| Of course it's a "factor," but only a factor in terms of balance. If there were not an overpopulation of accomplished East Asians from the same regions with the same income levels & quite similar interests (& sometimes similar e.c.'s), this would not be as much an issue as it is among the few schools that this population especially seeks, in larger numbers, proportionally, than other groups.
If there were not such an overpopulation of students of all groups, period, who were so qualified, then the issue of balance would not be so prominent. The Elites can have balance (given that generous supply from the country & the globe), so they seek it.
Anglo Caucasians compete with each other all the time in admissions, yet mostly they don't assume they're being denied for "racial" reasons, because they are also not. They do apply in plentiful numbers to the Elites, but they also apply, in more plentiful percentages than East Asians do, to non-Elites. |