<p>You can make up a new definition for a word if you wish, but “underrepresented” currently means that there is a disproportionately low number. eg. 12% of all people in the U.S. are black, but only 3% of people at Berkeley are black.</p>
<p>The opposite is true of females at college.</p>
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This is true at some colleges where many females apply.</p>
<p>The fact that women may be discriminated against, or held to a higher standard in admissions, doesn’t alter the fact that they are NOT underrepresented on college campuses. They are in colleges in percentages greater than their percentage in the general population. To determine if they’re over or under represented, we have to look at how many are there, not how many are rejected.</p>
<p>As long as people are fully qualified. However, I heard from one Business graduate student at U of Mich., that some underepresented minority students are having hardest time and not making grades in a program and he quesioned what kind of requirement in terms of GMAT score was applied to them vs general applicants pool. However, it was at least 10 years ago, so policies could have changed. But as long as there is the same set of reguirements and not different based on gender / race / age and others, so that all applicants with the same reguirements based stats are treated the same way, they it should be OK. Specifically Business Grad school at U of Mich is competitive, so in my example, some students appeared to have taken spots that clearly belonged to others who did not get in.</p>
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<p>Obviously there are going to be plenty of girls who excel in the most rigorous courses and boys who have “pleaser” personalities. But year after year the pattern repeats itself at our HS, and we saw it emerge very, very clearly in middle school. Many people have suggested that the elementary educational system nationwide is leaning towards defining “boyhood” as toxic. (Obviously one is speaking in gross generalities, here. There are quiet, dreamy boys and extroverted, can’t-sit-still girls, and everything in between.)</p>
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<p>There may be more who are willing to let their boys’ academics slide, true. But there certainly is plenty of encouragement for girls to be athletic. At our HS, participation in sports is very high, and there seem to be just as many athletic females as males. In my kid’s class, and in most of the recent ones, almost all of the top students–male and female–have participated in varsity-level sports also. Perhaps it has something to do with being a comparatively small school (about 800 students), so there is less of a tendency to pigeonhole kids. People have to play multiple roles.</p>
<p>mdoc #62
I still disagree that the “under” in URM can solely mean quantity or raw numbers. Many of us feel that our daughters are underrepresented if they are losing spots because of their skin color or heritage or gender per se…</p>
<p>oh well! at least for us my D Hispanic status didn’t work at all! She was denied at many top colleges even though she has competitive gpa, sat scores, the most difficult AP classes, EC, leadership, languages, highly competitive private hs, etc., etc. So when I hear such stats I just wonder if they are really true.</p>
<p>Talented, hardworking, high-scoring female Asian and white students are a minority (less than 50% of the whole population), and they are underrepresented relative to their percentage in the general population. So, clearly an URM.</p>
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<p>Really? Where do you get your figures?</p>
<p>Some outrageous math being done on this thread, which really needs to die (this will be my last post here).</p>
<p>I just the whole idea to gain acceptance to a top college based on race is overrated. I guess people who are not in that group want to find a scapegoat.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to say that the girls don’t participate in sports, many of the the girls who are top athletes are also top students in D’s school. However I don’t see many of the top male athletes also at the top academically. I really think that for some parents the expectation of sports being a ticket to college is stronger for the sons than for the daughters.
All things being more or less equal expectations count for a lot.</p>
<p>Wow, this isn’t looking good for me at all, especially since I’m a half-white, half-asian girl.</p>
<p>But I think they shouldn’t be letting in less qualified males just to equalize the gender ratio. I mean, it’s only in the last 50 years or so out of 1000s of years of civilization that girls have been given oppurtunity to go to college, get educated, and get a job. I think it’s only fair that the boys make room.
And women in the workforce are still making less compared to their male peers; and there aren’t very many women CEOs, at least compared to men. I think colleges should be giving preference to women, just as they do to URM who are disadvantaged.</p>
<p>Good for standing up chocobok! As the OP on this thread I am THRILLED that so many folks have expressed their views. I should have my daughter PM you. I do think that the AdComs should take heed. Being for our Asian and white daughters and sisters does NOT mean we are against all those with hooks…</p>
<p>Life is not fair</p>
<p>College admittance is the least of the problem for 99% of the population</p>
<p>Tom1944
You state a truism that is essentially not relevant on this forum, but thanks for your input anyway!</p>
<p>Do not be naive thinking that to be hard working with “competitve” GPA is enough. Tons valedictorians including kids ranked #1 in their respective HS classes who have all possible and impossible EC’s and some of the highest scores in the nation, get denied. Prinston accepted only 17% of valedictorians, who applied there in 2006. I personally know asian girl ranked #1 in her very competitive private HS with PSAT score being #18 in the country, who was denied at Yale, she got to Harvard though.</p>
<p>Miami…
No one participating on this thread posits that notion. On the contrary, we are debating the merits of highly qualified white and Asian females who are rejected (apparently) in favor of many, lesser-credentialed students with various hooks and/or other gender or cultural backgrounds…</p>