How to respond to ethncity questions?

[perazziman]

<p>Son will not be applying for another year, but apparently, MIT (and other institutions), ask about ethnicity, so I would like some advice on how S should classify himself? S is definately, not white (since he is brown), but should he classify as Pakhtunkhwa or Hispanic? I (his father) am a first generation immigrant from Pakistan's Pakhtunkhwa province (neighboring Afghanistan). His mom, (my wife), however, is the daugther of a first generation hispanic/ catholic immigrant. S attended elementary and middle school in a largely poor, hispanic community (middle school was approximately 65% hispanic, 20% AA), where he blended in quite well. Also, S spends summers visiting mom's hispanic family abroad, unless they are visiting the states. However, he has been brought up as a Muslim by me. So, what is he ethnicity? How should he classify himself in his applications?</p>

[garfieldliker]

<p>I think you’re allowed to pick more than one ethnicity.</p>

[molliebatmit]

<p>I think it’s best to identify on applications in the same way one would self-identify if asked by an acquaintance what one’s ethnic identity is, whether that’s a single ethnicity or more than one. (And there’s always the option not to report ethnicity, as well.)</p>

<p>For example, I have a friend who, genetically speaking, is a multiracial – he has a white mother and a black/Asian/Native American father. He self-identifies as black, though, because that’s the community with which he feels most aligned.</p>

[texaspg]

<p>MIT application allows you to pick both Hispanic and Pakistani as the choices (they don’t list provinces of the country).</p>

[sbjdorlo]

<p>OP,</p>

<p>Yes, you can pick more than one category.</p>

<p>As far as alignment with a particular community, I think that’s complex. My son’s 1/2 Puerto Rican, 1/2 Caucasian and he’s brown skinned. He does consider himself Puerto Rican but not because he aligns with the Puerto Rican community, per se. His community is multi-racial and he has no alignment with any ethnic community; he aligns with the Christian community, the math community, the music community, etc. if that makes sense. But, he definitely considers himself PR.</p>

[MITChris]

<p>[Putting</a> Diversity into Context | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/which-box-should-i-check]Putting”>Putting Diversity into Context | MIT Admissions)</p>

<p>

@David duKor Jackson

I read a recent NY Times piece, dealing with multiracial students and the dilemma of racial identification on college application forms, with great interest.</p>

<p>In my role as the Director of Minority Recruitment, I have fielded numerous calls and emails soliciting advice on how to complete the race and ethnicity section of the MIT admission application. When the questions began, I will admit to being a little perplexed by what seemed to be widespread confusion.</p>

<p>When I was a kid, I recall having to identify my race on all kinds of forms, including standardized tests, long before I contemplated completing an application for college admission. From my perspective, checking the box, or boxes to indicate one’s race should be as automatic as providing one’s name. As Chris Peterson, once put it, “If you have to pause, for more than a second or two, to pick your race or ethnicity, you’re doing it wrong.”</p>

<p>If anything, the ability to check multiple boxes should make it easier to identify one’s race. In my experience, individuals from multiracial backgrounds resented having to choose one race over another, and now they no longer have to.</p>

<p>While I try to avoid being overly cynical, it has been my sense that very little of the confusion is actually about racial identity and identification. In reality, most of the confusion is about how to best leverage a dimension of one’s personal background to maximize the likelihood of admission in a highly selective college admissions process. Instinctively, I knew this to be true, but most students are unwilling to state this outright. In that respect, I appreciate the spotlight that is now shining brightly on this issue. My concern is that the spotlight is focused on the wrong area.</p>

<p>Many colleges and universities value multiple forms of diversity in their student populations. This diversity may include students that are first-generation to college, students from a variety of geographical regions, students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds or any number of other qualities and characteristics.</p>

<p>While one’s race can certainly come into play in a college admissions decision, the actual impact bears no resemblance to the common perception that checking a single box somehow guarantees a pathway to admission. What most people either fail to recognize or appreciate, is that amongst a host of factors ranging from academic preparation to institutional priorities, the factor that is both most salient, and most likely to swing an admission decision in a highly selective process, is what an applicant makes of the opportunities that are available to them. While I acknowledge that this may seem like an oversimplification, it takes into account both the disadvantages that one may have to cope with as a function of coming from a low-income family or attending an under-resourced school, as well as the advantages that one might experience living in a highly educated household or attending an affluent suburban high school.</p>

<p>Regardless of one’s background, if an applicant maximizes the opportunities that are available to them, they should be a viable candidate for admission to a highly selective college or university because they are likely to both take advantage of the myriad opportunities that exist in those settings and have a positive impact on the campus community. If an applicant has to create their own opportunities because none are available to them, admissions officers typically get excited about the prospect of such a student stepping foot onto a resource and opportunity rich campus. Conversely, if an applicant has abundant opportunities and chooses to pass on them, they are likely increasing the chances that an admissions committee at a highly selective institution is going to choose to pass on their application.</p>

<p>Most institutions that place a premium on diversity utilize a much broader definition of diversity than what can be captured or satisfied by a simple check box. The most selective institutions scrutinize applications with sufficient rigor to easily differentiate between disingenuous applicants, who are simply looking for an edge in the admissions process, and the authentic applicants that are the most likely to truly enrich the incoming class and the greater campus community.

</p>

[molliebatmit]

<p>

@sbjdorlo

As far as alignment with a particular community, I think that’s complex. My son’s 1/2 Puerto Rican, 1/2 Caucasian and he’s brown skinned. He does consider himself Puerto Rican but not because he aligns with the Puerto Rican community, per se.

Maybe I’m being clumsy when I say community – I don’t mean that my friend is only friends with African-Americans, or that he would choose “black” as an adjective to describe himself before any other adjective. What I mean is in line with what you’re saying: my friend considers himself black, as your son considers himself Puerto Rican, for whatever reasons he chooses to consider himself with that identity, so that’s the box he would pick.</p>

[perazziman]

<p>sbjdorlo, Your post makes a lot of sense. I agree, we are all individuals and align ourselves with different communities to different degrees. It is these differences, I believe, that gives us our unique perspectives on the world. I also agree that sometimes the most fulfilling memberships are to groups that share a common interest in what we ‘do’ rather than who we ‘are’.</p>

[EliKresses]

<p>Put Hispanic… Regardless of skin color, Middle-Eastern is not a URM, but Hispanic is. Gives him much better chances, and it’s truthful.</p>

[MITChris]

<p>No. Do not do that. We provide the opportunity to check all of the boxes you need in order to fully encapsulate and express your identity, as David describes.</p>

[perazziman]

<p>As I wake up this morning and see the pictures of hurricane Irene hitting the east coast on TV, I hope that those of you who are in Boston are safe and well.</p>

[molliebatmit]

<p>It’s not too bad here in Boston – just some wind and rain. This is my first hurricane, and I’ve actually been pretty disappointed. Blizzards are way more interesting.</p>

[perazziman]

<p>Elikresses, I could be wrong, but it seems like admissions is trying to look past the labels. It sounds like, even Hispanics who attend wealthy, suburban schools with all the opportunties of a regular American education, may not be seen as maximizing their opportunties, but poor white kids, from a low income/ undereducated/ single parent homes etc, attending schools in poor (usually hispanic/ AA neighborhood in the USA), with similar records, could be seen as maximizing their opportunites. As such, it seems to me like there really is no way of gaming the system, unless one thinks of sending a child to dangerous schools in low income, minority neighborhoods, where nobody in classes of say 700 + students, year after year, ever graduates to become a National Merit scholar etc, as “gaming the system”. Personally, I do not think any sane person would deliberately choose to put one’s child into such schools, with the hope that their child will be the first National Merit Finalist from such a school and wow Admissions. </p>

<p>It seems to me, Admissions is asking itself, where would this kid be if he/ she had similar opportunties as more fortunate kids? In the case of my S, I have seen the changes that better academic opportunities can bring to the life of a child. So, I think I understand what Admissions is trying to do.</p>

[MITChris]

<p>Thanks perazziman! We in Boston are OK, but as someone who grew up in Vermont I ask you all to keep VT in your thoughts because it is being terribly, horribly flooded right now, as in the worst flood in recorded history, with whole towns being cut off from civilization. It’s really hard for me to watch the videos and see the pictures. </p>

<p>AS for your most recent post - yes, that’s the basic idea.</p>

[perazziman]

<p>MITChris, It is shocking to read about what happened in VT. The state was totally unprepared for this type of an unexpected weather event. [Watch:</a> Tropical Storm Irene Causes Deadly Floods in Vermont - TIME NewsFeed](<a href=“http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/08/30/watch-tropical-storm-irene-causes-deadly-floods-in-vermont/]Watch:”>Watch: Tropical Storm Irene Causes Deadly Floods in Vermont | TIME.com) </p>

<p>Thanks for reposting David Jackson’s message. I have been reading some of your other posts/ threads on this forum too and found them all very informative. I do not think I have seen an admissions office/ officer care so much about letting people understand how the Admissions process works. Kudos to you and your office. </p>

<p>Over the last few days, I got a small glimpse into how MIT selects some of these wonderful bright caring minds that I see posting on this message board and all I can say is, I hope my kid grows up one day to be as caring and intelligent as them, whether he attends MIT or not. I have probably heard from as many MIT students/ grads in the last few days on this message boards, as I have in my entire life and I have yet to find one that did not impress me. </p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

[MITChris]

<p>that means a great deal to me (and I think everyone else). thank you.</p>