<p>If my grandpa was born in africa, that makes me 1/4 african american. College admissions say im allowed up to 1/8. However, I am white. Am i still allowed to apply as an african american because im technically considered african american.</p>
<p>from what i know you can definately use that card</p>
<p>Is your grandpa white but was born in Africa? (North African Region, South Africa)</p>
<p>Either way I guess you could be considered 1/4 African American.</p>
<p>The real question is how willing are you to be intellectually dishonest. Its one thing to to use whatever you can to get into college, its another to things that could only be considered sketchy.</p>
<p>Jonathan asks the first right question when he says "is your grandfather white?" If the answer is yes, then I would highly reccomend you not check the African-American box, its shady, improper and morally questionable. Certainly unethical.</p>
<p>If the answer on the other hand is no, then you need to ask yourself another series of questions. Do you consider yourself to be African-American? Do you identify with African-Americans? If the answer to these questions are "no." Then I would discourage you from checking the box as well.</p>
<p>I'd definately go with being African American</p>
<p>Is your grandfather a white African-American, or black? I've just always heard it's wrong to put down African-American if you're white (say, from South Africa).</p>
<p>why not check off both?</p>
<p>...
You are not a minority. You are clearly being dishonest. Minority status is defined by skin color. Besides, my great grandfather was born in Mexico, maybe I should just say I am a Mexican.</p>
<p>Technically, he is African American, it never says black, it says African American. Check it off, don't be ashamed of what you are. Might as well use the system to your benefit also.</p>
<p>my grandpa is neither white nor black. hes verry dark, hes middle eastern, u would think that he was from iraq or pakistan. I am exactly the same skin color as him and have been asked what ethnicity i am, as both my parents are form israel after my grandparents moved from iraq (dads side) and egypt (moms side).</p>
<p>
[quote]
College admissions say im allowed up to 1/8.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeesh. This is the sort of thing we continually excoriate the Old South and the National Socialists for having done. </p>
<p>But to the OP, I'd do whatever they permit. I definitely wouldn't feel guilty about gaming a corrupt system.</p>
<p>"Minority status is defined by skin color."</p>
<p>Not quite. I don't think the OP is quite a minority, but by your logic, I'm a minority too: I look pretty Mexican, but I'm actually part Pakistani. =)</p>
<p>"Minority status is defined by skin color."</p>
<p>I really don't think that's true. I'm 75% Italian and I could easily pass for having some kind of hispanic ethnicity during the spring and summer months when I'm darker than a good few of my hispanic friends.</p>
<p>If X's grandfather is Italian who moved to mexico, and X's father moved to US, then X is classified as Hispanic.</p>
<p>I read from another thread that blacks from North Carolina are more like to be decendents of American slaves (I think ASD is the term) than blacks from New York who more likely to be immigrants from Africa and West Indies, so the former should be preferred over the latter (Harvard and other elite college's current black students has large precentage of the black immigrants).</p>
<p>I think it is a matter of time that Harvard is going to have a dean of racial preference to sort all of these out.</p>
<p>technically a white person from africa should still be african american. they have roots in africa but are now americans.
that's the problem with political correctnous.</p>
<p>mark african, go for it !!!</p>
<p>the system is screwed up, so play the system.</p>
<p>The truth is though, it's not going to give you the edge you want unless your skin is really not white. Since you're white, you're likely to be treated like any other white, NOT experience discrimination or whatever, and consequently not have the insight/different perspective that colleges seek. Just b/c you're of African American decent doesn't mean that you'll reap the benefits. Though, if they never get a picture of you, it may end up being assumed that you are indeed, really black...</p>
<p>College don't seek different perspective, college really just want to publish figure that show they accepted many URM.</p>
<p>That's one way to look at it - but they really want both. Why go to a higher edu. institution and not have students challenge each other's ideas. Generally, that won't happen if most everyone comes from the same background. Colleges want that different perspective.</p>