<p>Oh yes…the comments about the unfair advantage for having the “hispanic” box checked off. I have had coworkers say horrible, sneering things like “he should get in easily with the hispanic designation”…etc. What are you worrying about…a “hispanic” (always said with those little quotes with fingers) is a shoe in at XYZ university! The quotes are because I am so anglo looking it is hard for them to fathom how my kid can be hispanic…</p>
<p>I do think that the hispanic designation combined with some high grades and scores does get a kid a special “look” particularly for schools that want to have a student body more representative of their state or the US. However, I am also absolutely sure that since my son has benefitted from college educated parents, a great public school education, and is not applying for FA that he will have to show in his ECs and essays that he is bringing something special to the school not just filling a statistical box. He may get a second look, there may be some understanding of why his English grades are his lowest (spanish speaking home), but in the end, he is going to be seen (rightly so) as a child of privilege-- who has not faced any particularly high barriers to doing well academically so his credentials will have to be in line with his whole background. So…what is my kid’s hook–it isn’t the brown skin and black eyes (although the girls seem to like them). Rather, he will offer the college a love of art, creativity and a knack for bringing together diverse people…he moves easily between hispanic and anglo community with a fluency in both language and bi-cultural knowledge that makes him successful in his art and theatre pursuits. If he wasn’t hispanic he couldn’t do this, but if he wasn’t anglo too he couldn’t do it either. If a college wants these skills (like an Oboe player) and gives him a admissions boost for this…he should not apologize for it. Schools aren’t stupid…hispanic designation does not translate directly into “diversity” it is the experience and skills that a kid has gained from behind that cultural identity check-box that will determine whether he deserves an admission boost.</p>