Am I a URM???/Is___ race/circumstance considered URM?? Forum

[bk1]

Will it be a problem if I mark myself as Mexican/Hispanic for law school apps?

No, it will not be a problem.

[071816]

I'm 1/4 Mexican, but have white skin and do not speak Spanish (nor does my dad). In the past, I've marked White/Hispanic on college applications, without really thinking about it. Will it be a problem if I mark myself as Mexican/Hispanic for law school apps? I've always considered myself more Mexican than anything (mostly because of my last name and my dad's family), but biologically speaking I have more Caucasian blood in my veins.

I also am 1/16 Native American (Lipan Apache; I have documentation) but I'm assuming that doesn't really matter.

Mexican and Caucasian are not mutually exclusive. There are plenty of Mexican people in Mexico with white skin. Why do people constantly think you have to be some dark mestizo to be Hispanic?

[cynthiad]

but it feels dishonest to claim this

If you feel like nitpicking and loopholing on the internet all damn day, I suppose you're free to do so, but if the fact that your own gut feeling is "this is dishonest" doesn't give you your answer, then you're a lost human being.

lol i'm a lost human being because of curiosity? wow. my gut feeling is why i checked the white box on the lsac website before i even made this post. not sure why that means i can't ask a simple question.

[bergdd]

are spaniards URMS?

[bk1]

are spaniards URMS?

No.

[cynthiad]

but it feels dishonest to claim this

If you feel like nitpicking and loopholing on the internet all damn day, I suppose you're free to do so, but if the fact that your own gut feeling is "this is dishonest" doesn't give you your answer, then you're a lost human being.

lol i'm a lost human being because of curiosity? wow. my gut feeling is why i checked the white box on the lsac website before i even made this post. not sure why that means i can't ask a simple question.

I'm sorry. I just reread my post and realized it was pretty defensive. From my original post, there's no way you could have known that I was just asking out of curiosity, so I realize how it came off as hurtful. I apologize.

[norwichabe]

Hi. I am a first generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic. This makes me ethnically Dominican. Racially I am a pretty thorough mix of African and Caucasian going back many generations (i.e. mixing an remixing). If you know anything about Dominicans this wouldn't come as any surprise. So do I count as an URM? In case it is a concern I am a naturalized American citizen since 2003 (+- 2 years).

[bk1]

Hi. I am a first generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic. This makes me ethnically Dominican. Racially I am a pretty thorough mix of African and Caucasian going back many generations (i.e. mixing an remixing). If you know anything about Dominicans this wouldn't come as any surprise. So do I count as an URM? In case it is a concern I am a naturalized American citizen since 2003 (+- 2 years).

If you list African you will be considered a URM.

[elorica8]

Hey guys, I'm mixed (black and white) and I have checked African American on everything. In my DS, though, I talk about how my father is an immigrant from Jamaica. I also mention that my mom is white. Will this hurt my URM boost? Does it matter that he is not American? Does it matter that my mom is white?

[JayJones78]

Hey guys, I'm mixed (black and white) and I have checked African American on everything. In my DS, though, I talk about how my father is an immigrant from Jamaica. I also mention that my mom is white. Will this hurt my URM boost? Does it matter that he is not American? Does it matter that my mom is white?

I was wondering that from the flip side. Does marking AA and another 'white' race hurts the URM boost? I have read several times here about the 'one drop rule' and that as long as you mark your URM race and discuss it in your PS or DS to show that it's actually part of who you are than you are fine. Correct?

[bk1]

Hey guys, I'm mixed (black and white) and I have checked African American on everything. In my DS, though, I talk about how my father is an immigrant from Jamaica. I also mention that my mom is white. Will this hurt my URM boost? Does it matter that he is not American? Does it matter that my mom is white?

None of this matters. You're fine.

I was wondering that from the flip side. Does marking AA and another 'white' race hurts the URM boost? I have read several times here about the 'one drop rule' and that as long as you mark your URM race and discuss it in your PS or DS to show that it's actually part of who you are than you are fine. Correct?

It does not hurt the boost. But the boost is not some static +7 for all applicants so the better you are able to legitimately incorporate diversity into your DS (or PS) the better off you will be.

[jkbrad11]

Just found this forum..i'm a healthy mix of native american, asian indian, and caucasian..does this qualify me to be URM? I know traditionally the asian indian and caucasian doesn't ...but if I'm mixed does that do anything??

[Belly]

Just popping in to put in my two cents for the Latinos.

I realize that the conventional wisdom on this site is that URM is limited to Mexican-American/Chicano/a, Puerto Rican, (black) African-American, and Native American. People who ask about Latino heritage from other countries seem to receive this "credited response" without hesitation and further discussion. I think this is inherently the correct answer by the definition of "underrepresented," and if you are asking this question, you should listen to it. However, as someone with heritage from multiple Latin American countries, one of which is Mexico, perhaps I pay greater attention to checking these sorts of boxes (?). Therefore, I have noticed:

I WAS NOT ALWAYS ASKED TO IDENTIFY BEYOND HISPANIC/LATINO. Thus, there is no way that such a school could possibly know whether I do or do not belong to one of the "credited" URM groups beyond just being Latina. So, even though you are still not underrepresented (this is by definition true), perhaps you will still receive some sort of boost from these schools?

[bk1]

Just popping in to put in my two cents for the Latinos.

I realize that the conventional wisdom on this site is that URM is limited to Mexican-American/Chicano/a, Puerto Rican, (black) African-American, and Native American. People who ask about Latino heritage from other countries seem to receive this "credited response" without hesitation and further discussion. I think this is inherently the correct answer by the definition of "underrepresented," and if you are asking this question, you should listen to it. However, as someone with heritage from multiple Latin American countries, one of which is Mexico, perhaps I pay greater attention to checking these sorts of boxes (?). Therefore, I have noticed:

I WAS NOT ALWAYS ASKED TO IDENTIFY BEYOND HISPANIC/LATINO. Thus, there is no way that such a school could possibly know whether I do or do not belong to one of the "credited" URM groups beyond just being Latina. So, even though you are still not underrepresented (this is by definition true), perhaps you will still receive some sort of boost from these schools?

The LSAC questionnaire (which schools receive if you allow it) explicitly differentiates between Hispanic subgroups.

[Belly]

So, by "no possible way" I of course meant "unless they receive that questionnaire." Carry on...nothing to see here...

[ledv]

i dont know if this was either posted earlier or whatnot; Vietnamese. Is this considered URM?

[John_rizzy_rawls]

i dont know if this was either posted earlier or whatnot; Vietnamese. Is this considered URM?

No, page 1 of the thread has all the information you need to know regarding this.

[osu888]

Are Armenians considered URM's at all?

[Nova]

Are Armenians considered URM's at all?

No, page 1 of the thread has all the information you need to know regarding this.

[osu888]

I guess I knew the answer, I'm actually wondering if there is any advantage to stating this on an application considering our history.

[Nova]

I guess I knew the answer, I'm actually wondering if there is any advantage to stating this on an application considering our history.

Sure. Adcomms like diveristy. If you have something compelling to write about, a Diversity Statement would be perfectly acceptable.

[jubee]

.

[subtle]

This question has kind of been burning me up a little since I already applied to schools, but a friend of mine told me I was naive for not checking the hispanic box on my apps, which spurred me to get some people's opinions (The friend that told me I was naive happens to be Puerto Rican). My father was born and raised in Puerto Rico, speaks spanish, didn't come to mainland USA until college. His family however is of european background. HE is definitely Puerto Rican and considers himself puerto rican, but I've always struggled with the notion if others would consider ME Puerto Rican. Because of that I always check the box where you decline to give an answer. I did this on my law apps and my undergrad apps. Would I qualify as a URM? About considering myself hispanic, like I touched on, I've always struggled with the idea mostly over the concern of other people's perceptions/never wanting to seem like i was claiming something that wasn't technically correct, and therefore avoided the question.

This is a personal question. Don't worry about what other people think/how they see you. If you *feel* Puerto Rican, you are; you certainly have the right to claim it. If you feel it would be dishonest, then it is.

[Varys]

This is a personal question. Don't worry about what other people think/how they see you. If you *feel* Puerto Rican, you are; you certainly have the right to claim it. If you feel it would be dishonest, then it is.

Other than being dishonest, what is to stop people from just checking one of the URM boxes? Do law schools or the ABA look into it to see that you really are the race you claim? I would think there must be some sort of enforcement of the policy, but then again I'd also like to think at this point most people will just be honest.

[subtle]

This is a personal question. Don't worry about what other people think/how they see you. If you *feel* Puerto Rican, you are; you certainly have the right to claim it. If you feel it would be dishonest, then it is.

Other than being dishonest, what is to stop people from just checking one of the URM boxes? Do law schools or the ABA look into it to see that you really are the race you claim? I would think there must be some sort of enforcement of the policy, but then again I'd also like to think at this point most people will just be honest.

I honestly don't know. People have said that it could come back to bite you in the ass in terms of C&F on the bar, but I honestly don't know what there is to stop people. I imagine that the fear alone of having problems is enough to keep most people from checking a box that they can't rightfully claim.