<p>In a word, kel, “yes’”. The vast, vast majority of URMs that I have seen in high stakes admissions do NOT come from disadvantaged families. The designation is made to have diversity on some campuses. There are first generation and disadvantage categories for admisissions too, at such schools. </p>
<p>But that is only for the tiny percentage of schools. There are schools where being disadvantaged, being AA, being Hispanic doesn’t mean a thing. Many of the kids, if not the majority are in that category, and you aren’t gonna get squat for checking those boxes. The OP has not said where he is planning to apply. If he has some good stats, grades and story, plus he’s URM, it would help to get into Bowdoin. Won’t make much difference at most of the colleges and programs in this country. </p>
<p>In my sons’s schools, and many friends with URM backgrounds, they certainly did not have any disadvantages. They are in far higher socio econ brackets than most people, and certainly more than me. Heck, DH and I qualified for full aid My parents were lower income. No URM there. For now there is some diversity for diversity’s sake in some schools and it’s a well known fact. And I support it fully. </p>
<p>It’s too bad that you didn’t find the Hispanic Students forum and particularly the Definition and Resources sticky threads before posting on the more general Admissions forum. Any members interested in gaining accurate, current information are welcome to read them.</p>
<p>Some misinformation in need of clarification:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race. Hispanics can be, and are, of any race(s).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>See my first comment; many Americans are under the misguided idea that all ‘true’ Hispanics ‘look’ mestizo due to the prevalence of MAs in the US. PRs are predominantly white, the vast majority of immigrants to Argentina were white from Spain or Italy, Alberto Fujimori was the President of Peru, etc. In addition, no specific quality like color of skin, appearance, surname, even speaking Spanish, are absolute indicators of whether a person is or isn’t Hispanic.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>While this is true for the US Census definition of Hispanic, that you are Hispanic if you identify as HIspanic, there are organizations, like NHRP, that consider percentage of parental lineage. Making the definition even more confusing, NHRP includes students with Brazilian backgrounds as Hispanic (see the earlier link), while the US Census definition used by the CA and college admissions, does not:</p>
<p>We’ll have to wait for that time to come. It’s only been within the last half dozen years that the CA and CB have finally separated ethnicity and race into separate questions so that students can more accurately designate their background(s).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Again, per the US Census definition, which is the one used for college admissions, percentage of parental lineage is not considered, it is whether or not you identify as Hispanic.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Again, surname is not a defining character, Bridget O’Malley could as easily be half Hispanic and have strong ties to her culture and the Hispanic community as she could feel strictly Irish with a faint whisper of Hispanic blood in some distant past. The former can designate Hispanic according the US Census definition, the latter shouldn’t; but this is based on identity, not surname.</p>
<p>However, this is the $64,000 question, and the reason why IMO people should cease being so concerned and upset about Hispanic designation for college admissions. Adcoms deal with evaluating these types of situations all the time, it’s like all of the other undocumented parts of a candidate’s application such as ECs and essays. All Hispanics are not created equal, while a student is placed in the Hispanic pool of applicants, Adcoms will look at many other factors, including: country of origin, SES, overcoming adversity, parent’s educational level, association with the Hispanic community, etc. This is one more place on an application where Adcoms use their professional judgement.</p>
<p>You’ve asked our opinions, but your mind is set that you are Hispanic, so mark your applications that way. I don’t think it will matter because you’ll be checking ‘white’ in the race section.</p>
<p>Why do folks bother to ask a question if they are only going to argue against any reply that doesn’t align with their own opinion? This question has been asked so often on these boards. And as is the usual case, when there’s a goodly amount of doth protesting going on…I become skeptical of the motivation. And honestly, if you are raising the native flag for the admissions benefit, you’re the one that has to live with that fact. Whatever. </p>
<p>Please read the second misconception I discussed in my post above. For instance, MA and PR are the two most underrepresented Hispanic groups in US colleges and the most sought after by colleges. 99% of PRs are Hispanic and 75% are white:</p>
<p>As mentioned, it’s not every college that considers Hispanics as URMs either OP has given no indication as to what sort of school s/he is seeking. So it may not even be an issue or any advantage either. Also, the question is whether OP could check the Hispanic box, and my opinion as to whether s/he could/should and what might be of issue has NOTHING to do with the pros and cons of affirmative action. There are schools where Asians are URMs-- I know some of them. </p>
<p>There is an issue of the whole idea of "considering oneself " Hispanic. I know Latinos, fully so in that both parents are from such a country that don’t consider themselves Hispanic in the least most of the time, but yes, they will be checking the boxes as Hispanic as they will consider themselves so when asked the question like that. I don’t think of myself as Irish 99.9999% of the time but, recent genealogy things that were sent to me by a sibling make it pretty clear that it’s a big part of my DNA and ancestry. If asked, yes, I would say I am part Irish. along with other ethnic groups or categories that, again, don’t enter my mind but when the subject is in front of my face. </p>
<p>I apologize if you took my Mod Note as a message directed specifically towards you, I posted it when I came onto this thread, it’s directed towards all participants. This subject, particularly when posted on the main Admissions forum, often veers OT.</p>
<p>Yes, I know that there are schools that may consider Asians as URMs, mostly rural LACs that have difficulty recruiting and retaining URMs, and mainly the children of newer immigrants from SE Asia. I have commented on this in the past but did not do so in this thread as it is OT.</p>
</p>