<p>The title of this thread sounds awfully close to: “I’m Thinking About Lying About My Ethnic Background”.</p>
<p>Redroses response seems to be the most insightful, i.e., if you’re going to claim a certain ethnic background you need to be consistent throughout the process. You need to have been claiming a certain racial/ethnic background all along and one would assume that you would also want to claim the same background across all forms as well. </p>
<p>As for the idea that you may run into an adcom on campus who will unearth your “secret”, the numbers are on your side so I think you’re pretty safe on that front. During the info session at Penn they pointed out that adcom members go through 100-125 applications a day; the idea that they will seek you out or even remember you on any detailed level defies logic and the reasonable limits of human memory. So long as you don’t claim some sort of truly outrageous background that would spark interest - Ethnic Inuit raised in Mongolia who went on to become internationally renowned flaming chainsaw juggler - you should be OK.</p>
<p>The admissions system is based on a certain amount of trust and honor; because of the sheer number of applicants, colleges have to take a certain amount of information on faith. As a result a few people like Adam Wheeler, ([Parents</a> stepped in after alleged Harvard scammer applied to Yale - Local News Updates - MetroDesk - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/05/alleged_harvard.html]Parents”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/05/alleged_harvard.html)), can fool a Harvard or Yale and get away with it unless someone else steps in. While I’d rather not believe it, I’m sure there are more than a few people who fudge their leadership roles in ECs, inflate the importance of an obscure award or “massage” their ethnicity. The good news is that this ability to play fast and loose with the truth is excellent preparation for a career in Investment Banking, Law or Politics.</p>