<p>MODERATOR'S NOTE: </p>
<p>Thread closed with redirect to current FAQ and discussion thread </p>
<p>on the College Admission Forum. Good luck on your applications. </p>
<p>Ever since i 've watched CC and joined (today).
I've wanted to ask this question. Many posters make a big deal of the URM hook. However, I don't think it exists. But I guess I should add that I'm a black female ? what do you think?</p>
<p>Oh, it’s real alright.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure it’s real. :P.</p>
<p>ofc its real…
for example,
15 asians and 2 blacks apply to a school
they pick 2 of each race
2 out of 15 for asians
2 out of 2 for blacks
which is a higher accept. rate?</p>
<p>its so sad when you think about. It exists tho, go look at the stanford thread, every “urm” got in with HORRIBLE scores. i think a couple 1800s. Honestly, it is racist. They shouldnt even ask for race. I feel like putting a minority(like Alaskan) and see what happens lol</p>
<p>Oh it is real and it is acknowledged by the colleges. They are trying their hardest to recruit URM’s. Use it to your advantage!!!</p>
<p>It definitely exists. It’s unfair to everyone… but as an URM your odds of acceptance are much higher than a comparable ORM. Unfortunately, it is very true. Black female is definitely going to help you.</p>
<p>It’s not unfair for me (black male applying for engineering)!</p>
<p>:D</p>
<p>what makes you think its not unfair?</p>
<p>Affirmative Action is DEFINITELY a factor, however, I don’t think it’s as huge a factor as it is considered here. Top tier schools easily meet their AA quotas. For top tier schools, it’s more a factor of “diversity”. They want to say “we have this many students of color”. So… I think it’s better to say that race is a factor, but AA is not necessarily (at the schools students on CC generally look at).</p>
<p>On the other hand, NYU is barely 4% black. This is the lowest percentage I have ever seen in a well-regarded university.</p>
<p>Building on applicannot- I don’t feel that URM is a huge hook. I mean look at all the top colleges- most of them are barely eight percent black. I feeel that if a URm walked into Harvard with an 1800 ,45th in his or her class and few exceptional extracurriculars- he or she would not get in. I think all applicants have to be up there, with the same requirements as everyone else.</p>
<p>College bound 41- I am curious- I 'll look and report what I see.</p>
<p>“I feeel that if a URm walked into Harvard with an 1800 ,45th in his or her class and few exceptional extracurriculars- he or she would not get in.”</p>
<p>But if they had a 2000, they’d get into UPenn. Believe me – 3 black kids from my school got in to UPenn who definitely wouldn’t’ve if they were Asian or white.</p>
<p>Heres the specifics on Afirmative Action, whether you like it or not…</p>
<p>Private colleges are the only ones REALLY allowed to do it. They are not directly connected to the government and therefore have alot more freedom.</p>
<p>In california state colleges, afirmative action is banned b/c of prop 209. At first it was legal as long as “racial quotas” weren’t used. However, I do have a friend in the Berkeley admissions department. She is one of the individuals that issues admit tickets to applicants. She told me that while they are not supposed to, many of the older admissions people will give it some thought, whereas the new employees tend to be more strict on the rules. Strictly california of course.</p>
<p>“I feeel that if a URm walked into Harvard with an 1800, 45th in his or her class and few exceptional extracurriculars- he or she would not get in.”</p>
<p>not true. I know people like that who have gotten into HYPS. (as long as that 45th rank is in the top 10-25%).
Ethnicity makes a difference.
example: There are two people with nearly identical stats (13th and 14th in the class) in my school, and the African-American one is going to an Ivy while the white one is going to Rutgers, the only school she got into. (also, the white student did significantly better on the SATs)</p>
<p>Nil, apply to some reaches.</p>
<p>Don’t schools get more money if they have “diversity”? If they do, then of course they want the best of the best, but if they’re taking any URM they can, that isn’t fair. BUT there are some extremely smart and talented URMs, and these top tier schools have set standards for them that differ than those set for Asians and Whites. You also have to remember that the percentage of URMs in college is not as high as the percentages for Whites and Asians. I can understand the whole diversity thing, and a lot of people see it as unfair, but seriously, 50 years ago, every face in the nation’s top schools would most likely be White. It’s not fair that URMs shouldn’t get a shot. I’m just saying if they wanna be given a shot, earn it, and the majority of URMS, do earn it. Do you know how wrong it is to tell someone who worked their @ss off in high school that they got in b/c of affirmative action? If they are just as qualified as a White or Asian, people automatically yell out affirmative action, and if their scores aren’t as high, then it’s still affirmative action to them. It’s a catch 22 situation. Getting into these top tier schools is iffy for everyone including URMs.</p>
<p>Nil Desperandum’s post was very true on the 1st page.</p>
<p>Although there may be a correlation between it for diversity reasons, it isn’t an unfair advantage. These applicants don’t get anymore “leeway” and they are almost always at the top of their class, or have something which distinguishes them. It really sickens me to see people consider that the only reason colored people get admitted. How can you solely regard someone’s reason for getting into a college race? I mean seriously although they look for diversity, the applicants who get in are what the college is looking for (otherwise they wouldn’t have gotten accepted).</p>
<p>Sure that person may be a “URM” but they may have a 4.0 just as any other person from a different ethnic group. Ethnicity matters for just the college’s statistics of ethnic background to show how diverse their student body is. People seem to forget that, and on this forum, they contribute the benefit of being a “URM” way too seriously. </p>
<p>~ Theos</p>
<p>It’s definitely real. It will help with admission to most schools, but the biggest advantage is scholarships. Tons of schools (especially public ones) have separate scholarships for minority students. You should know that these scholarships are usually for a lot of money (but you usually need to apply for them). There are also plenty of private scholarship organizations for minority students.</p>
<p>Theos Rizos, I’m sorry, but you’re wrong. I know URMs with sub-par scores and grades who were admitted to HYP or UPenn, whereas Asians and whites with far better stats were rejected. It is completely unfair, and the aforementioned URMs have admitted that their race was an important factor. Be realistic.</p>
<p>^ I think that sometimes some URMs get in off of athletics or to fill a quota (which would mean so-so scores), but for the most part, many get in with great scores.</p>