<p>My friend had a question about his ethnicity for college admissions, and he doesn't have CC account. He is Korean, but he was born in Bolivia because his parents are missionaries there. He came to America about 4-5 years ago, so he doesn't have his Green Card yet I don't think. Would he be counted as a Hispanic as far as college admissions go? He is fluent in Spanish, and that is his first language, followed by Korean.</p>
<p>Also, would he have to apply as an international applicant?</p>
<p>Being born in Bolivia does not make him ethnically Hispanic. </p>
<p>No, he is Asian. Similarly, a white person born in Africa is not black.</p>
<p>Additionally, without a green card, he would be considered as part of the international pool of applicants.</p>
<p>How about a white person born in Spain? Spain is the root of “Hispanic”.</p>
<p>This whole “race” thing seems a bit convoluted and ambiguous at times.</p>
<p>
Hispanic.</p>
<p>Further discussion here:</p>
<p><a href=“Hispanic/Latino defined - aka: AM I HISPANIC? - Hispanic Students - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/641650-hispanic-latino-defined-aka-am-i-hispanic-p1.html</a></p>
<p>Brazil & Peru have had Japanese immigrants since tbe 19th century. Their descendants speak Portuguese & Spanish. </p>
<p>But they would still be considered Asian and not Hispanic, correct? @GMTplus7</p>
<p>If your friend identifies as both, he can simply check both boxes on the Common App. </p>
<p>Hispanic can be ANY race</p>
<p>Like I said… convoluted and ambiguous.</p>
<p>How can a school give an advantage to a white Mexican (with Visigoth blood via Spain) over a white American (with Saxon and Celtic blood)?</p>
<p>Bigger issue: at what point will we stop making excuses for failure?</p>
<p>Tell him to put Hispanic and not identify any race </p>
<p>He could check Hispanic and country, Bolivia and on the second question select Asian.</p>
<p>He can be both Asian and Hispanic, but needs to check whether he would be counted as an international student (which is generally disadvantageous for admission, financial aid, and scholarships at US universities).</p>
<p>I think it’s tricky in this case because his parents were there on a temporary basis. Was your friend born in Bolivia and a citizen? In that case, I would say that he is Hispanic because of his citizenship and the fact that it is his home and native tongue. Hispanic is not racial. Many Hispanics are white… they can be of any race.</p>
<p>Since hispanic can be any race, and the only criterion appears to be that u or an ancestor came from brazil, spain (but not portugal) or a Spanish-speaking or spanish-colonized country (but not the Phillipines), I am struggling to see the point of this arbitrary category. </p>
<p>^^It is not arbitrary…the term “Hispanic” just has a different meaning than what you expected. Many people think that it is a racial thing and think of Hispanics as being dark-skinned indigenous natives to South America. But that is not the case–using the term “Hispanic” is like saying “from a Hispanic country.” Currently almost 40% of all Latin Americans consider themselves white. And in several countries it way over 50% of the population is white.</p>
<p>
Of course i know hispanic is not a racial category. </p>
<p>U are missing my point. If the objective to identify hispanic students is to fulfill the compelling state interest to have diversity in the classroom, then why only create an arbitrary admissions category of tenuously Spanish-linked students? What makes white people from Spain more deserving of representation in the classroom than white people from Croatia?</p>
<p>Obviously the categorization of who is Hispanic has existed prior to college admissions and is merely a grouping of countries that are termed Hispanic. So the real question is why have members of this group of countries and their ancestors been treated differently in college admissions. I think that part of that comes from the idea that many students who present as Hispanic have Spanish as a home language and many in the minds of college admissions are from lower socioeconomic families. I think that there is also the idea that they are brown skinned-- mixed with indigenous natives of South and Central America or African Americans. That is why it is a fallacy to believe that all people who are Hispanic will be seen in the same way for admissions purposes.</p>
<p>@GMTplus7
I am struggling to see the point of this arbitrary classification called race itself…</p>