Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Asian Americans: Math Genes or Better Students?

sashime76 · 05-31-2005, 10:59 AM

One of the smartest person I’ve met was a classmate in my Jr. high school. This guy scored 798 out of possible 800 (8 subjects/100's of questions) twice in three years. Last I’ve heard he is now a head pediatrician in one of the most acclaimed hospital in Taiwan. I recalled he wasn’t a “true” math wiz but he studied very, very hard.

Math was never one of my favorite subjects but I did quite all right in school. I had taken adv. Algebra, adv. Trig. and pre calculus before coming to US so math classes were easy for me, other than the word problems.

I wouldn’t say Asians are better in math - genetically, but Asian kids are generally pushed harder by their parents. The parents themselves often first generation Asian Americans. They know what it’s like to struggle first hand. Incidentally many of these parents were graduate students, highly intelligent but limited by the language barrier.

05-31-2005, 10:59 AM	#58 (permalink)
sashime76 Addict Location: Hoosier State	One of the smartest person I’ve met was a classmate in my Jr. high school. This guy scored 798 out of possible 800 (8 subjects/100's of questions) twice in three years. Last I’ve heard he is now a head pediatrician in one of the most acclaimed hospital in Taiwan. I recalled he wasn’t a “true” math wiz but he studied very, very hard. Math was never one of my favorite subjects but I did quite all right in school. I had taken adv. Algebra, adv. Trig. and pre calculus before coming to US so math classes were easy for me, other than the word problems. I wouldn’t say Asians are better in math - genetically, but Asian kids are generally pushed harder by their parents. The parents themselves often first generation Asian Americans. They know what it’s like to struggle first hand. Incidentally many of these parents were graduate students, highly intelligent but limited by the language barrier.