Hardworking. Disciplined. Successful. Positive stereotypes commonly associated with Asian American students can serve as performance boosters and result in a self-fulfilling prophecy, says UCI sociologist Jennifer Lee, but they can also lead to a host of unintended consequences. "Not only do positive stereotypes place extraordinary pressure on Asian American students to excel, but they can make students feel like abject failures when they don’t stand out and place them at a disadvantage in competing for spots at top universities," she says.

In the school's latest “Expert On” series, Lee talks about the positives and potential pitfalls of stereotype promise.