JMIONE1

I meant minority in the sense that it helps you in your admission to ND, Asians are obviously a MINORITY in the US, but in deciding admission your treated like a white student if not harder.

parentalexpert

There are several things to keep in mind when considering the implications of being a "minority". ND, like almost all other competitive colleges, wants to a) create a diverse student body [whether or not this is a legitimate rationale for admissions decisions is beyond the scope of this post] and b) wants to provide their educational opportunities to those who are disadvantaged or otherwise have been given a bad luck of the draw in life. [Admissions teams love applicants who have overcome barriers and obstacles to achievement]. Therefore, most competitive colleges seek out African American applicants with great fervor, since this group is underepresented at most competitive college campuses, since this group has a very high profile as being at the forefront of the society's focus of equal opportunity since the 1960s, and since on average African American applicants are more likely to come from less advantaged backgrounds. Hispanics are also sought after, although they present a more complicated case for admissions officers. Most admission teams would admit that a Hispanic applicant from a decidely disadvantaged background (i.e., parents speak only Spanish, living in poor circumstances, etc.) would be a very attractive candidate. But a Hispanic applicant who is third generation in America and whose parents are demonstrable middle class would have less of an advantage. Asians are another situation altogether, since many Americans of Asian descent are likely to be of average to above average background, and to have parents who have created a highly motivating, achieving environment [which ironically can be a disavantage in the eyes of admissions officers, since, as noted, they like to see applicants who have overcome obstacles more than applicants who have taken advantage of great environemnts]. So while an Asian applicant whose parents do not speak English and who lives in disadvantaged circumstances might be attractive to admissions teams, an Asian applicant whose parents are doctors and lawyers and who live in an upper middle class suburb probably have no advantage from their ethnicity in the admissions process.

collegeman102

parentalexpert is right on the money. asian families have a higher median income than any racial group including whites in the united states so disadvantages are out the door. hispanics, according to the 2000 census make up about 13% (blacks are about 12%) of the population whereas asians only make up 4%. so although you may feel that asians should be represented in greater numbers at notre dame, that claim is not supported. notre dame will push for even greater numbers of blacks and hispanics to break their image of homogeneity but asians are not going to be targeted. essentially you'll be just another white kid to the admissions office.