Does being part Asain hurt?

taymcg12

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Apr 21, 2015
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I am only 1/4th Asain (my grandmother is South Korean and I have never met her as she still lives somewhere unkown is South Korea), but I have been checking both white and Asain on my applications. I just read a recent study that shows that Asians actually have the most difficult time being admitted and have the highest standards for SATs and GPAs at USNA. What do you guys think about this? Should I change my apps to "white" since I am only 1/4th Asain?
 
It is pretty well-documented in "regular" college admissions that there is an "Asian penalty" in the sense that Asian applicants to highly selective civilian colleges have to have SAT scores significantly above applicants of other races/ethnicities in order to have the same percentage chance of admission. I don't know if that is the case for the service academies or not, but I guess it's not beyond the realm of possibility.

My gut feeling is that these boxes are about being authentic. If you have some element of Asian descent but it is not part of your cultural upbringing/heritage/world view, then it doesn't seem inauthentic to not check that box. However, you really want to err on the side of being honest and above-board in all applications, particularly to institutions with such a commitment to honor and integrity -- thus, asking for advice along the lines Kinnem suggests is a good idea. It might go without saying, but if you do ask advice I would probably just phrase it as "I'm 25% Asian by heritage but it's not culturally a part of my upbringing -- in such circumstances would the Academy want me to self-identify as Asian?" I wouldn't get into the "will it hurt me in admissions" element of the question, in other words.
 
taymcg12, the answer to your question is really irrelevant. If you have been putting that you are Asian on all your other applications, why in the world would you not put it on future applications? It is obvious that you thought it an important part of your heritage just by the mere fact that you have documented it. IMO (yes, I know) do not change your actions just by what you think you can get out of the situation. Put forth the best application you can, and if you are competitive and it is what the Academy is looking for, your record will stand on its own whether or not you check the Asian box. The bottom line is the SAs are looking for the best candidates, and I highly doubt that if you check the Asian box, you will not be selected for only that reason. That's my take for whatever it's worth which is probably not much. Good luck to you.
 
Isn't there an "OTHER" box to check?

Semi-kidding aside, Taymcg12, you need to think about who you are. First, you are an American. What kind of American are you? Once you answer this question, you should be able to figure out which box you should check.
 
While I don't disagree with the comments above regarding "who are you" there is also a part of me that says there is a correct answer to this question. At what point does fractional "anything" blood/heritage become "not that blood/heritage"? Again, seems like there would be a correct answer to that which is why I suggested calling admissions.
 
The average Asian person that takes the ACT does better than the average person of any other race, so it shouldn't be a surprise that they have the highest test score averages and GPA. On average, Asians are better at academics.

But you also have to think about other things the study probably didn't look at. If I had to guess a lower percentage of Asians play sports than Blacks or Whites 6% of the US population is Asian but well under 1% of the people playing in the NFL and NBA are Asian. I'm not sure what the percentages are for other sports, but I'm guessing Asians are underrepresented most of them too. So while Asians may do better on average than other races in academics, on average they probably don't do as well in sports which is a huge part of the application. If all the study looked at was academics obviously it is going to make it look like Asians have a harder time getting in, but academics are not the only part of the application.

People that don't play a sport are probably also going to be less physically fit than people who do play sports, so the average Asian probably also does worse on the CFA.

The average Asian also has a higher income than any other race. The Naval Academy does have a preference for people with troubled backgrounds.

Piggybacking off the sports thing, you also have to remember that 25% of the people at USNA are recruited athletes. Since a lower percentage of Asians play sports a lower percentage of Asians getting in are recruited athletes. Recruited athletes don't have to score as well on the ACT to get in as normal candidate.

I'm simply a candidate like you, but I don't think there is any racism towards Asians or any other race in the admissions process. If the study is only looking at academics it is providing extremely one sided information.
 
Thank you all for the answers! As far as I can surmise, I should contact admissions. I am definetly proud of my heritage, it is just that I wanted to know if it would provide any obstacles to me. Thank you!
 
So while Asians may do better on average than other races in academics, on average they probably don't do as well in sports which is a huge part of the application. If all the study looked at was academics obviously it is going to make it look like Asians have a harder time getting in, but academics are not the only part of the application.

People that don't play a sport are probably also going to be less physically fit than people who do play sports, so the average Asian probably also does worse on the CFA.

Too many assumptions. A BGO can correct me, but if Navy is similar to West Point, sports are not a "huge" part of the application. Also if Navy is similar to West Point, academics carries most weight. Strong muscular candidates usually don't run fast. Also, based on the population percentage, a several Asian athlete recruits can easily make the 25%.
 
Academics is weighted the most, but sports isn't too far behind...so saying that sports isn't a huge part of the application is not correct (~90% of the incoming class, each year, is involved in varsity athletics -- and this has been consistent, so it should tell you that USNA likes athletes). However, what frenzymando said is also partially incorrect. There are plenty of people who do not play sports that are as fit or, in some cases, fitter, than those who play sports. Sports enable fitness, but are not the only means.
 
While I don't disagree with the comments above regarding "who are you" there is also a part of me that says there is a correct answer to this question. At what point does fractional "anything" blood/heritage become "not that blood/heritage"? Again, seems like there would be a correct answer to that which is why I suggested calling admissions.

Please no flaming, but are you 1st generation American?
 
While I don't disagree with the comments above regarding "who are you" there is also a part of me that says there is a correct answer to this question. At what point does fractional "anything" blood/heritage become "not that blood/heritage"? Again, seems like there would be a correct answer to that which is why I suggested calling admissions.

Please no flaming, but are you 1st generation American?
Me? Nah, my ancestors came over as stowaways on the ship after the Mayflower. Several have been hung for stealing horses since then! :D
 
My bad!

Kinnem, you always know how to make us laugh!
 
Learn how to spell Asian, or it is,all a moot point.
 
Yes I realize I spelt it wrong a few times. When I get in a hurry, sometimes I have a habit of hitting certain letters out of order. I am very embarrassed that I did not realize that I was doing that until after I posted.
 
Yes I realize I spelt it wrong a few times. When I get in a hurry, sometimes I have a habit of hitting certain letters out of order. I am very embarrassed that I did not realize that I was doing that until after I posted.
I understand... I stuck an extra comma in there by mistake too!
 
I'm a Syrian (US Born) candidate and so far everything has gone well. I doubt USNA would disqualify someone based on race.
 
Mine got in and checked white, so I don't think race is a negative...
 
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