<p>How much do you think URM status (in this case, hispanic ethnicity) would tip the admissions process at highly selective colleges (Ivys and top LACs)? If all your stats, ECs, essays and recs make you a competitive applicant, how much do you think URM status helps (or hurts, if you don't have it)? I am assuming the applicant is not a recruited athlete, legacy, etc. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>This question has been asked many times, use the Search function and you should find several helpful threads. </p>
<p>Yes, URM status helps at the top colleges if the student is a competitive applicant. How much depends on the school, the student’s background and many other factors which most of us don’t know and can’t predict.</p>
<p>The best thing you can do is collect data: go back into the results threads from past years for the schools you are interested in and look at the students that were URM to get some idea of their qualifications and personal situation.</p>
<p>First, it depends to a certain extent on the school. If its one of the “hispanic serving” institutions that already have a high percentage of hispanics, it won’t help a huge amount. Some public institutions, such as the University of California system, are also legally barred from considering race in admissions - won’t help at those schools either.</p>
<p>However, at many other schools, if you’re already in the ballpark in terms of grades and test scores, being an URM can be a “tipping point” that just might boost you in. The amount of “tip,” however, will still come down to the individual institutional priorities of each college. </p>
<p>My advice would be to have your child contact the schools that are of interest, and ask to be put in touch with their minority recruitment director. They’ll often be able to give a better assessment of how URM status will be considered in their admissions decisions — and getting in touch with them can also get your child invited to special minority recruitment events. Often, attending those sorts of events can play a role in admissions decisions as well.</p>
<p>At selective private schools, being Hispanic will tip the scale in your favor significantly. However, the applicant has to be competitive already.</p>