Admissions hide it from themselves, but the school needs the data to prove that they weren’t breaking the law, right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left it blank.

Kid did very well in admissions.

You are not required to check the box.

Yes. But why an outdated question? To help families make decision when they are looking at the CDS?

There’s tons of outdated stuff on the common app, like where your parents were educated. Why should that matter? Yet the question remains. Skip it if you don’t want to answer.

Wrong advice. It’s more nuanced than that
Schools use that info in a way that benefits them.

Colleges want students who come from families who also attended highly selective universities. It is one of the metrics they use in landscape or slate as a predictive measure of, ease of graduation, ease of making payments and likelihood of alumni success. It’s also why certain colleges, in the top 20, ask for where siblings attended college. They are not just nosy. They want to see how focused on education your family is. How successful the siblings are.

Anecdotally, our private college counselor told us that if both parents attended highly selective universities for undergrad and graduate school, there is a higher correlation with admissions to T20. So even if your top stats kid has better “pure metrics” to peers from same high school, but your kids parents attended no name regional colleges, and the peers parents went to Wharton, there are bonus points allocated to the peer in the admissions process over your kid. Get smart on how slate and landscape work in the admissions process.

And if you or your spouse attended regional or not well-regarded colleges, consider omitting that education information entirely. If you attended highly selective universities absolutely include that information.

Indian-American here. Half of my family, including a parent, came from the Indian diaspora in Africa. I wouldn’t have dreamed of identifying myself as anything other than Asian-American when applying to college or just American, which I am! Africa is an important and valued part of my family history. India is my cultural heritage. America is my core identity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The correct answer is Black/African American.
- Zohran Mamdani

Literally born in Africa.

Do you guys want him to check white.

Need better boxes!!

He’s south Asian by ethnicity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The correct answer is Black/African American.
- Zohran Mamdani

Literally born in Africa.

Do you guys want him to check white.

Need better boxes!!

The box he ticked as African American was about ethnicity not about where he was born. Zohran knew that he was of Indian ethnicity but ticked African American because that would increase his chances of admission at Columbia five fold. Unfortunately for him in those days Columbia had ethics. It was equally unfortunate for Bowdoin too.

He also checked Asian and you guys have been saying for years that this hurts students. So which is it? Trying to hurt himself, trying to help himself or trying to explain a person who doesn’t fit the boxes?

If he hadn't checked Asian as well then I'd put him in the worm bucket with Mindy Kaling's brother. But he did. So it doesn't read "underhanded" to me. Plus, as I understand it, Indians from Indian scrutinize diaspora "Indians" closely. I used to work with a girl whose family was in the Caribbean for a hundred years. All of her friends and neighbors were black Caribbeans because that is who accepted her. For some people life is just complicated

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The correct answer is Black/African American.
- Zohran Mamdani

Literally born in Africa.

Do you guys want him to check white.

Need better boxes!!

The box he ticked as African American was about ethnicity not about where he was born. Zohran knew that he was of Indian ethnicity but ticked African American because that would increase his chances of admission at Columbia five fold. Unfortunately for him in those days Columbia had ethics. It was equally unfortunate for Bowdoin too.

He also checked Asian and you guys have been saying for years that this hurts students. So which is it? Trying to hurt himself, trying to help himself or trying to explain a person who doesn’t fit the boxes?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left it blank.

Kid did very well in admissions.

You are not required to check the box.

Yes. But why an outdated question? To help families make decision when they are looking at the CDS?

There’s tons of outdated stuff on the common app, like where your parents were educated. Why should that matter? Yet the question remains. Skip it if you don’t want to answer.

Anonymous wrote:Why do they even need the data? They should get rid of it all.

Though as someone else said, if you aren't smart enough to drop it in your essay ("As president of my school's black students association..."), you aren't smart enough to go to the school.

Admission staff at every selective university will bitterly cling to 2022, and try to find every conceivable way to continue granting admissions preferences based on skin color / BIPOC status.

They are desperate to find ways to keep out the Asians, and white people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The correct answer is Black/African American.
- Zohran Mamdani

Literally born in Africa.

Do you guys want him to check white.

Need better boxes!!

- so was Elon Musk.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The correct answer is Black/African American.
- Zohran Mamdani

Literally born in Africa.

Do you guys want him to check white.

Need better boxes!!

The box he ticked as African American was about ethnicity not about where he was born. Zohran knew that he was of Indian ethnicity but ticked African American because that would increase his chances of admission at Columbia five fold. Unfortunately for him in those days Columbia had ethics. It was equally unfortunate for Bowdoin too.

Ravin Wong
Naomi Osaka
Kimora Lee
Jhene Aiko
Lisa Wu
Angela Yee
Karrueche Tran

Anonymous wrote:We left it blank.

Kid did very well in admissions.

You are not required to check the box.

Yes. But why an outdated question? To help families make decision when they are looking at the CDS?

We left it blank.

Kid did very well in admissions.

You are not required to check the box.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do they even need the data? They should get rid of it all.

Though as someone else said, if you aren't smart enough to drop it in your essay ("As president of my school's black students association..."), you aren't smart enough to go to the school.

If colleges are removing their DEI offices, why not just rid of this from common app even the expectation that students write about in their essays? In some countries, don't people include a small portrait photo of themselves with their resume? Adopt that here if AOs "want to know can't ask"

I know several people with Hispanic last names and who are Hispanic yet are blonde and blue eyed. Should DEI benefits only apply to those who have a certain look?

Anonymous wrote:Why do they even need the data? They should get rid of it all.

Though as someone else said, if you aren't smart enough to drop it in your essay ("As president of my school's black students association..."), you aren't smart enough to go to the school.

If colleges are removing their DEI offices, why not just rid of this from common app even the expectation that students write about in their essays? In some countries, don't people include a small portrait photo of themselves with their resume? Adopt that here if AOs "want to know can't ask"