Its becoming increasingly clear that being asian is a strong disadvantage in the college application process. I’m half asian and my dad is white so my last name reflects that. I’m considering just putting “white” on my application but idk if there would be any consequences for doing that. It doesnt rlly feel like much of a lie since I am half white and since I’m 5th generation American, my upbringing has been completely western. Also, I look a lot less asian than I am. People are often surprised that I have asian in me.
I thought applications made he racial question optional? I would not be dishonest by ignoring your true racial background but I would consider skipping the question if that is an option.
It is optional but I heard that in some cases it sometimes makes college admissions people go back and put more thought into ur race which in some cases (like when ur asian) could be a disadvantage. Would it rlly be being dishonest tho to put white since that is a part of my “true racial background”?
Asian Americans DO get into their target colleges.
I’d say focus more on what would make you a match they want.
Learn what that is, not just stats. Or a few leader titles or fundraising or founding. Show it.
The sort of thinking a tippy top college wants doesn’t ask if hiding part of your identity is a magic tip. Meanwhile, it could be your app that holds you back.
@MeepMorp1 , I don’t think it matters much on the scale of lying.
First, if we’re all to be honest, a high percentage of people have more than one racial strain in their DNA, yet the vast majority list only a single race when asked. So, from that standpoint, a lot of people don’t list what a DNA test might reveal they are. For this, I submit my DNA test site as purely anecdotal proof. I can see the DNA of everyone listed as a DNA match for me, and it is hundreds if not thousands of people. The vast majority have at least two “recognized” races listed and some have three or even more. Yet, almost to a person, each person lists only one race when asked.
My son has a good friend who lists “white” 100% of the time, but his mother is technically Hispanic – she’s mostly Caucasian Cuban but she was born and raised in America. Yet, when it comes to college applications, all of a sudden this kid is listing that he is Hispanic. We all laugh about it.
Second, if you think you it will help you, do it. Some kids score a low score on a standardized test, pay $4K for a tutor for 4 months, then score very well. In my mind, that is a more egregious bending of the truth. Also, some kids list one major on their application because they think it is easier to be admitted in that fake major, but they plan to switch to their real intended major after admittance. A lot of applicants are manipulating the system in one way or another.
Third, good luck.
I don’t think it would be lying.
What some kids do isn’t necessarily a potent move, at all.
How you answer is up to you. But don’t assume this is some major roadblock. That’s too simplistic. Make sure you know what a solid app pkg really is, for each target school. That’s what advances an applicant.
And sometimes, being multicultural, showing that in the right ways, adds interest. I think you need to rethink this.
I agree with @lookingforward, it’s really not as simple as being Asian somehow hurts your chances. It’s part of who you are and the schools are looking at the whole package not just which box you check. My son is Asian and went through the process last year - his multicultural upbringing was something he talked about in his essay, and I think it actually helped him. On the other hand, if you look at the actual question in the Common App, I think it says you should check whichever boxes you identify with, so it’s up to you how you respond.
@MeepMorp1 , I should add that I don’t know if listing either or both of your options will help or hinder your chances. I was responding only to the question of whether or not it would be “lying” or somehow immoral.
Why not just check “multi-racial” ?
Answer honestly or choose not to answer. OP is over-thinking this.
If your school lists your demographics on your transcript, you really don’t want to risk a mismatch or discordance popping up. You don’t want a jealous frenemy calling admissions later claiming you lied on your application. Stay on the up-&-up. If you expect your race to get discriminated against in admissions, just don’t list it. Aside from asking, “What was his last name again?”, AOs have better ways to spend their time than to go digging.
“Multiracial” is typically a reporting category of those who check more than one, not a box that can be checked. Example college application:
The traditional categorization into largely three or four main “recognized” races, plus Hispanic which is an ethnicity sometimes treated like a race, is almost pure nonsense from a scientific perspective. Pairwise Fst estimates between Europeans and southern Africans are nearly the same as those between northern Africans and southern Africans. Genetically, southern Europeans are closer to West Asians than they are to northern Europeans.
I’d leave the Race/Ethnicity box blank. You question is anxiety-driven and it seems that if you put “Asian” there and get rejected, you’ll torture yourself over it for a long time, no matter whether it actually harmed, or helped you, right?
From the Common App Website FAQs:
"Why do you ask about ethnicity?
Though questions about ethnicity are not required, they tell college admission officers more about your background and give them a greater perspective about your unique experience.
The ethnicity question on the Common Application has been updated to meet the Department of Education reporting requirements. Answers to the ethnicity question are not required for submission. If you choose to answer this question, you may provide whatever answer you feel best applies to you or any groups of which you feel you are a part. If you wish to answer the ethnicity question but feel that the established categories do not fully capture how you identify yourself, you may provide more detail in the Additional Information section of the application."
Yes, racism/etc. is nonsense, but that does not prevent it from existing and affecting people’s lives. The traditional categorizations in the US are more of a sociological phenomenon than anything based on actual science (and they differ from whatever categorizations may exist elsewhere).
I know an Asian family with an identifiable Asian last name that changed their surname to one that’s Anglo-sounding when their oldest was in middle school. Planning ahead for college admissions.
My Asian child has a 100% Irish name. There was nothing on her application that identified her as Asian - not a club, not a language, not a middle name. Yes, there are a few people still surprised when she raises her hand to answer ‘Here’ but for the most part no one thinks twice about it. She checked the Asian box only because I told her it would help the school with its statistics but in the end it made no difference.
Good story, @twoinanddone , there is a lot of this angst about being Asian in the wake of the Harvard case, and it’s really unfortunate. Many schools are trying to improve their diversity profiles. In some cases, that may work against an Asian applicant (West Coast schools mostly have plenty of Asian students already), in some cases it may work in the applicant’s favor and in many cases it won’t be a factor at all. I think the OP and applicants generally should present their true best selves when applying, rather than trying to guess what the schools may like or not like.
That goes opposite to what some here say, which is that applicants must find how they match to each college’s admission wants and craft their applications appropriately (or, more cynically, “package themselves” for each college’s admission wants), at least for the most selective colleges with subjectively done admissions evaluation. (Obviously, this is more doable for things that are not fixed, like legacy and race/ethnicity, even though colleges may care about these fixed things and applicants cannot really do much about them.)