If you know that no matter how hard you try, success is still impossible, you will still push yourself to your limit? Or will you reasonably turn to another effort with a real chance of success? Personally, if the odds were overwhelmingly against me, I wasn’t sure I would push so hard.
Since my child was born, I have noticed a growing trend: highly academic Asian American students with excellent GPA and top SAT scores are rejected by most of their top choice colleges. This is common for many students, especially because of the decline in enrollment, partly due to the ease of applying through the universal application. However, the challenge seems more obvious for Asian applicants.
Although Asian Americans make up only 7% of the U.S. population, they are not a minority group that qualifies for preferential treatment in college admissions, jobs, or promotions. Instead, based on the average SAT and ACT scores, it seems that they have to score higher than other groups in order to get equal chances of acceptance. The Supreme Court acknowledged the gap when it ruled against affirmative action on June 29, 2023.
Asian Americans were largely excluded from racial justice when diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) became the dominant movement after George Floyd was killed in 2020, Beyond the conversation, even they face discrimination and hatred. I get it – Asians have the highest median income of all ethnic groups, so why prioritize a group that is considered to be performing well?
But what if you are Asian from a broken family? In this case, you may just be unfortunate.
Students could have enjoyed life
During the pandemic, I had an epiphany: if my kids had the opportunity to go to top colleges and land promising jobs, would my kids study so hard?
The highest SAT scores, college sports, club leadership and cure cancer, rather than emphasising direct AS, Why not let them enjoy their youth completely? All the intense pressure to get into top universities doesn’t seem healthy.
The increase in depression and anxiety among high school students is Shockingmany people feel unremitting pressure. Some people even take their lives because they don’t feel good enough academically. We can’t let this happen. I refuse to let my daughter and son at the expense of their happiness at the weight of identity and money.
A better, happier childhood when you don’t have a chance
Imagine being excited to go to school – not grades, but for learning. You will focus on the topics you care about and do enough to pass through the quit smoking person you don’t like today. Since the chances of entering the top 25 colleges are so low, you’ll be content with the B average and the 1,200 SAT score. With lower expectations, you will be grateful for the university that any university is involved in.
What a wonderful K-12 experience! I went all out – without the pressure of Dad Tiger, not forcing my kids to work hard to go to a top university, just becoming bankers working under fluorescent lights for 60 hours a week. I’ve been there and even if the money is good, it’s not fun.
Instead, they can go to community colleges, save money, and pursue careers they really like. And, since $700,000+ would have been $700,000+ for a private college tuition, I would have found a way to provide them with financial security as early as possible.
Then what changed, in 2025. Rewards based on merits have become the focus of the new government again.
Analogies that reduce taxes harm your lifestyle
To help explain negative reviews of performance-based rewards, let’s take tax policy as an example.
When tax cuts, people work harder because they can keep more income. In theory, this is great – especially if the government has been wasting taxpayers’ money.
But the problem with working more and more is Money addiction. Many people don’t know when to stop, even if they have enough time. Fast forward 40 years, and a wealthy banker or technician might wonder why they spend so much time pursuing money when they can do something more fulfilling.
I see this kind of wealth addiction every day through the financial warrior. Even if you hate work, it’s hard to quit making money. That’s why I started writing about fire since 2009 to give people the courage and financial framework to make them despise their work and do what they love.
Yes, it’s great to make a lot of money and invest wisely. But it would be a shame if you sacrifice more money when you already have enough time or have enough time to die.
I left work in 2012, partly because I didn’t want to pay the government about 40% of my income to enjoy the privilege of working 60 hours a week and feeling constant pressure. So, in a sense, I thank President Obama for raising my federal marginal income tax rate to 39.6% and giving me the motivation to freedom. It’s not worth it to pay another 12.3% tax to California, plus a 7.2% FICA tax.
Performance-based rewards can also harm your lifestyle
On the surface, it sounds fair to those who are based solely on merit. But it is also probably the most ambitious trap among us.
People do this when they realize they can succeed by exercising and surpassing their peers. A 60-hour work week turned into 70 hours. Then there is 80. Then 90. More of the weapons competition never ends Until we stop.
Just as money addiction is hard to quit, so is competition based on merits. It’s hard to back down when you know that effort is directly related to rewards. If I get paid based on my performance at Credit Suisse, I will certainly last for at least five years.
If I know I can go beyond AI stealing my content by writing more information, I will keep moving forward indefinitely. But I realize that my window of opportunity may be closing quickly. That’s why I invest in companies that work hard to make me obsolete. If they are going to take my retirement dream away, at least I plan to make a profit in the process!
Denied Asian Americans directly engaged in dream jobs
Estanley Zheng. He has 3.97 unweighted GPAs, 4.42 weighted GPAs and a near-perfect 1590 SAT score at Gunn High School. He even started his own document signature startup and coached underserved children in his coding.
However, he was rejected by 16 universities and the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin.
very good! The UC Davis acceptance rate is 42%! Did Stanley write something offensive in all the papers? Given that he has a thoughtful father and helpful school counselor, it will be hard to believe.
I was shocked when I first heard this in 2023. Stanley may be my son. If he is not good enough, what opportunities does my child have? Less than 1% of students can earn academic achievements made by Stanley. For a moment, I felt defeated. Why try it? Top universities will use only subjective reasons, such as personality scores, to explain why students are rejected.
But then something outstanding happened.
Instead of going to college, Stanley took a PhD engineering role at Google, a job that rejected most computer science graduates in his school. Earning over $200,000 in high school is a dream come true.
Stanley proved his opponents wrong.
Architectural skills become popular again
His story made me rethink it. Ultimately, performance wins, not in college admissions, but in the job market, which is the ultimate goal. Unlike universities, businesses need the best workers to create the best products and maximize profits.
The same happens in smaller companies if employers with the largest balance sheets like Google and Meta can no longer ignore the advantages. If you are an entrepreneur, achievements are more important.
Then, in February 2025, Stanley and his father sued the University of California for racial discrimination. Despite their hatred, they work towards future Asian American students who may face the same prejudice.
If they win, that could mean more qualified Asian Americans will be admitted to public universities that receive government funding. But ultimately, this transformation should Benefit from the best students and workers of all races.
So I fulfilled a crazy dream—the Asian Americans enjoying a low-stress, happy childhood—and probably had to wait. For now, merit is back on the spotlight, which means long-term learning, intense competition and huge pressure in extracurricular activities.
But the pendulum may swing again in time.
Treat parents well
Whatever happens, a truth remains: good for your parents.
Colleges and employers may turn you down, but your parents may never. They will do everything they can to provide you with opportunities and ultimately make sure you are happy.
And, if their money is smart – investing through most of the bull market – they may have more wealth than you realize. When you go to college, a car, or even a house, they may just cover everything for you.
As my own parent, I keep fighting the desire to give my children everything. But I know that if I do this, I have the potential to qualify them for softness.
However, if my son and daughter become responsible adults who choose a career that really helps others, it’s hard not to give them financial support when needed.
When your best is not good enough: Keep moving
So, no matter your game, your best bet is to keep working hard, even if you have few chances of success. Your pride is threatened. Even if you face rejection after being rejected, remember – rejection is just the price of success.
Continue to push. Continue grinding. Even if the odds are superimposed with you, your hard work will eventually pay off in unpredictable ways.
Reader, despite the long chance of success, how do you do your best? Are you disappointed with the focus on high merit or are you welcome the motivation to increase your hard work? Why do you think that students like Stanley Zhong have nearly perfect academic records and are rejected by so many top universities? Does this prove the importance of writing a good paper?
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