<p>I'm of Southeast Asian ethnicity (Cambodian) and I specifically put that on my college application. Would this hurt me by simply lumping me into the "Asian" category, or would some colleges give at least some sort of consideration that I'm of an Asian race that generally does poorer than other Asian groups?</p>
<p>It depends on the school, some colleges have difficulty recruiting and retaining URMs, including Asians.</p>
<p>Did you do anything beyond checking the box and designating that you are of Cambodian descent? Colleges look for things like overcoming adversity, participation in the Cambodian community, etc.</p>
<p>It’s mind boggling that Cambodians, Pakistanis, Mongolians, Fijians, Japanese all get lumped together in the same racial classification like they have anything in common with one another…</p>