<p>MODERATOR’S NOTE: Before posting a question on this thread, please read post #1. It gives the definition of Hispanic used on college applications, and it describes the difference between the concepts of ethnicity and race. If that post does not answer all your questions, THEN post here.</p>
<p>Entomom, thank you for this string, it’s been very informative for my son and I.</p>
<p>You’re welcome, I’m glad someone read it :)!</p>
<p>If you have any questions, please feel free to use the New Thread button and ask away.</p>
<p>I wish I’d have read this info before my D applied for certain programs and scholarships. She is 1/4 Hispanic with a German last name. We figured it would be stretching it to call herself “Hispanic” but after reading this thread, I see we were wrong.</p>
<p>Unfortunately there’s a lot of misinformation about what it means to be Hispanic, even HSs and GCs are often not well informed. Sorry this information got to you late, hopefully you have other children or can spread the word to others.</p>
<p>Lots of confusion on this one. I mentioned the Hispanic Scholarships to my wife and she asked if our twin Ds will qualify. I laughed as I am 100% and my TDs would be 50%. It is much easier and timely to research colleges today than back in the stone age when I went to college. </p>
<p>Hi entomom,</p>
<p>Great thread. I read through all of it (including post #1). I’m applying for schools right now and am still debating whether or not to check off that I am Hispanic. My mother is 100% Asian, no question. My father was born in China but moved to Ecuador where he spent the majority of his life (appx 30 years). They both moved to America. He speaks the language fluently, takes more business calls in Spanish than English, and associates with Hispanic people more so that Asian people. He is an Ecuadorian citizen. With that said, we speak Spanish at home and I like to think I self-identify as Hispanic.What are your opinions?</p>
<p>And also: have colleges ever checked during an interview or through your records? I would have no proof.</p>
<p>I am a White-Japanese American, and both my parents were born in the U.S. My Japanese-American (born in the U.S) father moved to Brazil when he was 3 years old, he grew up there, then moved back to the US for college. I speak Portuguese, I still have many aunts and uncles in Brazil (half of my dad’s extended family still lives there) and my dad who grew up in Brazil still cooks us Brazilian food all the time. However, I do not have a Brazilian last name, nor do I have Brazilian “blood” (Only Japanese/German) because everyone ‘above me’ on my family tree moved there. The only people who were born there are my dad’s youngest sister, and many of my dad’s cousins. Would I still consider myself “Latino” on the common app, or is that pushing it? </p>
I’m not sure if I’ll self identify at all, but if I do I’ll be checking Hispanic. I’m about 20% Mexican with a great grandfather on my dad’s side and a great great grandfather on my mom’s side who were 100% I don’t meet the NHRP requirements, but I’ve always identified as Chicana.
Yes. Take advantage of the stupidity of these people.
If you put a Mexican next to a Brazilian, you’ll understand the reason why Brazilian and Portuguese are not Hispanic!
Hello! While my mother was born in Mexico, my father was born here in the United States - but HIS father was born in Mexico. How should I address the “Which best describes your background?” question? Should I put Mexico?
Thanks!
@lalabound
I do the same! I’m only about 20% Hispanic (Spain), but I identify as white & Hispanic.
Why are Brazilians and Spaniards Hispanic and Portuguese are not? Makes no sense to me.
What’s the best way to designate 1/2 Mexican American and 1/2 White? Do you have to just pick one?
@TeamJet It depends on how you feel, with my own children they just checked the hispanic box since they identified more with being Hispanic.
@TeamJet I agree with ITSV’s post. I’m a WASP and my husband moved to US from Mexico as a kid. We live on the border and my kids identify as Hispanic. As do most of their peers. When schools report stats they usually use the term '“self identify as minorities”. So it really depends on you.
I was raised as a very white child. My father is an immigrant from the Netherlands, and my mother was born in Illinois. Both white as a piece of paper.
However, genetically speaking (I am not related to my parents because they used embryo donation to conceive me), I am 50% hispanic. I was 15 before this fact was disclosed to me. Although I’m an NHRP invitee and as hispanic as I am white, I often feel kind of out of place with the distinction as a minority in college applications. Is it ethical to call myself hispanic if, in the words of my friends, I wasn’t raised with the perceived disadvantages of minority status, or if I wasn’t raised in a hispanic household?
Ok, I know this must be getting old but…
I made it all the way from a community college to a phd in physics and a postdoc without calling myself “Hispanic”. Now I’m on the job market for an academic position and I’m starting to think I should.
Background
grandparents:
1 spanish grandparent
3 sephardic/north african grandparents
parents:
Dad - born in France
Mom - born in North Africa
both Sephardic jews.
me-
Born in France - raised in Houston, Texas - Everyone I’ve ever met has thought I was Mexican (my skin is brown). Being a brown guy in Houston, I’m always assumed to be a Latino, been insulted in all the ways you can imagine for being a “mexican”. Once people find out my origin they are mostly just weird about it or just accept me as “white”.
Putting Hispanic is a huge boost to my app as they really want more Hispanic Professors. I don’t speak very much Spanish (some), but I speak fluent french. I’ve never identified as “Hispanic” but from what I’m reading I’m well within my right to do so.
From the Sephardic side, my grandparents spoke Ladino (Spanish-Hebrew hybrid language), Sephardic literally means “Hispanic” in Hebrew. Most of the Spanish influence that has remained does so in the food my family eats (Paella, couscous, sardines, Shrimp diablo…your basic Mediterranean diet). Also, the Spanish government recognizes my Spanish heritage to the point that they just passed this law : http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-spain-sephardic-jews-20151001-story.html , which offers Sephardic jews Spanish Citizenship.
Opinions?
@TooOld4School Because Portuguese people are from Europe. Spaniards are not considered Hispanic either.