Chance an ambiguous brown boy for UPenn Wharton Undergrad ED!

Hellooo, Junior in HS right now trying to figure my chances for Wharton ED, here we go!!!

Demographic

  • I'm an "African-American" Muslim male, I use the quotation marks because my mom was born and raised in northern Africa (Algeria) and my dad in Pakistan. I look like a slightly darker Arab dude
  • Upper-Middle Class
  • I attend a fairly large and competitive public school (T1000 nationally and T200 Cali) aprox 1600 kids

Academics:

  • Intended major: Finance/Economics
  • GPA: 4.00 (UW), 4.4(W)
  • No AP scores back yet, so far I've taken 5 honors and 3 AP classes
  • 1430 PSAT, took it on a whim, probably won't mention it in the app
  • I've yet to take the SAT, but on a school-administered practice test I got a 1440 without prep we'll see how that changes, I'm planning on practicing till I hit 1530+ ?

EC’s (Plans for next year in parentheses)

  • Wrestling: JV 9th. Varsity 10th, 11th, (12th). Team Captain for 11th and 12th
  • Part of the Link Crew club 11th, (12th). Program that helps incoming freshman acclimate to the school. Also part of the Link Crew class, which help plan the events
  • JSA: Pretty much just a debate club, 11th, (12th (Good chance of being VP))
  • Model United Nations: 11th, (12th). I've been elected president for next year!
  • Am the Chief of Youth Outreach and Communications for my local mosque 9th, 10th, 11th, (12th)
  • Part of our school's Full Orchestra 9th, 10th, 11th, (12th)

(I’m hoping that the fact that I’ve been able to take leadership position is JSA and MUN after only a year of participation will outweigh the fact I’ve only done them for a year ? )

Awards

  • 2x County Placer for Wrestling, 1x Champ

-Funniest delegation at the National High School MUN Conference (Yes that’s very important)

-That’s sorta it… CB nominated me for this PSAT recognition thing I need to apply for but yee

Essays

-Haven’t gotten too far into the essay writing process, but I’m writing my common app about my love of arguing and how that has shaped me

-I’ve got a story of a speech my Algebra 2 teacher told us that made me get into finance for the “Intellectual Discovery” supplemental question. (Along with my childhood and shee)

-Haven’t though too much about the “Community” supplemental question yet

I don’t think Algerians are considered African American. But good luck!

Your chances are for Wharton, are slim, to be honest.
Did you compete in national level debate tournaments and placed high ?
Being a HS club president is quite common, but more important is what have you accomplished or learned.
Also, I think Middle Eastern heritage is considered Caucasian?
Next year admission cycle will be different anyway, so who knows?!

I haven’t placed high in any national thing unfortunately. Yes middle eastern is Caucasian, but Algeria is in northern Africa, and not considered middle east. Thanks!

According to the Federal definitions, the people of North Africa are White. From the Census Bureau:

I guess technically, but my skin is quite brown so idk haha

“An Unambiguous brown boy…” Yet, ambiguously African-American?

Kudos on the Funniest Delegation placement.

I would list what is listed on official documents. What do you list on your driver’s license? What did you list for your high school? What are you putting down for the census?

If you list African-American/Black on those, by all means you should list it the same on your college applications.

If you don’t identify as African-American/Black in any other setting, it might be viewed as a lie to do so on a college application.

Algeria has a complex history. Is your mom from white ancestry? Or black? If the latter, this will give you an advantage, even though you won’t be considered an african american. You could consider yourself as a mixed race of black african descent.

Algerian could be any of white (less likely), black, Arab or Berber (most likely) ethnicities.

“Algerian could be any of white (less likely), black, Arab or Berber (most likely) ethnicities.”

This question arises from time to time on CC and there is almost never a time when a poster says “My parent is a Black [Northern African].” Such wording would make it less ambiguous that someone identifies with attaching Africa - and all its attendant imagery and ideas - to their cultural lineage and historical identity

I believe I have read about historical areas where French (or whatever other nation) expats live as nationals of the homeland, and whose children are also born citizens of the homeland, though they live permanently in a Northern African country, but a designated district mostly populated by swaths of people with a similar designated national, racial and cultural origin.

OP, come in and converse with us?

My daughter was the 4th generation on one side and 5th on the other born on African soil, no nationality other than her home country, yet could never classify as “African American” because her skin is too light. It’s not just a case of continent of birth or identifying culturally with where one comes from. But we know this.

Separately, I don’t actually know - what ethnicity on that usual list would someone of Arab/Middle East origin choose? Is it Caucasian?

@SJ2727:

“My daughter was the 4th generation on one side and 5th on the other born on African soil, no nationality other than her home country, yet could never classify as “African American” because her skin is too light. It’s not just a case of continent of birth or identifying culturally with where one comes from. But we know this.”

My son’s skin is white. White. His hair is blonde and deepening, so sandy.

His mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are Black.

His consciousness, concerns and identity are those of the Black American.

Skin tone is not, must not, and cannot be the barometer of a claim to racial identity.

The big question many of us have is what are the contemporary prevailing rules for racial claim as decided by organizations and authorities such as Immigration.

@SJ2727: “Separately, I don’t actually know - what ethnicity on that usual list would someone of Arab/Middle East origin choose? Is it Caucasian?”

Part of what also confounds is the use of language and categories related to how we label ourselves, how we are identified.

Caucasian being a racial category and not an ethnicity, do people of Arab/Middle Eastern origin even assign themselves to these categories when not in the U.S.? Perhaps it is all a jumble for the individual because of a distinct way of looking at ‘who/what’ one is.

A similar example?
https://theundefeated.com/features/isaiah-hartenstein-nba-draft-2017/

What does it say on your birth certificate?

"

@ucbalumnus: In the neighborhood, yes. Much of that profile echoes my son’s experience, even in the instances of finding he must address, correct and re-direct some statements made in group. The ire which can arise…

Thanks for the article.