Hello all,
I am a member of a Canadian First Nation, however I live in the US and plan to apply to mostly schools in the US. On the Common App, when ‘Native American’ is checked as a race, you are prompted to say whether you are a member of a federally recognized tribe, however Canadian tribes are not listed, forcing me to check ‘no’, then explain it separately. I feel that being enrolled in Canada but not being able to explain so on the Common App makes me look to colleges like a “pretendian” trying to up my admissions status by claiming to be an URM through a tenous connection to a native tribe, however that is not the case here, it’s that I’m First Nations and not Native American. Will needing to separately explain this mean I am not viewed as an URM by admissions panels, or otherwise hurt my application?
Thank you.
Some programs do recognize Canadian First Nations. For example: https://policy.umn.edu/morris/amindianwaiver
It will not hurt your application.
How it will be viewed by colleges is totally up to the college (where not otherwise prohibited by law). Each college, where allowed, is free to decide how to classify URM and what bump, if any, it will give in the application process.
That said, the reality is that many, if not most, US colleges define what the Common App calls “American Indian” as “Native Americans indigenous to the US” and not as “Indigenous groups of the Americas”
Similarly, a college may consider a Native Hawaiian/Guamanian/Samoan as URM, but not a native Fijian. Others might only count Native Hawaiians and no other Native Pacific Islander.
All you can do is fill out your details. The college will take that info and do with it what it will.
Agree. Include it, make a short note in Addl Info that you’re First Nation. Let the colleges descide. It won’t hurt. Even for US Native Americans, not all colleges require or expect an enrollment number.
Where US colleges follow some definition, it’s from our Census and OMB, “According to OMB, “American Indian or Alaska Native” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.” But I agree with ski that the intent is to support US NA.
They will know you’re Candian, an international applicant, and there will be much competition from Canada. How they react may have to do with what perspective and experiences you bring, on top of the rest of what they need to see.
It is possible for someone of Canadian (including First Nation) heritage to have US citizenship or permanent residency, so it is not necessarily the case that the OP will be an international applicant.
Good point. OP, are you a citizen?
In any case, no harm in showing the FN ties and your engagement.
Assuming facts not in evidence. OP stated:
Agreed, the OP did not state if s/he is here on a visa, or is a US citizen/permanent resident. That distinction will make a difference.
Hi, thank you for all the info. I am a US permanent resident and was born here. I don’t have Canadian citizenship, I’, a dual US and Italian citizen (that coming through my dad) but am First Nations through my mom’s side.
I am a US citizen and permanent resident. Sorry I didn’t use the right button to reply at first, I’m new on this site.
If you were born in the US and subject to the jurisdiction of the US (not a foreign diplomat or some such), you are a US citizen (not a “permanent resident”, since that term is normally used to describe non-US citizens with “green cards” allowing them to live and work in the US). However, if one or both of your parents were Canadian citizens at the time you were born, you may also be a Canadian citizen, depending on what Canada’s nationality laws were at the time. You may want to investigate whether this is the case.
If you are a Canadian citizen, that may help you in terms of tuition at universities in Canada.
I think all you can do is answer the questions asked and then explain. The college will either consider you NA or not. Totally up to the school as no law requires any school to give a bump to NA or First Nation or not. Dartmouth has its own rules. Schools in ND, Montana and Minn might recognize First Nation while one in Washington State might not.
I think your original post has it right - you are NA, you are not part of a federally recognized tribe, you can explain your NA connection.