Italian Ivy League

Applying to College
1

<p>I am half Italian (my last name is Italian) and half Irish. I know Irish constitutes as white, and I am by no means a dark Italian either, but does my being Italian help or hurt me in the college admission process? I am 3rd gen Italian-Irish, I know colleges want to diversify who they get, and altho I will put down "caucasian" on my app, I was wondering if my last name bein Italian will do nothing, hurt (bc Italians are typically catholic), or help and to what extent of one of those (slightly to a lot)</p>

<p>background info:</p>

<p>I am 4th of my class, 3.99 UW, 4.83 W
CR790, M780, w730
VP of class, decent ECs
no major awards
no hook really
go to a very good public school in NJ
I would love to go to YALE or MIT.
(more stats if you want here: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/969457-chances-ivy-s.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/969457-chances-ivy-s.html&lt;/a> )</p>

2

<p>I don’t think that’s going to do anything at all. They’ll see Caucasian on your app, and think nothing of your last name, I’m assuming. </p>

<p>Your stats look good, but I am not an expert on that sort of thing.</p>

3

<p>Are you joking?</p>

4

<p>hahaha I know it’s a rediculous question, just wanted to start an interesting thread and actually wanted to know the answer</p>

5

<p>No, it won’t help you get into college.</p>

<p>However, you might be interested to know that your skin color probably is due to having Moorish ancestry. Also, years ago, the U.S. census bureau debated whether to have Italians characterized as “Negro”. That just goes to show how random racial categories are.</p>

6

<p>Very interesting,thank you</p>

7

<p>I don’t think it’s going to hurt, either. You listed the reason it might as Catholicism, but top schools won’t be looking at your religion. Anyway, John Kennedy (Catholic) went to an Ivy League school. But to that school, they see it as $$$$$$$$$$$ went to that school. Many Catholics go to Ivy League schools. Incidentally, I’m half-Irish, quarter-Italian (my mom looks entirely Italian, though), but with an Irish last name (haha, not worried about my Catholicism).</p>

<p>Anyway, don’t worry about your heritage, and good luck!</p>