<p>I've never posted on here, so forgive me if I posted this in the wrong spot or something.</p>
<p>Anyway, I'm Asian and White, and I'm torn about what I should report as my race on my college apps, if I report my race at all.
I've read/heard that colleges make admissions harder for Asians specifically, but people also constantly tell me colleges like diversity; however, I've been led to believe that I'm not the kind of diversity they're talking about. And then I have friends who check "White" on everything, even though they're not.
Any advice on whether I should identify as White and/or Asian, or just not put any race?
Thanks.</p>
<p>I’m having the same query, as I am half Asian (or I guess it would be considered Pacific Islander if there’s an option for that) and half white. I don’t know which one to select, although I think there’s a Two or More Races option?</p>
<p>The best thing to do would be to contact the college you are applying for, and ask them what to do. The worst thing you could do would be to lie about your ethnicity. I suggest you contact the admissions office at the colleges you are interested in, and speak with them.</p>
<p>The admission stats would argue that being Asian does not hurt, but as mentioned you do have choices. Also I think tiger mom and dad in an effort to push the kids to work even harder, preach the "it’s harder for Asian’ sermon. I think it’s more of a motivation thing.</p>
<p>Whether you would bring diversity to a college depends on what their student body and applicant pool is like. If they get tons of SAT 2400 4.0 Asian applicants, I suppose saying you’re Asian might make acceptance less likely. If you’re applying to a college or university where the student body is primarily white, and they are seeking to make the student body more diverse, putting Asian might help.</p>
.<br>
At the selective schools, the admission stats reveal that the bar is set considerably higher for Asian applicants. </p>
<p>If you have an obviously Asian first, middle or last name, the adcoms will mentally check the Asian box for you even if you don’t check it yourself. Then you will be penalized accordingly.</p>
<p>Again another myth. There is no evidence directly from the university of any such thing. Please don’t quote Epenshade. His data is going on twenty years old and does not reflect the modern competitiveness of the Ivies.</p>
<p>What if they cant necessarily tell what race you are based on your last name? For example, mine isn’t a typical White name, in fact you can’t really tell what race I am based on it (At least that’s what I’ve been told by peers/teachers/etc). I’m mixed w/ a lot of ethnicites but the 2 main races are White (dad) and Asian/Pacific Islander (mom). So would I be penalized for putting down either White or Asian even though my name isn’t common for what race I am? I know it seems like a silly question, but I’m just curious. I would hate to be penalized for something I wasn’t aware of</p>
<p>I agree w/sosomenza. The supposed “anti-Asian” bias is discussed in the context of most selective schools only. If these aren’t in your sights, then your concern is completely unwarranted (and my opinion is that it’s unwarranted even if they are).</p>
<p>The average, non-holistic college admissions offices just want kids w/outstanding academics regardless of race.</p>
<p>The article doesn’t state anything concrete beyond citing another article (which I didn’t read). Basically the writer says the rising # of Asian applicants but the steady percentage of Asians at top schools is evidence of increasing bias against Asians. I would counter with the fact that increased holistic reading of applications has allowed schools like H to broaden the diversity of incoming students by reading deeper into the files. In the past, it was easier to let multiples of 1600 SAT tennis playing kid from San Diego in w/o a second thought. Now, you’ve got more interesting and outstanding non-Asians applying more than ever. Once you’ve admitted 200 high achieving science or pre-med Asian piano/violin players, it might be harder to accept that 201st when you’ve got a white kid from Ann Arbor who has research African art for 4 years but only has a 2100SAT.</p>
<p>However, the conclusion is one I agree with: </p>
<p>“Admissions officers look for applicants who stand out. Since there are so many brilliant and diligent Asians, it becomes harder for them to stand out”</p>
<p>The article writer includes this " — especially in the eyes of the often white, American admissions officer." which implies bias on behalf of the admissions officers. I disagree with this statement.</p>
<p>BTW: I’m Chinese-American and my kids are biracial. They’ll be checking off both or none when it comes time for them to apply. I won’t meddle.</p>
<p>T26E4, your example of an AO’s idea of diversity… " a white kid from Ann Arbor who has research African art for 4 years but only has a 2100SAT" made me laugh :)</p>
<p>@Pinkerton96, if “Asian biased” is an issue, it’s only at a handful of the most selective universities. Don’t select a race, or self-select white (since one parent is white) for those schools (if they are even on your radar). Otherwise it shouldn’t matter so don’t worry too much about it.</p>
<p>If you’re biracial - Asian and another race, the advice is to check the latter but not Asian if your mother is the Asian parent (the last name does not reflect an Asian heritage). My daughter has been checking “Other” on school forms. For all those who say “nah, there’s no quota” there are similar numbers of people who say “yeah, but there are too many Asians taking the top spots”.</p>
<p>“Admissions officers look for applicants who stand out. Since there are so many brilliant and diligent Asians, it becomes harder for them to stand out”</p>
<p>Hello??! This is one step from “All Asians look alike”</p>
<p>My S was in the exact same position a year ago - my wife is Asian and I am white. We told him it was up to him how he identified himself, but this is what I shared with him from my perspective: 1) We have always wanted our sons to be aware and proud of both sides of their heritage and I would hope any school would see his diversity as a plus; 2) Would he really want to pursue a school that considered him differently if he marked “white” only vs “white” and “Asian”? 3) It always makes sense to be honest - just one of the facts of life.</p>
<p>Without hesitation, he identified as both. And he found a few opportunities to address his diverse background in his essays from what I saw. There is no way to know for sure if it impacted his results. If I had to guess, I would say it only helped for the schools he applied to - Tier 1 and Tier 2 from a competitiveness standpoint. The kicker is that when he was accepted to Lehigh, they invited him to their Diversity Life Weekend. Attending that weekend solidified his decision to attend there and he starts in a couple weeks.</p>
<p>Here’s the deal. It’s not going to get any easier for Asians because more races are striving for the Ivy leagues. Frankly Asians have had a bit of a free ride because other races have been content with the non elite schools (WHICH IS WHY ASIAN ACCEPTANCE RATES ARE SO HIGH), but that is changing. One should consider what would happen if all the top white candidates chose to apply to the Ivy league/like Ivy. The elite schools would be overwhelmed, forcing the top schools to slash Asian acceptance rates. It hasn’t happened yet, but it is beginning to happen. </p>
<p>BTW, college acceptance is not a black or white thing (I don’t mean race) A GPA of .20 points higher with a SAT 100 points higher does not make one a better candidate. That goes for all races but for some reasons Asians don’t get that it’s not just a numerical calculation thing.</p>