<p>Looking for some pros and cons on leaving the race/ethnicity portion of college applications blank (or vice versa). Planning on applying as a Junior transfer in Fall 2011 to selective schools. Some prospective schools: Notre Dame (denied as a freshman), Vanderbilt, George Washington (waitlisted as a freshman, but asked to leave), Beloit College, Colby College, Connecticut College, Cornell, Denison U, Knox College... still shopping around.</p>
<p>I'm currently attending a private 4-year university with a good reputation. I guess I would fit in Asian and/or Pacific Islander. However, if I were to have it my way, I would check Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Other. With all due respect to my fellow Asian-Americans, I believe that my experiences are truly unique from the stereotypical Asian American experience that Admissions Officers may have in mind; this is exactly why I have this dilemma.</p>
<p>I am not a science major. I did not have stellar SAT/ACT scores during high school.</p>
<p>I really appreciate all the comments and advice!</p>
<p>Ethnicity and race are considered separately. You can mark Hispanic, designate country of origin, and then mark whichever race(s) apply and describe your background for each. What’s the problem??</p>
<p>@entomom I have actually been thinking that I have the same problem, though I am not as lucky as gugirl because I have no Hispanic blood. I’m Asian-Indian and the typical stereotypes used to describe Asians don’t really describe me either.</p>
<p>Are you saying that you don’t want to select Asian because you aren’t of the personality that most Asians are thought to be of? I’m not sure I understand your point.</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing. With people whose races are ORM (whites, Asians) does leaving race blank help? Do they just assume you are an ORM?</p>
<p>To entomom:
It’s very rare for me to find, in my list of prospective schools, an Asian population of over 10%. Pretty disheartening, knowing that so many Asians (with great stats) apply to selective schools. </p>
<p>And for everyone:
Would it be a double-edged sword?</p>
<p>“There is probably little difference between selecting Asian or White and leaving the category blank.”</p>
<p>^Second what silverturtle said. Unless you identify with an ethnicity that’s underrepresented, I don’t think it makes any difference. Also, this may be of interest to you: I was accepted to 9/12 of the schools for which I put down “Asian” as my ethnicity, many of which were reach schools, but was rejected at the one school where I happened to have left the optional race section blank. I don’t think leaving out race brought any significant advantage :).</p>
<p>Asians (3.7%) and NH & Other Pacific Islanders (0.1%).</p>
<p>At several of those LACs you’re interested in, I would 't be surprised if you were considered as a URM. Many LACs have a difficult time recruiting and retaining minorities, including Asians. D2 (half white Hispanic, half Asian) got an invitation to apply to Amherst’s Diversity weekend today, in their letter they include Asians along with AA, NA, Hispanics and low income students. And D1 who attended a summer program for minority students at Grinnell said that a large number of the participants were Asian.</p>
<p>How to show you’re an atypical Asian (or any other category for that matter)? ECs, essays, LORs, coursework and intended major come to mind.</p>
<p>What are LOR’s? And why is my intended major engineering ahhhhh. If that’s your intended major, what can you do to show you’re different? WHY WHY WHY am i on math team noooooo</p>