<p>it helps if you are a minority,</p>
<p>It doesn’t hurt, but I’m not convinced it makes much difference. My S is Mexican-American, and when I look at his acceptances and rejections last year, I found I could have predicted all of them from his GPA and ACT scores alone, without regard for race. In general, he was accepted wherever both his GPA and ACT scores placed him in the top half of the freshman class.</p>
<p>The UC’s don’t say they do but UCLA just had a scandal where they were accepting more black kids simply because they were black to increase their diversity. It can’t hurt and will probably add a bit to your application.</p>
<p>Most colleges don’t publish statistics in a way that allows telling whether or not they provide a preference to applicants of certain ethnic groups, and colleges generally don’t give independent researchers access to the files of their admission offices.</p>
<p>I have indian, thai, portuguese, and scottish as part of my “heritage”, but mainly south asian (indian) as dominating. I’ve read this book and it says that if you are asian or white its better not to put anything because it won’t help your chances. </p>
<p>I am confused on what I should put down, is South Asian isnt an option on my applications including the common, and I am scared if I put Asian American it wont be represented as a URM.
What should I do?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The federal definitions say you can mark “white” and “Asian” as categories on an ethnic questionnaire. Some colleges this year still disregard the federal regulation that comes into effect next year, and have categories such as “multiracial” (that would fit you) or “other” (which is the preference of many young people I know who have heritage similar to yours). </p>
<p>The federal law is clear: you can leave the categories entirely blank if you like. You don’t have to declare any ethnicity unless you want to. </p>
<p>You can also go into more detail than the broad categories defined by federal law or on college questionnaires if you like, writing a whole application essay about your family’s ethnic heritage. </p>
<p>No college that I’m aware of publishes figures that would help you guess what the most expedient thing to do is. It may be that you best even out your admission chances by simply declining to bring up the issue of your ethnicity at all. But do be sure to bring up whatever else about you makes you different from most other applicants to the colleges you are applying to. Every college claims to like all kinds of diversity, not just ethnic diversity. </p>
<p>Good luck in your applications.</p>
<p>Hi.</p>
<p>I have some questions about URM… URM stands for under recruited minority right?</p>
<p>Well, how do we find out if we are one of the ethnic groups considered a minority or not? Is it different for each college? Do our chances increase significantly if we are one of these URMS? </p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The abbreviation URM expands to under-represented minority. I’ve merged your question into the FAQ thread related to these issues. The first few posts in this thread will fill you in on lots of information on this subject. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Those are very pertinent questions. This probably does differ from college to college, with some colleges being more open about what groups they consider underrepresented on their campus than other colleges are. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Colleges don’t tend to publish information that allows a confident inference about how much one’s chances increase if one is designated a URM, all other things being equal, but the working assumption is that URM status is a boost in admission chances. What I think about the issue I say in the first post in this thread: “Don’t worry about it. Self-identify or not as you wish. Recognize that students from a variety of ethnic groups–including whatever group or groups you would identify with, if any–are admitted to each of your favorite colleges each year.” I might add that I hope the recent presidential election results lead to more Americans thinking “I’m just one American among 300 million, not part of any subgroup,” but I don’t know if that will happen.</p>
<p>Hey, I am half-underrepresented minority and half-over represented minority. I am commonly told by friends that I look/act like my urm ethnicity. I am curious as to whether I am a URM or ORM in the eyes of a College. Thanks</p>
<p>I am commonly told by friends that I look/act like my urm ethnicity.</p>
<p>… Ugh.</p>
<p>are u one of those asians that tries to be gangsta</p>
<p>lol no. I am half asian but i am commonly told that i look black</p>
<p>probably both but I would mention both anyway, honesty. It depends, some colleges consider asian a minority, others do not. Anyway, I think it should not play a HUGE factor in admissions and there’s nothing you can change so, be proud of who you are!</p>
<p>not saying that you are not, it was just a statement</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Colleges claim they look at the context of a student’s learning environment, so you can describe that context in your application. As previously noted in this main FAQ thread into which your recent question was merged, it’s entirely optional to self-identify with any ethnic group, and colleges are happy to admit large numbers of students who don’t self-identify at all.</p>
<p>I am Indian. Born in the United States.</p>
<p>Would i fill out Asian American or Asian American including Indian Subcontinent.</p>
<p>i did asian american includ from in. then i put USA cuz thats what i am which is the same as you, although i have scottish and portuguese, but i doubt those will help me get in.</p>
<p>I have read in student review that some students have gotten even with low schools because they are minorities…is there some truth to this?</p>
<p>Not minorities but URMs.</p>
<p>AFFIRMITIVE ACTION? that would never happen at such prestigious establishments.</p>