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Affirmative Action From an Asian American Perspective
An attempt at a nuanced understanding of race in college admissions.
I followed the proceedings of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard in October 2019 and remember feeling worried. I would submit my college applications in just two months from that day; to hear that my ethnicity might play a role in admissions was concerning.
Looking back, I distinctly remember taking steps to appear “less Asian.” I didn’t mention five years of piano lessons and instead stressed the gregarious and dramatic aspects of my personality. In place of focusing on computer science or entrepreneurship, I extolled my interests in the vocal arts, political advocacy, and classical literature. I hardly touched upon my Chinese cultural heritage, and, above all, I asked myself, “What would an older, straight, Caucasian admissions officer find unique about a male, Asian applicant from the Bay Area?”
Was I wrong to do that? Applications ask questions such as, “How can you add diversity to our community?” Mentioning aspects of myself that were uncommon for “people like me” is a plus, and, conversely, mentioning anything “common” — such as an Asian heritage — would be a minus, right? I remember asking myself, were Asian applicants, on average, simply less creative, less diverse? Faceless…
