Mixed Race In College Admissions

[Euclid314]

I am half Caucasian (arab), and African . I know that AA and other under represented minorities are more likely to get accepted than Asians or Caucasians, but if I just select African/African American instead of white and black, I would be denying one half of my heritage. Which box should I select?

[gibby]

It’s perfectly acceptable (even advisable) for mixed-race students to select both boxes. When mixed-race students select more than one box, colleges DO NOT place them in a specific ethnic category for statistical purposes. So, if you are of mixed-race, it is to your advantage to select MORE than one box as you will not be directly competing against students who just checked the African American box or the Caucasian box.

See: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/us/14admissions.html?_r=0

the Department of Education started requiring universities this past school year to comply with a broad federal edict to collect more information about race and ethnicity. The change has made it easier for students to claim a multiracial identity — highlighting those parts of their backgrounds they might want to bring to the fore and disregarding others.

So the number of applicants who identify themselves as multiracial has mushroomed, adding another layer of anxiety, soul- (and family-tree-) searching and even gamesmanship to the process.

The new options have forced colleges to confront thorny questions, including how to account for various racial mixes in seeking diversity on campus. Is a student applying as black and Latino more desirable in terms of diversity than someone who is white and black?

[Euclid314]

Is this the way it works in ivy league and LAC schools?
And also do they differentiate people who are black and Asian from people who are black and white?

[gibby]

Harvard doesn’t publish specific data relating to students who are of mixed-race, so it’s anyone’s guess how Admissions differentiate mixed-race students. For example, Harvard doesn’t even have a category for mixed-race students on their statistics page: https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/admissions-statistics

[Euclid314]

For Ivy League and LACs would I still get the AA boost?

[gibby]

^^ While there may have been a significant AA boost some years ago, I think you should examine the current data more closely. Last year I posted the below. I haven’t updated it for the class of 2020, but you should do so on your own to confirm this wasn’t a one-year trend.

If you look through the Harvard and Yale Class of 2019 Decision Threads, you’ll see that URM tests scores are just about the same as non-URM test scores. So, there is very little bump from being a URM.

Harvard Class of 2019 SCEA Decision Thread http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1714730-official-harvard-university-2019-scea-decisions-only-p1.html

#11 - Female, Black, deferred with ACT 29

21 - Male, Hispanic, accepted with SAT of 2220 and ACT 35

29 - Female, African American, accepted with SAT 2240

30 - Female, African American, accepted with SAT 2130

39 - Male, African American, deferred with SAT 2230

40 - Female, African American, accepted with SAT 2400

44 - Female, African American, sibling, accepted with SAT 2140

47 - Male, African American, deferred with SAT 2010 and ACT 25

57 - Male, Hispanic, deferred with SAT 2220 and ACT 32

62 - Male, Black, accepted with ACT 32

63 - No gender listed, African American, accepted with ACT 32

Harvard Class of 2019 RD Decision Thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1752941-harvard-university-class-of-2019-rd-results-p1.html

#1 - Male, Hispanic, accepted with SAT 2300

3 - Male, Hispanic, accepted with ACT 33

6 - Male, Hispanic, waitlisted with ACT 35

7 - Male, Hispanic, rejected with SAT 2340

10 - Female, African American, accepted with SAT 2100

21 - Male, Hispanic,accepted with ACT 31

33 - Female, African American, accepted with SAT 2380

Yale Class of 2019 SCEA Decision Thread
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/1713050-yale-class-of-2019-scea-decisions-p1.html

3 - Male, African American (Questbridge), deferred with SAT 1940 and ACT 35

15 - Male, Hispanic, deferred with SAT 2400

17 - Male, Hispanic, deferred with ACT 33

18 - Male, African American, accepted with SAT 2230

33 - Female, Cuban, accepted with SAT 2270 and ACT 33

34 - Male, African American, rejected with SAT 2030

35 - Female, Hispanic, deferred with SAT 1980

46 - Female, Mexican, accepted with SAT 2170

Yale Class of 2019 RD Decision Thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/1752938-yale-university-class-of-2019-rd-results.html

#9 - Male, Hispanic, rejected with SAT 2170

11 - Female, African American, rejected with SAT 2100

14 - Female, Latina, waitlisted with SAT 2200

20 - Male, Hispanic, rejected with SAT 2300

22 - Female, African American, accepted with SAT 2240 composite and ACT 35

23. Female, Hispanic, accepted with SAT 1910 (ranked 8th in her class of 465 students with an UW 3.9 GPA)

Based upon the College Confidential data from the class of 2019 my take: Harvard seems to attract more URM’s with top scores – and those students are rejected and accepted with about the same frequency as non-URM students. Yale seems to attract more URM’s with lower test scores (possibly because of Questbridge), but for the most part URM’s with low test scores are not being accepted. And just like Harvard, URM’s with top test scores are rejected.

So, IMHO it does not matter whether you list AA or mixed race on your application, as you will be competing with URM’s who have top GPA’s and test scores. Therefore, you should not expect a bump no matter what you write down.

[Euclid314]

Thanks!