Okay so colleges say that they want a “diverse” class, so why aren’t underrepresented minorities a higher target for schools, specifically Native Americans (as I am one)? It’s just they we are one of the most underrepresented people in the United States, yet I don’t feel like there is a demand for them at top universities.
Who says they aren’t in high demand? They are.
^^ I’d guess that’s because you don’t feel actively recruited by top schools.
@pharmahopeful --If you have excellent grades in rigorous classes and good test scores that indicate you can succeed at a top Ivy, you will be much in demand. After applying, top schools will offer to fly you out for minority weekends, provide a summer program to address any academic weaknesses, and have specialized support groups for first-gens.
I cannot pretend to understand how you feel, since I am not an URM. The majority of the top institutions of higher education have continually failed to recruit enough URMs, especially Native Americans and first-generation students. There are many things holding them back:
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The legacy system (unfortunately, I see no way of this going away) - it brings in a lot of money which makes it possible to fund buildings, top faculty, better resources, and even a few underrepresented students.
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Admissions with regard to race is unpopular in a predominantly White society, some states have even banned it for public institutions (Michigan, California). This means some top schools such as Michigan, Cal, and UCLA cannot consider race in their admissions process. The California schools have done a pretty good job circumventing this as much as possible by targeting first-gen recruitment and putting less weight on standardized testing.
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Not all people of color are united on the issue - as an Asian, I can say that many of us have felt miffed from Affirmative Action and similar policies (for most college admissions it statistically disadvantages Asians even more than White people, which was not the intention). Asians are not a more privileged race than White people, so it is tough for them to get on board and be real allies (although many of us are, including myself).
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Reliance on standardized testing, which as shown to correlate more heavily with family income and education level than college aptitude. Unfortunately, I do not see the big role standardized tests play going away anytime soon as there is not a viable substitute yet.
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Other systems of oppression exist (asymmetric school discipline and law enforcement action against Black/Latinx/Native American students which oftentimes disqualifies them from consideration at top schools and so on).
So did the schools you applied to not reach out to you?
At most top schools, that would be a hook.
I’m sorry you got waitlisted at UNC Chapel Hill. Being an Native American is a hook in college admissions so it helps, but it’s not a guarantee of admission. You have to use your hooks wisely. Did you get accepted to an affordable schools?
I think that in general, public schools are less sensitive to URM status. You should have targeted more private colleges, especially LACs, which will recruit URMs much more aggressively.
They are in high demand
Who says URMs aren’t in demand at top schools? They are in demand and URM status is a hook. However, that doesn’t mean that URM status is an automatic admission pass to the Ivy League. Top schools want to see that an applicant has the tools to succeed. That means you need HS stats that put you in the ball park. Understand, for the unhooked white or Asian kid, having stats that merely put you in the ballpark is not good enough.
Dartmouth, for example, has a Native American Program https://students.dartmouth.edu/nap/
They have a “fly-in program” (that is, they pay for you to fly in to visit)
https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/visit/visit-programs/dartmouth-bound-native-american-community-program
Also google “Fly-in programs Native Americans” and you will see which colleges are looking to recruit Native Americans
e.g. Amherst https://www.amherst.edu/admission/diversity/NAO
If you are instate and Cherokee or Lumbee then it’s not as big of a hook at UNC-CH since there are numerous qualified candidates due to their presence in the state. You can start at one of the regional schools and try to transfer in if you do well.