Tbh guys, I’m a pretty weird ethnic melting pot.
My dad is white, and my Mom is a 1/2 Chinese and 1/2 pacific islander
So on my common app, I selected all three of those. Being TRI-racial, how do colleges count that on their diversity stats? If I were to get into a school, would they count it as Pacific Islander? All three? Do I have an advantage?
I need some clarity here, my family and I have been discussing this for weeks
I wouldn’t say you have an advantage. Affirmative action policies only work to help “disadvantaged” minorities, and therefore don’t even consider Asians minorities. In addition, in almost all demographic studies, Asian and Pacific Islander are merged into one catagory, so denoting Pacific Islander won’t help you either.
Sorry for my harsh tone, but that’s the truth. That’s what happens when colleges seek to eliminate meritocracy. What a shame…
If you consider yourself white, you will not be subject to discrimination against Asians.
Pacific Islanders have an advantage. East Asians are disadvantaged because they are overrepresented. The rest of your application is what gets you in. I think the Pacific Islander bit will tip the balances in your favor.
In order not to overestimate your chances of admission to colleges, make your reach/match/safety assessments as if race/ethnicity will not be an advantage for you.