<p>Does it help any if I am ethnically Pacific Islander?
I forgot to mark it on my common app...so I'm wondering if I should notify schools that I am?
Unfortunately my last name is screamingly asian. So I'm wondering if Pacific Islander is a boost, even if only a little one?</p>
<p>yes it is. Doesn't it ask country on common app?</p>
<p>Ah thanks. I completely left that part blank but i emailed colleges telling them I was Pacific Islander American (wow weird lol) and the countries the parents are from.</p>
<p>It depends.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about the Common App, but most application group Asian and Pacific Islander into the same category. If that's the case, you'd be at a disadvantage if you checked Pacific Islander.</p>
<p>If you are 50% white, I'd go with that just to be safe -- unless, that is, Pacific Islander is a separate category.</p>
<p>If all is equal, choose the ethnic group with which you feel you best identify.</p>
<p>Well one of my grandparents is from spain so I don't even know if that is Hispanic or not. Does from Spain = Hispanic? Or does it = White? I haven't checked hispanic. Should I contact admissions officers AGAIN? </p>
<p>Oh the joys of being of many cultures.</p>
<p>If you are applying to any of the UC (University of California) schools it is an enormous plus. If you look on collegeboard, Pacific Islanders make up over 40% of the UC schools! UCLA 45% UCSD 50% UCSB 17% UC Berkeley 46% UCI (Irvine) 56%. Need I say more. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Asians make up over 40% at UCs, not "Pacific Islanders." Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan are all Asian, even though they're islands in the Pacific.</p>
<p>I dont see why it's a big plus..we'd have to look at the admission rate % of 'pacific islanders/asians' that make up the 40%</p>
<p>because pacific islanders are more similar to the hispanic population here. And on the common app it asks for country of origin when you check asian, as it should.</p>
<p>^^overstressed. When you checked white it was probably because you considered yourself white which is all that the college was asking.</p>
<p>I think for the most part colleges consider "Pacific Islander" to be "Asian" as opposed to "Hispanic." </p>
<p>I personally think it should be its separate category, but that's just me. Either way, most of the Asian students that get into these top schools are Eastern Asian (i.e. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.) rather than Indonesian, Filipino, etc. So it'll probably help you, but I really don't know. <em>shrug</em></p>