5 Reasons Why Asians Are Not Getting Accepted In Top American Colleges!

We have been hearing about apparent prejudice in the admissions process by the highly-selective colleges in US and other powerful economies.

And recently, we have seen a substantial increase in these stories of unfairness towards Asians, including lawsuits and complaints to the U.S. government, as well.

We have an idea that private colleges evaluate applicants on certain criterion. And what most people don’t understand is that high test scores and grades are not the sole determinant for admission to American colleges and other private universities.

Let us try to establish these 5 prominent reasons behind these unfair practices, and why Asians are not getting accepted in top American colleges :

1. Americans Have A Peculiar Mentality

To appreciate why high-scoring students do not prevail in the American system, you must first understand the American mentality. Americans see themselves as world leaders, contributing not only to their own country, but also influencing other societies around the globe. The U.S. mentality is one in which individuals are expected to contribute to communities. American high school students are pushed to serve hundreds of hours in community service, both domestically and through international missions. And they definitely want the members of their own community in these serving roles. That is why Asians are rejected on large scale.

2. American Universities Are More of Communities

American universities are built upon this idea of community. Here, college is more than just classes and coursework. From the American perspective, the student body itself – the students, and the structures that bring the students together – is as important as academics. We believe that students teach each other through their interactions, and that a variety of shared experiences and perspectives is an invaluable part of the college education. As a result, American universities are looking not only for academicians, but also for students who will contribute to the school in diverse ways.

3. American Universities Look For Diverse Contributors

These universities follow a diversity in admissions, which means more than ethnicity or national origin. Diversity means the ability to provide something different to a campus community. For example, qualified students who contribute athletically are valued as much as those who contribute only academically. Leadership and one’s social role in the community are critically important to some highly-selective colleges.

4. The Evaluation And Grading Differs

Generally, our private colleges (as opposed to most public universities) use more than SAT and ACT scores to select applicants. But, the best schools in America use a “holistic” system to evaluate candidates. What is the holistic system? It is an evaluation method in which applicants are given numerical grades in several areas, after which the several grades are combined into overall grades. Then, further factors – most notably the unique aspects of each student – are used to create a diverse class complete with a wide variety of contributors. Here, but naturally, the American applicants take the cake, because they are coming from the same educational background.

5. Multi Angular Evaluation Beats Asians

Students who are strong in only one area are considered “angular” or “well-lopsided,” and they often do not achieve great results in the holistic system. Grades, test scores, research, academic competition, and publications only apply to the academic admissions attribute. Without strength in the activities and human scales, smart students do not fare well in the admissions process. Although some applicants do gain admission based solely on their academic performance, most applicants cannot rely merely upon test scores.

So basically,  top universities evaluate not only mental ability, but also non-academic ability and human attributes. Harvard grades the applicants in three areas: academics, activities, and “personal qualities.” Whereas, Dartmouth uses an almost identical group of three factors, evaluating intellectual engagement and curiosity, commitment and motivation in activities, and character. And in all these areas, the Asian applicants’ scores remain lower than that of the European or Mediterranean ones.

No matter how perfect a square peg may be, the American holistic admissions system uses round holes in picking students. And hence the hard fate of Asian students.