Fastest-Growing Ethnic Category at Great Colleges: "Race Unknown"

Applying to College
1041

<p>I'm telling you, it is illegal for the government to question your ethnicity if you claim one. Some private schools and lending institutions may try to get away with it, but how can it stand up in court? It used to be that if you could prove you were 1/8 Cherokee you would be granted land in certain states. That was challenged and defeated. At least one Hispanic group that give scholarships states that you must be half hispanic, but they are not allowed to make you prove it.</p>

<p>You can claim any ethicity you want. Really. Think about it. How would you prove it? You can't go by looks obviously. Send them a picture of your black grandfather or something? What if he was very light skinned? Do you have to go by names? No, that won't work. Will you have to take a blood or DNA test to prove you aren't white? No, that is ridiculous.</p>

<p>You can claim what you want as far as ethnicity and no one can legally challenge it.</p>

<p>I personally believe everyone should lie about their race. That would take away the issue all together and eliminate racism, at least on paper.</p>

1042

<p>You should put your race based upon two factors: your racial makeup primarily and then the cultural background you were brought up in. Since "Hispanic" is an ethnicity, not a race, you should put down whether or not you were brought up in a Hispanic environment, regardless of what race you are. You can be white AND Hispanic...but if you weren't brought up in that culture, then you're not Hispanic, regardless of your last name, etc...simple as that. There's no such thing as being "half Hispanic," at least from a racial point of view; you can have a mother or father that is Hispanic, but unless they bring you up in Hispanic culture, in a Hispanic environment, and most of the time but definitely not always the Spanish language, then you should check "White, non-Hispanic" on the application, or nothing at all if you choose. But don't lie, because such a thing is hypocritical. It's taking advantage of a system that you deem unfair.</p>

<p>There's a reason why there's scholarships for minorities, why schools want to see a diverse body of students. If these policies weren't in place and we were going strictly off SAT scores and GPAs, the vast majority of those in "top-tier" schools would be of the majority...definitely NOT because they're inherently smarter, but because they, on average, have access to a better education than minorities. The legacy of racism has made this a fact. This is coming from a minority's point of view, someone who has seen the after-effects of racism and segregation firsthand. I know what I'm talking about.</p>

1043

<p>And yet still, no one bothers to address the fact that Asian Americans are indeed a minority.</p>

1044

<p>if i was born in africa and lived there but immigrated here and am a citizen of the US now but i'm Asian am I still an "african american"</p>

<p>haha well i'm not but hypothetically</p>

1045

<p>sure you are, an african american is someone who hails from africa (or their parents), but now lives in america.</p>

1046

<p>There are also special scholarships for Asian Americans. The reason why they're considered under the radar a lot, IN MY OPINION, goes back once again to history: Asian Americans didn't start to come to America in bulk until the 1860s onward (I'm pretty sure). Asian Americans have always, as a minority, been discriminated against in some degree, just like African Americans and Hispanics. But having minority status isn't enough; the fact is that, since colonization times, Africans and oppressed peoples in Latin America have been the prime focus of subjugation. Asians have had to experience immense hardship, but they also came here much later and as a result have not had to experience the tribulations of African Americans or Hispanics. They also, after whites, have the second biggest income in the nation on average as a people. This has a lot to do with Asian work ethic, but one can't say that African Americans or Hispanics don't have a work ethic (obviously, given the history, they do). I just feel, personally, that Asians haven't had the experience here that African Americans or Hispanics have had. If I were to go to Japan, I wouldn't have had the same experiences as, say, an Ainu or a Korean, both minorities in a largely homogeneous nation. If I were in Japan, I wouldn't ask for minority incentives because I don't have a history there...but Ainus and Koreans would probably deserve them because of a history of hardship. NOT saying that Asians don't have a history here, they very much do, and it's very rich and filled with suffering as well, which is why there are scholarships out there for Asian Americans. But when compared against slavery and other crimes, I don't think it's quite as much suffering and subjugation. And yes, I think that varying degrees of suffering do indeed matter. Personal opinion, once again.</p>

<p>And African American refers to someone who has origins in Black Africa, that is to say, south of the Sahara. Typically, that also includes those African Americans of mixed race (take Barack Obama, for instance, who is still considered African American though he has a white mother). Race first and foremost, at least here in the U.S., doesn't have to do with geographical origin; rather, it has to do with blood descent. Therefore, according to the U.S. Census, you are Asian, and not African American, regardless of whether or not you've lived in Africa. I promise you that no one in their right mind would think that I'm East Asian if I checked that on the census, but what if I lived in China? Nope, still not East Asian, though my ethnicity might be...but my RACE, which they would be asking about, isn't.</p>

1047

<p>who cares how much you suffered or were oppressed, if 3 men of 3 different races are all born into families of poor financial or living conditions, they should be offered the same treatment at the same level. giving scholarships for financial troubles is great, but giving better treatment and easier admissions based upon race and how much said race has been "oppressed" is silly...as it is irrelevant to everything related towards education.</p>

1048

<p>If there were no questions or reference to race then we wouldn't have these issues. By the same token, how many people create EC's since they are virtually impossible to verify. Like it or not it should be about the GPA and scores. That is the only way to make it fair. Everything else can be lied about.</p>

1049

<p>In advance, please don't flame me. I really am asking this for a friend - we are not Sephardic Jews. We know several people who have gotten into great colleges using the Hispanic card. One girl is the daughter of Venezuelan doctors, another is an upper-middle class girl from Uruguay. My friend is a Sephardic Jew. These are the descendents of Jews who lived in Spain and they speak Ladino which is a dialect of Spanish. If an application says "Hispanic" and the kid has a Spanish-type surname could they check Hispanic?</p>

1050

<p>Does your friend consider himself Hispanic? Is he Hispanic in ethnicity, not just in religion? (A good test would be to ask him if he speaks Ladino.)</p>

<p>If neither of these is true, then he should not put down Hispanic.</p>

1051

<p>MODERATOR'S NOTE TO "sephardic jewish hispanic?" THREAD: </p>

<p>As usual, this kind of question will be merged into the massive ethnic self-identification in college applications thread. The thread-opening post in the FAQ thread contains links out to official definitions.</p>

1052

<p>Well no one can beat mine
Some have said this will hinder my chances of getting into ivy league College seeing as my name is Ismail Ahmed i live in the uk and have all the grades for Cornell but i am wary of the application form and the Essay any help ?
Oh and i am also african
DOUBLE WHAMMY</p>

1053

<p>Just apply, write thoughtful essays about your life experiences, and see what happens. Colleges don't have to collect ethnicity information at all for foreign nationals. American domestic students are free to decline reporting their ethnicity if they so choose.</p>

1054

<p>Someone said in an earlier post that they appreciate diversity, but feel that diversity is much more than skin color- I could not agree more.
Colleges love to point to statistics to show how "diverse" they are, in the end though, you can have every different ethnicity in the world, but if they all have the same interests, political views, etc. than it's not really going to provide you with "diverse" experiences.</p>

1055

<p>Colleges always appreciate knowing details about your life circumstances that go beyond what ethnic category might fit you. (At least, that is true of colleges with "holistic" admission policies.) So, sure, feel free to mention how you differ from other applicants interests, political views, etc. and thus how you will bring diversity to the campus.</p>

1056

<p>bump..........</p>

1057

<p>This topic is a bit stupid. You think just cus colleges want minorities, checking that ur Hispanic will give u a greater chance of getting in? look around you, Hispanics are the biggest minority here! there are way too many of them already.</p>

<p>plus, if you claim ur hispanic, and they look at your family income and school and where you live, you think they gonna care ur Hispanic?</p>

<p>Basically, the point is, unless ur a disadvantaged Hispanic, you won't get a better shot.</p>

1058

<p>i didn't get to read the whole thread, being it was so long, but just wondering,
if i am asian but i have jewish/white ancestors who came from Europe about several generations ago even though i don't look remotely white. could i put asian and white? my family used to live a town that was right next to the jewish settlement in Asia.</p>

1059

<p>You can put down no designation at all if you like. That's the law: colleges have to ask, but students don't have to tell.</p>

1060

<p>MODERATOR'S NOTE TO "pretending to be hispanic...lol can i get away with it" THREAD: </p>

<p>As usual, a thread pertaining primarily to ethnic self-identification in the college application process will be merged with the main FAQ thread on that subject in the College Admission Forum. The thread-opening post of the FAQ thread includes links to official definitions and college policies. </p>

<p>To answer the question of the OP in the "pretending to be hispanic...lol can i get away with it" thread, don't pretend when you apply to college. Be yourself, and be honest.</p>