Yes, this is an issue, but Mei-xue, I don't know if you understand the entirety of the situation behind this fact.

First of all: College admissions are decided by voodoo and witchcraft.

Okay, okay, I'm kidding. Slightly. 

The fact of the matter is that SAT scores and ACT scores don't matter very much in college admissions. Your grades are the most important thing, followed by the essays you write, then your test scores, and then extracurics, etc.

Yes, sometimes race is a consideration. But consider where the data from this study came from. It was a national average, right? Most every state still has affirmative action, which seeks to allow more people in from "historically underrepresented" groups which, according to the law, includes Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans, and some Asian Americans. Yes, that means that other Asian Americans and whites may be excluded even if they have a higher score.

The issue is that a lot of affirmative action plans call for a certain amount of "diversity" that needs to be filled per school and while Asian Americans qualify as diverse, they are not as underrepresented in the population of college students. Thus, more slots are given up for those with other backgrounds.

Fortunately, there are changes being made to stop this. It's currently outlawed in 7 states by voter referendum, 1 state by legislature, and 1 state by executive order. There's been a sharp rallying cry about this as well for the past few years. More and more people are looking towards overturning the affirmative action laws. By the time you reach college, Mei-xue, it may be outlawed across the entire United States. 

Racism. That's why. 

Okay, I'm exaggerating. It's I think because people (say African-Americans) are statisttically more likely to come from bad backgrounds, though I think this is a bad system. I think the score par should be based on background. (Someone very intelligent who came from a bad background should get the same chance as someone of the same intelligence from a better one!) 

Okay. 

*inhales*

Mei, this is totally awesome what you're doing, standing up for Asians, but one question:

WHY HERE?

We get it.

Please if you wanna see the world change, do it. In the world.

YOU CAN DO IT.

I can tell, you will be famous one day.

I'm not even just saying that.

Honestly, it feels like you're treating us like . . .

politicians.

We're not.

We are kids (or uh, tweens?) who do not appreciate stereotypes.

Okay.

And I'm really sorry I know I need to stop arguing now.  

And:

Okay, about fifty years ago, African-Americans were discriminated. Still are, but it's better.

Trust me, time will make all of this better.

Of course, we all hope it'll be less than 50 years. 

But overall, it will. Someday. And sadly, even then, there will be those who discriminate.

Those who laugh at another expense. 

Those who hate.

So stop complaining.

And do something!

But remember:

I agree with St. Owl: NEVER judge someone before you really know them. That goes for the haters as well. As crazy as it may sound, sometimes people will surprise you.

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Again, really sorry I know I'm arguing way too much.

See, even I do it . . .  

And, may I point out one more scenario?

Ahem.

Let's say there are Asians that are really prejudiced again Americans, like they would be saying "oo Americans are dumb and look at their big eyes." Which side would you be on? The Asians because they're Asian, or the Americans because they're the victims of the prejudice? There is no race that has no person that isn't prejudiced against the other.

---

Finally, rant over.

This is the end to my ranting.

I promise. 

I'm very aware American is not a true race, I just don't like using the terms "white/black" so I opted for the closest thing possible.

No I am not. I was just giving examples.

Mei, I wasn't trying to sound racist, and sorry if I did. I was just making an example! I didn't mean it seriously, I just didn't know how else to describe it.

Hello again everyone!

As someone (the only one here besides Admins, I believe) who has applied/been rejected/waitlisted/admitted to college recently, and as someone who is half Chinese, I'd like to add my own two cents.

This past year has been full of spreadsheets, test prep, countless college essays and forms, way too much time spent filling out financial aid documents, and a lot of stress. My attitudes toward college and toward myself have both changed a lot. In the grade above me, there was someone who chose Brown over Stanford, and it just wasn't a choice I could understand on any level, but now it's one I can.

I applied to 11 colleges; 4 were Ivies, 1 was a state school, 1 was a shoo-in but still prestigious, the other 5 were all top tier. This was a mistake. Don't do this to yourself. I got into a great school and I'm really happy to be going there next year, but when the time comes to apply, don't apply because of prestige, actually apply to places that are a good fit for you. It's not worth it.

Here's the thing: on paper, I have the perfect application in terms of test scores, grades, and academic rigor. I was well within the 25-75% average or above for all the schools I'm applying to (with the exception of the one I'm actually going to lol). My essays were well written, and while now I'd definitely change most of them, they were good. I had several leadership positions at school, was in clubs, on a sports team, played an instrument. I lacked in community service, but had a little bit, enough to put on my applications.

Who else has this? Half of everyone who applied to Stanford.

All of the higher tier schools use holistic admissions. If they're on the Common App, they use a holistic process, which means that they look at each student as an entire person, not just as their test scores. As an admissions officer from Cornell said to me: Say they have ten applicants. Two will be superbly qualified, one will be mostly qualified, and the rest won't. How do they then decide between the two applicants who are? College admissions, at a certain point, becomes arbitrary. 

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There are three different arguments for affirmative action:

1. Corrective. We want to have our universities to have the same proportions as our society does.

2. Compensating for past wrongs. Self-explanatory.

3. Diversity. This argument appeals to the social mission of the university. The mission of the university is to educate, and part of education is the community in which that education takes place. It is beneficial for the student body as a whole if there are diverse racial perspectives. It could also be for the good of society, if, for example, a university has done a study and found that black doctors are more likely to better treat black patients than white doctors, and that black doctors are underrepresented, then it might be consistent with the university's social mission to increase the number of black applicants it admits. 

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Something else to consider: if a kid from Austin, a neighborhood less than two miles from where I live (85% black, was 99% white in the 60s see: white flight), was given the resources that I've had, in a town that is 85% white, has always been white, then would that kid be where I am? I have great standardized test scores, because my school can afford to host and my parents can afford to pay for test prep classes.

Of course, this raises the question of why we don't then admit based on wealth, but race is an indicator of other factors, including wealth and access to opportunities, and racism isn't dead in America. (If you want some proof, just look up Airbnb and difficulty booking a room based on name.)

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Question chain:

What do you think of sports scholarships / athletes admitted on basis of ability?

What is your opinion of legacy?

What is your opinion of affirmative action? 

Your answers to these questions should be pretty consistent if you argue against affirmative action because race is a factor beyond your control: the second two are purely factors beyond someone's control, and genetics play a role in the first. 

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Has affirmative action benefited me? Absolutely not. I don't know everything that happened with my applications, but it's highly possible that if I wasn't half-Chinese I would have been admitted in places I was rejected. Am I still in favor of affirmative action? Absolutely. We are not an equal society, and we must take measures to become one. 

What is fair is the consistent application of a university's mission statement: if their mission is to provide the best education for their students, and in their judgment that means having a racially diverse student body, then so be it. 

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If someone wants to talk more about the philsophical arguments behind affirmative action, I'd be happy to dig up my philosophy notes from the bottom of my closet and discuss it.