As others have said, I think they do but in more of a “tiebreaker” kind of way - I don’t think it moves an applicant into a whole different category, but it could tip the scales between otherwise-equally-desirable candidates. I do think they’re hoping to “harvest” some west coast ORM kids who become URM only in the otherwise-very-white Lehigh Valley area. I have a South Asian friend whose spouse taught at Lehigh many years ago, and she recounts driving all over the area looking for black bobby pins, and ultimately resorting to mail-order! I expect it’s no longer that extreme, but it is still the rare pocket in that region where Asian applicants get a boost. Of course, SCOTUS could be changing this in the near future, but that’s a topic for the “race and admissions” thread!
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