College officials deny it, but many Asian-American high-school students feel they will be held to a higher standard. The idea that Asian-American applicants are held to a higher standard in college admissions has received a wave of attention lately. The U.S. Department of Education is now investigating whether Princeton University discriminates against Asian-American applicants. A recent book, "No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal: Race and Class in Elite College Admission and Campus Life," reported the discrepancy that Asian and Asian-American applicants have a lower chance than their similarly qualified white peers of getting into selective private colleges, a "penalty" equivalent to 140 points on the 1600-point SAT, the authors said. The Associated Press has published accounts of Asian-American students who decided not to indicate their race on applications. For prospective students, all of this can add uncertainty and stress to the college-admissions process. They may imagine getting compared with--or going up against--other high-performing Asian students rather than being evaluated in a college's whole pool. For some, that might exacerbate longstanding feelings of outsized expectations.