pizzicatodreams

How much does being of minority status REALLY help in the admissions process? I'm hispanic and thinking of applying to Yale in the fall, and I'm just curious as to how much my heritage will play into the admissions process (I suppose, in a sense, that I'm philosophically opposed to affirmative action, but if it can help me fulfill my educational desires, I may as well take advantage of it).

...Sorry for the cross-posting, but I originally intended to post this in the "Yale" forum.

Jules Winfield

apply. affirmative action / race-based preferences will not make you an auto-admit, but it can definitely make a good candidate a great candidate. also, being a minority is not a "hook" in the most technical sense of the word.

AdmitAddict

Exactly. Yale definitely does not have a problem with rejecting URMs just like they don't have a problem with rejecting people with perfect SAT scores. It's a crap shoot half of the time, but something like that can definitely make you if you have other things going for you.

joyogunx

but does being a URM really matter if you are well off financially?

riverrunner

joyo, are you asking the question: If you are a URM, but grew up in mid-upper middle class surroundings with all the enrichments, education, and opportunities that go with that, do you still get a bump in admissions, or is the URM bump really about socio-economic circumstances? I have wondered about this myself. I also wonder what component cultural diversity plays. For example if you are a URM and your family has a close connection to a particular culture and tradition, but your EFC is zero, do you have any bump in admissions?

Olive_Tree

Well, Yale looks at your application the context of your surroundings and how you have grown up and the opportunities available to you. A minority from a priviledged background won't be looked at by Yale in the same way a low-income/first generation minority will. Standards will be stricter for the priviledged minority.

As for the EFC question, Yale is need blind, but it can infer from your parents' education level and employment what income your household has. I hear they are looking to increase their low-income enrollment, but I don't know if they take EFC into account when looking at your app.

eating food

I love minorities!