I am 1/8th Portuguese. I’ve visited Portugal many times and speak a little bit of Portuguese (enough to converse with my dad who currently lives in South America though he is not from there). I identify strongly with my Portuguese heritage but I was wondering if 1/8th allows me to check white and Hispanic on my college applications even though the nhrp does not recognise me as a Hispanic student. Does 1/8th Portuguese count as Hispanic to colleges?
No
No. You understand the the root of “Hispanic” is “Spain”, right? Why would having one Portuguese great-grandparent qualify you for any minority or Hispanic status? Incredibly ridiculous.
Merriam-Webster: of or relating to the people, speech, or culture of Spain or of Spain and Portugal
Can people stop being so rude, please.
If you have always identified yourself as Portugés/Hispanic, then I see no problem with 1/8 Hispanic.
You speak the home language, tu Papá is from SA, and Portugal is right next door to España. It takes time to learn the language and travel to see family.
Nah, not about to apologize for being rude to someone trying to claim a minority status or college admissions boost because of one Portuguese great-grandparent because of ambiguous semantics. Sorry if that upsets you, but that’s my last word on this thread. :)>-
All you had to say was “No, I don’t think you’re Hispanic, and here’s why.”
What’s incredibly ridiculous is the amount of snark an honest question incurred.
I’m curious about how strongly one can identify with the culture of one great-grandparent. Does your parent on that side consider themself Portuguese, OP?
Colleges can see your HS transcript, and your transcript might display your race/ethnicity. Also, if you took the PSAT and did well, colleges would probably expect a “National Hispanic Scholar” award on your application.
You can, but it’s a gamble. Colleges wouldn’t automatically reject you if they saw a discrepancy, but you don’t want to have a discrepancy.
I wasn’t expecting to boost my application, I was just wondering as the definition was very ambiguous about whether or not I was allowed to identify as that, no need to be rude.
My mom would speak Portuguese with her grandmother, her grandmother passed on family recipes and they were very close as she would visit for months at a time, so she does identify as Portuguese. I’ve visited extended family in Portugal many times and because my mom identifies as Portuguese, it is a big part of my life. That is why I say that I identify as Portuguese myself.
Also, my dad lives in South America and has been living there for a while and I go there for the summers, which is another reason why I say I identify with Hispanic culture.
This is a loaded question. Technically, you can call yourself Hispanic if you feel you are. The real question is whether adcoms will see one whit of identification and your involvement and credit you for that. OP speaks “a little bit of Portuguese,” that’s not Spanish. The Portuguese in the US have fought hard not to be labeled Hispanic (easy to find online) and the Census, the usual go-to reference, will not include Portuguese in their definition of Hispanic in 2020. Where in SA does your father live? That matters, too. And just living in another culture (usually, the kid,) isn’t it.
This really isn’t a question that can be answered based on what “we” think or whether we think, hey, Portugal is next to Spain. Eg, kids of Egyptian descent are not considered African Americans.
Put what you, in your heart, feel. No, it may not give you an advantage, but if that’s what you feel, go for it. The Portuguese settled the Brazilian areas and mixed with the natives, centuries ago, throughout South America. So, the Brazilians (Portuguese and Maya) were mestizos and were very South American. Portuguese has been derived from the Spanish culture. Your father and ancestors have their history. If you speak the language and do the cultural thing in your SA family, I would consider you Hispanic. Dad is living in SA speaking the language and you had to come from somewhere!
Where I would disagree is when I see posts from students who say,
“I grew up in an Hispanic neighborhood and I like the food and the culture. Can I put Hispanic? NOOOOOO.”
or,
“I just did a DNA test and found out I’m 13% hispanic, can I put down Hispanic on my application.” Never having been part of the culture and rediscovering a possible hook to try to get into a school. Very mercenary.
You are actually living your culture.
The goal of balancing school admissions was to address the need of students of color who were underrepresented in the universities, because of inaccessibility to that level of education.
Put down Hispanic.
BTW, I got lost in Boston one night.
I found someone cleaning a hotel. He didn’t speak English. I asked him if he spoke Spanish and he said no, “Portuguese”. I was able to speak to him in Spanish and he responded in Portuguese. We both understood each other since we both spoke a very similar language.
I’m Tex/Mex, and I’ve always put down Hispanic. If I can understand a little portuguese, I am assuming I am also classified as “Iberian” from somewhere in Spain about four centuries ago.
My father currently lives and works in Brazil. The reason why I say I only speak a little bit of Portuguese is because when I visit him, I can communicate with those around me and him in conversation but I do not think I’m fluent. I mainly speak English at home but my my mom will speak Portuguese when she’s emotional or upset with me.
They are close languages, sure. Brazil is also a can of worms.
Take a look at a sample Common App, see how the question is worded. Make your own best decision.
While true, many forms do include Brazil as a Hispanic country, while AFAIK, none include Portugal. Let’s be real, in many cases where the question is asked, the purpose is to establish if the applicant is URM and may not have had the opportunities that some other applicants have had. While one can certainly split hairs, I doubt that question asking about being Hispanic is being asked with the intent that white European Portuguese falls into this group.
Don’t put what you feel in your heart. Put the truth, which is that you are not Hispanic. You can talk about you identification with Portuguese culture in an essay if it’s important to you.