When Vickie Chiang, president of the HS2 Academy, started her career in college counseling for Asian-Americans in 2005, she found it pivotal to explain to parents that admissions into elite American colleges is not just about your SAT and GPA numbers. According to her, up to 90% of the students of HS2 Academy in California are second-generation American-born Chinese. In the aftermath of the college admissions bribery scandal and the Harvard lawsuit, Chiang shares what it’s like to be in the middle of this growing cut-throat industry where children are carefully molded and marketed into the perfect applicant.

Q: Do you perceive there to be a bias against Asian-American applicants?

A: Of course, but I wouldn't say that it’s a bias. I understand that they have to help the minorities in the education field: the Latin-Americans, the African-Americans, the Native-Americans. For us, we do everything to help you guys study well. It’s the mentality. It’s the culture. You guys have the strong foundation to start at this game. I understand that colleges, they need diversity. It makes it very difficult for us.

Q: Has the decision of the Harvard lawsuit changed this and the past application season for applicants?

A: When they started this lawsuit, I knew that the Asian-American group was not going to win because Harvard never said in the admission letter that “I reject you because you are Asian-American.” So how can you sue? There is no solid evidence. Admissions is a very subjective. But I do feel like Harvard or other elite colleges did change their attitudes a little bit.

Q: What would be an example of a “typical” Asian?

A: Many APs, high GPA, SATs. and math and science. Debate is the new trend, everybody does debate. But then you talk to them, and they seem to have no opinions.

Q: If the same credentials are applied to a non-Asian, do they have more of a chance?

A: Of course. Three to five years ago, there were two students referred to us by their high school counselors. They were both latinos. One got into Yale, one got into Harvard. If they were Chinese, they wouldn't even get into a top 30 school. After that, I refused to take this type of case. I just feel like it’s so unfair for my students.

Q: In recent years, colleges such as Uchicago have become standardized score-optional or added more creative supplements like video essays, how has that changed the college application game?

Standardized testing, a lot of people cheat. It’s not very reliable evidence. I think that colleges care more about your GPA and who you are. Some schools say that you can submit videos, but they have the option to watch your video or not. It’s just that the video is more real. A lot of my students submit videos. My oldest son, he was a national judo champion. So the video he submitted was three minutes and he throws like a hundred people. He got into NYU Stern.