Race Question

[entomom]

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I am sure that similar threads to this exist, but I had trouble finding any of them!

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<p>The sticky Am I Hispanic? thread at the top of this forum answers the question in multiple various iterations. If you use the Search function for ‘race’ (a misnomer), you will find many previous threads asking this question.</p>

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Race Question

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<p>Hispanic is an ethnicity, Hispanics can be of any race(s). That’s why the CA asks first if you’re Hispanic and then what race(s) you are.</p>

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was raised celebrating their Mexican heritage and Mexican culture

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<p>If you read the OP of the sticky thread, you will see that for college admissions purposes self-identification is the standard of proof. Only you know if you identify as Hispanic, so only you can answer that question. This identity does not have to be exclusive, many people identify with multiple ethnic and racial backgrounds.</p>

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But is it still ok to mark Hispanic if my parents have never identified themselves as Hispanic for things like the census?

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<p>Colleges don’t check census data, however they do see how you identify on standardized tests and on your transcript. Just because you didn’t indicate that you were Hispanic on these documents doesn’t mean you don’t qualify, as many people have misunderstandings on the definition of Hispanic and in the past many forms made you choose between Hispanic and racial categories. But, if you didn’t indicate that you were Hispanic previously because you didn’t identify as Hispanic, then you need to do some soul searching.</p>

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Although it holds weight, race isn’t a particularly significant factor in college admissions.

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<p>Blanket statements like this assume that adcoms simply look at a check in the box. That doesn’t hold true for other admissions factors and it doesn’t hold true for race/ethnicity either. Adcoms have been evaluating candidates for years, and use many more factors from your application than simply the indication that you’re Hispanic. See this thread and the thread I link to in it:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/1229462-does-being-hispanic-have-any-impact-all.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/1229462-does-being-hispanic-have-any-impact-all.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also, the assessment of URMs varies with the college. Some colleges get large numbers of highly qualified URM candidates, others have a more difficult time recruiting and retaining URM students.</p>

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For race in general (Much more in depth):
“Race” in College Admission FAQ & Discussion 10

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<p>Other than the OPs that describe how race/ethnicity are viewed for college admissions, the Race FAQ thread contains as much misinformation as accurate information and should be avoided IMO.</p>