Both my parents are Filipinos who immigrated to the US where I was born. I know Asians/Asian Americans are often held to a higher standard during the college application process at schools that practice affirmative action, so would it be beneficial to choose to not list my race? Since Spain colonized the Philippines for a while, both my last name (Villa) and part of my first name (Miguel) are of Spanish decent. One of my essay ideas is about my experiences as an Asian American, but if I decide to write about something that doesn’t relate to my ethnicity, would it be better to just not list my race and hope they think I’m Hispanic or something?
Pick a different topic to write about…and i’m not sure if it’s mandatory to list race
You don’t have to identify your race. You can put “other” (or, if offered, “decline to state”, or whatever wording they use). They won’t assume anything about your race, unless you disclose it elsewhere in your application. They also won’t assume that you’re Hispanic, based on your name.
If you write about being Asian American in your essays, they’re going to realize that you’re Asian American, if that matters to you.
I know much ado has been made about the Harvard lawsuit disclosures (Harvard weighing different experiences and outcomes differently), but the fact of the matter is that if you’re a match (strong candidate, meeting or exceeding the academic credentials and known requirements for admission) for the school that you’re applying to, then you have little to worry about. If you’re Asian American, Caucasian American, Black American, First Nations American, Hispanic American, Mauve American with onyx stripes, and you’re applying to the ubiquitous “Ivies or T-20s”, you have an equally very low chance of admission as everyone else, to begin with. They’re not matches, so you really don’t have to worry about being held to a higher standard. EVERYONE is held to high and only partially understood, or entirely unknown standards, no matter what your race is.
Focus on schools that fit first. Roll the dice on any reach, but lay your money and peace of mind on the schools where you’ll have the academics and social life that you crave, at a price point you can afford, and with an admission rate that is probable for your specific outcome-based profile.
By some definitions, Filipinos are Hispanic. The posture of the US Census Bureau is, “You are if you say you are.” They don’t challenge it and I doubt that a college would either.
So, I would check the Hispanic box, instead of Asian American and would list my full name, Justin Miguel Villa. That would likely be to your advantage.