<p>I know some colleges lump Asian/Pacific Islander together, but by no means all or a small portion.</p>
<p>Traditionally, Asians are not considered to be a URM.</p>
<p>What about Pacific Islanders with small populations, such as Maoris?</p>
<p>What proof do they need?</p>
<p>I don't live in NZ anymore and other than my family's word, there is no certificate, etc. stating that I am Maori.</p>
<p>Is Maori a URM?</p>
<p>Are you still applying to colleges? If so, here is what I would do: Either do not indicate race (it is entirely optional) or don’t pick Asian but other and indicate Maori. But I would only do this if I actually looked like a Maori. Without any kind of documentation that is all you really can do. Asian is not a URM but rather looked on as actually worse in a lot of colleges than being Caucasian since those colleges have such large amount of Asian applicants and if the Asian student is applying to one of the majors or schools where Asians typically apply, it is just all the much tougher. I don’t think that Maori would give you any type of real advantage since you haven’t grown up in New Zealand, haven’t suffered any type of discrimination due to it, and there is no reason to judge you differently than any other applicant. </p>
<p>If you already applied and did indicate Asian, you will just have to wait and see what happens.</p>
<p>You have to understand that the U in URM stands for groups that are underrepresented in college as compared to their representation in the population as a whole. So, while there are many ‘minority’ groups that make up a relatively small proportion of the US as a whole, they are usually represented by about that same proportion in US colleges, therefore they are not underrepresented for college admissions purposes.</p>
<p>You may still represent ethnic/racial ‘diversity’ that colleges are interested in.</p>
<p>A URM, as US colleges define it is someone black, Hispanic or Native American.</p>
<p>^While this is true most of the time, there are some colleges that include other groups or subgroups in their minority recruitment efforts. For instance, for their paid fly-in weekends, Grinnell and Amherst include Asians and somewhere else I saw recently (sorry can’t remember the context, fly-in, scholarship, or whatever) included SE Asians. Some schools, particularly rural LACs have difficulty recruiting and retaining many minorities and so tend to broaden their definition.</p>
<p>This is true. Colleges that have a hard time attracting any ethnicity will treat that group as a URM. So schools in the South and MW that don’t see many Asian applicants would surely give them an edge.</p>
<p>Yeah I heard straight from an Amherst admissions officer’s mouth that they don’t consider Asians over-represented.</p>
<p>The fact that you haven’t grown up in New Zealand, don’t look Maori, and haven’t been discriminated against, are all irrelevant the determination of URM status. Affluent Hispanics from professional families with blond hair and blue eyes who grew up in Miami are still URMs for admissions purposes. If you identify yourself as ethnic Maori, that’s up to you. This isn’t like being Native American, where you have to register with your tribe. And if the admissions committees feel that your self-identification adds to their diversity, it’s up to them. Don’t make that decision for them. All that is required of you is honesty.</p>
<p>@ nne:
Maori =/= Asian.
I’m from NZ, born there, stayed for a while, went back as a teen to visit family who is Maori, and the culture is interesting but there is virtually no community outside of NZ for me to immerse myself in.</p>
<p>[M?ori</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Māori]M?ori”>Māori - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Regions with significant populations
New Zealand 653,100 (2009 est.)<br>
Australia approx. 110,000<br>
United Kingdom approx. 8,000<br>
United States < 3,500<br>
Canada 1,305<br>
Other regions approx. 8,000 </p>
<p>With somewhere around 800,000 people, it’s definitely a minority, especially in America, with less than 3,500.</p>
<p>Native Americans do not have to be registered with a tribe. Only applies at schools which require it. There is ongoing discussion among the tribal folks re: how to define enrollment (registration) standards. </p>
<p>Bowdoin has the broadest definition for diversity I’ve seen- a blurb included short people and LGBT. At another school, they allowed for French Canadians. </p>
<p>OP, as M’sMom said, if you id yourself as Maori, it’s up to you.</p>
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<p>I was referring to entomom’s and 2college2college’s posts.</p>
<p>Anyways, I would definitely mention it somewhere in my app. It sets you apart because I doubt there are many Maori applicants. The lack of a community for you outside of NZ could make for an interesting essay topic, though at this point you’ve probably already done those.</p>
<p>lookingforward - as a native, I wil tell you that you need tribal affiliation & a #</p>
<p>boymom, as a parent of two part NAs, my experience is they did not.<br>
There is space for it on the common app, but many tribes haven’t resolved what % NA is required for affiliation or what proof. The DNA tests are under question- I think because inaccuracies have been proven. I am no expert.</p>
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<p>You’re really not listening:</p>
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<p>Of course there are very few Maoris in the US, but that does not equate to being underrepresented in college. While I don’t have number, I’d bet that the % of Maoris in the US is roughly the same as the % of Maoris in US colleges. Compare this to AA, Hispanics or NA, all of whom have much lower percentages attending US colleges than their percentage in the US population as a whole.</p>
<p>It’s not at all about being a minority, and it’s all about being a minority of interest to US colleges.</p>
<p>If a college has few blacks or Hispanics, it is notable and considered a problem by many interest groups. I’ve never heard of any group concerned with the underrepresentation of Maoris. If there is an NAACP like organization for Maoris, you could be on to something.</p>
<p>OP didn’t specifically ask about a hook.
All colleges report percentages of students in various categories, racial, ethinic, whatever.
Re URM, as a term:</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins: “Currently includes African Americans, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans (American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians), Pacific Islanders, and mainland Puerto Ricans” [my italics]</p>
<p>UC Berkeley: “… has identified African-Americans, Chicano/Latinos, and Native Americans as underrepresented minorities on campus. This differs from the definition of underrepresented minorities given by FAFSA or the federal government, which includes Pacific Islander.” </p>
<p>Purdue Univ: *At Purdue, a person who meets the following criteria is reported as an
Underrepresented Minority: </p>
<ol>
<li>The person is a U.S. citizen (considered non‐international for reporting
purposes) </li>
<li>The person identified himself/herself in one of the four minority
categories that Purdue has determined as underrepresented.
a. Hispanic
b. American Indian or Alaska Native
c. Black or African American
d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander </li>
<li>The person selects the “Two or More” category and identifies
himself/herself as any of the minorities in item 2 above.*</li>
</ol>
<p>OP, it is your choice. The college may or may not give you a boost for being Maori/PI. If you and your family identify yourselves as Maori or having Maori lineage, you can show that. IMO</p>