<p>I went to a college info session that stated that you had to have a certain percentage (can’t remember now- but I think it’s 25%) to claim URM status. Not anyone would actually check I guess. I had a good friend in HS that was 25% cherokee- she had dark hair and eyes but her sisters were blond and blue eyed (yes biological)!</p>
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<p>Where have you seen a college application with radio buttons for race? Under the current United States regulations (linked to as the first link in the first post in this FAQ thread), all applicants are to be allowed to choose one or more race, or for that matter to choose no race at all. That doesn’t fit using radio buttons on a Web form. That would fit using checkboxes, as long as the form allows no box at all to be checked. </p>
<p>What examples have you seen? Do you have links? </p>
<p>Under the same federal regulation, the only ethnicity distinguished from other ethnicities is Hispanic or Latino, for which a simple yes/no question suffices. But even here, a radio button would be the wrong way to code a Web form, because that wouldn’t make clear that the question can be left unanswered, which it can be under the federal regulation. So that question too should be coded with a checkbox, and validation of responses to that webpage should allow nonresponse.</p>
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<p>Which college information session was that? Where and when was it? Who was speaking there? </p>
<p>(I ask, because that statement is not in agreement with federal regulations on the subject.)</p>
<p>To all: read the FAQ posts that begin this thread (into which the recent question thread was merged). Look up the federal regulations linked to from the FAQ posts to see what they say. They may or may not be a good idea, but they are the law. There is a lot of mistaken advice on this subject to be found in online discussions.</p>
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<p>Perhaps? But you say most, and you assume my Hispanic family is hispanic white. This is not (entirely) the case. My mother’s mother’s family traces back to a european and native mexican lineage, all the way back to the 1500s. Her father’s family is more simply native to mexico, and native american. I am hispanic and white but have never considered myself White Hispanic and just White. You could argue that I’m ‘technically’ 2/3rds white, but I don’t really consider my relatives back in the 15-1600s to be close ancestors. Since that time period, my family has largely remained more hispanic (mexican) than european, however. </p>
<p>On a broader topic, here’s the common app’s questions:</p>
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<p>If you click the question mark beside this, it reads, in part:</p>
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<p>I just marked: “Latino/a, Hispanic” background: “Mexico”</p>
<p>My family has been in my state long before “settlers” came there too, and while it was still Mexico. They’re Mexican. I guess I just don’t consider that very white at all, and neither do they. Especially not when they’ve suffered much racism because of their color/ethnicity/race whatever because they “weren’t white”.</p>
<p>token - your are right. Did a quick search and really cant come up with an easy answer. That goes to show you can’t even really trust what “experts” tell you at a college counseling night - it was about 4 years ago and an independent - cant even remember the name. So I definitely wont go quoting info that I “heard”. Thanks for the question :)</p>
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<p>So what’s “white”? Italian-Americans and Jews were discriminated against when they weren’t considered white. Middle-Easterners have and continue to receive discrimination because of their heritage, but they’re included on the White category, even on the very detailed common app. Some people seem to lump Asians with whites, but they get their own separate category.</p>
<p>From the national news: </p>
<p>[San</a> Diego Campus Awakens to Uneasy Race Relations - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/education/27sandiego.html]San”>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/education/27sandiego.html)</p>
<p>Does a diverse student body serve all who attend or is the practice of minority admissions just another affirmative action policy hidden in the belief that Diversity is good for all?</p>
<p>Do you agree or disagree with Highly Selective colleges giving preference to minorities?</p>
<p>Many colleges claim that their intention is to build a diverse class because in a diverse class students will be better prepared for life and all will ultimately benefit from attendance in a diverse community. Is this true?
What do you think</p>
<p>How would a school know that an applicant is URM, except for the good faith and honesty of the applicant? I heard that if you have a name that isn’t typically used by URM (in this case black people) that schools will assume that you’re cheating the system? Like my friend is a mix between Asian and black, and he consdiers himself black (and appears completely black) but his name is Asian? Will schools assume he is an Asian that isn’t being honest? </p>
<p>Also do schools prefer native born Blacks to immigrant Blacks?</p>
<p>“I heard that if you have a name that isn’t typically used by URM (in this case black people) that schools will assume that you’re cheating the system?”</p>
<p>What? My kids names would be considered Irish, but visually, there’s no mistaking their ethnicity!</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/858679-race-college-admission-faq-discussion-7-a.html?highlight=race+faq[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/858679-race-college-admission-faq-discussion-7-a.html?highlight=race+faq</a></p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>LOL…</p>
<p>I have a Hispanic friend whose name is Kelly Irish-last-name. My Asian nieces and nephews have Italian last names.</p>
<p>maybe in the future colleges will have applicants submit pictures of theirselves… but then we will be talking about attractiveness as a factor :O</p>
<p>Affirmative action discriminates against non-URM applicants. If URM’s are our equal, treat them as such. Maybe if they stop naming their children “Elephantisha,” we couldn’t need AA.</p>
<p>^ racist, much?</p>
<p>maybe in the future colleges will have applicants submit pictures of theirselves… but then we will be talking about attractiveness as a factor</p>
<p>LOL…maybe attractiveness will become the newest hook.</p>
<p>Wrong. We are still not your “equal”. As a matter of fact, you have a 300 year or so head-start. Affirmative action is needed to counterweight and remedy all the oppression and racism Blacks folks have endured and continue to endure in this country. Even to this day we have racist and hostile people, like yourself, going around and undermining African Americans. Shame on you, mister.</p>
<p>^ don’t penalize people for being an overrepresented ethnicity, though.</p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>They’re not “penalizing” you. Trust me, if a school WANTS you they’ll ACCEPT you. Simple.</p>
<p>Agreed. No one is being penalized by giving minorities the SAME chance everyone else has gotten for 300+ years.</p>