Reply to Asian-American Groups Accuse Brown, Dartmouth, and Yale of Bias in Admissions

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[quote=Anonymous]This college thread gets a lot of pages devoted to this.  Every few days in fact.  There are clearly a few posters who feel that Asian Americans are not getting a fair shake.  Another common thread is that URMs are somehow at fault.

Fact of the matter African Americans are a very small percentage of students at the top 25 colleges.  Typically 5-7 percent.  Hispanics are typically even less.  Asian Americans are typically significantly more.  They are over-represented in comparison to their percentage in the US population.  So, the argument being made in these legal challenges is that they want more slots based on grades and test scores.

But, colleges don't admit based on this.  Nor will they.  Not even many state schools that are subject to more limited criteria.

Not all but many Asian Americans specialize in the same fields.  They play certain instruments.  Tend to not play on team sports in high school.  SOME NOT ALL.  But, they tend to look a lot like the next candidate.  I worked at a school where many of the Asian students were quite studious and overall good kids, but were not particularly well-rounded.  Again, some not all.  Also, many do not focus on the fact that colleges look for unique and heart-felt essays.  I have read that many essays focus on achievement rather than who the kid is and what motivates them.

Finally, test scores are not everything.  If you practice them and are tutored, you can score higher than those who do not, in many cases, because of a lack of opportunity.  They (test scores) are correlated to income but are not a very strong predictor of ultimate college success.  Moreover, if you score past a certain point, you demonstrate a level that most colleges find acceptable.  So, let's say that number is 670 or 700 on SAT.  Getting an 800 does not gain you that much if the lower scoring applicant can be successful at a college.

On this website, I read a lot about the presumption that all URMs have weaker credentials.  In this area of the country, I know a lot of these kids and many have very strong credentials.

Finally, most people are not getting into highly selective schools.  I run into kids every year who only apply to these schools and then complain when they don't get in.  Applying to 10 schools with 5-12 percent acceptance rate is not a sound strategy.  Most kids of all races will be rejected.

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