Richard Yee
Response to: A Quota on Excellence?

This article discussed the issue of whether Asian American students are being disadvantaged by formal or informal quotas based on race, even though they tend to have stronger academic records. I thought this article did a great job of giving arguments from both sides of the debate. On one hand, you have evidence that Asian American test scores tend to be higher than other races. However, admissions officers make the argument that those discrepancies can be explained away due to geographical factors or the holistic review process. I recall that when I was going through the college application process, it worried me that schools would place limits on Asian American applicants for the sake of diversity. An issue such as this is very much in a grey area for me. I see pros and cons of both sides, but I believe the stronger academic record should be one of, if not the most, important determinant of a students application. My question would be: What factors have lead to Asian American students to obtain stronger test scores? Is it because education is seen as the main driver of socioeconomic success, therefor it is emphasized in Asian thinking?

(UC Davis Ethnicity Profile)