Why are 46% of Berkeley Freshman Asian?
Fri, 2007-02-02 22:36
#1
Sven
Why are 46% of Berkeley Freshman Asian?
Fri, 2007-02-02 22:36
#2
Sven
This question has long interested me.
[b][i]"[url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/education/edlife/07asian.html?ei=5070&... California[/url], the rise of the Asian campus, of the strict meritocracy, has come at the expense of historically underrepresented blacks and Hispanics. This year, in a class of 4809, there are only 100 black freshmen at the University of California at Los Angeles — the lowest number in 33 years. At Berkeley, 3.6 percent of freshmen are black, barely half the statewide proportion. (In 1997, just before the full force of Proposition 209 went into effect, the proportion of black freshmen matched the state population, 7 percent.) The percentage of Hispanic freshmen at Berkeley (11 percent) is not even a third of the state proportion (35 percent). White freshmen (29 percent) are also below the state average (44 percent)."[/b][/i]
Is that degree of success culturally based? If so, what it is about the Asian culture that fosters that? If not, what are the factors that result in this particular minority group being over-represented (relative to their percentage of the general population), even more than whites?
[ 02 February 2007: Message edited by: Sven ]
Sat, 2007-02-03 05:35
#3
Higher SAT scores?
Sat, 2007-02-03 06:57
#4
Sven
quote:
Originally posted by nussy:
[b]Higher SAT scores?[/b]
Well, that, of course, leads to an obvious question: Why the disproportionately high SAT scores?
Sat, 2007-02-03 07:33
#5
quote:
Originally posted by Sven:
[b]Well, that, of course, leads to an obvious question: Why the disproportionately high SAT scores?[/b]
Generally speaking, Asian parents understand the importance of education. A Western education is often particularly valued.
Sat, 2007-02-03 08:30
#6
SAT scores are only one factor in admissions, extra curricular activities, letters of reference, statement of purpose and grades matter too, probably more. Most admissions people always say that the high school academics are the number one tool to judge admission to undergraduate. Of course, this is, very different from the Canadian system, where many undergraduate institutions look only at grades in determining admissions.
Though in the admissions process that schools care more about, the graduate admissions process which I'm presently going through in both USA and Canada, schools care about all these factors. Good grades alone are completely meaningless. Standardized test scores demonstrate the grades are not due to grade inflation or underperforming due to more challenging courses, and soft factors such as a statement of purpose demonstrate creativity and personality.
In my applications for graduate admissions in theoretical astrophysics, what I've now been told is one thing that makes me stand out well is my standardized score for verbal skills on the GRE.
Sorry for the thread drift.
Sat, 2007-02-03 08:43
#7
Careful here, you might get into a discussion of one culture versus another. And this might lead toward a conclusion that one culture might have some superior attributes or even be superior.
I got lectured on this topic in another thread recently.
Remember, all cultures are equal.
[img]rolleyes.gif" border="0[/img]
Sat, 2007-02-03 08:50
#8
I am going to generalize and sound like a stereotyper/discriminator supreme, but Asian people KNOW how to do school. I am teaching in Taiwan right now, and I can tell you, 13 hours in school per day is average, and then they go home and study. All they know from a very young age is study study STUDY!!! There is an art to knowing how to take in and store information, and they have that on lock. And some of my students, who are EXTREMELY intellegent, have gotten spankings if they get below a 93. This is extreme, but not abnormal. I can say that the Taiwanese work ethic across the board has inspired me and made me want to be less lazy. Canadians know NOTHING about hard work!
Sat, 2007-02-03 08:53
#9
"All cultures are equal"
Why? Please explain.
Sat, 2007-02-03 08:56
#10
Some cultures are more equal than others.
Sat, 2007-02-03 10:20
#11
quote:
Originally posted by uncle che:
[b]"All cultures are equal"Why? Please explain.[/b]
I was not being serious.
There was part of a thread on this, see Topic: Racism vs discrimination, I bumped the thread.
Note Sidra's comments and mine as well.
PS: I wonder if I am using the word "bumped" correctly.
[ 03 February 2007: Message edited by: oreobw ]
Sat, 2007-02-03 11:38
#12
Could it be that the Asian residents of certain communities in the Bay area tend to be more wealthy then Asians in other parts of California?
When it comes to University, you don't have to be academically briliant, but you do have to be reasonably wealthy.
[ 03 February 2007: Message edited by: CMOT Dibbler ]
Sat, 2007-02-03 11:58
#13
Sven
quote:
Originally posted by CMOT Dibbler:
[b]Could it be that the Asian residents of certain communities in the Bay area tend to be more wealthy then Asians in other parts of California?[/b]
Why are you thinking they may be residents from "certain communities" in the Bay Area? The students at Berkeley are from all over California (and the country, actually). And, this disproportionality is true for UCLA as well as other elite public universities in the USA.
Sat, 2007-02-03 13:08
#14
quote:
PS: I wonder if I am using the word "bumped" correctly.
I detect the scent of linguistic & hence cultural imperialism in your usage of the term "bumped".
Sat, 2007-02-03 16:39
#15
quote:
Originally posted by Khimia:
[b] I detect the scent of linguistic & hence cultural imperialism in your usage of the term "bumped".[/b]
Stay out of this forum, please. You're trolling and your posts add nothing of value to this discussion. Thanks.
Mon, 2007-02-05 18:18
#16
Le T
How is it that you all so comfortably mass all people of Asian decent, or who come from a country in Asia, into the same "culture"?
Asia, a continent or geographical area, has 35+ states and many cultures within those states.
quote:
I am teaching in Taiwan right now, and I can tell you, 13 hours in school per day is average, and then they go home and study. All they know from a very young age is study study STUDY!!!
Who are you teaching in Thailand? Hill Tribe people? Ethnic Thais? Refugees from Laos?
Are they poor? Rich? Mostly women? Mostly men?
It's amazing how easily people can forget about analyzing factors like class, gender, etc. when they have already set their sights on cultural otherness.
There's a word for that you know.
Mon, 2007-02-05 18:25
#17
I find it interesting that nobody has hypothesized that any of the difference may be genetic. We know very well that certain physical attributes which are genetic correlate with geographical ancestry (blue eyes, height, black skin, slanted eyes). It thus makes sense that certain genetic variations influencing the brain would also correlate with geographical ancestry. Have people not mentioned this because it's harder to measure and prove, or because they don't believe it?
Mon, 2007-02-05 18:28
#18
Le T
Have you heard of Phillip Rushton? He tried to do that and is used as an example of how not to do research.
Race is NOT a biological category, it is socially ascribed and changes throughout time.
ETA: There is far more variation among members of a "race" than between different "races". So, yeah Apples, people tried that and were called down because it was not scientifically true and was proved many times over to be false. I guess that wasn't on the GRE.
[ 05 February 2007: Message edited by: Le Tйlйspectateur ]
Mon, 2007-02-05 18:33
#19
Le T
This thread has little to do with anti-racism and should probably be moved.
Tue, 2007-02-06 04:35
#20
What the hell? This has nothing to do with anti-racism. The only thing this thread is good for is stereotyping Asians and trolling for racist comments.
Sven, you're seriously starting to piss me off. If you can't figure out that babble is not for discussing whether torture is okay and raising the spectre of Asians taking over American universities in the anti-racism forum, then you're going to be going bye-bye.
[ 06 February 2007: Message edited by: Michelle ]