Asian Applicants Face Difficult Time
According to a recent US News and World Report, for Asian applicants, it is 3 times more difficult than White Americans and 15 times more difficult than African Americans to be admitted to top private colleges in the US. This news article was based on research by Thomas Espenshade of Princeton University. However, athletes, students from top high schools and black and Hispanic students from low income families had admissions edges. Read the original article.
Remember that this research was based on data from 1997. Many feel that it is probably even more difficult now than it was back in 1997. Some fear that Asian students are stereotyped as students who can do nothing else but studying and are victimized as college admissions officers make room for other races by admitting fewer Asians than their test scores, transcripts and other relevant data indicate.
As it was mentioned in earlier posts, many parents feel that college admissions seem more like lottery to some people. The criteria for admissions have become very obscure as many college admissions offices advocate holistic evaluation. What exactly is the holistic evaluation? As a parent of a college bound high school student, it is a bit disturbing to learn all this, not knowing how my student can prepare to study in a college of his choice and what his chances of getting into that college might be. What do you think about this news article?
Harvard Admission Rate of 7%
By John Lauerman
March 30 (Bloomberg) — Harvard University’s undergraduate college said it admitted 7 percent of the applicants for the next entering class after the “most competitive admissions process in the history” of the institution.
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, received a record 29,112 applications, William Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid, said today in a statement. Financial aid offered by the university helped attract applicants, he said.
“Financial aid enables students with modest means to believe Harvard is possible for them,” Fitzsimmons said in the statement.
On April 1 last year, Harvard said it offered admission to 1,948 students, or 7.1 percent of 27,462 applicants.
South Korea Spends Record Sum on Education
SEOUL (AFP) — South Koreans spent nearly 30 billion dollars on education in 2008, more than in any previous year, despite the deepening economic downturn, official figures showed Sunday.
The increase, due largely to a rise in spending on private teaching including English-language learning, indicated South Koreans were reluctant to cut back on education despite a dramatic economic slowdown.
Household spending on education reached an all-time high of 39.8 trillion won (29.5 billion dollars) in 2008, up 7.7 percent from a year earlier, the Yonhap news agency said, citing Bank of Korea figures.
The global financial crisis has dampened consumer spending in South Korea and fueled a rise in unemployment.
The country’s per-capita gross national income fell to 19,231 dollars last year from 21,695 dollars in 2007.
Asian-American education group seeks delay in UC admissions reform
March 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under News, Standardized Tests
Asian-American education group seeks delay in UC admissions reform
By Matt Krupnick
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Posted: 03/27/2009 03:39:44 PM PDT
SAN FRANCISCO — The University of California’s recent eligibility reforms are breeding distrust for the institution among Asian-Americans, several scholars and community leaders said Friday.
UC should rescind or delay the changes until Asian-American and Pacific Islander groups comment on them, several speakers said at an Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education conference in San Francisco’s Japantown. The UC Board of Regents adopted the changes last month; they are set to take effect in 2012.
Several groups have expressed concern that the new freshman standards will limit the number of Asian-American students attending the 10-campus system.
“How can we not be concerned?” said Patrick Hayashi, a retired UC Berkeley and systemwide leader. “The projections show our community will be decimated. We have to keep in mind that these numbers represent real people.”
The new criteria will eliminate a requirement for SAT single-subject tests, which university leaders have said are a barrier for underprivileged applicants. The reforms also guarantee admissions for fewer students but will allow more to have applications reviewed by admissions officers.
Lawmakers and others have said the university did not seek enough public input before last month’s decision, and many have criticized UC for not adequately explaining how they might affect Asian Americans. Legislators plan to hold a hearing on the issue Tuesday in Sacramento.
UC has estimated that the changes will lead to a smaller percentage of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in the pool of eligible applicants. White students stand to benefit most.
The university believes the new system is fairer to disadvantaged students, said Nina Robinson, UC’s director of policy and external affairs for student affairs. The unhappiness of the Asian-American community is unfortunate, she said.
“It’s not a surprise that a community that has been so deeply engaged and supportive of UC would be concerned,” Robinson told the Bay Area News Group after the conference discussion. “The president would not have supported the policy had he not felt it was fair and created opportunity.”
Several panelists criticized the university for changing the fundamental structure of UC admissions without first speaking to the Legislature or other groups. The 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education outlined goals for California’s public college and university system, making the top one-eighth of high-school graduates eligible for UC.
“This is a departure from the Master Plan,” said Steve Boilard, higher-education director for the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. He said that the university’s constitutional independence should not allow it to make changes without a public mandate.
The independence “doesn’t mean you can do anything and say it’s the top one-eighth,” he said.
Avoid Paying Twice for Your College Student
Many college students already have health insurance under their parents’ health insurance policy. Yet, they pay for the group insurance covered by the college. This double payment of health insurance for your college student can cost you thousands of dollars a year.
Why don’t students who already have health insurance simply opt out of the school policies? One reason is the backward way many schools’ insurance programs work. Coverage is automatically provided for all students (and billed along with tuition, room and board, activity fees, and other costs) unless they fill out forms proving they’re eligible to opt out. This system is confusing enough to prevent thousands of students and their families from avoiding, or even being aware of, the double coverage.
In this tough economy, every bit counts. Check with your student’s school health insurance policy to opt out of the plan or adjust your plan accordingly.
