Common App: "Regardless of your answer to the prior question, please indicate how you identify"

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
1

<p>Hello.
I am a Hispanic student with family from Central America and Spain.</p>

<p>On the Common App, I checked off "Yes" to whether or not I was Hispanic, and after being asked from where, which I checked off Central America and Spain, the following question says:</p>

<p>"Regardless of your answer to the prior question, please indicate how you identify yourself. (Select one or more)
American Indian
Asian
Black
Native Hawaiian
White"</p>

<p>I am not sure which one I check. Do I check off white? When I check off white, it then says:</p>

<p>"Which best describes your white background:
Europe
Middle East
Other (and then write that country)"</p>

<p>**So, what do I do with that second question regarding Indian, Asian, Black, Native Hawiaan, or White as a Hispanic student?</p>

2

<p>Well, Spain is in Europe…but I don’t understand why it would ask you to answer the second question.</p>

3

<p>@crystal19‌ - Yes, I don’t understand why I am still asked this question.</p>

<p>Hopefully someone else can answer this. If I check off that I am Hispanic, and therefore check off Central America and Spain, maybe I should just ignore that question.</p>

<p>Again, can anyone else in the Common App section please help!?!</p>

4

<p>you can leave it blank</p>

5

<p>From the help section:

As for the white question, the distinction was added in order to track Middle Eastern. From the White House website:

<a href=“http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg_1997standards”>http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg_1997standards&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>BTW, the American Indian, Asian, Black, and Native Hawaiian all have follow-up questions.</p>

<p>As for what OP should do, if s/he identifies as a white Hispanic, click white, and then Europe, or leave blank.</p>

6

<p>For some reason, the government likes to track data that should be meaningless. They differentiate white-Hispanic from non-white-Hispanic. It really all comes down to how you self-identify.</p>

7

<p>Thank you so very much, @skieurope & @Torveaux‌ .
I still have a question.</p>

<p>So, I am answering that I am Hispanic, and then checking Central America and Spain. I still don’t understand the following question very well. I don’t identify as white, as I feel very strongly about my Hispanic heritage, have lived with my Spanish grandparents my entire childhood, etc. </p>

<p>Therefore, do I just not check off anything to that following question? I know this is subjective but am just trying to understand this a little better. Again, I appreciate your help very much!!</p>

8

<p>You can leave the second part blank if you so desire.</p>