Some university admissions officials may be setting higher expectations for Asian applicants who are now considered less of a disadvantaged minority than they once were in academia, according to an affirmative-action research group.
In the Boston University Class of 2011, 14 percent of students are Asian – according to the College Board – a sharp contrast with the school’s black population, which comprises about 3 percent of undergraduates. Hispanics comprise about 6 percent.
When the minority populations of universities grow, they sometimes lose a “special status” in the eyes of school officials, said College of Arts and Sciences sociology professor Daniel Monti.
“When that happens, you’re going to find some young people complaining because they’re no longer receiving that special status,” Monti said.
The Center for Equal Opportunity recently found some undergraduate law and medical programs in some Michigan universities favor students based on race and not academic ability, according to a Nov. 6 article in The Cornell Daily Sun, the independent student newspaper at Cornell University.
The Daily Sun article also states some Asian students feel they are held to different standards in the admissions process because of the persisting stereotype that Asians have a stronger work ethic than other minorities. Because many Asian college students have achieved high rates of academic success, they are sometimes called the “model minority,” according to the article.
Monti said this stereotype should not hold any weight in evaluating Asian applicants.
“Every stereotype has a truth built into it,” Monti said, “but it’s not true of all young people from all Asian countries.”
While some campuses consciously try to promote diverse communities, BU is not selective about race when considering students, according to officials.
“We admit students without regard to race or ethnicity,” said Enrollment and Student Affairs Vice President Laurie Pohl.
The general Asian population at most U.S. universities began to increase in the 1970s because of affirmative action policies that aim to enroll more minorities in school.
Pohl said despite the Daily Sun article’s findings, the increase in Asian students at BU is not directly related to affirmative action policies.
“As BU’s applicant pool has increased, so [have] the number of applications from Asian students,” Pohl said.
Lisa Tobari, the president of the Asian Student Union and a College of Communication senior, said she disregards the “model minority” stereotype.
“In a way, Asian students do have a strong work ethic because many of them are the children of recent immigrants,” Tobari said. “But I think this is true for not only Asians, but all children of recent immigrants.”