Heidi M. Pascual*
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State
of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA)
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State
of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA)
| For more Asian American stories in Wisconsin, click: |
Shameful Secret to Top-College Admission:
“Don’t identify yourself as Asian!”
“Don’t identify yourself as Asian!”
It’s a shame that many college-bound Asian American students have to hide part of their racial ancestry because of
their belief that doing so would give them a better chance for admission to top colleges and universities in the U.S.
In an AP article by Jesse Washington recently, he wrote in part:
For years, many Asian-Americans have been convinced that it's harder for them to gain admission to the nation's top
colleges.
Studies show that Asian-Americans meet these colleges' admissions standards far out of proportion to their six
percent representation in the U.S. population, and that they often need test scores hundreds of points higher than
applicants from other ethnic groups to have an equal chance of admission. Critics say these numbers, along with the
fact that some top colleges with race-blind admissions have double the Asian percentage of Ivy League schools,
prove the existence of discrimination.
Asian students have higher average SAT scores than any other group, including whites. A study by Princeton
sociologist Thomas Espenshade examined applicants to top colleges from 1997, when the maximum SAT score was
1600 (today it's 2400). Espenshade found that Asian-Americans needed a 1550 SAT to have an equal chance of
getting into an elite college as white students with a 1410 or black students with an 1100.
The way it works, the critics believe, is that Asian-Americans are evaluated not as individuals, but against the
thousands of other ultra-achieving Asians who are stereotyped as boring academic robots.
Now, an unknown number of students are responding to this concern by declining to identify themselves as Asian on
their applications.
Washington interviewed some of these students from Harvard and Yale, former admissions officers and college
professors, who provided comments for his story. All of them were in agreement that Asian American students are
often held in higher standards than other ethnic groups and even whites. He stressed though, that not all Asian-
Americans fit this stereotype, depending on their economic status, ancestral countries and customs; however,
compared with American society in general, Asian Americans have a much stronger emphasis on intense academic
preparation as a path to a handful of the very best schools.
Most of the students who were interviewed are half-Asian who identified themselves as “white” or refused to check
the race box altogether. Their reason: They do not want to be lumped into an ethnic group that is held in higher
standards than others, and therefore, discriminated against. One student even considers a form of racism the
practice of drawing lines between different ethnic groups — and says her ethnic identity depends on where she is.
Some of the students were even encouraged by their parents to not identify themselves as Asian, simply because a
lot of graduating Asian American students have very high SAT scores, and most colleges and universities of course
wouldn’t just accept a majority Asian American student body. Diversity efforts allow top schools to admit students of
color from other ethnic groups, based on factors other than high test scores. Something we fully agree.
I salute the Harvard student — Jodi Balfe, a Korean American — who identified herself as “Asian.” She did it against
the advice of her high school guidance counselor, teachers and friends. Wow, that means some high school faculty
and counselors also accept this as a reality?
Balfe said, "I felt very uncomfortable with the idea of trying to hide half of my ethnic background. It's been a major
influence on how I developed as a person. It felt like selling out, like selling too much of my soul.
"I thought admission wouldn't be worth it. It would be like only half of me was accepted."
To the other students, however, they strongly feel it’s their response to an injustice. It’s the feeling of being
discriminated against. And in America where competition is cutthroat, Asian American students just want to be
armed with topnotch education in order to succeed in life. Something many of their parents never had.
Let's not go very far. In Wisconsin, there is an ongoing debate concerning a report of the Center for Equal Opportunity
(CEO) that says Asian Americans — together with Whites — are being discriminated against in college admissions
at the University of Wisconsin. Of course, African Americans and Latinos are up in arms, because the truth is, only a
handful of them are being admitted to the university; this, despite the efforts to diversify the student population at UW.
I believe that Asian Americans are indeed discriminated against in college admissions, but not at the expense of
African Americans and Latinos. The report creates a wedge separating Asian Americans from other people of color,
and the repercussion is double whammy for us! The culprit is the misleading general perception that Asian
Americans, with the exception of certain Southeast Asian groups, do not belong to the so-called minority or
disadvantaged population. This is probably also the reason why no financial assistance is available to many of these
students of Asian descent. As I wrote in a previous editorial, the Asian American community is a community of
contrasts: there are high achievers and low achievers, rich and poor. We just want to be treated like any other
American.
Asian American students should be more vocal about their plight, just like their African American and Latino
brothers/sisters. Don't deny your identity. Fight for it, and be proud of it. As Americans, you deserve to be recognized,
so stand up and exercise your freedoms that are enjoyed by everybody else.
their belief that doing so would give them a better chance for admission to top colleges and universities in the U.S.
In an AP article by Jesse Washington recently, he wrote in part:
For years, many Asian-Americans have been convinced that it's harder for them to gain admission to the nation's top
colleges.
Studies show that Asian-Americans meet these colleges' admissions standards far out of proportion to their six
percent representation in the U.S. population, and that they often need test scores hundreds of points higher than
applicants from other ethnic groups to have an equal chance of admission. Critics say these numbers, along with the
fact that some top colleges with race-blind admissions have double the Asian percentage of Ivy League schools,
prove the existence of discrimination.
Asian students have higher average SAT scores than any other group, including whites. A study by Princeton
sociologist Thomas Espenshade examined applicants to top colleges from 1997, when the maximum SAT score was
1600 (today it's 2400). Espenshade found that Asian-Americans needed a 1550 SAT to have an equal chance of
getting into an elite college as white students with a 1410 or black students with an 1100.
The way it works, the critics believe, is that Asian-Americans are evaluated not as individuals, but against the
thousands of other ultra-achieving Asians who are stereotyped as boring academic robots.
Now, an unknown number of students are responding to this concern by declining to identify themselves as Asian on
their applications.
Washington interviewed some of these students from Harvard and Yale, former admissions officers and college
professors, who provided comments for his story. All of them were in agreement that Asian American students are
often held in higher standards than other ethnic groups and even whites. He stressed though, that not all Asian-
Americans fit this stereotype, depending on their economic status, ancestral countries and customs; however,
compared with American society in general, Asian Americans have a much stronger emphasis on intense academic
preparation as a path to a handful of the very best schools.
Most of the students who were interviewed are half-Asian who identified themselves as “white” or refused to check
the race box altogether. Their reason: They do not want to be lumped into an ethnic group that is held in higher
standards than others, and therefore, discriminated against. One student even considers a form of racism the
practice of drawing lines between different ethnic groups — and says her ethnic identity depends on where she is.
Some of the students were even encouraged by their parents to not identify themselves as Asian, simply because a
lot of graduating Asian American students have very high SAT scores, and most colleges and universities of course
wouldn’t just accept a majority Asian American student body. Diversity efforts allow top schools to admit students of
color from other ethnic groups, based on factors other than high test scores. Something we fully agree.
I salute the Harvard student — Jodi Balfe, a Korean American — who identified herself as “Asian.” She did it against
the advice of her high school guidance counselor, teachers and friends. Wow, that means some high school faculty
and counselors also accept this as a reality?
Balfe said, "I felt very uncomfortable with the idea of trying to hide half of my ethnic background. It's been a major
influence on how I developed as a person. It felt like selling out, like selling too much of my soul.
"I thought admission wouldn't be worth it. It would be like only half of me was accepted."
To the other students, however, they strongly feel it’s their response to an injustice. It’s the feeling of being
discriminated against. And in America where competition is cutthroat, Asian American students just want to be
armed with topnotch education in order to succeed in life. Something many of their parents never had.
Let's not go very far. In Wisconsin, there is an ongoing debate concerning a report of the Center for Equal Opportunity
(CEO) that says Asian Americans — together with Whites — are being discriminated against in college admissions
at the University of Wisconsin. Of course, African Americans and Latinos are up in arms, because the truth is, only a
handful of them are being admitted to the university; this, despite the efforts to diversify the student population at UW.
I believe that Asian Americans are indeed discriminated against in college admissions, but not at the expense of
African Americans and Latinos. The report creates a wedge separating Asian Americans from other people of color,
and the repercussion is double whammy for us! The culprit is the misleading general perception that Asian
Americans, with the exception of certain Southeast Asian groups, do not belong to the so-called minority or
disadvantaged population. This is probably also the reason why no financial assistance is available to many of these
students of Asian descent. As I wrote in a previous editorial, the Asian American community is a community of
contrasts: there are high achievers and low achievers, rich and poor. We just want to be treated like any other
American.
Asian American students should be more vocal about their plight, just like their African American and Latino
brothers/sisters. Don't deny your identity. Fight for it, and be proud of it. As Americans, you deserve to be recognized,
so stand up and exercise your freedoms that are enjoyed by everybody else.