Culture essay question. Feels like a trap

[Anonymous]

As a 2nd gen MENA applicant, I definitely would have preferred a "culture" essay to checking the box for "white" or "other." I was well and truly confused by that at the time.

[Anonymous]

they keep saying they'll add a MENA box and they never do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They still mostly white. Do they feel overwhelmingly white?

Harvard is 50+% white and 30% Asian per one survey.

MIT is 40% white and 40% Asian , but double counts 10% of the school that is multiracial

Yale is 33% White , 17% Asian, and 23% international (nice trick!) which I guess is mostly Asian.

that Yale number includes grad schools. Undergrad has higher % of white kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a 2nd gen MENA applicant, I definitely would have preferred a "culture" essay to checking the box for "white" or "other." I was well and truly confused by that at the time.

my kid is MENA and shying away from any MENA-oriented culture essay. His feeling is this is not a hugely desired group. Going to do it based on his running club instead

[Anonymous]

Indian here. Wrote about being Indian in my "culture" essays. Between the two schools I applied to that required it, I was accepted to one; both had <10% acceptance rates. This was 2023, so affirmative action still existed, too.

[Anonymous]

I thought the culture essay was mostly new since it's literally parrots the John Roberts language in the SC decision.

[Anonymous]

You sound paranoid.

My daughter’s common app essay drew heavily from her Asian heritage. It was authentic to her, and she got into 7 of the ten schools she applied to, all with offers of merit aid.

Please don’t pass your thinking onto your child. Let them be who they are. A school who wants someone like them will welcome them with open arms (and you don’t want to send them somewhere where they are not welcome).

[Anonymous]

Kids have lots of options. Picking the option that puts them at an advantage is not bad “thinking”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Indian here. Wrote about being Indian in my "culture" essays. Between the two schools I applied to that required it, I was accepted to one; both had <10% acceptance rates. This was 2023, so affirmative action still existed, too.

The school name is relevant. Less than 10% acceptance rate could be Northeastern or Yale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think these schools want to hear about Asian culture, including Indian.

I don’t think they want to hear about middle eastern/North African.

I don’t think they want to hear about any Caribbean culture.

I think they’re only looking for (American) Black, Hispanic, indigenous, and rural, and first gen (but only if no specified ethnicity or one of the above).

The whole thing feels like a trap w college still stuck with their own implicit bias or not so implicit box checking.

Am I wrong? Wouldn’t you advise a kid with strong ties to, say, Egypt or China to pick a “culture” (club, neighborhood etc) that isn’t so impacted in this process?

The Black population is usually significantly Caribbean and African at these schools, not American Black.

[Anonymous]

For sure. Nigerians are overrepresented. But don’t lean on that, unless you are explicit that you’re first gen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:they keep saying they'll add a MENA box and they never do

it is not there bc it isnt a race and could be more than one of the others for which boxes are provided. so no, no one has said "they" would add it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This question was added after John Roberts said specifically this is how race could be brought up in an application.

But yes, colleges still are only looking for URM. Not Asian etc.

So if you’re white or Asian, etc, write about the pool or the gym or the neighborhood skate park.

But if you’re in a racial group they want, this is where you add it

If they don't want white and Asian students why do they accept so many?

[Anonymous]

Lots of ideas here - pick a micro community or micro culture to focus on:

Truth is good “community” essays that I’ve seen are about the strawberry farmers a student knew at her local farmers market in rural New Jersey; or about the different people the student rode the city bus to school with every day. Communities and culture shouldn’t just be about race/ethnicity esp if from an ove-represented group…

Really the key is to choose a “micro-community” or “micro-culture” that shows what’s important to you/your values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think these schools want to hear about Asian culture, including Indian.

I don’t think they want to hear about middle eastern/North African.

I don’t think they want to hear about any Caribbean culture.

I think they’re only looking for (American) Black, Hispanic, indigenous, and rural, and first gen (but only if no specified ethnicity or one of the above).

The whole thing feels like a trap w college still stuck with their own implicit bias or not so implicit box checking.

Am I wrong? Wouldn’t you advise a kid with strong ties to, say, Egypt or China to pick a “culture” (club, neighborhood etc) that isn’t so impacted in this process?

The Black population is usually significantly Caribbean and African at these schools, not American Black.

none of the troll post makes sense. also it is an essay not a one word answer. you can add the one word anywhere as well they want to see something creative interestinv and the applicant.