<p>
Are you sure about that? It doesn’t seem that they delve too deeply into the question - they don’t ask for a pedigree or anything.</p>
<p>If the person identifies as a particular minority and especially if the last name matches up (ex: Rodriguez), then wouldn’t most schools go ahead and consider it to be so?</p>
<p>It helps illustrate one of the problems with the implementation of affirmative action.</p>
<p>
So are a high percentage of people from Latin America. ‘Hispanic’ isn’t a race.</p>
<p>“DocT, I hope your ? regarding differences between the three cultures you mentioned was not serious.”</p>
<p>What on earth are you talking about? The point here is that they are all caucasians who speak a branch of the Indo-European language known as Romance languages. Obviously their cultures are not the same. That’s not the point of this thread.</p>
<p>Try pm’ing patsmom. She can respond to your question.</p>
<p>“So are a high percentage of people from Latin America. ‘Hispanic’ isn’t a race.” Perhaps but then again, they shouldn’t be considered a minority and given special treatment in this country.</p>
<p>Brazilians are not considered Hispanic either even though they are from S. America. I agree with gloworm that for most schools it will only mean being counted as a statistic once thay look at the rest of the application and they find you a place in the AdCom universe.</p>
<p>[Hispanic</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic]Hispanic”>Hispanic - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Really, it’s debatable and it’s up to you and your family to decide.</p>
<p>We are in the same situation. I don’t think it’s appropriate for students like our kids to put “Hispanic” on their applications, even if they feel very connected to their dad’s Spanish culture and language. My own feeling is that this question is designed to identify students who are ethnic minorities in the U.S., and Spaniards just aren’t in that category. But it’s a personal decision.</p>
<p>With his Spanish ancestry, your son would be eligible for the National Hispanic Recognition Program scholarship, so that would lead me to believe colleges would view him as an hispanic minority as well. If he scores well, he would be eligible for a full tuition scholarship at several colleges. Here’s the College Board definition:</p>
<p>What is the NHRP’s definition of Hispanic/Latino?
To qualify for this program, you must be at least one-quarter Hispanic/Latino. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnic category, not a racial category, and you may be of any race. For purposes of the NHRP, you must be from a family whose ancestors came from at least one of these countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, or Venezuela.</p>
<p>You can indicate on his college applications that he is Hispanic.</p>
<p>My kids are half white and half Chinese. D1 checked off Other on her application. For D2 I think she should check off Caucasian instead of Asian because it would give her a slight advantage.</p>
<p>You’re right, DocT, it wasn’t the point of this thread, so why did you insert it?</p>
<p>lodge road, I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>What do you SELF-identify as, if it wasn’t a COLLEGE application? THEN look at the federal definition for more answers. I have always considered myself African American AND I fit the definition, even though technically I COULD consider myself multiracial. The point of these programs is to promote diversity and help underserved populations. You and I may not agree with the programs, but that’s why they’re there. If you do not self-identify as Hispanic and do not fit the definition (I would say a combination of both), you have to ask yourself if what you’re doing is cheating the system. If you’ve never considered yourself Hispanic before and the federal definition is iffy at best, then you are probably considering trying to “take advantage” of the system. I’m all for taking advantage of the system (trust me!), but it has to fit the bill. In this case, the federal definition doesn’t cover you AND you don’t self-identify as Hispanic, so there’s really no leeway.</p>
<p>Uhh… this post is kind of incoherent. My apologies.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Incoherent AND Incorrect</p>
<p>Oh my gosh, some good, but so much misinformation being spread here! OP, please go to the Hispanic Student sub-forum and check out the resources there, including this thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/641650-hispanic-latino-defined.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/641650-hispanic-latino-defined.html</a></p>
<p>And for those of you who don’t think people from Spain are classified as Hispanic, please read it from the source:</p>
<p><a href=“http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68188.htm[/url]”>http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68188.htm</a></p>
<p>"Hispanic Origin</p>
<p>Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population, Public Law 94-171 Redistricting Data File. Updated every 10 years. <a href=“http://factfinder.census.gov%5B/url%5D”>http://factfinder.census.gov</a>.</p>
<p>Definition:</p>
<p>Hispanics or Latinos are those people who classified themselves in one of the specific Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino categories listed on the Census 2000 questionnaire -“Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano,” “Puerto Rican”, or “Cuban” -as well as those who indicate that they are “other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino.” Persons who indicated that they are “other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino” include those whose origins are from Spain, the Spanish-speaking countries of Central or South America, the Dominican Republic or people identifying themselves generally as Spanish, Spanish-American, Hispanic, Hispano, Latino, and so on.</p>
<p>Origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States.</p>
<p>People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race. Thus, the percent Hispanic should not be added to percentages for racial categories. Tallies that show race categories for Hispanics and nonHispanics separately are available."</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat…wife is from Spain, I’m white and from US. I emailed a Hispanic admissions officer at a top college a couple years ago about this question. She said whatever the kid identifies him/herself as on the application is what they’ll consider him/her. Probably works out better if there are some supporting factors, like the kid being able to speak Spanish, having spent significant time in the old country, and being aware of Spanish customs and culture.</p>
<p>Reading between the lines, I got the feeling that they are as frustrated with the whole situation because of its vagueness, and are willing to take the easy way out by believing whatever the applicant says. Also got the feeling they’d be glad to have underrepresented minorities that they don’t have to bend the admissions standards for.</p>
<p>Cracks me up how affirmative action proponents are angry at the prospect of someone getting a leg up who doesn’t deserve it…as if the whole affirmative action program isn’t ridiculous and rigged to help affluent blacks and Hispanics who know how to play the system.</p>
<p>At least they have upgraded the CA this year and the wording is much more straightforward. Applicants first are asked if they are Hispanic and then what race(s) they are. </p>
<p><a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/2009-10CommonApp_highlightedUpdates.pdf[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/2009-10CommonApp_highlightedUpdates.pdf</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Take out “affirmative action program” and insert “college application process”
Take out “blacks and Hispanics” and insert “students”</p>
<p>I don’t think AA has the exclusive claim to favoring affluent students in the college admissions process.</p>
<p>Why should somebody from Spain be given college admissions preference over someone from Italy?</p>
<p>Also on the common app this year, they ask if the student a. is a US citizen b. if they were born in the US, c. if they are dual national. This is in addition to the questions on Hispanic heritage.</p>
<p>Aside from what the student determines to self-identify as, the bi cultural background, particularly if, as was mentioned, there have been any visits, language skills etc add to the application, most particularly if the student can and chooses to address their bicultural heritage as a determinant in their views and perspectives on the world.</p>
<p>
I don’t think so. They ask for particular details, the applicant answers, and that’s that. If the college wants to give assistance of some kind to someone because of factors the student had nothing to contribute to, such as their race or ethnicity, then so be it. They’re asking for the race or ethnicity and may or may not be ‘inferring’ a disadvantaged individual based on the gross generalization but that’s what some colleges choose to do. If they wanted to know only about socio-economic status then they wouldn’t bother asking about race or ethnicity. Sometimes it’s just about being ‘diverse’ in the races/ethnicities walking around campus and likely it’s about them being able to state statistics about their diverse campus. And a number of posters on CC have chosen colleges with this diversity being a strong factor. There are no doubt loads of various races/ethnicities who have been actively sought by colleges who didn’t grow up disadvantaged and actually grew up in wealthy families.</p>
<p>I think if the op thinks it’ll be advantageous and it fits the questions being asked, there’s no problem with it. If the college chooses to throw money at such a thing, good for the OP.</p>
<p>
They shouldn’t and neither should anyone else just because of their race/ethnicity IMO but if that’s what some colleges are looking for then I see no problem with people taking advantage of it while it’s there. If they had a scholarship for whatever my kid’s physical and ancestral attributes were, we would have probably taken advantage of it.</p>
<p>Frankly, I think this is a bit too much of an analysis. The point is for you to get the edge and since you can label yourself as “Hispanic”, why not just do so? It’s good that your husband is from spain so the last name correlation is likely more obvious…</p>
<p>I’d go for it, if that was the case for me!</p>
<p>Well, on the new common app it says:</p>
<ol>
<li>Are you Hispanic/Latino?</li>
</ol>
<p>Yes, Hispanic or Latino (including Spain) No</p>
<p>Please describe your background __________________________</p>
<ol>
<li>Regardless of your answer to the prior question, please select one or more of the following ethnicities that best describe you:
etc.</li>
</ol>
<p>So…wouldn’t checking the Yes, Hispanic or Latino (including Spain) work just fine?</p>