“You won’t ever actually be in the ‘mainstream’, and if you do join one of these groups, the white students at Vandy will likely think that you’re just ‘another generic Asian’.”
Dont underestimate this. I cant even begin to describe the strange looks I got whenever i said that i was in one of those groups. If you do join one of these groups, youre pretty much signing a contract saying “I give up any chance of acceptance with the main student body in exchange for acceptance in this small community”. If you ever mention that you are in one of these groups to a white student, their perception of you will change drastically.
If I’m talking to a white student sitting next to me in class:
“So what do you do on campus” “I’m in X minority group” “oh…”
Conversation ends.
It really seems like Vandy students condemn any sign of Asian-ness. If you show any indication at all that you connect with your Asian roots, prepare for a lonely, lonely college life. The worst part about this is that vandy claims that its a diverse school, yet whenever a minority student displays anything that’s different from what white students are used to, the minority student is pretty much a social outcast. Dont even get me started on how bad malaysians have it.