<p>^ I agree that some admissions officer think that way. I hope it’s not many and that it doesn’t happen often.</p>
<p>I’m not seeing how these questions are not covered by the " Race FAQ". Granted, the title is different, but for the most part, the race differences only seem to matter in the more highly ranked schools anyway.</p>
<p>Did like to draw your attention to the “race not identified” as fastest growing" part of the FAQ.</p>
<p>Posts #3 and others.</p>
<p>“lot of detailed numbers (all based on reports colleges make to the federal government) about the growth in college enrollment in all the reported ethnic categories, and the growth of the reported category “race/ethnicity unknown.” The “race/ethnicity unknown” category has been the fastest-growing category by far in the reported years.” </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/927219-race-college-admission-faq-discussion-8-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/927219-race-college-admission-faq-discussion-8-a.html</a></p>
<p>A question I posted in another thread, but since this the real race thread let me post it again: </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you are not seeing how, then why are you wasting your time in the thread in the first place? Don’t you have anything better to do?</p>
<p>Ouch!..</p>
<p>Well like some other poster said, I am sure they have some way of figuring out your race if they truly wanted to, but if the applicant simply left it blank I would think that the admissions officers would respect the applicants privacy in not reporting their race.</p>
<p>Sorry, it wasn’t supposed to be some assh#le of a post. We still cool?:)</p>
<p>I’m hoping someone can give me a hand with this, since it’s time to start applying to colleges and I don’t know what to put…</p>
<p>My mother is White, my father is of unknown ancestry- though we have a Polish last name, he has some VERY ethnic features and his family came from Brazil. He’s been all over the board with his identifications.</p>
<p>Other specifics, if necessary:
If race is called into question, I guess I look White- I resemble my mother. However, my father raised me, I went to an overwhelming majority Latino elementary/jr high school as a child, and now that I’m in a diverse high school I still have very few White friends. (My best friends are both mixed themselves.) Identity has ALWAYS been problematic for me, and now something as important as college admission and scholarship depends on it. When people ask me what race I am, I usually say “lots of stuff” and leave it at that; on applications, I check “I’d prefer not to respond”.</p>
<p>Where do I fall? Self-identifying or having friends identify me, I’d say White / Latino. If an interviewer took a look at me, they’d probably say White.</p>
<p>You should read the first part of the thread. FWIW, Brazil is sometimes excluded from “Hispanic” status.</p>
<p>Brazilians, being lusophones, are not Hispanics, but they are Latinos.</p>
<p>Ohhh! I’ll have to look up "lusophones! Thanks!</p>
<p>If you look at the HYPSM decisions threads from the past few years, it’s amazing how many white and Asian applicants with near-perfect or perfect stats are waitlisted or rejected and how many URMs with not as good stats get in.</p>
<p>^Yes it does happen. As are URMs with perfects or near perfect scores who ALSO get rejected, while others with “lower stats” are accepted.</p>
<p>It all comes down to what the school wants or thinks it needs. You might think that people with perfect stats are the ones schools are after. But, clearly, you would be wrong.</p>
<p>I think it’s just a false correlation. I think minorities get in because they have more convincing hooks and they just happen to be minorities, rather than the fact that get in simply because they are minorities.</p>
<p>^Interesting theory. I personally think that schools want a diverse class, so stats do not play up the same way as they might have in the past. Obviously you need to demonstrate you can handle the academics, and a minimum 3.3 GPA and 2100 SAT score demonstrates that, contrary to what many on here may believe. Furthermore, you need to demonstrate personality and uniqueness.</p>
<p>That was well stated.^</p>
<p>A place like Yale would want a certain number of people from all sorts of backgrounds (white, black, Mexican, native, rich, poor, ugly, not ugly (joke), athlete, celebrity, etc.) In the long run, everyone benefits; it’s good for the university.</p>
<p>One cannot deny, however, that affirmative action does play a role in decisions. [/affirmativeactiondiscussion]</p>
<p>Well yes of course it does play a role, but that is not the point, the point is that as more and more applicants apply to top school, those schools can not simply accept all the most qualified. If this were the case, we would not have admissions success stories, and more diverse people because in reality there is a more hardworking race, not smarter, but more hardworking, and if these schools accepted all those people there would be no such thing as diversity, yet alone equality.</p>
<p>Do not think that I am trying to start a war or anything, I was simply asking the question of “How bad is A.A. in the admissions process?” Please do not interpret bad as any personal feelings towards the subject, just how much of an influence does A.A. policy have on admissions policy?</p>
<p>What do you mean how bad? Are you asking if it negativley impacts your chances at universities? As far as I know AA status is some what of an advantage in the admissions process. AA status won’t get you in but it could help, at least a little bit.</p>