2011.12.27

Half-Asian’s college strategy: Don’t check the box

 /THE JAPAN TIMES, December 5, 2011/

Introduction

A few days ago, I took part in an introduction meeting for those who are to apply for American graduate school, and listened to the lecturers who got (or were to get) ph.D in a famous American university. They said they faced many hardship in applying for their schools, but never said they have been discriminated because of their race: Asian. Why some people are refused for the racial group they belong to, and others are not?  

Briefing

• Why many half-Asians do not check the box for their race?

    That is because they know they would be disadvantaged in the selection for the admission. In some of the elite schools like Harvard, Asian applicants need to score more in the SAT test than white, African, or other racial group students. 

• Why such a discrimination exists in the American admission system? 

    The most crucial reason for that is outstanding achievement of Asian students. Most of them are educated well and excellent at an exam, and if there were no racial proportion restraint on the admission, top-level schools would be dominated by Asian students. This is not favorable for the school, the funders and the public. 

• How half-Asian applicants feel when they face the box?

    Some of them do not have any emotional conflict on that, and for such people it is just a strategy. But many must feel strange about checking the box for ‘white’. Moreover, quite a few may feel unpleasant about that they can not check the ‘Asian’ with pride. 

Opinion

This issue is so difficult to evaluate, because it is caused by a conflict between racial diversity and racial equality. The individual ability should be evaluated equally, but if that results in poor racial diversity, the admission standard might be changed against Asians, which is called racial discrimination. Thus, the opinion will be separated right into half. Personally I think every effort should be fairly valued, therefore, I support the ability-based admission system. Plus, as a future applicant for an American university, I say NO to racial discrimination.