Importance of URM status?

carolyn
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:39:16 +0000

First, it depends to a certain extent on the school. If its one of the “hispanic serving” institutions that already have a high percentage of hispanics, it won’t help a huge amount. Some public institutions, such as the University of California system, are also legally barred from considering race in admissions - won’t help at those schools either.

However, at many other schools, if you’re already in the ballpark in terms of grades and test scores, being an URM can be a “tipping point” that just might boost you in. The amount of “tip,” however, will still come down to the individual institutional priorities of each college.

My advice would be to have your child contact the schools that are of interest, and ask to be put in touch with their minority recruitment director. They’ll often be able to give a better assessment of how URM status will be considered in their admissions decisions — and getting in touch with them can also get your child invited to special minority recruitment events. Often, attending those sorts of events can play a role in admissions decisions as well.