Harvard Under Fire for Discrimination Against Asian American Students, Lawsuit Ensues
Asian Students protesting outside Harvard University
September 26, 2022
For several years, Asian Americans have faced discrimination when it came to college admissions. Stereotypes and bigotry both play significant roles in this situation, as Asian Americans have raised the bar much higher when it comes to college. Negative factors such as bias affect our chances of getting into good colleges. Because of this, Asian Americans are required to stand out more on their college applications and exceed the expectations required by Ivy League Schools. Asians have been fighting against this type of prejudice for years, but not much has changed. In response to this, Harvard claimed that it lacks “diversity,” and wants people of other races in their university. The New Yorker reveals that “[Harvard] introduced the consideration of qualitative factors such as personality and background, including geographical diversity as part of the admissions process.”
The majority of people who apply to Ivy League schools are Asian Americans, and that is where most of the discrimination takes place. Asian Americans are expected to bring more to the table than other races and are thus more likely to be rejected as well. As The New Yorker states, “Asians are more likely than whites to apply to Harvard, less likely to be accepted, and more likely to enroll if accepted, so Harvard saves itself postage costs by reducing its recruiting of Asians.”
It is not right for colleges to increase their expectations for a specific race just because there is not enough diversity within their campus. Although the main goal for most Ivy League colleges is to have diversity, discriminating against a certain ethnic group is not the way to do it. It is almost like a double standard. In a situation where an Asian student is applying for a college versus a white student, even if both students carry the same grades and achievements on their resumes, the white student is much more likely to be accepted. This is just more proof that racism and bigotry is a huge problem in the USA despite what some people may say. As stated by an Asian American Student of YLHS, Sambahv Puri, “being Asian American puts much more strain on us. I do not like the fact that I may have a lesser chance of going to a good college just because I am Asian.”
Labeling races like this cannot continue any longer. To be more united, we must break the stereotypes that keep us divided and provide equal opportunities to everyone of all races.
