I’m an incoming senior and I was wondering if I should put Hispanic or not for college admission?
I’m 1/2 French, 1/4 German and 1/4 Spanish.
I know being Spanish and 1/4 qualifies for Hispanic URM, but in my case does it change anything? I’m obviously an upper-middle-class white person (dad is an exec & mom is a university teacher - that’s why we moved so often) from Europe and not a, say, blue-collar Puerto Rican.
I think colleges see the differences and all Hispanics aren’t the same right? I don’t even speak Spanish either.
Should I still put Hispanic on my application or it doesn’t matter?
I was thinking about weighing more on the fact I’m trilingual French/English/German and very involves in both German and French community as a really small hook instead of saying I’m a Hispanic?
Are you saying that you are 1/4 Spanish meaning one of your grandparents was from Spain (as opposed to Central America/Mexico/PR/DR? If so, I doubt that that qualifies you as being Hispanic. Still, I would check with the schools you are looking at and see if they have rules about this. If the rules allow you to say that you are Hispanic, it could help you get in.
I would agree with that statement. And it would probably apply to most URMs at most colleges.
Sure it can. But bottom line, every college, where not prevented by law, is free to classify race and ethnicity as it sees fit, and also to determine what bump, if any, it gives in admissions. Likewise, scholarship programs targeting Hispanic students can set their own parameters.
Anyway, to answer the OP, if one identifies as Hispanic/Latin@, list it. If not, don’t. In the OP’s case, it sounds like s/he does not identify as such.
To be on the safe side - and for honesty’s sake - whatever you call yourself, be consistent. If you don’t check the box on the SAT or ACT questionnaire or on the FAFSA, don’t check the box for the college application.
You get to self-identify, but be honest about your self-identification. Honesty is important. If you normally think of yourself as being part Hispanic, then yes.
If you truly have Hispanic heritage, then yes, it may help and you should definitely list it!
Someone I know with a father who grew up in Costa Rica (and is of partly Asian background) and a mom of Irish-American heritage, did very well in his admissions and scholarships, including the special National Hispanic Scholarship for Latinos through the National Merit program. He has a Spanish last name, and he self-identified as part Hispanic. He does not “look” particularly Hispanic because of his mixed background, but so what? He is legitimately half-Hispanic. His family still has and visits relatives in Costa Rica.
Was he qualified for his admissions without it? 100%! He is a brilliant guy who did amazingly well in high school and on his standardized tests— ranked in the top ten of his public high school class! But might his background have given him an edge, perhaps explaining why he was admitted to some top colleges when some of his friends with similar grades, scores, and extracurriculars were not? Perhaps.
If you have an advantage, use it. It is a crazily competitive admissions process, and you should use every honest advantage you have.
I forgot to add - I’m planning to go to STEM colleges studying social entrepreneurship and CS - MIT/CMU and Caltech are my dream schools. Maybe it could be a hook since female Hispanics are maybe more underrepresented in these schools? (Not sure if it’s 100% true but I’ve been told females and URM are even more underrepresented in stem schools by my college counselor)
As for the other stats - I founded multiple companies - one is making 7k/month net on the internet and another company that helps locally disadvantaged children, I’ve raised 20k for this company.
I’m also AIME qualifier with good scores, lots of ECs, my passion is social entrepreneurship and I would love to create a company that helps others.
I don’t really consider myself Spanish, I consider myself more of a global European Union citizen. In Europe, the feeling about races is different from here, it’s hard to explain, but there is no emphasis on who you are racially so I never felt “Hispanic” or “Celtic” or anything. That’s why it’s more of a practical question for me.
I’m planning to go to STEM colleges studying social entrepreneurship and CS - MIT/CMU and Caltech are my dream schools. Maybe it could be a hook since female Hispanics are maybe more underrepresented in these schools? (Not sure if it’s 100% true but I’ve been told females and URM are even more underrepresented in stem schools by my college counselor)
As for the other stats - I founded 3 companies - one is making 10k/month net on the internet and another company that helps locally disadvantaged children, also AIME qualifier, lots of ECs, my passion is social entrepreneurship and I would love to create a company that helps others.
1/4 Spanish is Hispanic, so yes check that box (it’s true) BUT it will likely not make a huge difference.
There’s a difference between checking that box and discussing being multicultural (which you are). Discussing your whole background in an essay is another way for the colleges to know whether you’d be a good addition to their class.
@payton -
Like you my kid is part Hispanic (roughly 60% Puerto Rican, one parent born and raised in Puerto Rico), also STEM-focused, so I have given a good deal of thought to the question of race preference for Hispanics.
On balance, preference is there, but fairly weak unless you are mesoamerican or mixed black Hispanic (many Puerto Ricans are of course). 1/4 Hispanic but racially white technically qualifies as Hispanic for NHRP, and I think there is no problem identifying yourself as such by checking the box. It couldn’t hurt and I bet schools are used to dealing with mixed heritage for Hispanic these days.
Your bigger plus factor for MIT/CalTech imo is going to be female and AIME, frankly. That will certainly help, as there are only going to be around 800-1000 females at most in the entire nationwide pool, and probably fewer than 100 non-Asian females. If you got a good score (say, 7+) and were DHR on the AMC12, you are in rarified company for your demographic, probably situated better than an Asian boy who qualified USAMO, honestly. Being interested in “social entrepreneurship” is also going to help at both tippy top STEM places.
Both MIT and CalTech are extremely difficult to get into, but I have personally seen a number of kids get in with tenuous ties to Latin America (including one female this past cycle who was in the same math class as my 9th grader, but she was a senior). Again, female non-Asian AIME (I am assuming 800 math level 2 and high SAT/ACT, NHRP, etc.) who is not purely focused on STEM is likely to be the stronger plus factor. Best of luck!
The OP states, “I’m obviously an upper-middle-class white person.” No one that I know who identifies as being Hispanic would ever make that statement. Obviously the OP does not self identify as Hispanic in daily life. The only reason this has come up is because the OP wants an advantage on college apps…which is dishonest and unethical.
You have no idea what you are talking about. Many Hispanics are middle class and identify as white, perhaps not in your neighborhood. Spend some time in the Hispanic community. Argentinians, Uruguayans, many Cubans, some Mexicans, etc. ALL typically identify as white. Hispanic does not mean “lower class” and “non-white.”
LOL @SatchelSF I am born and raised in SF. I have traveled and lived all over the country, I have many Hispanic friends from all over the world. I work in a 99.9% Hispanic environment. I stand by my statement. They would never have said a statement like the one the OP said. They would not question if they are Hispanic, simply because it’s college app seaon. I should know as I assist my students in filling out their apps. I doubt the OP previously thought about whether he/she was Hispanic prior to “college app season”. And no one in this thread has related Hispanic with low class until you.
Nonsense, @4MyKidz. The fact that you are in SF probably works against you. As you may have noticed, you will rarely see Hispanic professionals there, and most are of mesoamerican extraction (mestizo). It’s easy to stereotype. And the income/wealth/education disparities there are staggering. Take a drive up to the canals in San Rafael in Marin County, for example (and then cruise over to Marin City for a different flavor of segregation). Go to a place like Florida and your eyes will be opened, I promise
You are obviously unaware of the racial tensions in Latin America and the “racism” there, which I promise is an order of magnitude greater than in the United States. Take a look at the racial composition of the government of Mexico, or of Cuba for that matter, as just a few examples. Identifying as “white” is a particular point of pride for many Hispanics in Latin America and, unfortunately, that has carried over to the US. That you haven’t seen that may be because you are not on the inside.
It’s unfortunate that the politicians and preference systems in the US are dividing all of us in this manner, but it is what it is.
Sorry for the OT diversion, back to OP’s questions!
^the OP wouldn’t have, because s/he is European (which doesn’t preclude Hispanic). In Europe, such way of thinking doesn’t exist. People typically think in terms of class (hence, the student’s mention of “upper middle class”). However, when confronted with the American boxes, this student was made to think about it.
“Hispanic”, for college admissions, DOES NOT mean " I speak Spanish", or " I am lower middle class" or “I am dark skinned”. It means “at least one grandparent was born/raised in a Spanish speaking country OR is of Hispanic origin”.
