Please tell me my positives and negatives so I can get some feedback:
I’m a sophomore currently
Race: Black and Asian
Gender: Male
School : Top public school
Classes: 6 honors and 1 AP taken
GPA (w): 3.96
GPA (uw): 3.70
EC: Varsity Basketball, Varsity Track, Freshmen Mentor, Student Board of Directors of DifferentLikeYou.com, Cancer research in Case Western Reserve’s Biomedical Engineering department, Lifeguard, Co-Founder of my schools Black Culture Club, Youth For Christ, Diversity Acceptance Program, Intern for Artificial Intelligence Laboratories, Started my own lawn care business, Junior Ambassador for Cleveland clinic (volunteering), Youth Forum Council for City Club of Cleveland
Junior year: Plan to take
AP Calculus BC
AP Physics 1
AP Economics
Honors English 11
Spanish IV
US Gov / Pubic Speaking
Questions
Does being black and asian give me an advantage or disadvantage in college admissions and should I write my essay on the struggles of being blasian? Or is that not a good idea.
Also do colleges look down If I were to quit a sport (Basketball) junior year that I already lettered in? It just takes up so much time from other things I wish to do.
Essays about heritage are generally ill-advised unless you have a very powerful experience given that they are overdone. Being black puts you at a slight advantage which is not negated by your Asian heritage.
Well, being a black male is an advantage and being an asian male is a disadvantage, especially at selective schools. Why not just say you are black?
It would appear from your courses and EC’s that you are in no way hindered by your racial background. It is the college that makes its own racial quotas so why disadvantage yourself?
I thought putting black and asian would make myself more unique to the admissions office because there are less blasians than african americans.
I think it is fine to write about your heritage as long as the focus is on you – how your background shaped you into the person you are today, any specific experience, struggles etc. The idea is to give admissions officers a glimpse into parts of you that cannot be found elsewhere on the application. Any subject for an essay is fine as long as it is done well.
It is fine to write about being mixed, especially if it is a good essay and is unusual in some way because of where you live or something. If you are not planning to write about it, which is fine and you can legitimately claim to be AA and identify as such, that will give you the URM hook that being Asian will not.
@WISdad23 So are you saying putting down black and asian would put me at a disadvantage? And that I rather should just put black?
I would prefer no preference whatsoever (and no disadvantage whatsoever) based on my race. Your case is the opposite in that you are trying to garner as much advantage as possible based on your race. As far as I can tell, affirming that you are black would be the most advantageous.
@WISdad23 Wouldn’t that technically be lying then because I’m not FULL black?
You can put more than one.
You can put multiple races, one race, or that you prefer not to answer. Realistically you aren’t going to be rejected because you’re part Asian.
Where is anybody putting their race on a college application? I didn’t think it was on there.
OP, If there is someplace to put your race, I think you should put what feels most comfortable to you, rather than trying to deliberately play a race card that is not how you normally see yourself…
Thanks for advice everyone
Look at it this way, I know a number of people who have one hispanic grandparent and 3 non hispanic grandparents. They all have checked the hispanic box. In most cases I did not even know they were hispanic until they told me.
Does not apply to my family and I do not judge. Obama is 50% white, I doubt he checked both boxes when he applied to college.
Putting you are of mixed race or of two cultural heritages will NOT put you at a disadvantage. It is a unique aspect in of itself. If you feel that writing about your heritage would make for a strong essay and would provide a strong essay topic then write about that. Honestly I disagree with people just checking one or the other. If you are both, why nor check both? Saying that he is black and Asian does not mean he will be just compared to only one group or another anyway…
@JLBball5 I don’t think anyone has addressed your second question.
The answer can only be guessed at. I would suggest picturing yourself at a college interview, explaining why you dropped basketball. What are you doing with the time freed up, have you been wanting for years to __________, etc.
I’m a sophomore girl and am mixed as well. But, I’m half asian, a quarter white and a quarter black. Anyways I don’t think being mixed would put you as a disadvantage. They would see that you have a unique heritage. I feel like everytime I fill out those sections on myself and the heritage section pops up, I wonder why they just have never added a mixed race bubble. It would make things so much easier but, back to the point, no it wouldn’t put you at a disadvantage at all considering you have wonderful grades and you are involved in several extracurricular activities.
Oh and I totally understand being mixed has its problems. You get asked what you are all the time lol