<p>Alright I know that race plays a huge factor to get into college and that if I'm considered spanish I can basically get into most schools I'm applying to with my stats. However, I don't know if I'm truley spanish. My mom's parents one is cuban one is not, but her parents got divorced and her dad remarried to an all spanish woman who is now my grandma. She is completley spanish and doesn't even speak english. If I put that I'm hispanic on my app will I get in trouble. If the college dosen't have interviews and see that I'm white what are they going to say. If they say I lied on my app I will show them to my grandmother who can only speak spanish...</p>
<p>Well, if you’re Spanish, that usually doesn’t count as Hispanic. I’m assuming you meant Hispanic, given that you said Cuban, but if you didn’t, you should realize, those hailing from Spain are generally not considered Hispanic.</p>
<p>Ohh, I mean hispanic, my 2nd grandmother (not the one who had my mother but the one who remarried my mom’s dad) came from cuba like 20 years ago.</p>
<p>If you identify as hispanic, you’re hispanic! Lol if someone asked you what nationality you were - would you say Cuban? If so then yeah you’re hispanic! Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. PS, the questions are optional so no common app cop will come knocking on your door for a DNA swab of hispanic blood =p</p>
<p>Yes but if I put hispanic on my app then I have a 5x better chance of getting into the college so ultimatley if I put hispanic (which I consider myself to be) but the college didn’t they would consider me to be cheating.</p>
<p>Edit: small town in New york, where might that elbeeen?</p>
<p>ohh, I live in westchester. I’m going to email the admissions councler at a school and ask this question. Because I’m actually not blood related with my grandma who is cuban but I feel myself that I am cuban since she is my grandma and I relate to Cubans… This is a tricky question.</p>
<p>Colleges aren’t just looking for people who identify as Hispanic when college apps come around. Do you consider your (1/4, using your biological grandparents) heritage a significant part of your life?</p>
<p>Yes I do, I hang out with mostly hispanics at school and follow the culture. I’m taking spanish right now and work at a place where I interact with many other hispanics. I just don’t see how a college could put so much emphasis on ethnicity. I know if I put that I’m hispanic I have a 25% better shot of getting into the colleges I want to but I don’t know if it would be right doing so.
Anyways, I just emailed Harvard about the question since I have no chance there anyways, but since I know that their word is the strongest I can get.</p>
<p>UVAorBUST,
The pc way to phrase this is what you identify with? The reality is, what are your bloodlines? If you are 1/4 Hispanic by blood and have grown up with many of the traditions then you can currently mark Hispanic as well as Caucasian. If you are of European dissent (English, German, Irish, Welsh, Swedish, etc) however grew up in Mexico due to your fathers job, you are still Caucasian. Make sense?
You are a very smart young man and I believe you are aware that the common app is written this way for people who may have several racial backgrounds by blood. This allows them to mark the group they most strongly identify with.
You, my friend, are looking for the URM bump in your application.</p>
<p>As a better example of why this is needed would be my cousins daughter. She is 1/4 Caucasian, 1/4 African American, 1/4 Japanese, 1/4 native hawaiian. Who gets to tell her what nationality she is? How does she self-identify. If her grandparent remarries someone from Ireland, is she now Irish?
Her family fully embraces all of her ethnic heritage. It will be up to her which box to check. My guess is she will leave it blank.</p>
<p>URM isn’t a ‘free ticket.’ Your stats will certainly have to be up-to-par if you want acceptance; the number of competitive Hispanics in college applicant pools is increasing with each year.</p>
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<p>You are Hispanic if your true grandmother (the one you are related to by blood) is Hispanic. Having a Hispanic “step-grandmother” who is Cuban most certainly does not make you Hispanic.</p>
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<p>“Hispanic or Latino of any race.” That’s what it says on the Common App where you mark “Yes” or “No” for Hispanic. Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race. If a parent/grandparent was born and/or lived for a considerable amount of time in a country of Hispanic origin (excluding Spain and Brazil), one may be classified as Hispanic if they identify with the ethnicity. The OP, however, is not Hispanic because his grandmother by blood is not Hispanic.</p>
<p>"I know if I put that I’m hispanic I have a 25% better shot of getting into the colleges I want to but I don’t know if it would be right doing so. "</p>
<p>I’d like to hear more about how you know this. Are you thinking of a specific school that has admissions data to support that? i.e. "all else being equal, admissions rates in recent cycles at that school for those self identifying as hispanic are 25 percent higher?</p>
<p>Decrescendo. I will not argue as I am certainly no expert. I find it very interesting that a person could self identify as Hipanic ethnicity based on living in a certain country for an extended period of time.
Having said this, there are things about the college applications web that contort the mind daily.
Cheers.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help fellas (especially blueiguana :0 )
I’ve decided that I’m not going to apply as hispanic. Although I follow all the traditions and identify myself as hispanic I have no blood relation to my hispanic grandmother. Thank you for the help though guys.</p>
<p>Don’t make a big issue out of it - just put Hispanic. You have an inkling of it and relate to the hispanic culture. There are many others in the same situation that won’t think twice. Just go for it. Nobody is going to give you a “hispanic” blood test.</p>
<p>No problem. You know I never sugar coat anything. How was your trip? I know you said you thought Michigan was huge. Did you get any good vibes about the academics from any of the schools (not comparing campus, thinking of the teaching style, etc)?</p>
<p>Neither am I. I’m just a high school student. :)</p>
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<p>It does seem odd at first glance, but Hispanic isn’t a ‘race’, it’s an ‘ethnicity.’ To be of Hispanic or Latino ‘origin’, one must have parents/grandparents who lived in a Hispanic country for quite some time; you don’t have to have had generations living in that country to be classified as Hispanic.</p>
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<p>Indeed, my mind has been stretched, twisted, and bent to its full capacity.</p>
<p>Wait! Before for go, can you tell me how you came up with the 5X admission rate and where? I’m thinking I’ve seen admission rates for Blacks at UVA, but they were nowhere near five times baseline.</p>