<p>My two cents:</p>
<p>It’s not that Asians are at a disadvantage, like someone on the adcom would say “Wow, look at this person! He/She has very impressive achievements! Oh wait, they’re Asian. I don’t think we’ll accept you.” </p>
<p>What I do believe is that those who are URMs MAY(!) not have to reach the same level of accomplishment that others may have to reach in order to be accepted to these top-tier colleges. In my school at least (#2 in nation), it is clear that there were some students that were accepted to MIT, Harvard, and Princeton with “lesser” stats than many who applied. Ignoring essays and teacher recs, which can only get you so far, as academics are the most important, there is a clear discrepancy between where you would expect an average student with those stats to get in versus where they actually get in. </p>
<p>So, I like to think of it as others having a small advantage rather than Asians being disadvantaged, because nowhere are our chances being decreased because of our race. Everyone applying to Harvard is at a disadvantage when someone is accepted because there are just one less seat left. That’s how admissions work.</p>