<p>You will not be considered a minority unfortunately. URM status is just for the 3 races I listed earlier. A prof is unlikely to help. And yes, suspensions complicate things and generally hurt, especially if they are for academic dishonesty. Any suspension reported by your school will have to be explained.</p>
<p>You need to get a good college guide (I like Fiske), and choose schools where your stats fall at least at the middle of the 50th percentile to have match schools and above the 75th percentile to have safety schools. If you need financial aid, you also need to pay attention to choose schools that offer it.</p>