<p>Thanks marama, I appreciate this community so much!</p>
<p>Underrepresented refers to the percentage enrolled in college compared to the percentage in the general population. So since Spaniards make up a small percentage of college students and they also are a small percentage of the general population, they are not considered dramatically underrepresented. That’s why I said that they’re probably the least underrepresented of Hispanics. Hispanics of South and Latin American backgrounds may be similar, I’ve never seen the data broken down, so I can only surmise from my general knowledge of their demographics. Contrast this with MA and PR who make up a much greater percentage of the general population but in contrast, a relatively low percentage of college students. That is why these two groups in particular are considered highly underrepresented in college and why they are likely more sought after than other Hispanics for college admissions. </p>
<p>In contrast, Asians are overrepresented in college, not because they make up a large percentage of the general population (only about 10% in CA during the 2000 census), but because the percentage of college students is high (about 40% at UCB & UCLA) compared to their representation in the general population. These percentages are higher in CA than in the US in general, but this trend carries over to the national college population.</p>
<p>I agree that some colleges are interested in many types of diversity, but for college admissions purposes, internationals are not considered URMs, no matter what ethnicity or race they are.</p>