I am an Asian American (Indian to be exact), however my name is racially ambiguous (sounds foreign, but hard to pinpoint). Plus, I have activities that could suggest I am middle eastern. So the AOs might not realize I am Asian if I don’t answer the race question (and could thus improve admission chances).Is it better to not answer the race question or to answer Asian American? Would like to know because I have a good essay topic about my ethnicity that would like to write if the admissions officers will know I’m an Asian American anyway.
The Common App webpage says this about the question on ethnicity: “If you choose to answer this question, you may provide whatever answer you feel best applies to you or any groups of which you feel you are a part.”
Essentially, you are free to leave it blank, or answer.
If you are trying to decide based on what answer would maximize your chances of admissions, I think in your case, applying as an econ/pol sci/public policy kid, answering the question probably helps as your interests set you a bit apart from the seemingly infinite number of Indian kids applying for math/physics/engineering/pre-med.