<p>So here's my question. When applying to colleges/universities, you most likely will have to select your "race/ethnicity" along with other pieces of information. I won't divulge my own personal ethnicity and this question is purely hypothetical. </p>
<p>Say one decides to select a minority race on their application, that of which they are not. Now the application is submitted, goes through review, and let's just say for the matter of the discussion, the final deciding factor of whether or not he/she is admitted is the fact that they are a minority. The school accepts this person however they submitted false information regarding their race/ethnicity.</p>
<p>This question has always interested me in terms of college admissions. If someone did this and was accepted, is there any way that they could get caught? I mean, unless it's painful obvious, a college/university really can't question a persons race/ethnicity, can they? If they ever did, couldn't one just use the excuse that it must have been a mistake/error on the application and that they must have overlooked it? In a world where ever little factor decides whether or not colleges admit you, I wonder if this is ever an issue.
Just a thought and I wanted to see what people had to say.</p>
<p>False information on applications is stupid in general. You don't want to have to look back and say "Oh, I got in 'cuz I lied"</p>
<p>if it was a mistake, then you probably don't deserve to be there, and they can probably see your ethinicity by your last name. Also, they have your info on a computer, so when they find you: THEY WILL, you'll be royally screwed!</p>
<p>Well would you expect a Jamaican person's last name to be McKenzie? I think not...but it is. You can't base it off last names.</p>
<p>How sad we have to discuss this. You sign a statement when you apply that all information on the application is true. </p>
<p>By reading the</a> integrity thread, I gather plenty of students don't feel bound to those statements.</p>
<p>Many white students do lie and check the "other" or "unknown" category when they actually identify as white. A recent study confirmed that a majority of students in the "unknown" category would later identify as white when asked about their race as college freshmen.</p>
<p>This type of dishonesty isn't quite the same as claiming to be black or hispanic when the applicant is actually white -- but it's still lying if the applicant identifies as white in all other areas of his or her life.</p>
<p>To answer the original question, white students get away with checking "unknown" or "other" all the time -- but I don't know if they could get away with checking an alternate racial category.</p>
<p>White students seem to do this because they're worried that checking "white" will hurt them -- based on the false information put out by opponents of affirmative action. Being black does help you, but statistically, being white is unlikely to hurt you.</p>
<p>Personally, I think anyone who values racial diversity and equal opportunity has a moral obligation to be honest about race -- whatever your race may be.</p>
<p>ETA - here's a link to a news article about the study:
<a href="http://www.uh.edu/ednews/2006/insidehe/20060105racialprofile.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.uh.edu/ednews/2006/insidehe/20060105racialprofile.html</a></p>
<p>I just found out that I put down false information on my application. Not my race but my place of birth! I feel incredibly foolish. Who doesn't know where he is born?!? I put down Maine on my application, which is where we live and where I thought I was born. I needed a copy of my birth certificate for a race I've entered and it turns out my parents were actually in New York when I was born.</p>
<p>I realize that this really isn't like saying that you are hispanic and suddenly "realizing" after you get into college that you are white, but should I bother correcting my mistake?</p>
<p>It won't affect your admissions, but I think you should rectify the problem ASAP.</p>
<p>As for the application, I'm reporting what race I am and that's it. If I don't get in because I'm white, well oh well, obviously it was not meant to be.</p>
<p>"Well would you expect a Jamaican person's last name to be McKenzie? </p>
<p>Why not? There were British slaveowners. </p>
<p>I know African American people with names that are Polish, Scottish, and even seem to be Korean (There are lots of black people with the last name "Lee").</p>
<p>I know an African American who's name was Hollis Chin-Kee-Fat...I thought that was a joke, but it turns out it was for real. I still think that was a name the witness protection program gave to him.</p>
<p>I was trying to emphasize the fact (to Newbyreborn) that one cannot go by last names to determine another's racial identity. There are lots of Asians with Spanish last names as well. Nothing is clear cut.</p>
<p>Mine is :( "Liu"... hmm, wonder if that's Chinese or perhaps Dutch?</p>
<p>Most american blacks have british last names because of the majority of their ancestors were slaves.</p>