While the Supreme Court’s denial of affirmative action against college admissions is disappointing to many, there are some positives as well.
One of the good things is that stereotypes about how people got into college are fading away. Another good thing is that traditional admissions are on the brink. Finally, another good thing is that Asian Americans have gotten better.
Harvard’s Asian-American Discrimination lawsuit revealed that Harvard has three categories of grading for each race: academic, personal, and extracurricular. Harvard University then combines the scores into an overall figure to determine the candidate’s eligibility for admission.
Let’s look at the data.
Below is a chart highlighting Harvard’s racial rating system for Asian Americans, Whites, Hispanics, and African Americans.
In the academic sector, all races yield similar results. Everyone who comes to Harvard University is considered to excel academically.
In the extracurricular category, Asian Americans and African Americans appear to have the highest scores, followed by whites, followed by Hispanics. But the spreads are not that big.
However, in the individual category, Asian Americans scored the lowest and African Americans scored the highest. As an Asian-American, I was shocked to see how poorly Asian-American applicants at Harvard scored in terms of personality. His second highest personal rating was for Hispanics, followed by Whites.
African-Americans scored the highest overall among all races, followed by Hispanics. On the other hand, Asian Americans have the lowest overall rating.
Anyone looking at this data would think that Asian Americans, who have low individual and overall ratings, are the race most in need of affirmative action.
And yes, I understand that individual scores are determined based on applicant essays, teacher recommendations, alumni interviews, and other relevant information within the application. But how do you objectively assess whether one applicant’s story or character is better or more tragic than another?
Why are Asian Americans’ personal and overall ratings so low?
Theory #1: How to Limit Admission for Asian Americans
One theory as to why Harvard undervalues ​​Asian Americans on subjective individual and overall scores is that the higher grades and test scores Asian Americans submit to college admissions offset each other. It is useful for With lower subjective scores, Harvard can find reasons to reject more Asian-American applicants.
Harvard made it more difficult for students and parents who felt discriminated against based on objective criteria by using subjective rating measures that are difficult to prove.
Unfortunately for Harvard University and UNC, the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action and, in turn, considered this subjective rating system to be discriminatory against Asian Americans.
Theory #2: Harvard really believes Asian Americans are inferior in character
Another theory is that Harvard is right and the Supreme Court is wrong.
Harvard University truly believes that Asian Americans are inferior in character to all other races. Harvard University does not intentionally lower the individual scores of Asian Americans to discourage admissions based on objective measurements.
In such cases, what a shame It’s to the millions of Asian-American children who are said to be of lesser character. I see this hurting the self-esteem of some Asian-American children who believe they are destined for lackluster personalities. As a result, the Asian-American personality may be further degraded.
As a parent trying to instill confidence and self-love in their children, I am disappointed in this racially-based individual scoring system that Harvard University uses to assess applicants.
If you’re Asian-American, do you really want to go to college where you believe your personal score is the lowest of all races?
For those struggling with character issues, I wrote a detailed article on how to develop a better character to get into college, get a better job, and win in life.
Which theory is correct?
As someone who loves data analysis, I believe in theory 1. Harvard University used subjective measures such as individual scores to justify curbing Asian-American enrollment. Test scores by race are too big to hide.
Enrollment data by race is as follows: Even if Asian-American applicants were in the top decile, they only had a 12.7% chance of getting into Harvard, the lowest of any race.
Harvard was smart to come up with a subjective grading system to justify its admission decisions. Private schools are free to do what they want as long as they don’t get federal funding, and they do. The only flaw was that its closed rating system was open to the public.
What people think in private is often different from what they say in public.Remember how the former LA Clippers owner feels Donald Sterling Talked about the players in a private conversation!
I don’t want to have a superpower that can know everyone’s true thoughts. If so, you will be utterly disappointed in humanity.
reflect on one’s personality
As an Asian-American, I’ve rarely felt confident in pursuing what I wanted to do. I think it’s just part of my personality.
I dated almost every girl I liked. As a result, I’ve always been with someone since I was 13. In high school, I was the captain of the tennis team. And when I had my day job, I got promoted regularly, partly because I got along with enough people to pull for me.
My general personality can be described as cheerful and optimistic. If you sprain your ankle, thank goodness you didn’t break your ankle. Also, I think it’s a great opportunity to heal my shoulders and write more articles about Financial Samurai.
So when I saw private data on Harvard’s individual scores, I thought it was a joke. Individual scoring methods by race are as follows: too obvious How to Deny Admission to Qualified Asian Americans.
Obviously, I also have many character flaws, such as getting into physical and argumentative fights easily when I feel unfairly treated. When I was a kid, I got into fights with bullies and was suspended twice because of it.
This rebellious attitude carried over into adulthood. I like to defend myself and point out silly things, but that sometimes creates enemies.
It’s hard to be successful as a creator if you have a bad personality
But I don’t feel my character is better or worse than the average person of any race. If you listen to my podcast interviews (Apple, Spotify), the conversations with guests feel natural and awkward. But you tell me!
A bad personality also makes it difficult to write a best-selling personal book or grow a website to one million page views per month. Sure, it takes guts and determination. But being likable is also enough.
Interestingly, after the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, I now feel like a better person. I feel cooler, like my black friend who got the highest personal rating. Banzai!
Perhaps one solution to changing perceptions of Asian-American personalities is to make more videos of us partying. Here are some particularly popular 2010 examples: But that was 13 years ago!
I decided to ask my Asian-American readers what they thought of their personalities after affirmative action was abolished in college admissions. Here’s what they said:
Asian American Feedback #1: Reassured because stereotypes have been clarified
Harvard’s practice of under-scoring Asian Americans in personal evaluation is BS. It creates the stereotype that Asian Americans are simply book-savvy and have no outside interests except studying.
It’s ironic that Harvard pretends to be an advocate for progressive thinking while ignoring the harm caused by negatively stereotyping Asian Americans. But there’s a reason Asians have the highest incomes in America.
More than 4.5 billion people live in Asia. It is interesting to see how American powers prefer to stereotype and confine minorities. Visit multiple countries in Asia and discover that Asians are not monolithic.
Asian American Feedback #2: I Didn’t Believe the Ratings in the First Place
Let’s be honest. Harvard University is a private university that believes in the ideal racial composition of its student body. We set quotas to meet our goals.Harvard University did against the Jews I’ve done it in the past, and I still do it to some extent with Asian Americans.
The Supreme Court’s ruling does not change Harvard’s desire to limit Asian Americans in the future. At the same time, Asian Americans make up about 30% of Harvard’s freshmen.
It’s funny to see Asian-American Harvard students and alumni demonstrating the virtues of how the Supreme Court’s ruling is a huge disappointment. Why should they care? They have already been accepted to Harvard University and can benefit from conventional admissions.
Being graded on an individual basis is like Mark Zuckberg judging women by their looks when he first started Facebook at Harvard. Perhaps that’s where the admissions committee first came up with the idea of ​​a personal assessment system.
Asian American Feedback #3: Great Opportunity to Improve Your Personality
Whether or not Harvard believes in the low personal esteem of Asian Americans, it’s nice to know that some universities do and think behind closed doors. Understanding how colleges rate test takers by race can help you address areas where you’re performing poorly.
It seems obvious that my children need to improve their character if they want to go to a prestigious private university. But they also need to craft identities that are unique and more attractive to college admissions.
The personal story of having poor immigrant parents probably isn’t enough anymore. They find difficulty in other things and have to tell their stories effectively.
To win the game, you need to understand the rules of the game.
YOUR PERSONAL EVALUATION IS IMPORTANT
This Supreme Court case on affirmative action reminds us that the important things matter in moving forward. Subjective. Being smart or skilled is often not enough. You also need good soft skills to be liked.
Many opportunities can be lost if you lack emotional intelligence. After all, people tend to support and help those they like and ignore those they dislike.
Here are some things you can do to improve your personal reputation:
- hear more
- try to empathize with the other person’s point of view
- Understand all the things that make you unique and special
- Focus on helping others first
- Avoid projecting your demons onto others
- learn another language
- travel to a new country and stay for a while
- Try it yourself before criticizing the actions of others
- See failure as a learning opportunity
- take action to help
- Aligning thoughts and actions
- Cultivate the Courage to Live Yourself
Only when you achieve financial independence do you stop worrying about your personal score. You can tell people to stop if you want. However, if you have children, you also have to think about their future. And having a good personality helps you get ahead.
Reader Questions and Suggestions
What do you think about Harvard University’s racial personality assessment? Do you agree or disagree? Is it?
How would you rate your personal score? What could be improved?
If you’re Black or Hispanic, share your tips on how to develop a better personality and personal story.
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