<p>Perhaps most would like race and ethnicity to not be factors in college decisions, but some schools would still like to move towards having their student bodies better represent the mix in the general population. Might some UMs thus be lowering their acceptance chances by reporting "race unknown?"</p>
<p>You were asking about URMs ("underrepresented minorities")? That's the dodgy thing about this issue: most colleges don't publish statistics that would allow a straightforward conclusion about whether self-reporting one or another ethnic category makes a difference in admission chances. The working assumption of many applicants is that it does, but of course students who have a lot of other desirable characteristics (grades, test scores, athletic prowess, legacy status, etc.) may be able get in with no boost from ethnic self-identification.</p>
<p>Hey, I was born in another country but I came here when I was two. I was wondering if I leave my race and where I was born do you think it will have an impact on the way they look at my application (I'M not black/latina/ native american)</p>
<p>I will apply to :
Stanford
Harvard
Duke
Cornell
BU
BC
UPENN
Georgetown</p>
<p>General answer to several questions above: Yeah, just be truthful. You can decline to answer the question entirely, if you like, because ethnic self-identification questions are always optional on college applications. But if you desire to answer the question, tell the truth.</p>
<p>When I recommend telling the truth, as I always do, I have in mind the distinction between observing the definitions attached to the federal reporting categories and disregarding the definitions. As the Census Bureau notes, "The concept of race as used by the Census Bureau reflects self-identification by people according to the race or races with which they most closely identify. These categories are sociopolitical constructs and should not be interpreted as being scientific or anthropological in nature. Furthermore, the race categories include both racial and national-origin groups." </p>
<p>For a young person who has ancestors who were black slaves in the Caribbean British colonies, it is conventional and expected to report an ethnicity of "African-American" (usually shown as "black" on self-reporting forms). It would be neither conventional nor honest for a young person who has ancestors who were Arabs in Egypt or Afrikaners in South Africa to report the same ethnicity, because the terms have definitions, even though the terms are neither scientific nor anthropological. </p>
<p>I agree with the overall higher truth that we are all human beings here, and all have more in common--genetically and in historical experience--than we have differences along ethnic group lines. As I have noted earlier in the thread, my wife would best fit one of the federal ethnic categories, and I another, which means our four children best fit NONE of the usual categories on an ethnic self-identification form. The designation "human being" fits all of us.</p>
<p>Is it considered helpful in the admissions process of elite schools to be jewish? yes i know there are a lot of jews at new england/east schools and generally jews are "academic"</p>
<p>but with such a low % of the population being jewish..why isnt it considered like being hispanic?</p>
<p>A much smaller percentage of Hispanics pursue a college education and historically, Jews have pursued higher education--to the point of Harvard instating special policies in the 20s to keep Jews out.</p>
<p>We Jews make up less than one percent of the world's population, but we are, like, fifteen percent of the Ivy League.</p>
<p>When it comes to education, we actually have it best out of any minority group (including Asians, for the time being), and possibly better than the average White American Protestant.</p>
<p>This whole underrepresented minority thing is so BS. Im jewish and I wont go to a college if they admitt me just because im a minority. We keep saying wea re all equal yet we give advantages to minorities. Just because you are a minority doesnt mean you should have lower standards. Now...if its a situation where the applicant comes from an unperivilaged family and never had the opportunity to focus or even get a good education in highschool than we hae a case. But this is a case disregarding color. </p>
<p>My friend is black, rich but not super smart and got into a college where I got postponed at. Im not trying to brag but at least stats wise..Im smarter than him. I mean... Its my friend...I respect him and wish him the best and Im happy for him that he got in. But I jsut find it really BS how much lower standards are set for minorities at some colleges.</p>
<p>This is the 21st century...if we keep putting ourselves into groups we'll never truly unite as a nation or even as a world. We are all equal no matter what our background or skin color is. WAKE UP america! how long will it take for people to undestand that....</p>
<p>because even Hispanic is underrepresented--(blank)% of hispanics in america, MUCH smaller % in colleges. Jewish people = (blank)% in America, much HIGHER % in colleges</p>
<p>aren't Jews just considered white/what ever ethnicity they are? is "Jew" even an option for ethnicity? anyways, if Jews are considered white, AA is neutral to them.</p>
<p>I don't consider "Asians" to be a single ethnic group. Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Indians...etc all are more likely to be hurt by affirmative action.</p>
<p>somedumb: How are you so sure of that? Also, with all the intermarriages how would a school even know if someone was Jewish? Can't go by the last name anymore......</p>