<p>As far as URMs go, I figure that asians are not underrepresented. They're the biggest minority out there. </p>
<p>Do most colleges lump Filipino into Asian? I find this somewhat insulting, since Filipinos are most definitely not asian. We don't use chopsticks, we don't eat fried rice, we don't use similar characters for letters and we look Pacific Islander more than Asian. </p>
<p>I feel like I deserve to be considered separately from asians, since my background definitely does not fit the stereotypical asain background, but I don't know. What do you think most colleges (particularily Dartmouth, Brown, Tufts, Claremont McKenna, etc.) will do about my minority status?</p>
<p>The part that I find amusing is how you defend the fact that you are not Asian: "We don't use chopsticks, we don't eat fried rice..." </p>
<p>As if those descriptions somehow "define" the Asian race. Psh.</p>
<p>I can't really see if you find it "insulting" and want to be considered separtely just so that you could have some sort of a URM status or if it truly is what you believe in, but I think that you probably wouldn't be counted as the same race. I could be mistaken though, but you always have the option to not check the race box entirely.</p>
<p>" find this somewhat insulting, since Filipinos are most definitely not asian."</p>
<p>Wow, someone failed geography... And biology. </p>
<p>That's like saying Eastern Europeans are not Europeans. Or than Indians and Chinese people should have different categories instead of being called 'Asian' because 'they're so different'. Guess what: They're similar enough to be put into one category, as are Phillipinos and other Asians.</p>
<p>The California Dept. of Education usually identifies Filipinos separately from Asians...</p>
<p>American Indian or Alaskan Native:
A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition. </p>
<p>Asian:
A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent.</p>
<p>Pacific Islander:
A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Polynesian, Micronesian, or Melanesian islands (excludes the Philippine Islands). </p>
<p>Filipino:
A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Philippine Islands. </p>
<p>Hispanic:
A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin - regardless of race.</p>
<p>African American (not Hispanic):
A non-Hispanic person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.</p>
<p>White (not Hispanic):
A non-Hispanic person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East, e.g. England, Portugal, Egypt, and Iran.</p>
<p>OK, I'm severely insulted by your post. What a narrow-minded, bigoted view. </p>
<p>Anyhow, I've always considered Filipinos as Asians. I'm sure if I ask any Filipino I know that question, they'll agree with me. I don't even know why the State of California put them in a separate category. In most college applications, they probably won't separate Filipinos so most logically (if you fill in the race box) you would have to put Asian. </p>
<p>Now, let's look at what dictionary.com says on the matter:</p>
<p>Asian:</p>
<ol>
<li>A native or inhabitant of Asia.</li>
<li>A person of Asian descent.</li>
</ol>
<p>Usage Note: Asia is the largest of the continents with more than half the world's population. Though strictly speaking all of its inhabitants are Asians, in practice this term is applied almost exclusively to the peoples of East, Southeast, and South Asia as opposed to those of Southwest Asia such as Arabs, Turks, Iranians, and Kurds who are more usually designated Middle or Near Easterners. Indonesians and Filipinos are properly termed Asian, since their island groups are considered part of the Asian continent, but not the Melanesians, Micronesians, and Polynesians of the central and southern Pacific, who are now often referred to collectively as Pacific Islanders. See Usage Note at Oriental.</p>
<p>Excuse me, I'm not a bigot nor am I narrow-minded. I've never considered myself asian. I'm in the top 5% of my class and have better SAT scores than 99% of my grade. Don't give me **** about not working hard just because I wanted to know if I'm a URM. I don't see why I deserve to be attacked just because I think I'm Pacific Islander. Most of the Filipinos at my school distinguish themselves from asians, so I thought that this was a legit question. Nobody likes to be lumped into the "stereotypical asian" category. I don't see why people have to get all PC and heated over a stupid subject. Christ.</p>
<p>filipino (asian or pacific islander or just plain filipino) is definately not a URM. THe only URM's that im familiar with are: African American, Hispanic, and Native American. These three are URM (despite their huge population) in colleges for financial reasons/stereotypes linked to them.</p>
<p>hope that helps and i'm not positive about this so if anyone has a more accurate answer im dying to know as well</p>
<p>Because the CA Department of Education separates Filipino from Asians, I figured Filipino got its own category separate from Asians. Sorry for offending / ****ing someone off. I was talking to my friend who was the '05 validictorian at my school and we both thought not using chopsticks and writing with different characters was legit enough to distinguish between Asians and Filipinos :\ whatevz.</p>
<p>It was your justification of why you're not Asian that was narrow-minded and bigoted. "We don't use chopsticks, we don't eat fried rice, we don't use similar characters for letters and we look Pacific Islander more than Asian." Look, I understand that you don't want to be lumped into the stereotypical Asian category but that went too far. Indians, for example, don't use chopsticks, don't eat fried rice, don't use similar characters for letters, and do not look anything similar to that of their Chinese/Mongoloid counterparts and yet they're still considered Asians. </p>
<p>Filipinos usually don't expressively say they are Asians (no one uses that term in the actual Philippines or Asia for that matter) but they do consider themselves Asians and realize their geographical link to their Asian neighbors. No one I know considers Filipinos as Pacific Islanders. Ethnically, Filipinos are similar to the Malays and Indonesians who are also considered Asians. In my opinion, Filipinos belong to the Malayan culture along with the Indonesians and Southern Thais since they've got similar physical features and similar food and cuisine. Geographically, the term "Pacific Islands" excludes the Philippines. Islands near the mainland of Asia, such as those that make up the nations of Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines, are considered part of Asia just like islands near North America and South America, such as the Aleutians and the Galapagos, are grouped with their closest continents. </p>
<p>Unless a college application specifies a separate Filipino category, you are considered Asian and not Pacific Islander but if you feel that much disgrace over being called Asian, you always have the option to leave it blank. And no, colleges are not allowed to stereotype Asians (like you did). Being considered Asian will not help you nor hurt you. And in the future, I would appreciate it if you would stop insulting and stereotyping Asians.</p>
<p>Even if you choose not to be lumped into the category, the point of affirmative action (in schools that actually practice it) is to allow groups that are underrepresented in higher education a better chance to get into schools.</p>
<p>Even though I'm Indian, and historically (and genetically) am very different than central/eastern Asians, the achievements of the groups are very similar. I'm pretty sure that filipinos are not underrepresented in higher education (most likely, similar to Indians, Chinese, Koreans, etc... they are overrepresented).</p>
<p>I'm part Philippine (actually my mother is also part Chinese/Japanese but grew up in the Philippines), and I consider myself part-Asian because of it. I agree with post #10. Also, you may not be part of the Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese/Thai culture of using chopsticks (I use chopsticks) or using characters as opposed to the alphabet, but you are still from Asia. Thus, you are Asian. </p>
<p>I know some Philippinos who are insulted when they're mistaken for a Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese/Thai. Are you one of them?</p>
<p>I'm sorry if it was an insult to say that asians eat fried rice and use chopsticks. I was just jumping into bed before I posted this and those were the best examples that I could think of at the time. I can think of better ones now that I'm actually awake, but I guess I've already gone and offended everyone for talking about chopsticks.</p>
<p>In my family and the Filipino families that I know, the culture is much different than it is in Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, ...) families that I know. Most of the asian families that I know are extremely strict, as its part of their culture. I was always just raised with the impression that Asian families are very authoritarian with their children and are very school-oriented, focusing on being number one in the class, etc. Most of the Filipino families I know are far more down to earth and subsequently, their children aren't pushed to be overachievers. </p>
<p>I'll finish later, I have to go to work this very second or I will be late ;0</p>
<p>gianscolere, I don't get offended at all when people guess my race incorrectly, but I do get annoyed and even slightly ****ed when people think that its all the same, though. ("Oh, well, whatever, its like, Chinese, right?") No, its not all the same. I don't think Indians should get lumped into the asian category either, considering that its a different culture. I feel like its semi-defeating the purpose of trying to become more diverse when you lump 8 different cultures into one big one. (It's all just one big part of the white conspiracy to keep the colored people down!!) (just kidding.)</p>
<p>Feel free to go **** yourself if you get ****ed by anything I've said in this thread :D</p>