Eurasian (Half Asian Half White) Common App

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
1

I am biracial in that I have a mother who is asian and a father who is white. From a purely strategic viewpoint (I cannot emphasize enough: purely strategic), would it make a difference if I checked both “white” and “asian,” or just “white”? I plan on applying to schools like Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth (personally i don’t have a rural/urban preference, I care about strong liberal arts core GED/distribution requirements) and Cornell (among other T20 schools).

Some people say to check whatever you “are,” but to be honest I don’t really know. Being “eurasian” in ethnicity/race (based on other ppl’s viewpoints mind you) was never an important part of my identity.

Specifically for the purpose of a maximally competitive application, which option is most strategic? Also, would putting white down look “bad” as if I’m trying to hide something (would it look dishonest in the eyes of the adcoms? I do look mixed, and my asian features are there (as are my caucasian features).

2

Put both. No matter what, put both. If they can look at you and tell, then you need to have both down. I’m a quarter indian, but I look white, so I’m just putting white because when people see me, they see a white person. If you are half and half, that’s the ideal case to put both down.

Or…you can check the other box? Technically, you don’t quite fit in any one box. It’ll come down to your last name. Is it a white last name or an asian last name. If it is white, I would put down other (put bi-racial next to the other section). If it is asian, you should check off both the white and the asian box.