<p>My mother is White, my father has unknown origin- we have a Polish last name, but his family came from Brazil. Am I able to self-identify as Latino? [Posted on the Hispanic section for lack of a better category.]</p>
<p>I think the usual answer is, how have you identified yourself up to now? How did you identify on PSAT (if taken)? For most intents and purposes I that’s how you cm identify now… although TECHNICALLY I think Brazil isn’t considered hispanic. Check the FAQ thread?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/927219-race-college-admission-faq-discussion-8-a.html#post1064853283[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/927219-race-college-admission-faq-discussion-8-a.html#post1064853283</a></p>
<p>sgw,
The thread given above is general for URMs, very long, and not always well informed about the nuances of Hispanic recognition in college admissions, I would suggest reading this one instead (a sticky thread on this subforum):</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/641650-hispanic-latino-defined-aka-am-i-hispanic.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/641650-hispanic-latino-defined-aka-am-i-hispanic.html</a></p>
<p>Some basic information about Hispanics and college admissions: Surname and appearance are not factors in determining whether or not you’re considered Hispanic; colleges do not differentiate between the terms Hispanic & Latino; ethnicity and race are through self-identification; ethnicity is separate from race, and Hispanics can be of any race(s). </p>
<p>The CA asks about ethnicity and race as two separate questions and you can mark as many races as apply. However, when the Hispanic box is checked on the CA, a list of countries of origin comes up, but states “South America (excluding Brazil)” as one of the options. So, as far as the CA is concerned, candidates with their origins in Brazil are not considered Hispanic, but this is not the complete picture IMO.</p>
<p>On the other hand, NHRP does definitely recognize Brazilians as Hispanic, see their website and this thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/640730-national-hispanic-recognition-program.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/640730-national-hispanic-recognition-program.html</a></p>
<p>That said, it is completely up to each individual college on whether they consider people of Brazilian origin as Hispanic. And that could vary greatly; for instance, LACs that have a harder time recruiting Hispanics may be broader in their definition while colleges that receive many Hispanic applicants might be more narrow. </p>
<p>My advice would be to get NHRP recognition if you qualify and also demonstrate your ethnicity through ECs, awards, essays, etc.</p>