<p>I don’t think it’s a mathematical issue (the percentage of Asians in top schools exceeds the group’s proportional representation in the nation, so Asians don’t count for AA). AA wouldn’t stop for African Americans or Hispanics if suddenly the same were true for those groups. I think the reason Asians don’t count in AA is because schools see most Asians as being identical – math/science nerds who play the violin/piano, had 400 EC hours in Key Club, want to be a doctor, and once on campus are relatively silent and invisible. They don’t see the value of having more Asians on campus since the marginal utility of admitting one more is almost zero. Like any stereotype, this one is largely true (I am Asian and most of my college-bound friends appear very much alike on paper; me, too). Perhaps the long-term answer is for us Asians to quit pursuing the same things in high school. We can still be great students, but maybe some of us should play football or wrestle, and then some of us should do cheer, and then some of us should play the electric guitar in a garage band, then some of us should organize a campus protest or otherwise be socially active, then some of us could do creative things like acting, writing, etc. Maybe if we were less alike on paper, we’d be more attractive to top schools. If we were honest with ourselves, we’d admit that it’s pretty crazy that so many of us pursue the exact same path. Just a thought.</p>