Reply to Why don't people want to go to tj just because there are "too many" asians?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It’s not that hard to understand people of Indian and Chinese origins have very little in common either by looks, culture, or religion (Indians are more of caucasians than “Asians”). So TJ actually has great diversity even in terms of race.  The negative posters on this board obviously knew this fact but chose to mislead people by labeling all of them as “Asians “ so that they sound the same. This is such a shame![/quote]
I think the fundamental reason for some people constantly attacking TJ is because it’s not a white-dominant school anymore, regardless of the status of diversity. [/quote]

This is technically correct. It is the fundamental reason for [i]some[/i] people attacking TJ, but not that many.

A much larger and more well-reasoned cohort attack TJ from a diversity perspective because a massive amount of resources are sunk into a school whose demographic looks nothing like the county as a whole.

Another big group attacks the TJ admissions process because its emphasis on demonstration of STEM interest favors families who are both willing to drive their students in that direction from an early age (regardless of their actual interests) and have the resources to do so. They've mitigated the test-prep issue slightly with the introduction of the Quant-Q (which should have a much higher barrier to entry).

Like it or not, it's much more socially acceptable for Indian, Chinese, and Korean families (and those from many other cultures) to dictate their child's path than it is for modern-day American families. This is a big part of why nearly 60% of applications every year come from Asian and/or "multiracial" families. It's not a judgment on that culture to point out that aspect of it - indeed, I think many people in those demographics would tell you that they're very proud of that aspect of their culture.

TJ has a reputation - deserved or undeserved - as a hyper-competitive, cutthroat, STEM-only environment that is highly populated by East and South Asian families who are far less concerned with the complete high school experience than they are with optimizing that experience toward elite college admissions. That reputation deters families of all races (indeed, even some Asian families) from a) engaging in the application process to begin with, b) accepting the offer of admission and c) staying once they're there.

There have never been enough Black/Latinx applications to begin with, and White applications have declined precipitously over the past dozen years. The number of those families (especially Black families) who are actually accepted but decline the offer of admission once they attend Freshman Preview Night and see how few folks look like them is heartbreaking and contributes to the chicken-and-egg problem of representation at TJ. You'd have more Black families interested in applying to TJ (and accepting their offers of admission)....if there were more Black families at TJ.[/quote]

A reasonable view of the reality at TJ.  This poster is saying all the same things that the other rude poster(s) are but in a netural tone that tries to engage in dialog as opposed to insults.  Kudos!

What you painted is the reality.  First gen immigrants are always influenced by their families.  This is not new to Indians/Asians.  Jews and Russians before this were doing this as well... just that they were few in number relative to the populace and did not look any different from the whites so no one complained.   Not the same now.  And given the size of India's population, there will always be a steady supply of first gen kids in this country to fill up schools like TJ across the country even as the previous wave of Indians turn into second and third gen Indians, and tend to melt into the pot.   That's the demographic reality.

TJ is not as cut throat as you think.  The kids themselves don't care about whether you are white or black and you can't blame them or their parents for other non-asian kids choosing to not go there, can you?  Also, there is no advantage when it comes to elite admissions by going to TJ.  That's a myth.  It might benefit the top 5% of the kids but not everyone can be that.  The remaining kids would have been better off going to base from a college outcomes perspective. All the parents know that.. They either hope that their kids are in the top 5% or the kids go there because they love STEM.  Painting all Asians as going to TJ for their parents' sake is incorrect and wrong.

At the end of the day everyone has to make the choice whether to go or not. I don't care much about the white kids choosing not to go only because most are fully aware of their choices and have "white privilege" going for them.  Blacks and Hispanic kids should and must be encouraged to attend if that's their passion.  Imagine how the first Chinese or Indian kid that attended TJ must have felt?  Parents should encourage their kids to attend.
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