Asian American parents anxious about college admissions can breath easier. A new study from researchers at UCLA and the University of Denver found Asian American students who didn’t get into the college of their choice faced no negative consequences, reports Phys.org.
The study published in the journal Educational Researcher contradicts claims made in discrimination cases against Harvard and Yale that impacted Asian American students face undue harm in college admissions.
“Overall, our findings countered the claims made by the two groups that served as the impetus of the Justice Department’s investigation,” said study coauthor Mike Hoa Nguyen of the University of Denver. “We found that only small differences, if any, exist between the self-reported outcomes of Asian American students who were admitted to and attending their first-choice university and those students who were not.”
According to Inside Higher Ed, the researchers compared survey results of 1023 self-identified Asian American students taken when they were freshman in 2012 and again when they were seniors in 2016.
In 11 academic performance area, the only significant difference found is time spent studying with students in the college of their first choice spending more time on homework.There was no difference in academic performance.
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In the satisfaction with college category, students in their first choice had a higher satisfaction rate, but there was no measurable difference in satisfaction with coursework.
Phys.org reports in five areas of diversity, the survey found no difference in four of five categories. However, students in their first choice had fewer negative interactions.
“Although college choice is of vast importance for many students, including Asian Americans, our study suggests that simply relying on rankings and perceived prestige at elite universities to determine one’s first-choice schools might be a disservice to students,” Nguyen said. “It is what students do in college, rather than the level of institutional prestige alone, that most determines educational outcomes.”
Other researchers participating in the research are Connie Y. Chang, Victoria Kim, Rose Ann E. Gutierrez, Annie Le, and Robert T. Teranishi at UCLA, and University of Denver scholar Denis Dumas.
Edward Blum, the key figure in the discrimination cases against Harvard and Yale, remains unswayed that there is discrimination in college admissions.
“There are dozens of conflicting studies about the harms or benefits of race-based affirmative action. Add this one to the pile. The mission of SFFA is simple: We believe a student’s race should not be a factor in college admissions,” he told Inside Higher Ed.
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In no way does the study prove that there is ”no harm” in Asians going to less prestigious schools, showing that there is little difference in self reported coursework satisfaction or academic results doesn’t demonstrate what the article asserts. People don’t go to college to have a good time or to be satisfied, they go there as a crucial step to seek opportunity and network in order to have a successful career, of course the prestige of the school will massively impact their ability to do all of those things. What the researchers should be studying is difference in outcome between things like wages and career paths… these are the potential harms that people worry about, not satisfaction rate on their courseworks, it’s almost intentionally dishonest how the study is presented here and it’s incredibly condescending.
Questions:
Why should AA not have their choice of school ????
Why must we take a backseat to anyone ?
Why must we always cede our dreams and desires to everyone else especially when we play by the rules ?
What special privileges do AA have that we can be so charitable ??
Is it that there are too many AA politicians? too many AA actors, actresses, singers, musicians? too many AA CEO’s, too many AA corporate board members? too many AA NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL players?
Who does anyone discourage AA from pursuing their aspirations ?