Asian-Americans in the Ivy League: A Portrait of Privilege and Discrimination

[cowcommander]

Reflecting their growing social and economic prominence in the U.S., Asian-Americans are disproportionately represented at the most elite universities in the land, relative to their numbers in the total population.

Students head to their classes during a protest at the University of California Berkeley in Berkeley
While "Asians" -- defined broadly as people who can trace their ancestry to East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Pacific Islands -- account for only about 5 percent of the U.S. populace, they are believed to represent up to 20 percent of the enrollment at the top Ivy League schools.

However, the irony is that if the admission criteria and process in all U.S. universities were completely fair and equitable -- that is, based purely on academic qualifications -- the Asian weighting in the elite colleges would likely be significantly higher.

In an article in the Boston Globe, Kara Miller, a history professor at Babson College, wrote that Asian-Americans score an average of 1623 -- out of a possible 2400 -- on SAT tests. By comparison, Hispanics and blacks average 1,364 and 1,276 on the SAT, respectively, while whites average 1,581.

Quite a conundrum, indeed. Are Asians being celebrated and rewarded for their hard work, intelligence and success? Or are they being discriminated against?

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/43824/20100817/asian-american-college-ivy-league.htm

[pampango]

1. We dealt with this 3 years ago when our son went to college. He's half-Asian, half-white, but

looks quite Asian.

Since he has an "American" name it was easy to avoid having his "Asianess" held against him in comparing his grades and test scores to those of others in the admissions process. He ended up getting into one of the "good" schools he wanted and now is part of the Asian "over-representation" there. :)

Colleges want a "diverse" campus and they have "curve" scores and grades to achieve this or there would be "too many" Asians and not enough of other groups. That's hard to argue with on a societal level, but it stinks when it affects you personally.

[dkf]

2. So I guess if you are if mixed race you can strategize which one to claim.

[exboyfil]

4. Not one drop of blood theory?

How about color blind admission. Remove all identifying information in the admission process.

In our state individuals of Asian descent are still grouped for affirmative action. Two nice state funded scholarships in our local university group Asian Americans along with every other group except European Americans. I am 1/8th Native American, and my children are 1/16th. Like me my oldest has relatively dark skin and features and probably could pass for Native American without much difficulty. My youngest on the other hand shows the 3/8th Norwegian through and through like her 3/4th Norwegian mom.

Who decides the racial/ethnic status?

[slampoet]

3. Asians are mostly west coast people who are too smart to think the IVY league is the best, ....

...when it has been an empty name brand for some time.

[exboyfil]

5. UC Berkeley and the other UC schools show how different

pricing can be an issue. They are nationally rated along with schools costing four times more. Given the populaton size of California and UC Berkeley's rating in engineering (#3) you can see how the competition must be brutal. The same can also apply to schools like Georgia Tech, Illinois, Michigan and Purdue (my school). Purdue maybe less so since Indiana is a smaller state than the rest.

[slampoet]

6. Exactly. I live in the shadow of Brown U. and RISD.

It used to be for the price of an plain art degree from RISD you could get an Art Degree from Brown U.

For the Price of an undergrad degree from Brown U. in the mid-90's you could get a PHD from University of Michigan or a Masters from U of Chicago.