College Enrollment And Asian Americans

Although Asian Americans total less than 2 percent of the total population in the United States they make up 26 percent of the freshmen at university of California， Berkeley， 24 percent at University of California， Los Angeles， 23 percent at the Stanford and 15 percent at University of California， San Diego. The enrollment of Asian Americans on college campuses has increased dramatically in the past decade. In the past five years their enrollment increased an average of 1.64 percent per year while other ethnic groups have gone down in one year or another.

　　This increase in Asian American enrollment is due to their great success in high school. Asian American students have become so successful that they have created a new stereotype in education——the"model minority". Despite the fact that many are recent immigrants to the United States， their hard work and determination have become threatening to other American students. Asian American students are considered the whiz kids of math and science contests； more than half of the elementary school winner of a Chicago citywide math contest were Asians. Furthermore， Asian American students outscored every other ethnic group， including whites， on the math section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test and the College Board Achievement Examination.

　　As the result of such outstanding achievement， more and more Asian Americans are getting into college. But the real question is what are the reasons for this kind of success？ There are numerous reasons， all linked to two factors： family pressure and increasing immigration.

　　The majority of Asian American students feel pressure to excel in school. Writing from a personal point of view， I am an Asian American who came to the Untied States at the age of six. Throughout my elementary school years I had mostly American friends， but somehow I was different from them. My parents expected me to come home from school and do homework， while my friends watched television and went out to play. I was expected never to fail， while my friends were expected only to be disciplined in school. At bedtime I was told a bedtime story. I am not an exception among the Asian American students. We are not allowed to fail. We are victims of our parents' ignorance， for they do not understand that in the American educational system studying is not the most important thing at school. Often， the only thing they say to their children is"Get me a doctor's degree." Many Asian American students resent the pressure they feel from their parents； nonetheless， they fulfill their parents' wishes and succeed.

　　Many come from countries where education is for the rich， and so they tend to push their children to take full advantage of the opportunities that are offered in the American educational system. Because education is a pathway to a rich and comfortable life in their native country， Asian parents stress education as a means for their children to obtain more comfortable lifestyles in the future. Therefore， Asian American students are more likely than other ethnic groups of students to enroll in academic and college preparatory classes： 47 percent of Asian American students enroll in such courses， compared to 37 percent of white， 29 percent of black， 23 percent of Hispanic， and 23 percent of native American students. Throughout high school， Asian American students earn more total credits than other groups of students. Even in the senior year they maintain a heavier workload and thus are more prepared for college than other groups. The Californian Postsecondary Education Commission reports that Asian high school graduates are twice as likely as white students and six times as likely as blacks and Hispanics to meet the entrance requirement for the state's public universities. As a result， more and more Asian students go to college.

　　It is worth noting also that many Asian families immigrated to the United States with nothing. Often poor， they have to work hard to make a living. As a result the parents pass on the belief to their children that hard work is the only way to succeed. But why are Asian American students more successful than other ethnic groups， whose parents have also worked hard to battle the same hardship？ Historically， most Asians have a long cultural tradition in which education has played a major role. Although few can afford the tuition in their native country， higher education has always been well respected by all social classes. This deep cultural tradition that has been passed on for generations motivates Asia Americans to work hard in the hope that one day their work is going to pay off. Therefore， Asian Americans spend more time on homework than other students. For example， Asian American high school students in the San francisco Bay area spend an average of 11.7 hours a week doing homework， while white students spend only 8.6 hours a week. Because education is their priority， Asian American students are less likely than other ethnic groups to have a part-time job while they are in school. Only about 24 percent of Asian American students work 15 or more hours per week， as compared to 32 percent of white， 30 percent of black， and 36 percent of Hispanic students.

　　Furthermore， many Asian parents want their children to do better than they did themselves， and so they push them to work hard. They urge their children to look for jobs with high salaries， but they also encourage them to set goals for prestigious careers such as medicine， law， and engineering. As a result， Asian American students have higher educational aspirations than other students. About 35 percent of Asian American high school students by their sophomore year have decided to go to school beyond their four-year college degree， as compared to 18 percent of Whites， 20 percent of Blacks， and 14 percent of hispanics. Another 30 percent of Asian American students wish to acquire a four-year colege degree. Having such high asppirations so early on means that more and more Asian students enroll in collge.

　　The Asian family structure is quite different from most ethnic groups in the United states. The father is expected to be the head of the household， responsible for providing for the family. he goes to work while the mother often stays home and makes sure the family runs smoothly. In addition to providing for the family， it is the father's ， not the mother's responsibility to monitor the children's performance in school. The father feels dishonor if his children do badly in school. Therefore， there are significantly more Asian fathers monitoring their children's homework than any other race. This may be a factor in determining students's performance.

　　The rising influx of immigrants over the past decade is another important cause of the increasing enrollment. Asian Americans have become the fastest growing minority， making up about 2 percent of the nation's population， up significantly in the last two decades. America is known as the land of riches and success， and so many middle-class workers from Hong Kong， the Philippines， South Korea， and Taiwan come hoping to fulfill their dreams. The Vietnam War ended in 1975， which marked another peak of Asian immigration. Many of these immigrants soon found out that acquiring a new culture， language， and country brings many hardships. Oftentimes， they have to work menial jobs for minimum wage. Such parents want to ensure that their children go to college， to keep them from going through similar hardships. The increase in college enrollment among Asian Americans has only been apparent in the last few years because these children have just reached college age.

　　Many people believe that this increasing enrollment is due to Asians' natural inclination for math and science. Although some Asian American students are gifted in these these fields， there are as many gifted students in other races too. The misconception of Asian Americans being smarter in math and science has come from their winning all the math and science contests and getting high scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. However， the real reason is that many Asian Americans are recent immigrants from countries where math and sciences are stressed. In addition they often have difficulty with English so they see math and science as an opportunity to succeed with minimum language skills.

　　Family pressure and the increased inflow of immigrants are the two underlying causes of increased college enrollment among Asian Americans. As the number of recent immigrants coming to the United States increases， the number of Asian students pressured to go to college also increases. Their high achievement seems to reaffirm their parents' values of commitment and hard work. What they sacrifice seems to motivate them to work hard for the future. However， are their sacrifices too high to pay？ Many researchers have found that Asian Americans are forced to grow up without having a childhood. They are put under heavy pressure to be the"perfect student，" and to fulfill their parents' wishes. Maybe someday the parents and students both will realize that the perfect student is not always the one who gets all A's.