<p>on commonapp, filipino is listed as being a sub-category of "asian", NOT "pacific islander". as a filipino/white person, i checked off white (european) and asian (filipino). however, do colleges see that i am filipino and not just asian? i feel that prejudices assigned to asians would not apply if they saw i was filipino and not, say, chinese. additionally, because filipino is a subcategory of asian, would i be at a disadvantage affirmative-action wise or does this not matter? personally, i consider filipinos to be more pacific islander than asian, particularly because my background is mountain/tribal and not low-lands. however, from a government standpoint i am half asian. also IF filipino helps for whatever reasons, should i put solely filipino? or is mixed better. please do not go on any rants about how asians are disadvantaged by affirmative action. thanks.</p>
<p>Is it an option not to identify your race at all? </p>
<p>My opinion is that identifying yourself as “Asian” is the kiss of death on a college application. If you are a filipino w a spanish last name and you don’t identify your race, then the AO’s will probably assume you are hispanic.</p>
<p>I don’t think Filipino ir better or worse than “mixed.”</p>
<p>“Filipino” is better to put down than “Asian”. At my school, my Filipino dormmate was invited to join the Minority Pre-Med club, but not the “Asians”. But the dorm mate also had a spanish last name.</p>
<p>i don’t have a spanish last name - in fact, since my mother is filipino, i carry a completely non-asian last name which doesn’t sound attached to any race. however, she was born in the philippines and this is indicated on my app. i’m thinking it’s kind of a crapshoot. but when are college admissions a crapshoot…</p>
<p>Luckily, the CommonApp has a handy print-preview tool, which is exactly how the admissions officers will see the forms. I checked the asian box, followed by the Philippines box, and brought up the print preview. It checks a bubble for “Asian,” and then indicated specific race by the abbreviation “PHL.”</p>
<p>In short: yes, they will see that you are Filipino.</p>
<p>thank you!!!</p>
<p>Filipino is not a URM, but it’s better (for top colleges) than being Chinese or Indian, or Korean. Filipino is probably the same as being white- won’t help or hurt.</p>