<p>imma intrigued to read this thread. Ethinically the most concentrated Asians ( of all origins, FOB or ABC/ABK, etc) are on the UC campuses ( especially UCB, LA, Irvine, Davies, San Diego). Such concentrations reflect academic excellence as much as demographics. However, they are diversed groups with different backgrounds, so it’s hard to generalise where 1081736 finds a good “fit”. Be open, friendly and sincere, you can find friends in any college.</p>
<p>I agree completely with lyl926</p>
<p>People can’t just dismiss the distinction between “FOBs” and ABCs/ABKs…just because FOB is an old term doesn’t mean that they don’t exist…
American’s a pretty old term too, especially when you compare it with recent inventions like “LOL” = =++
Just because this distinction is based sort-of-ish on race doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist and is stereotyping. It’s like saying “popular” crowds and “goth” crowds or whatever is entirely an invention of the media. They are one-dimensional, but does accurately capture some important aspects of these “groups”</p>
<p>exactly!!!</p>
<p>What is ABC or ABK? My guess is ??China or ??Korea.</p>
<p>ABC = American Born Chinese
ABK = American Born Korean</p>
<p>Maybe you should try basing who you want to be friends with on the person’s personality rather than their ethnicity? I can understand wanting to be among people of a similar upbringing and culture as yourself, but there is a very fine line between this and self-segregation. Brown prides itself on its diversity. There are SO many different types of people all over the place. If you limit yourself to being friends with only people of a specific race, you completely miss out on that. And that way you don’t need to worry about sorting the “white-washed” Asians from the “FOB” Asians.</p>
<p>i think this is a totally legit question, and he’s just trying to figure out the vibe of the people at the school. however, i do encourage you to step out of the separate ethnic groups, and integrate (as much as situation allows) and become more accepting of other cultures. the whole point of living overseas, eh?</p>
<p>I can understand where you come from, but everybody’s different. Whether you go to school, the grocery store, or the workplace, you’re going to find a variety of people with different personalities. I think it’s something you should face; it’s a part of life. </p>
<p>Do you really want to be sheltered for the rest of your life? It’s like a WASP from the South wanting to be around white conservatives for the rest of his life and decides to stay in the South for his entire life.</p>
<p>Go explore. The lack of FOBs at Brown should not be something to deter you. It’s only going to make you dependent on people and keep you from learning and achieving.</p>
<p>Brown does have its share of insular ethnic groups (not saying the whole group is insular, just groups within said ethnicity are insular). One of the problems, highlighted in yesterday’s Brown Daily Herald, is that ethnic groups (example used being the Hong Kong Student Association) has trouble getting students not from Hong Kong to come to meetings, because there’s a perception that you only really belong in that group if you’re somehow “from” Hong Kong. It would be nice if these insularities were broken down a bit, but there are likely to always be groups who don’t feel like reaching outside their small group that they feel safe within (from most people I’ve interacted with here, though, this is a very atypical attitude).</p>
<p>As someone who has been very active in the Asian scene at Brown over the last 4 years, I can say that there is no way to generalize the group. Most of the people I’ve met are 2nd generation (children of immigrants), and those that immigrated themselves did so at a relatively young age (under 5). I would say that all of the Asians who are involved in the Asian ethnic groups are deeply committed to their cultural identity. Although the leadership is mostly second generation Asian American, there are a mix of international students and third and fourth generation students. However, the Asian student groups are only a small representation of the population as a whole. There are around a 100 people give or take that make up the leadership base of these student groups, and Brown’s Asian population is over 1,000 (not including international Asians). I think you will find a group of people that fits you, but it may not necessarily be one of the student groups. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Stupid question. It’s one thing to ask about how liberal or musically-oriented people are at Brown, but it’s another to ask how “Asian” they are. </p>
<p>It sounds like you’re intimidated by white culture (however you generalize it) and only hang out with Asians. But consider this: even if you don’t encounter “white-washed” students, you’ll meet a lot of “white” students, some of whom are also out-going. So why not avoid that insecurity of yours altogether and look into schools in Asia?</p>