The Common Apps asks for the applicant’s race. I specified that I’m African and Asian (one parent from India, other from Somalia). Would this qualify me as a URM? Or do colleges look more at whether the applicant is first gen/what degrees the parents have?
Thanks in advance.
Yes it would qualify you as URM. However it wouldn’t make a college with sub 20% admission rates a match, it’d make it a high match/low reach vs. definite reach if you’re under-represented at the college.
Colleges ALSO look at whether either parents have a 4-year degree; if not, you’d be considered first gen in which case it’d be an added “boost/hook” to your application. This is especially important in two ways: you may be allowed -1 to -3 (ACT) on your test scores but you need to compensate by a very high class rank or exceptional recommendations AND course rigor within the context of your high school.
Yes, you can put multiracial. Or under the “black” option you can choose African.
Yes.
They look at it all. They do not consider URM in a vacuum, Every college, unless prohibited by law, is free to decide what bump, if any, being URM will apply to a particular applicant. They are also experienced enough to know that all URM’s are not the same. A URM applicant that lives in Beverly Hills with 2 parents as physicians is not in the same bucket as a URM growing up with a single mother working 3 jobs and living in affordable housing in Bed-Sty.