By now, I'm sure most have read the article that was posted on Yahoo and circulated massively on Facebook. For those who haven't, a article published yesterday details a strategy used by half-Asians on the college admission process to not reveal the Asian background of the candidate. The argument stems from the notion that Asians are held to a higher standard in the process, and thus, the chances of enrolling is higher without the Asian tag. Supporters of this claim have the numbers on their side. In the most vivid example, UC Berkeley is more than 40% Asian, but before a law was passed to forbid considering race in the admission process, the same count was only about 20%.
As a value judgement, there may be no consensus on the practice of affirmative action. Proponents cite the increased diversity; critics cite the indirect discrimination. Similarly, as a value judgement, there may be no consensus on the strategy of checking only one ethnicity for a student of multiple backgrounds, simply to boost the chances of admission. It isn't completely incorrect that the half-Asian students cited in the story are "white," but nor is it completely correct that they are only "white."
Yet here is something that hopefully can draw some consensus. Which college one ultimately gets admitted into and attends isn't all that matters. It is true that graduates of more prestigious schools have higher starting and mid-career salaries, on average. They may have more access to resources and opportunities, on average. However, that says nothing about how a particular student will exactly perform. Those who work hard and take advantage of available, despite scarce, resources will likely perform better in the future than those who put little devotion into anything and don't take advantage of multitudes of available resources.
Why do people go to college in the first place? More likely than anything else, students choose to go to college for better employment options for the rest of their lives. On that note, or even by other reasons, there are thousands of successful graduates from "non-prestigious" schools and thousands of unsuccessful graduates from "prestigious" schools each year. There isn't any magic or rocket science in the results. While it's understandable that high-school students try all types of strategies to get into the college of their dream, it's even more crucial to keep in mind that which college one gains acceptance into, isn't as crucial as how one might perform there. It's better to go to a "mediocre" college and get the most out of it, rather than go to a "top-notch" school and get little out of it. It's an individual decision and outcome, but an important remark in a society obsessed with the admission process.
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