<p>But why would we assume that the percentage of one ethnic group in the whole country is the “right” percentage for that ethnic group at any particular college?</p>
<p>Regarding underrepresented, I share Justice Scalias thoughts from the oral argument of Gratz, as follows:</p>
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<p>I have long viewed both underrepresented and overrepresented as meaning that there is a correct representation level. However, recently, I have been convinced that this need not be the case. The terms can simply refer to the nationwide population percentages. If the sample percentage of group X is greater / less than the population percentage of group X, then group X is over / underrepresented.</p>
<p>If private schools aren’t supposed to have at least X amount of students from a certain ethnicity why does being a URM matter?</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, anyways, it’s not much of a big difference.</p>
<p>I’d like to clear up this misconception: when I use the term “underrepresented” it does not mean I think that there should more of that ethnicity or that there is some “perfect” ratio of races that colleges should strive to achieve. I only present these figures to counter the opinions of some who continue to view most Ivy League and similar universities as bastions of the white upper class.</p>
<p>Thanks for the follow-up about my question. When I hear the terms “overrepresented” and “underrepresented,” it appears that most of the time the base of comparison is the overall percentage of the whole population said to be part of one ethnic group. But do all ethnic groups have the same rate of high school graduation (or, more broadly, the same rate of completion of academic preparation for college)? </p>
<p>If the national population is the base of comparison, another issue comes up. Some places have smaller percentages of people said to be part of a particular ethnic group than others. Yet most high school students plan to go to college within 500 miles of home, so maybe some colleges in some regions would find it insuperably difficult to match the national percentage of each ethnic group.</p>
<p>When I say underrepresented, I mean underrepresented in higher education based on statistics of the general population. Theoretically, if circumstances were equal each group would be represented about equally to the proportion of the population they comprise. </p>
<p>I’m not referring to underrepresented on the basis of an individual school. If Harvard was 12% black I would still refer to the black students as belonging to an underrepresented group.</p>
<p>Hi, Tyler09, </p>
<p>That’s an interesting way to distinguish looking at the situation at one college from looking at the situation in the country as a whole. </p>
<p>By the same process, would we conclude that low-income but high-ability students are underrepresented in higher education in the United States? </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.jkcf.org/assets/files/0000/0084/Achievement_Trap.pdf[/url]”>http://www.jkcf.org/assets/files/0000/0084/Achievement_Trap.pdf</a></p>
<p>My mother is American born and raised, however, my father was born in damascus, syria, went to college there and interned there then he moved to the US. So, technically I am 50% middle eastern. Despite my white skin, is it morally sound to select the other box when ethnicity is asked?</p>
<p>You can select it, but it won’t do you any good–the college will still classify you as white. Middle Easterners are considered Caucasian for the purposes of AA.</p>
<p>So, I am 25% Mexican. The rest of me is a mixture of European blood. If you look at me, I look just like any other white kid, and I really have no connection at all to my Mexican heritage. However, my dad is 50% Mexican, and you can tell right away that he is of that descent. Am I allowed to put down Mexican on applications? Or am I required to choose white? Also, if I can, my friend who is only 12.5% Native American also wants to know if he can put that down on his application. Any ideas? Thanks.</p>
<p>Isn’t it suppose to be Hispanic?</p>
<p>Not really, there is an option on the common application for Mexican.</p>
<p>write what you think of yourself as, which from your post, is white. </p>
<p>But in being honest I would check both white and hispanic (which should allow you to select mexico as a country)</p>
<p>In terms of percentage, I think you have to be at least 1/16 or 1/8.</p>
<p>Be honest when you’re filling out the app. If you would bring some level of cultural diversity as a Hispanic to the university, then put Hispanic. That’s the reason why some colleges practice affirmative action. They want students of different backgrounds who would bring something to the table. Even IF you looked Hispanic (no offense to anyone) but had no connection to the Hispanic culture, I would consider you white. There’s more to cultural diversity than appearance.</p>
<p>I hear that applying as an Asian (especially to fields like pre-med and engineering) is a slight disadvantage. Some have said that I should not disclose my race while applying, though I feel a bit dirty doing that. The majority of school’s I’m applying to are fairly diverse, including the LAC’s. </p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
<p>I’m South Asian…if that makes a difference - interested in History/Pre-Med.</p>
<p>If you have an Asian-sounding name (Chinese, Korean, etc.) and your parents are Asian immigrants, then it won’t help you to not disclose (it’ll be slightly obvious), and it might make you look dishonest to the admissions people (who may wonder why you didn’t put Asian American if you’re very obviously one). If you take pride in being Asian, then put it down. It’ll be the same admissions-wise as being white unless you’re applying to very math/science-oriented schools like MIT (Asian students often gravitate towards the maths and sciences). If you’re applying for history, it might actually be to your advantage to put Asian over not identifying yourself.</p>
<p>Yeah I personally believe if you have been connected to the culture: go for it. But if you’re “white” then put white. Tyler09 had a good suggestion to put white and hispanic so then the colleges know that you are of both ethnicities.</p>
<p>i KINDA have the same problem…
my dad was black and my mom is native american. we used to joke that i should pick the one that would get me “more money” and ive kind of adopted that thinking. but i’m really torn when filling out applications and stuff; i almost feel like im denying one or the other. when im filling out a paper application i check both boxes even if they say to check one lol. i hate when they make you pick just one..</p>
<p>Well, commonapp asks you for all your ethnicities, so you put Native American AND African American. o_O</p>
<p>I have the same problem too. My mom is white, but my dad is Mexican. However, I have pretty light skin, so I always feel weird if I put hispanic, and unfortuneately, all the options besides hispanic ALWAYS list non-hispanic.</p>
<p>If I were you, I’d go with the one that puts you as a minority, because even if it helps a little, at least your that much better off. But I am really interested to see what other people think of this.</p>