Did I put the wrong race?

Applying to College
1

<p>So I am getting a little worried. On my common application I checked the box black or african american and than checked africa. My dad is from Algeria(north africa) and mom is from Canada, but I was born in the US. However, if you looked at me you wouldn't consider me to be black. Am I in any trouble for doing this or did I have jurisdiction to put black or african american??</p>

2

<p>It doesn’t matter what others consider you, it only matters what you consider yourself.</p>

3

<p>We are mixed race and we just checked everything that we wanted to include. African American may or may not be black. You could be a White or Indian South African or Zimbabwean and still be African American if you immigrated here. We are Japanese, French, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Filipino, Jewish, Buddhist, Shinto, Lutheran, Quaker…</p>

<p>What the heck do you do with us? We carry multiple passports too. Schools can’t make race based decisions any way. Oh yeah! Here is a funny story. I once worked with a girl named Kim Park and she went to a small LAC in the North East. She got a full scholarship and when she arrived to pick up her money and enroll the financial aid office was shocked to see that she was 100% White! They expected an Asian student and they thought she was Korean. Park is not just a Korean name. It is also a traditional English name. She enrolled and graduated no problem – you’re fine dude.</p>

4

<p>This has clearly been asked before:</p>

<p>[Pese</a> a los problemas con coleros, florece el negocio de las cuevas en la city | Finanzas y mercados | Cronista Comercial](<a href=“http://www.cronista.com/finanzasmercados/Pese-a-los-problemas-con-los-coleros-florece-el-negocio-de-las-cuevas-en-la-city-20110509-0037.html]Pese”>Pese a los problemas con coleros, florece el negocio de las cuevas en la city - El Cronista)</p>

<p>The bottom line is if you do not identify as being AA on a daily basis, if your friends and community don’t consider you AA, if your family doesn’t check the AA box everyewhere they ask, you’re not AA.</p>

<p>Colleges admissions officers are sensitive to this issue. There are often many little hints that a candidate jhas suddenly changed the way he sees his race. He may have checked one race on the PSAT and another on the SAT. A chat with their counselor might elicit surprise. Earlier school records can show another race. I remember a student calling himself a white boy in an essay and checking Hispanic.</p>

<p>It’s no surprise that many are tempted to get the perceived bump. It often is nowhere near as big as it seems. But don’t lie.</p>

5

<p>“White” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicated their race(s) as “White” or reported entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Arab, Moroccan, or Caucasian.
“Black or African American” refers to a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicated their race(s) as “Black, African Am., or Negro” or reported entries such as African American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.
<a href=“http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf[/url]”>http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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