<p>I just have a quick question that might be a little selfish. I have a friend who is currently planning on applying to Yale. Hes a smart kid, his highest SAT score is a 2100 with a 2190 superscore, is in the top 10% of his class, and all that stuff. My stats are slightly better (2340 and I just took once and am val at our HS) and our ECs are about the same, but I am a little concerned that he could end up elminating any chance I have at Yale because while I am Russian/Serbian in decent, he is Spanish. So, while he is just as white as I am, he is also a hispanic..and a wealthy one at that. So, will he get affirmative action benefits at Yale.</p>
<p>If he is of European descent, probably not so much. I am in a similarly annoying situation- a friend of mine wants to go to Yale, and he is African. Even though my scores/grades/ecs are way better than his, I can’t help but think he may get in instead of me. Then again, he is a really nice guy and I feel sort of guilty complaining about it.</p>
<p>Ya…up until this year spanish people were not deemed hispanic, but this year the common app allows spaniards to apply under this ethnicity. Will colleges really give him the boost that they give to Mexicans and true minorities?</p>
<p>whiterussian-
This situations we are both in is slightly annoying and as you said its hard because you want your friends to succeed. However, and I dont know about your friend, but mine has been in no way “limited” due to his ethnicity so if he is admitted and I am rejected, I will be very flustered = D.</p>
<p>Rt – Thanks for pointing that new provision out. Including Europeans of Spanish descent within the definition of Hispanic is baffling to me. I have no idea how colleges will use the information.</p>
<p>In addition to inclusion on the CA, people of Spanish descent are also included in the National Hispanic Recognition Program (analogous to Nat Achievement).</p>
<p>However, all Hispanics are not created equal. Adcoms are definitely looking for M-A and PR students as these are the 2 truly underrepresented Hispanic groups. In my experience (no insider knowledge), affluent, privileged Hispanics aren’t likely to be given the ‘bump’ in gpa and standardized test scores that an underprivileged Hispanic would be. On the other hand, it’s also very hard for schools to pass up high achieving URMs as they both add diversity and are likely to succeed in a selective college.</p>
<p>There are many other factors that could be involved in the admissions decision as well. For instance, how does he relate to his Hispanic culture, has he shown any interest to “giving back” to his community? I think, like any other candidate, URMs are evaluated on a range of factors.</p>