<p>Are Iraqis considered to be URM according to colleges?</p>
<p>No. The URM factor for admission that many colleges consider applies only to those URMs (generally African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians (or similar native Americans) who are US citizens or permanent (green card) residents. Internationals are not URMs regardless of race or ethnic origin.</p>
<p>However, being an Iraqi may significantly help your admission at many schools as much as being a URM - depending on your experiences and what you talk about in your essays.</p>
<p>If you are the son or daughter of an Iraqi (I can't tell your gender by your username), you are not considered a URM and drusba is correct about the international students thing.</p>
<p>So it's a negative.</p>
<p>I think it's not uniformly a negative--of course from my & smurfgirl's environment, maybe it would be as Iraqis are no rarity here. But that's not true everywhere. </p>
<p>As has been said before, it could be a plus at some places who don't have many international students (or many students from Iraq), or who think your cultural background will add to the school's diversity. </p>
<p>But strictly speaking, no, you're not an underrepresented minority.</p>
<p>Ethic Arabs are considered as Caucasians so technically, no. However, I think being from Iraq can be considered as minority status an applicant can describe why he/she should be considered as one.</p>
<p>iraqis are considered white, so no</p>
<p>I think it's kind of ridiculous how Arabs can be grouped together with WASPs... I mean, in that case, what's the difference from grouping Asians and Blacks or Jews and Hispanics? Arabs + WASPs are just as different, if not MORE, from each other as those other ethnic groups.</p>
<p>I agree with karupt. The current racial preference system in colleges is terribly clunky and inaccurate.</p>
<p>It says it clearly in the application that "it is optional to put down your race...it is not used towards your admissions decesions"</p>
<p>you guys think it's correct...or i'm way off!</p>
<p>Iraqis are mostly Arab (except for the Kurds in the North), and Arabs are Semites (which is why they're not Anti-Semitic), so they would actually fall in the same category as Jewish.</p>