SciMan

i have considered applying unknown race/ethicity but with a last name of Wong
it screams Chinese so i dont see the point. I go into applying to colleges with the mindset that being asian is unlucky and nothing i/ federal law can do to give me a fair chance.

On top of that i have "unAsian/asian-fail" grades and sat scores (3.8/1800) which makes me at an extrenely disadvantage in the college process.

I was not president of any club (not even math/science club) and did not invent sci/med stuff or save lives.

Maybe i'm just a little bit bitter....

fabrizio

I too had a surname that "screamed Chinese." (Because I am ethnically Chinese.) I legally changed it such that my name is now completely ambiguous in terms of racial classification, ethnicity, or ancestral origin. The process varies by state and perhaps even by county, but it is an option.

terenc

I empathize. At the same time that someone fails to live up to the "high-stat Asian" stereotype, that person is excluded by a system that holds that stereotype up as the standard for all Asian applicants.

Shrinkrap

"Dartmouth, for example, specifically asks your race, and they tell you that they are looking for an ethnically diverse population, so when they ask, it helps them and gives people a chance for scholarship opportunities. "

then you quote Dartmouth


"We are interested in drawing together a community of students that collectively represents as wide a spectrum of backgrounds, perspectives and interests as possible. Among a wide array of recruitment activities, admissions officers, students and alumni participate in the recruitment of prospective students of color. If you choose to identify yourself as a member of an underrepresented minority group, it will allow us to provide you with supplemental information and to pass your name on to student and alumni groups that may be sponsoring events of interest to you."

is the supplemental information and sponsored events what you mean by scholarships? That's not the way I read it.

Also, "do you know... how many super wealthy african americans there are in affluent areas like CA, NY, NJ and CT?". I do not. do you have any numbers?

hpotter12

I wish I'd changed my last name from Yang to... I don't know, something white. A lot of my friends are half Asian/half Caucasian, and a few of them have gotten name changes so they'll get bumped up a bit for admissions. Having that 100-point SAT difference could really help; I got a 2240, but as my white friends say, "That's a failure for Asian-Americans, but admissions would love you - if only you were white." T.T
I don't even identify as Asian (I am extremely white-washed), but if I checked the box for Caucasian, my last name would be a dead giveaway. Cue bitterness.

hpotter12

Should I leave the 'Race' box blank? At the very least it could tell the officers that I'm aware of my rights as a US citizen, but it could also annoy them. I know a lot of Asian-American kids like me are rather whiny about being Asian-American because it 'perpetuates the stereotype that all Asian kids want to get into Ivy League schools', but it's not the kids who are talking. It's laughable that I actually get to choose which schools I apply to. That happy power resides with my parents.
Asian kids want to do well and get into Ivy Leagues so that their/our parents can stop telling everyone around us that we're failures and won't amount to anything. Really. No joke. Every single time my parents get together with their friends, it's another rendition of '100 Ways in Which Our Daughter Fails'.

So yes, I am bitter. A lot of Asian kids are. But can you blame us for wanting to get our parents off our backs for the first time in our lives?
(Not that my parents would be happy with just an Ivy League. There's also grad school. Yippee.)

A227227

How should I answer the race question? I'm part Portuguese, Persian, Indian and Eastern European so should I check white and Asian, white with European and middle eastern or what? What would look best for college admissions?

WhaleWhale

Being white isn't actually that much easier than being Asian. Part of the reason Caucasians have a higher acceptance rate than Asians do at most selective colleges is because a lot of them who get in have legacy. I'm also willing to bet that Caucasians are also more income diverse than Asians are, and colleges like both poor and super-rich people (who donate money, of course).

Also, I don't understand why a lot of Asians are mad at the "discrimination" against Asians.

Highly ranked colleges have a need to balance out their population or nobody would want to go there. If they didn't accept so many rich black students or first generation African Americans, then few black students would apply because they would see that that 1% of the student body is black. I'm Chinese, but the one thing that would be worse than rejected by Harvard is getting into Harvard and finding out that it is completely dominated by ABCs (Americans born Chinese).

Shrinkrap

Bookmarked. Is there anyone who DOESN'T think their demographic is "screwed"?

fabrizio

What is "balance"?

I'm sorry you feel that way. Did you know that eighty years ago, the President of Harvard argued that he had to restrict Jewish admissions or else Jews would drive out the "Gentiles" and after having driven them out, would not want to attend Harvard either?

A. Lawrence Lowell, Harvard’s president in the nineteen-twenties, stated flatly that too many Jews would destroy the school: "The summer hotel that is ruined by admitting Jews meets its fate...because they drive away the Gentiles, and then after the Gentiles have left, they leave also."

Getting In

Step back and think whether the implications of that argument (and yours) are kosher, no pun intended.

A227227

So should I check Asian and white? Do colleges like it when someone is mixed race?

SciMan

at a22...
the apps that i have seem have a bi-racial colum and you check what you are

@hpotter12 i ABSOLUTELY agree. being asian sucks UNLESS you are the smartest 5.9GPA 2401 SAT score asains.

And if ivys are gonna select asains, you can bet that 99% of their asians are gonna be the sharpest tools in the shed.

Legacyies and wealth are another story. But there are 1 million times more forced overachieving asians and bragging/putting down asain parents than there are mega rich/ legacy whites around.

And whites usualy arent considered ORM overly represnetated. So colleges dont have to watch their limits when they select students.
The "holistical approach" is a lie and total BS. anyone agree?

SciMan

quote: "Is there anyone who DOESN'T think their demographic is "screwed"?"

i totally agree. Screw data and stats demographics and last name should not even be known until admissions are secured. it is a bonus if your name is latisha or something obvious but the level of discrimination is much lower.

Shrinkrap

^ oh......but my name IS Latisha.......






Seriously...that is so funny......my best friend k-8 was Latisha. That is SO funny! I promise you, she never competed with you.

terenc

This is a seriously misguided attitude. Do you think Caucasians believe it is terrible that Harvard is dominated by Caucasians?