For Fellow Asians: What are the Popular Schools You've Seen Kids Looking at?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UCLA, Berkeley, JHU, UMCP, Stanford, UIUC, MIT, Caltech, Michigan

+1 except for JHU, and throw in GAtech and CMU.

I think it shows that most of these kids are majoring in CS/eng.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UCLA, Berkeley, JHU, UMCP, Stanford, UIUC, MIT, Caltech, Michigan

+1 except for JHU, and throw in GAtech and CMU.

I think it shows that most of these kids are majoring in CS/eng.

to add.. this was not my list. This was DS' list. I wanted DS to also apply to Purdue and U of Wash, too, but DS didn't want to. DS only really wanted MIT or CMU, and if neither of those, then UMCP. He only applied to the others because I told him that he should apply to more than just 3 colleges. He knew he had a really low chance of getting into MIT or CMU. The others, he didn't really care. It was more of an ego thing if he got in (he didn't).

[Anonymous]

I find your post extremely reductive, OP.

Why assume that Asians are looking differently at colleges? Asian cultures are many and varied. Some hail directly from their native land, others have been here, or elsewhere in the western world, for years, or generations. Some families are poor or uneducated. Some have kids that aren't high-performing. This thread strengthens stereotypes, and that's never good.

My Euro-Asian kids and their friends, Asian or not, are mostly looking at colleges that have solid reputations for their majors. And sometimes they end up NOT at their reach schools, because they find a better fit elsewhere when visiting, and/or they take a merit aid offer that's too good to pass up. Which happened to my oldest: he got into his dream program, and turned it down for a middle of the road private university that he felt suited him better, and who had offered him a guaranteed scholarship for 5 years. My second wants a cold climate and is looking at Canadian and Oxbridge type schools. As I said, we also have European roots, so they don't feel married to the Ivy League.

Look broadly. Pick the best fit.

[Anonymous]

MIT, Caltech, Princeton, UC-Berkeley, Stanford, Washington, Illinois, Michigan

[Anonymous]

Schools that are strong in STEM and that are known as "grinder" schools (because Asians aren't afraid of hard work and their parents don't need to coddle them in some SLAC).

CMU, GA Tech, Michigan, UW Seattle, UIUC, JHU, UChicago, Purdue, UT Austin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a South Asian, I see a lot of excitement and respect for your “dream school” list of Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Caltech, Penn, and Yale, but I’d also add Columbia feels at the same level amongst other South Asians we know.

+1 even with their scandal Columbia is still a hot commodity. It should be back in the US News T10 soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious what you have seen with your children and their other Asian friends. And I'm not talking about the consistent Asian dream schools (Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Caltech, Penn, Yale), but schools that are perhaps less obvious. In my daughter's friend group I've been seeing a surprising level of interest in Georgia Tech for example.

I don't see many kids talking about or being excited for Yale honestly. I think many will still apply because it's prestigious, but for the very STEM inclined kids they don't seem to talk about it much. They seem to have more interest in the other 7 overall (Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Caltech, Penn).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious what you have seen with your children and their other Asian friends. And I'm not talking about the consistent Asian dream schools (Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Caltech, Penn, Yale), but schools that are perhaps less obvious. In my daughter's friend group I've been seeing a surprising level of interest in Georgia Tech for example.

I don't see many kids talking about or being excited for Yale honestly. I think many will still apply because it's prestigious, but for the very STEM inclined kids they don't seem to talk about it much. They seem to have more interest in the other 7 overall (Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Caltech, Penn).

There is no way an Asian stuck on prestige will choose Duke or Penn over Yale. STEM isn’t only engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious what you have seen with your children and their other Asian friends. And I'm not talking about the consistent Asian dream schools (Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Caltech, Penn, Yale), but schools that are perhaps less obvious. In my daughter's friend group I've been seeing a surprising level of interest in Georgia Tech for example.

I don't see many kids talking about or being excited for Yale honestly. I think many will still apply because it's prestigious, but for the very STEM inclined kids they don't seem to talk about it much. They seem to have more interest in the other 7 overall (Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Caltech, Penn).

There is no way an Asian stuck on prestige will choose Duke or Penn over Yale. STEM isn’t only engineering.

Eh, I've seen it happen. Specifically for BME and pre-med at Duke and M&T and VIPER at Penn. At that level kids should visit and pick on fit since Duke and Penn are really at the same level as Yale overall, but I agree if someone is stuck on prestige it can be a knee-jerk decision to go with Yale without considering the quality of programs. Again, I think schools like Duke and Penn have been catching up while Yale has been dropping a bit with the advancements in technology.

[Anonymous]

UCs, USC, University of Washington, Lehigh, CMU and then the usual suspects. No southern schools.

[Anonymous]

Only brand name matters for first generation Asian parents. So no schools that cannot be recognized as prestigious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, WUSTL, UChicago

Private school kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UCs, USC, University of Washington, Lehigh, CMU and then the usual suspects. No southern schools.

I agree with this!

[Anonymous]

From the Chinese perspective, I've seen reactions from back home be most impressed with a very small group of schools. Basically what was initially said: HPSM gets the most appreciation, and then general approval for Caltech, Duke, Yale, Wharton. Also lots of approval for Berkeley and to an extent UCLA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From the Chinese perspective, I've seen reactions from back home be most impressed with a very small group of schools. Basically what was initially said: HPSM gets the most appreciation, and then general approval for Caltech, Duke, Yale, Wharton. Also lots of approval for Berkeley and to an extent UCLA.

And Columbia and NYU due to the city connection tend to be favorable as Chinese.