mam1959

To make clear, I am not persuaded by Li's claims. Irrespective of whether someone like him obtains admission to Princeton, he will have plenty of opportunity if he wishes to apply himself wherever he goes.

What I do object to, and as is reflected by Saugus' posts - where he scarcely refers himself as an individual but rather as a member of racial group - lamenting all the way how difficult it is to hide his racial affiliation because his last name betrays him - is treating people other than as individuals. And while the impact of affirmative action at Princeton is likely limited (students of any race are very qualified), it impacts most other schools tremendously. At my top tier graduate school, enormous remediation resources were expended to very, very little result. In other words, my concern is not so much with the white or asian person who has had a place taken by a lesser qualified candidate (although that is a real phenomena and is discomfiting), but rather what it does to so many institutions.

And worse yet, it is all done in secret. No program should avoid scrutiny, and an examination of its costs versus its benefits.

speedo

Despite the multitude of claims here on CC about discrimination, it has yet to be proven. The
"great left wing conspiracy," I suspect is mostly a cover-up for students who desperately want to be admitted through a process that is beyond their control. This op lacks confindence and no doubt that will shine through in the application process. That's probably what will doom this op, nothing to do with socio/economic background. Change you mind-set and stop looking for excuses to fail.

Saugus

I disagree. Jian Li was very qualified. He wasn't really screwed, because he got into Yale, but there's no doubt that he would have been admitted to Princeton if he were anything but Asian.

I don't doubt my abilities or anything. As long as I keep doing well, I'll wind up going to some good school. (Although Princeton is my #1 choice.)

Is that 9.3% admissions rate accurate? By that, I mean, do only very qualified people apply, or is it skewed because of lots of no-shot people apply?

Techy233

That is such BS.

Plenty of non-2400 Asians are admitted to Princeton every year.

Techy233

The 9.3% acceptance is a result is due to hugely qualified class of applicants. Most people that apply to Princeton can handle Pton's workload; that is usually not the question adcoms are asking themselves.

What are your reasons for applying to Pton? Please, there are those of us who are not in the top 2% of the income bracket, and our biggest worries in life do not concern whether what is arguably the most prestigious university in the world accepts us. If you are rejected from Princeton, it is not because you are Asian. If you are rejected from Princeton, it's for most of the same reason that 91% of other Pton applicants are rejected. Not every Asian at Princeton has a 2400, is a valedictorian, etc. If Princeton wanted, it could fill its incoming class with valedictorians - but it chooses not to do that. There is more to the application process.

URM get a boost b.c. there are so few of them at top colleges. 20% of people at Princeton are Asian; while a 15% combined Hispanic, Black and N. American. About 7% Hispanic, and 7% Black, 1% N.American. I'm sure a decent portion of those URM are 1/4-1/2 URM and use the system to their advantage, are actually white/Americansed {like my friends at Princeton}

Your immaturity and misunderstanding shows you clearly do not belong there. Grow up.

monstor344

You guys know that Jian Li didn't actually directly sue P-ton. He merely filed a complaint with OCR. He is not a loser by any reasonable standard, nor did peer institutions consider him a generic Asian applicant (an ironically hypocritical stance in college admissions IMO). And contrary to popular belief, Asians are represented within each socioeconomic tier at rates nearly identical to Hispanics.

But yes, you are probably at a substantial disadvantage even compared to white applicants, high-income or not. Affirmative action is prominent (especially at Princeton, from what I hear) whether for the right reasons or not.

Do you jump from board to board each time you are defeated in an argument? And I myself am largely liberal; I can recognize, though, when a policy is so radical that it breaks standards that stand above all else (in this case, racial equality).

speedo

We are now officially on another entitled Asian whine thread.

kosherz

I disagree. I believe it is a HUGE advantage to be an affluent Asian in this process. Believe it or not, Ivies were once pretty much Aristocratic (look up Ivy Feeder high schools).

monstor344

I am more Caucasian than I am Asian, my last name is Anglo-Saxon, and I even share a fraction of Indigenous Australian blood. I have no personal stake in this (and even if I did, so what? Was Rosa Parks accused of whining because she was motivated by personal interests? Did she have an overbearing sense of entitlement just because she equal preference for bus seating placement?).

I don't think the Ivies care about your income bracket much right now. It will likely be several years until the lower socioeconomic pool isn't just need-blind but is distinctly advantaged. It probably occurs to a minor extent right now; just not as significantly much as it ideally would be. And Ivies, barring developmental admits, have surely all but lost the label of aristocratic. But no, being high-income is NOT an admissions disadvantage. I don't think the Ivies will ever go so far as to distinguish between middle-class and upper-class for admissions decisions, barring aforementioned exceptions.

monstor344

And yes, you can leave your ethnicity blank on your application. Not sure about your income bracket; I would assume you could leave it blank but I'm not positive.

speedo

Welcome to level 2 of the Asian whine thread - comparing rejected Asian apps at Pton to the civil rights movement. Next we'll have the rejected Asian march on Washington and the construction of the rejected Asian memorial wall with the name of every Asian student who has been rejected by a college inscribed next to his or her SAT score. And of course, a sea of Asian parents on their knees weeping, " he didn't get in! he didn't get in!"

monstor344

speedo, I don't think you realize it but your comments are bordering on racism.

speedo

When all else fails cry "racism".

monstor344

^ Believe me, I have a lot more to say on the matter to you. I just don't think this is the appropriate forum/place to conduct that discussion.

Techy233

Being rejected from Princeton isn't comparable to the civil rights movement.

I, for one, am a minority that was accepted at Princeton. I left the race blank on my application. I am fully Hispanic, but my last name is European due to legal problems with my great-great-great-great grandfather.

You do not see many URMs at top colleges. Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans are under-repesented at top schools, BL, BB, etc. You do, however, see many Asians. The politically correct idea behind affirmative action is that if two equally competitive applicants apply to a school, ALL OTHER THINGS EQUAL, the one who is an URM gets an extra point and is ergo admitted. Following that logic, there are URMs at Princeton whom are just as, if not more competitive than some Asians at Princeton, race notwithstanding. Many who apply do reach that threshold. I have mixed feelings about AA, and opted not to use it to my advantage.

Get real problems! Princeton has a 9% acceptance rate! 91% of EVERYBODY who applies is rejected. I know URMS with 2250s that have been rejected from Princeton. Get over it. It's OK for the OP to feel wronged; but he is immature and distasteful about it. Princeton has Asians. They do not all have 2400s. There is more to the process.

There is also more to life than getting into HYPS. I'm at NYU :-D