<p>So Yale sent me a form that said that all students claiming Native American or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander decent need to show their lineage/ document that this is true.</p>
<p>I was wondering if this is only true for these two groups....or if it is true for African Americans, Latinos, etc.</p>
<p>Never heard of it for AA or Latino students. Probably b/c the rarity of NA/PI applicants is higher yielding a bigger consideration.</p>
<p>I've heard of it primarily for Native Americans. You have to be registered. I'm guessing there's lots of people who claim Native American heritage ( for example I am 1/8th; grandmother family name is "Lightfoot", but I'm not registered. My kids 1/16th) with little if any cultural identity. Registering seems to suggest closer genetic and cultural ties.</p>
<p>It's only true for Native Americans. How can you do an ancestry check on blacks and hispanics? There's no lineage kept for them. Native Americans have verifiable tribe affiliations and/or ancestry.</p>
<p>Well, I'm glad I didn't check this, then.</p>
<p>From what I understand, I am some degree of Native American, but it was from too many generations ago to know where to look.</p>
<p>If your ancestors chose to assimilate as opposed to accepting the treatment that went with the ability to register, you are deemed to not have suffered and are, therefore, entitled to no affirmative action. You do know, however, that you have some good genes and can take comfort in that.</p>
<p>^ That's an interesting ?spin?. My grandpa was African American, and grandma was 1/2 AA, 1/2 Native American. Story is African Americans and Native Americans took each other in, intermarried a lot back in the day. I guess neither missed out on much suffering.</p>
<p>I am glad to see Yale implementing this reform. I wish more schools would. By far the largest Native tribe in America is The Wannabes - white guys claiming to be Native American.</p>
<p>It's hard to find a white family that's been here for more than one generation who doesn't have a vague claim of of an "Indian Princess" great-grandmother back there somewhere. These people then commonly suddenly declare and embrace their long forgetten Native roots once college admissions gets into the picture.</p>
<p>Hmm. This is interesting. I checked both "Native American" and "Caucasian" on the commonapp, but I haven't received any kind of ethnicity verification form from Yale. (Then again, I haven't received any acknowledgement of my application at all yet, so maybe it will come later.)</p>
<p>I'm not so sure that you actually need to be registered, though. I called Harvard (I know this is the Yale forum, but I imagine that much of what applies to Harvard in the application process applies to Yale also), and I was up-front with the admissions officer that I was primarily caucasian and did not legally belong to any tribe, and he still (very enthusiastically) encouraged me to put it on the application and send a separate note explaining it. Therefore, my guess is that you just need to prove your lineage in some way, not necessarily be registered yourself.</p>
<p>Harvard by the way is one of the few schools that does not require its students to prove NA ancestry or tribal affiliation. You could literally lie (which a lot of kids have done in the past) to boost your chances and they don't give a ****.</p>
<p>Siemprecuriosa - You should get your form soon, b/c Yale does require it. It says somewhere on there that their definition matches the federal one as someone who embraces their identity by either being enrolled, living on a reservation, etc.</p>
<p>^ This is a bummer. I didn't know this when I checked the box for Native American. Not that I lied; I CAN prove that I have Native American lineage, but I don't know if it fits the federal definition of "Native American." daxzzler, do you know where I can find more information on this? I looked on Yale's website and found absolutely nothing. Thanks!</p>
<p>^^Look here for Federal guidelines on being officially recognized as a member of a tribe:</p>
<p>U.S</a>. Department of the Interior - Indian Ancestry - Enrollment in a Federally Recognized Tribe</p>
<p>For many years the blood quantum requirement for most tribes was 1/4. But in recent years some have lowered it to 1/8, since due to intermarriage they were running out of people who qualified. People who have only a vague or remote ancestor and/or who have long since lost contact with the tribe almost never qualify for federally-recognized tribal membership.</p>
<p>The above title is true. She is 1/64th African-American. However, by looking at Heather Locklear, it is plainly obvious that she was not "born a poor black child"--to steal a line from Steve Martin in "The Jerk".</p>
<p>One of the tasks of an alumni interview is to verify basic information about the student. Many schools that don't require interviews ask that you submit a photograph along with your application. Either way, the schools know if you are lying if you check "Hawaiian" and you look like Reese Witherspoon. You've got to pass the sniff test.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Story is African Americans and Native Americans took each other in, intermarried a lot back in the day. I guess neither missed out on much suffering.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That has to be one of the Great Truths in US history.</p>
<p>A kid at the private boys school my S attended decided to check "Hispanic" because his grandfather has immigrated to the US from Spain. Of course GF had come complete with a PhD and oodles on money. </p>
<p>The GCs got wind of this and weren't amused.</p>
<p>sorry about the stupid question- but why does everybody check the ethnicity box when it's optional?</p>
<p>Because some people think they can use it to their advantage in the admissions process. Racial quotas play an oversized part of the overall process.</p>
<p>My daughter is a registered member of the Cherokee Nation (Western Band - Oklahoma) and has her tribal card. In addition, she has a card issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA Card). Also, the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma has a dept. specifically designed for tribal veification. If you plan on claiming Native American Status on your colleger applications, better make sure that you're recognized by the Federal Government and you're tribe. For fellow Cherokees, this requires that either a parent or grandparent (fraternal or paternal) is registered with the nation or that a grandparent was listed on the Dawes Roll. Visit the Cherokee Nation website to get information regarding tribal enrollment. I fully support the verification of Native American Status, the smallest minority left in the US.</p>
<p>^ "If you plan on claiming Native American Status on your colleger applications, better make sure that you're recognized by the Federal Government and you're tribe."</p>
<p>When I checked Native American on my app, I didn't know that there was such a strict definition for "Native American." The Common App is pretty vague when it comes to ethnicity -- it just says "check all that apply." So, I wasn't trying to be deceptive when one of the things I checked was Native American; I was just checking off one of the things that makes up part of my background. Actually, when you check the Native American option and it asks you for the date of enrollment, there is also an option you can put if you weren't ever actually enrolled, which, to me, implies that enrollment isn't necessary. I wish that, since Yale's requirements are clearly different, they would have put something on their supplement saying so.</p>
<p>I completely agree that there should be some verification when an applicant claims minority status so that people can't get away with cheating, but now I'm worried that when I get the verification form and I can't say that I'm legally part of a tribe, they're going to think I was trying to lie, when I really wasn't. :( I guess I'll have to wait till I get the form and see.</p>
<p>I understand the advantage if the person is a URM, but why would, say an asian, check the ethnicity box?</p>