<p>Hey guys!</p>
<p>So my mom is full polynesian, born and raised in Tahiti and I lived there a couple years of my life (my dad is french) and I was wondering if that helped with college admissions. If saying I am a pacific islander ( I totally believe I am, and take pride in it) is considered as a URM and will help with admissions, kind of like Native American, as I know that helps tremendously in the admission process. Btw, I'm entering my second semester junior year! </p>
<p>Thanks guys!</p>
<p>It won’t hurt you, but exactly how much it helps is not an easy answer, since it’s a fairly rare URM. I don’t think a lot of schools expressedly look for Pacific Islanders, but if you have a legitimate right to claim to be one, there’s no harm in doing that, and it might tip the scales if you’re close.</p>
<p>Pacific Islander is typically paired with Asian e.g. Asian/Pacific Islander. I think it’d hurt you, lol.</p>
<p>@MrMom62 Thanks for the answer!</p>
<p>We are Native Hawaiian and that is considered URM by schools that look at race/ethnicity. I believe it gave our D a slight advantage in admissions at the school she attended, although I have no proof. It all depends on the school.</p>
<p>Agree with emgamac that it depends on the school and that it may give you a slight advantage. </p>
<p>PI is not lumped with Asian, it is a separate category along with NH. Don’t expect a bump similar to that of NAs; and recognize that adcoms consider other factors such as SES, overcoming adversity, association with ethnic/racial community, etc.</p>
<p>Some schools get relatively large numbers of URM applicants and are highly competitive. Other schools have a more difficult time recruiting and retaining URMs and are less competitive.</p>
<p>For the record, Common App or any college app for that matter, does not LUMP Asians and Pacific Islanders. They’re both two distinct categories. So, @menacing you’re wrong!
Here’s how it appears on the Common App
<p>If you choose the Pacific Islander race, it’ll ask you to specify whether you’re a Hawaiian or “Other”. If you choose “Other”, then it’ll ask you again to specify and you can mention your specific island. BTW, I’m from New Britain. It would NOT hurt you, but I think it won’t help you either because schools don’t actively seek this particular minority.</p>
<p>I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I could see being a Pacific Islander as being something really unique. I always just imagined that colleges actively look for diversity of all kinds (racial, ethnic, SES, EC, personality, etc.) and if you are one of 10 or 15 or 20 Pacific Islanders who apply, and you have the highest stats of all of them, I think that would enormously boost your chances. I don’t think any school likes to put 0% down for any ethnicity.</p>
<p>I have the impression it does help. Schools are looking for a diverse ethnic population, and this is just as “valid” a URM status as any other. We have friends whose kids are part Hawaiian, and I think it did give them an admissions boost.</p>
<p>Are you a US citizen? URM status really only applies to them.</p>