<p>
Them thats got shall get
Them thats not shall lose
So the Bible said
And it still is news</p>
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<p>So colleges only want diversity of race?</p>
<p>Admissions based on wealth alone, scores alone, connections alone, or anything other factor alone would result in homogeneity that colleges do not desire. They want a variety of smart people. What other system will give them what they are looking for?
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<p>Colleges should get rid of financial aid too, because they are wasting a ton of money on people who don’t really need it.</p>
<p>
Even in a worst-case scenario, at least the principles of socioeconomic AA are valid. The current dominating system of racial AA is not.</p>
<p>Go to the Hispanic subforum and read this sticky thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/641650-hispanic-latino-defined.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/641650-hispanic-latino-defined.html</a></p>
<p>Are any of your ancestors: native peoples of South America? European? Asian? AA? Pacific Islander? You will be one or more of these categories as they cover all of the possible races.</p>
<p>I have a similar question regarding what race I should put down on my app. Just found out last week that one of my distant ancestors was an aborigine (making me something like 1/16 or 1/32 aboriginal; I’ll try to verify this later). I resemble very little if any of this ethnicity: I always considered myself half Caucasian and half Chinese. Is there a minimum percentage of ethnicity required to label myself as an aborigine? And what is an aborigine, technically speaking? I’ve heard from some that it’s pacific islander and I’ve heard from others it’s black.</p>
<p>And are applicants obligated to report their majority ethnicity? I’m assuming no, but I just want to be sure because the last thing I want is to label myself a URM, get accepted by a bunch of top schools, and later on get my acceptance rescinded because I was being unwittingly dishonest.</p>
<p>I think if you don’t identify with a certain group then you’re being intentionally dishonest if you put it down on your application.</p>
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When I say dishonest I don’t mean morally but rather literally. If I can’t technically list myself as aboriginal then I will not do so; otherwise I have little hesitation.</p>
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<p>Nobody is required to self-identify with any ethnicity or race. (Technically, only the “Hispanic or Latino” category is called an “ethnicity” category, and all the other federally recognized categories are called “race” categories.) You can decline to answer the questions at all, if you please. (See the first few posts of this thread for more details.) </p>
<p>You asked about an ancestor you refer to as an “aborigine.” If you mean an aboriginal Australian, interestingly enough you will find that Australia is not listed as a place of origin for any federally defined “race” category, </p>
<p>[Black</a> or African American persons, percent, 2000](<a href=“http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68176.htm]Black”>http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68176.htm) </p>
<p>and the new ethnicity and race forms for college admission don’t list a choice of “other” for race (unlike the Census form). So the categories are not exhaustive. </p>
<p>The practical effect of listing Australian aboriginal ancestry with no evidence in your application file of current cultural ties to Australian aborigines is not likely to be helpful to your application.</p>
<p>
So even if I provide evidence documenting my ancestral ties back to Australian aboriginal ancestry, I will not be subject to an advantage because I am not culturally connected/involved? I recall reading that in Canada aborigines are considered highly desirable by universities, and that being aboriginal is similar to being a pacific islander. I take it this does not extend to US affirmative action policies, despite being underrepresented?</p>
<p>Also, it seems strange that applications do not offer a choice for “other.”</p>
<p>^ The term “aborigine” is considered offensive. Indigenous Australians prefer to be called just that.</p>
<p>^ </p>
<p>[Indigenous</a> Australians - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australians]Indigenous”>Indigenous Australians - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>^ So would aboriginal Australian be the most proper term? Indigenous Australian seems too general.</p>
<p>Gah, I hate this PC sensitivity.</p>
<p>Is there some sort of big difference between the words “Aboriginal” and “Indigenous?”</p>
<p>
Yes. “Indigenous” can refer to any native people, such as Native Americans, whereas “Aboriginal” almost certainly implies “Australian”. Now as for “Indigenous Australian”, I don’t really think so…</p>
<p>I am a Korean American student. I know that there seems to be some sort of affirmative action in addition to some racial discrimination in the college admissions process. Does my race hinder me from getting accepted into top schools? Asian, in particular, are stereotyped as very studious candidates flood many top schools, but colleges always say that they want diversity. AHHH… Im soo worried that i wont get in because im asian!</p>
<p>Lack of uniqueness can be a hindrance in top school admissions for Asian applicants. I’m Chinese and was admitted to an HYP college. I took a very rigorous HS schedule. Had about a 3.8 to 3.9 GPA and my test scores were about the 30th percentile of admitted students that year (see, I’m not a 4.0GPA 2350 SAT Asian admitee). I’d say what stood out for me was that I was an immigrant kid who grew up in the inner city and became a student leader in a predominantly african american HS. I had interesting ECs (although not some monster laundry list – I had to work in a restaurant). My essays showed I was very engaged with the people around me and showed I had lots of empathy for my peers.</p>
<p>Lots of Asian applicants I see nowadays are very similar: Tennis, piano, math and/science club, hospital or library volunteer, SAT prep and native language classes on Saturdays. But can two of them tell me what’s going on in the lives of their fellow classmates when I interview them? Rarely.</p>
<p>I totally agree with you in regards to the “typical asian”. </p>
<p>To counteract that I have been trying to do more “unique” things. Would you consider these activities:</p>
<ul>
<li>I play softball.</li>
<li>I play the Tenor Saxophone</li>
<li>I actually talk and actively participate in political campaigns (ex: intern for Brian Moran’s bid for governor, etc.)</li>
<li>Started a non-profit organization </li>
</ul>
<p>thats all I can think of… tell me what you think.</p>
<p>lol softball seems a lot like tennis and sax seems a lot like piano… the other two things could help though</p>
<p>Unfortunately, yes.</p>
<p>10 char.</p>
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<p>Whether or not your race, ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL, has a big influence on getting into a particular college is something most colleges are reluctant to talk about in detail. But see the first few posts of this FAQ thread (into which your question was merged) for the facts that </p>
<p>a) some people of every which race get into every which highly desirable college each year, </p>
<p>b) identifying your race on your application is optional, not mandatory, </p>
<p>and </p>
<p>c) a lot of young people who are officially reported to the federal government as “race unknown” get into a lot of great colleges each year. </p>
<p>Don’t worry about it. Do your best in high school, apply and see what happens.</p>