Prefer Not to Answer Race Circle

Applying to College
1

I’m an Asian (Indian) from TN and thinking about applying to Penn. However they have told me that I have my ethnicity against me. Do you think it would help/hurt If I circled the Prefer Not to Answer Race circle? What about for Stern (NYU)? Thanks.

2

<p>who is they? Did Penn come out and tell you this?</p>

<p>If you choose not to answer, it probably will be assumed that you are white or asian anyway because URMs are definitely going to answer. In the end the choice is your.</p>

3

<p>When I visited Penn the admissions counselor told me this. I did think that I could get away with saying Prefer Not to Answer because my name does not give away that I'm Asian or White.</p>

4

<p>Do what you want. It probably won't help or hurt you to not mark race.</p>

5

<p>I thnk it's safe to assume that anyone who will benefit from this question will indeed answer it. Funny how colleges are allowed to ask, but employers are not.</p>

6

<p>It's not just that colleges are "allowed" to ask. The federal government wants them to collect this information and to report it to them. Hadn't struck me as funny, really.</p>

7

<p>In theory, marking white/asian doesn't help or hurt you. However, I am recently entertaining the notion that marking asian for a school where asians are an OVER represented minority might hurt you. If your name is not asian, then I would recommend not marking the box and then you would fall into the white category instead of the asian category.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
I thnk it's safe to assume that anyone who will benefit from this question will indeed answer it. Funny how colleges are allowed to ask, but employers are not.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>90% of the time employers can tell by the name and/or what neighborhood the person lives in. Plus all jobs require a face to face interview, and its easy to tell when you are looking at someone most of the time.</p>

9

<p>
[quote]
90% of the time employers can tell by the name and/or what neighborhood the person lives in

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I've been on hiring committees. My experience suggests this is not in the least bit true.</p>