<p>well here is a misnomer - just because you are ‘african american’ doesn’t necessarily mean affirmative action will aid your candidacy. and just because you list african american, doesnt mean they will consider you african american.</p>
<p>in the end adcoms are smarter than you think on this question, and will probably not read you as a disadvantaged group, though certainly consider your diversity. i think it would not be genuine to list it when you KNOW that african american is a racialized and specific category in the united states, to apply it to yourself. if for some reason you were naive on the subject, that is one thing, clearly you are not. worse yet you probably risk alienating the adcom by making that claim.</p>
<p>i wouldn’t advise it. and if you get admitted know that you’re probably not being admitted for the slight of hand of checking the box. i believe the common app has a middle eastern box, i would consider that.</p>
<p>alternatively, i like concoll’s mention to put down North African because it would be proper to explain your heritage - saying middle eastern or white indeed would diminish the truth. </p>
<p>but! i don’t like the way concoll and pwoods seem to treat identity the way they have. sure you check it, but there are consequences to doing so, some perhaps good but many very bad. i would be wary with how you give advice, in this case it is truly wholly and incredibly unproductive.</p>