M7 application: Is my ethnic background an asset or a liability?
Disclaimer: I'll ignore the typical minutaie associated with b-school apps. I believe that I have the combination of gmat score (700+), undergraduate/graduate gpa (cum laude), languages (fluent Mandarin & Hebrew), recs, world experience, ECs etc... to stand out to adcoms despite my non-target undergrad/1st MA (granted it IS a target (T10) if you want to go into the foreign service/public sector). As for that 2-3 year work experience thing? Work in progress :). I'm definitely in that pre-mba "let's get work experience" phase. With that said, I am definitely of the opinion that only a top 10-15 MBA warrants the massive opportunity cost of going back to school (hence my concerns).
Anyways, the problem (at least per my own estimation) is that I am a combination of probably the two WORST ethnic groups when it comes to B-school applications. My father is a White Jewish American (w/ legacy @ Columbia (ba,ma,phd)/HBS dropout (decided academia was a better fit)) whereas my mother is a 1st generation Chinese immigrant from Shanghai (graduated from Peking University, but no one cares outside of China. NOT to be confused with your typical fob or loaded modern day Chinese Foreign Exchange student. She was part of that initial mid-late 80s/early 90s wave of highly educated/sophisticated/indigent (pre-growth era) Mainland Chinese foreign exchange students. They all had absolutely ridiculous stats (close to perfect GMAT/GRE/GPA/honors up the wazoo). Back then you couldn't buy your way into an American university (nor did anyone have the money to do so). People viewed them as a charity case.
How would you go about spinning my background in a positive light? On one hand I do represent a very obvious physical manifestation of "diversity." Unfortunately, I am also a member of the two most overrepresented groups in post-secondary education.
Should I utilize the anecdotal approach (i.e. tell my mother's story as a single working mother 1st generation professional who battled her way from an hourly wage bank teller in the ghetto to a Lehman VP (and how it influenced me during my formative years. As an aside I've only recently come to realize just how ridiculous a feat that was. Massive respect. Networking and guts do work I guess).Talk about international experience? Ignore it? Hope they don't notice? Start keeping Kosher?
This has bothered me for quite some time.
how are you from such a privileged background, yet not at a target school? doesn't sound like you're cut out for m7
anyway, do not, i repeat, DO NOT bring up the fact that you are chinese just ignore it all together conceal it even you're gonna want to trust me on this one if they see you as in any way chinese, your competition will no longer be white americans, but asian americans or asian asians (bschools don't take nationality into account, only race, when fulfilling their diversity quotas), and you really don't want that
I actually have a very simple reason. My father is a tenured professor at said non-target school (read - free), so I didn't have a choice! I was also the definition of an underachiever during HS (Not going to sugarcoat it. Big Maturity/Organization/Work Ethic issues. SAT/AP scores >>>>>>>> my GPA. No one is perfect - especially @ 14-15), so I doubt I could've gotten into any target undergrad programs. Moreover, I was originally planning on pursuing a career in the public sector (in which my department is VERY highly regarded (target top 10). Condaleeza rice's alma mater etc), so the school made "sense." It was only at the intense urging of various members of my network/gap year overseas that I eventually "woke up/grew up/outgrew my naivete"
As for your main point, I guess it helps that I look 95% white (I'm a freaking 6"4 mesomorph for crying out loud). So just try to conceal it to the point where they categorize me as "White kid with extensive international work/living experience in Israel/China who just happens to speak fleunt Chinese?"
Edit: @ Mitt Romney. Your post reminded me of a potential challenge RE: recs. One of the individuals who has gladly agreed to write one of my recs happens to be an extremely well known graduate of HBS. What if his (or any) rec blows my cover? Go into diminishing returns/crazy opportunity cost mode and try to go from a 710 to aq 770-780 gmat? Harakiri? Hell my middle name is a HUGE problem in this regard (about as blatant as it gets. Thanks Grandpa! 50% awesome. 50% facepalm >_>).
Ignore it, not a big deal. Focus on your experience and what you have made for yourself rather than what was made for you.
As you said, you are part of two of the biggest ethnic groups in the U.S. Unless you have something absolutely unique to say about that experience, you could talk about how you learned and coped with two different disciplines and lifestyles. No need to make up a story. Write more about your recent experiences and goals in life.
i dont know why youd use an essay to talk about your nationality or what your mother endured- - unless you endured it its not going to be looked at
Agreed.
Not really true. Asian-Americans were 4.8% of the US population in 2010 (5% flat including Hawaiian and Pacific Islander); and that includes South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, etc). The American Jewish population in 2012 was ~2.1% of the total US population. By comparison White (less 2.1% for Jewish) was 61.6%, Hispanic was 16.5%, and Non-Hispanic Black was 12.2%.
Interesting (though not that surprising) bit of WSO demographics perceptions vs. reality.
lol, I meant of people applying to B-schools. I thought that was obvious from looking at the original post. Applications ask for Caucasian, not specifically Jewish.
I was just throwing out a random example :).
So just skirt the issue.
I don't give a shit about what your parents did but that's all you talk about here.
Deal with your insecurities, develop some confidence, and learn to present yourself well. The rest will take care of itself. This applies to most of WSO actually.
Sounds like you're incredibly insecure...
Why is this a thread?
If you're so paranoid about being Jewish why even bring it up in an application? You don't have to talk any of that. If you think that being a Jew will hurt you demographically don't talk about it. And if you do plan on talking about it: There will probably be a Jew or two looking at your application for a given school and I like to think most of us can see right through somebody with one Jewish parent all the sudden giving a shit about being Jewish right around the time they need it for something. You definitely would not fool a Jew with that shit.
But what's most disturbing is your plan to talk about your MOTHER'S accomplishments instead of YOUR OWN. Is your mom the one admissions people are evaluating? Shit is straight nonsense. Hopefully you're a troll.
I'm just trying to determine whether my ethnicity is a negative variable that might impede my B-school app down the road. I realize that top b-schools value diversity, but I am also cognizant of how miscasting my background could possibly lead to a relatively negative outcome. Seems like the consensus opinion is that it is of nugatory value. Thanks for everyones constructive input.
edit: it was a stupid suggestion made in jest :)
Fair enough, I misread the post hah. It wouldn't surprise me if any given WSO reader thought that applied to the overall population though...
Relax man. Most b-school applicants are white or asian. it doesn't hurt you to be of that background, it just helps to be a URM. Don't think of it as a zero-sum game. Just focus on what you can control. Besides, do you really think that ad coms spend 30 minutes doing genealogical research on each applicant?
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