrate each tiny achievement like it’s an Olympic gold medal suggests that we’ve accepted a place at the bottom of the food chain. We really need to develop a healthier attitude towards ourselves. Hopefully we’ll get to the day when a black kid getting into the Ivies will be just meh.</p>
<p>And I think y’all should read this book: Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She’s a native Nigerian as well, and she so eloquently expresses the reaction of native Blacks to African-American attitudes. (If you’re interested I can email you a pdf)</p>
<p>@jumbatales is probably a ■■■■■. Screw this. I’m off. It’s like trying to argue with a wall.</p>
<p>@jewelessien Why are you coming at me for defending Kwasi against racists? What will kissing up to racists do for you? Ironic how you mention Chimamanda when she is racially aware and would call Kerkolus on his bs too and agree with my statements as well.</p>
<p>Please sit down and educate yourself before it’s too late and you have many regrets. No matter how much you try to say race does not matter, you are black and you know it matters a lot. I hope you educate yourself on race relations soon. I used to be like you and it was such a dark period for me during that time </p>
<p>Also, of course majority black countries practice anti-blackness too. Where do you think the light-skin/dark-skin debate stems from? Why would black girls bleach theirskin/chemically straighten their hair if we weren’t taught “white is right”?</p>
<p>I just don’t get this. My son also got 2250, also had a zillion APs. Also was in the band, and debate team, and newspaper editor. And science research with lots of awards and a patent. Eagle scout, EMS. great gpa. And he’s a guy. So why did he get rejections from the ivies? (Well, deferred at ED, then waitlisted, then rejections). Oh I forgot. He’s white.</p>
<p>@kerkolis Funny you felt compelled to respond, your posts were some of the most vehemently opposed to this kids accomplishments You are the type of kid who I am happy will not be attending an Ivy, those schools deserve better, maybe they saw that in your applications. Your naivete comparing being picked-on in a school yard to being hassled by police, asked to only come into a market one at a time because of your skin color just shows how “deserving” you think you are compared to African American kids.</p>
<p>I am far from racist, ask my African American wife. I have experienced it against my kids. My Asian friends know it, perhaps you need to hang out with the black kids a little more. Even in MY presence, I have seen my kids treated differently. Have you ever been pulled into a back room of a store and had your pockets frisked for no reason? I did not know Asians were a police target. This student went to a high school ranked 4 out of 10 on great schools, not a privileged school where I am sure your parents were dead set to be sure you attended. And Nurses are very well off??? RNs only make $25/hr to start and max at 40 ( if they have a BS which I doubt these parents do.) that’s only 72 K each max on long island, Hardly well off. I am sure they struggled to help him excel and take his music seriously. And I am sure they lack English speaking skills coming from a African /French speaking country… </p>
<p>Princeton had only around 100 African-american students, 7% of freshman enrollment and 250 Asian freshmen students (17%) and African Americans are 15% of US population, Asians are only 5.6% of the population but take 17% of spots at Ivys so your more qualified Asians probably took your spot, not an African American kid.</p>
<p>Your posts are repulsive, get over your inadequacies, this kid is special you are ordinary.</p>
<p>Jumbatales so now your lecturing on how to be black? You really are a racist. </p>
<p>@TigerCC2014 who are you??? are you black??? If you’re not black why should I value your opinion on black issues? Like what even???</p>