<p>If I'm half latino and half white, does my ethnicity give me any advantage in the admissions process? </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Just to be clear, you’re not of Mexican or Puerto Rican descent, are you? If not, you’re allowed to check off that you’re Hispanic. Usually, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans receive larger boosts in admissions, but being Hispanic should still count for something (very little though).</p>
<p>I’m half Mexican, half Italian. </p>
<p>So would I get a boost?</p>
<p>Yes, you’re allowed to represent yourself as a Mexican, and you’ll get a huge URM boost in admissions.</p>
<p>EDIT: I should note that option might not be 100% ethically correct to some people. Usually, the consensus is to identify yourself with what you’ve identified yourself with in the past, but there are people who claim they’re Hispanic when they’re only 25% Hispanic.</p>
<p>Actually, it is more than simply checking the box. You’l right your diversity statement saying how this has shaped you and what your experiences bring to the table.</p>
<p>“Actually, it is more than simply checking the box. You’l right your diversity statement saying how this has shaped you and what your experiences bring to the table.”</p>
<p>No. It’s usually just checking the box, especially if you are AA, NA, Mexican, or Puerto Rican (100%, 50%, 25%, 10%, whatever). A diversity statement is for people who can’t check boxes that would give them advantage (Asian, White, Indian, etc.).</p>
<p>Definitely not true. You should be “showing who you are”. Especially as a URM, you should be writing a diversity statement. go to the urm forum on tls there are threads dedicated to diversity statements. Anna Ivey dedicates a whole chapter to diversity statements in her book. on her blog she writes:</p>
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<p>You should write the essay. You will almost certainly get the full boost unless your essay is really quite terrible.</p>