<p>I think that URM’s do get in, but for the following reason:</p>
<p>We have stories, I guess, that set us apart from middle class white families, plus our knowledge of foreign culture is probably better expressed and more fulfilled than the all out American!</p>
<p>are these terms interchangeable?</p>
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I sincerely hope you’re kidding.</p>
<p>URMs get in because they are UNDERREPRESENTED minorities</p>
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<p>Well, blatantly stating that as a reason (i believe) is illegal, so my excuse is probably their excuse.</p>
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<p>Your post and the first few replies were merged into the general FAQ thread on related issues. </p>
<p>To answer your question, I don’t think it’s easy for anybody to get into Ivy League colleges. Highly desirable colleges can be choosy about all their admitted students.</p>
<p>If I’m half caucasian/half asian (bangladeshi) does that significantly count as being a minority?</p>
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<p>No, the terms are not interchangeable. The term “URM” expands to “underrepresented minority.” Of course we all know that the term “minority” just means “less than half of the population,” and could refer to a lot of different issues, including income, residence, and intended major just as much as to ethnicity. It is customary to use the term “underrepresented minority” to refer to a few ethnic groups that are present in college classes in lower percentages than one would expect. (On what grounds? Compared to the percentage of all persons of all ages in the whole national population, or compared to the percentage of all persons of all ages in one state, or compared to the percentage of high school graduates in one place or another, or compared to the percentage of highly college-ready students in one place or another.) Some colleges–but please show us all here examples by linking to websites–identify certain groups as underrepresented. Other colleges are less public about which groups, if any, they treat as underrepresented minorities. </p>
<p>Some colleges confuse the issue further by using a term “students of color” to refer generally to all students who don’t self-identify as white. This is frequently mentioned in press releases, with statements such as “Elite U has 40 percent students of color,” when many of those “students of color” would NOT by any definition also be regarded as URM students. </p>
<p>Yes, let me repeat myself, it would be great if anyone who wants to do some online research could point us to college websites in which the term “underrepresented minority” is defined on a public webpage posted by a college. </p>
<p>By the way, good luck to all of you posting new replies who are applying to college this year.</p>
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<p>This FAQ thread, into which your question was merged, is your friend. The definitive answer to your question is, “It depends.” I’m not aware of any college that has, for example, announced a recruitment program for half-European, half-south Asian persons. I am aware of several colleges that enroll a LOT of students who meet that description. This may be something interesting to mention in your application, but it is very difficult to say whether any college would be more likely to admit you knowing this about your background. </p>
<p>By federal law, all college applicants to all colleges are welcome to decline to self-identify with any ethnic group, minority or majority, and there are many colleges that admit large numbers of students who are reported to the federal government as “race/ethnicity unknown.”</p>
<p>My white/asian friend wants to know which race does it hurt more to be when it comes to admission? I am not intending to be racist, I just want to know which race is “most competitive”. Please don’t take offense, because it is a good thing to be competitive.</p>
<p>umm well he should check all races that apply. So if that means checking the “caucasion” and “asian” boxes then he should do so. It will barely make a difference since he’s not a true URM.</p>
<p>if he feels race is such an issue, tell him to not put anything down.</p>
<p>lol ok ruskie that is good advice</p>
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<p>Tell your white/Asian friend to come by this FAQ & Discussion thread, into which your question has been merged. The short answer is that it isn’t clear that it “hurts” at all to be either. Your friend also has the choice, as ALL students have by law, to mark no answer at all on college ethnic self-identification forms. </p>
<p>Many colleges admit MANY students who can only be reported to the federal government as “race/ethnicity unknown.” </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061012037-post4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061012037-post4.html</a> </p>
<p>Take this as a clue that colleges consider other issues besides a student’s ethnicity when admitting students. Maybe your friend will be admitted to all the colleges he likes best without any regard to his ethnicity. Or maybe he will be rejected by all even if he thinks he has figured out what is most competitive. </p>
<p>Good luck to this year’s applicants. You can decline to state a race or ethnicity if you like. Don’t overthink this.</p>
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<p>This question was moved over here from the Common Application subforum. There is no official federal government distinction between “Asian” and “Asian-American.” The federal reporting that colleges are mandated to do only recognizes a category of “Asian” to fit people who self-identify as Indian (from India). </p>
<p>It’s not required to answer the question at all. You could leave it blank (as shown by the first post in this FAQ thread). MANY students at great colleges do (as shown by [post</a> #4](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061012037-post4.html]post”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061012037-post4.html) in this thread). </p>
<p>If you choose to mark the form, you presumably would mark “Asian-American,” because you are an American citizen by birth and were brought up in the United States. I imagine that is the distinction intended between “Asian” and “Asian-American,” but, again, because this is not an officially defined distinction, colleges may not be consistent in how they use this category. Ask any college you are applying to if it cares if you are really concerned about this. Or leave the whole section blank if that is more convenient for you. </p>
<p>Good luck in your applications.</p>
<p>Alright I have a problem. I’m trying to transfer schools and I’m applying to one that I have previously applied to. However, I had my mom fill out the first few pages of my Common App. last year because I didn’t know my parents specific occupation etc. and she put that I was Hispanic. This is not true because half my family is from Spain so that half would be European. My last name is distinctly Native American and the other half of my family is Cherokee so this would be a more accurate repesentation. Should I put the same ethnicity (Hispanic) for the school I’ve already applied to or fix it? I feel like switching ethnicities looks really shady but I also don’t want to lie!</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure colleges do not see your applications for other colleges, so just put what you really are, and there should not be a problem.</p>
<p>This question generalizes to the principle that you can always put today what is true today, rather than try to match up with what may have been mistaken last year. People do make mistakes on college applications, and there is no reason for transfer students to repeat mistakes when they apply for transfer admission. </p>
<p>Good luck in your applications.</p>
<p>OK great! I felt really badly about it.</p>
<p>Following up on the question from #nineteen, I’ll note that the federal definitions of ethnic groups noted in [post</a> #2](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061012008-post2.html]post”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061012008-post2.html) in this thread relate to his question. </p>
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<p>The federal definition says, </p>
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<p>So a person of Spanish ancestry is Hispanic by that definition. The federal definition </p>
<p>[Persons</a> of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2000](<a href=“http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68188.htm]Persons”>http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68188.htm) </p>
<p>goes on further to say that “People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race.” </p>
<p>The federal definition of the racial categories on college forms </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>says </p>
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<p>It is possible by this definition to belong to the American Indian and Alaska Native race category while also belonging to the Hispanic ethnicity category. </p>
<p>Of course all of these categories are more than a little arbitrary, and as the Census Bureau notes, “These categories are sociopolitical constructs and should not be interpreted as being scientific or anthropological in nature. Furthermore, the race categories include both racial and national-origin groups.” </p>
<p>By federal law, made clear on some college forms but not on others, it is always permitted for a college applicant or current college student to decline to answer any question about race or ethnic group self-identification. Colleges report many students to the federal government in the category “race/ethnicity unknown” </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061012037-post4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1061012037-post4.html</a> </p>
<p>because many students choose not to self-identify, or possibly forget to self-identify.</p>
<p>ok so to claim that I’m Native American do I need a CDIB card? I mean I could get one but the process is really time consuming.</p>