<p>Is URM status diminished if one is high income?</p>
<p>ehhh.. kinda... They take into consideration your race, income, location, and many other things... They can easily know your income by your zipcode, parents' education, school, if you used a fee waiver or not, etc. I'm sure I'm going to get killed for saying this, but usually URMS are lower or middle class people...No offense... Not always, but usually whites & asians tend to be upper-class.</p>
<p>It is but it isn't. You have that URM flag, but without disadvantage, it's more diminished than a poor URM applicant. But, I see that you are from Ohio, so you have another decent hook to back the URM status up ;).</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. But I will give you all the facts:
I am a African-American, and my school is the 6th best school in Ohio (or so they tell me), but no one from my school has ever been accepted to Harvard. I just moved here, as I used to live in Chicago. My school there was on Newsweek's list of the top 1000 schools. My parents make a lot of money (i don't want to say how much).</p>
<p>So, i expect that the URM will not help me much at all.</p>
<p>URM will help you a lot. Being low income is just icing on the cake.</p>
<p>The idea that somehow being high-income diminishes your URM status has to be the biggest myth on the CC boards.</p>
<p>Thanks eyez and everyone else who replied, I am still unsure though, because you guys gave some conflicting answers. Would anyone else like to give an opinion.</p>
<p>Ohio is not very under-represented. Given, it doesn't have as many applicants as places like NJ, but it's 7th in the nation as far as population goes, has a decent amount of applicants who apply, and I'm sure the applicant with wealthy parents and going to a great school has had plenty of opportunities at both a state and local level. It's not like the applicant is a low-income student fromm a small town in south dakota with no opportunities at either the local or state level. Proof = </p>
<ul>
<li>140 undergrads in the fall of 2003 were from Ohio. </li>
</ul>
<p>According to a source at Harvard (not byerly or NSM), they set you with two locations.... State and local. If you're from a rural area or an inner city, you may have a small tip-factor. If you're from one of the white states on that map like Montana, south dakota, or wyoming, you may also get a tip factor because they have a hard time getting qualified applicants from those states to apply and also realize that not much is avaliable at the state level. As far as URM goes, you'll get a small hook or a tip factor or whatever you want to call it because you're under-represented. You still will get some edge... Don't worry. Just for sure not because of your location or income.--- Unless your parents donate at least 10,000,000 to Harvard. ;)</p>
<p>well, i hate to say it, but one of the biggest problems with affirmative action is that wealthy URMS DO benefit from it</p>
<p>All URMs should benefit regardless of wealth. The connotation of the name, under-represented minorities, has no allusion to income level. I mean, Oprah would be considered an URM because african-americans are a severe minority in the Ivy Leagues.</p>
<p>Besides, I am in no way basing my acceptance on being a URM. Like I said before, I go to one of the best schools in Ohio, and my grades reflect that. I have a 4.0 unweighted. I got a 35 on the ACT. I am a National Merit Semifinalist. And i have done numerous EC's. </p>
<p>So, being a URM is really unnecessary. I mean, i could use all the help I can get, but I am as equally qualified as any white or asian applicant.</p>
<p>Hell, I hope they don't use zip code. The way they gerrymander districts here it will make me look not so lower class. Some of it goes into friggin Vinings! VININGS! Like, a super-rich Republican zone.</p>
<p>The income level of my zipcode is considerably lower than my parents income level. The median income is about 75K a year. So, researching my zipcode may actually benefit me more than hurt me.</p>
<p>Guys, I dont think they have the time to go through Zip Codes. I mean seriously. The only thing they will notice is if you live in like Beverly Hills, Hamptons, etc. Not your Zip Code lol</p>
<p>Well, this county DID sent you Newt Gingrich. So, that tells you the level of concervatism (socially and fiscally).</p>
<p>And, 75K? That is QUITE high (average HH income in Beverly Hills).</p>
<p>I think DHA is right, though... they probably don't have the time to do a census check.</p>
<p>I know that 75K is quite high. But my parents make a lot more than that (like way more). So in relative terms, my community will actually help me to appear economically disadvantaged (not that I really want to though).</p>
<p>No, it won't.</p>
<p>I didn't mean economically disadvantaged in the sense of low-income. I meant economically disadvantaged relative to my true class level. Sorry it was a typo.</p>
<p>45K or less is more of a SD community.</p>
<p>What does SD stand for?</p>
<p>Socio-Economically disadvantaged.</p>
<p>Oh, I'm so stupid sometimes. Thanx.</p>