<p>I have associated with being white all my life but I have a huge family background in Hawaii since before 1900 and will probably put Pacific Islander down on my application; I just don't want to run into any trouble because I have associated with being white....how do they verify your race?</p>
<p>My mom was the first one in her family born in America from Brazil, so I’m 50% Brazilian. I’m putting hispanic/latino, and I’m totally white (Yes, Brazilians can be white, they come from Portugal, which is European, just like the British came to America), as in burn in 30 minutes, pale white, haha. I speak some Portuguese and have visited numerous times, but I don’t look ethnic at all. The definition legally is at least 25% I believe so if you’re 25% or over, put it, otherwise, don’t.</p>
<p>Did you put hispanic/latino on your SAT, though? That is the only thing I am worried about because I am pretty sure I indicated white…</p>
<p>Hmm, I don’t think that should make a difference. I don’t think they will even see that, and if they do they’ll probably just think you self-identify as something different.</p>
<p>Okay thank you for the help – I’m going to put pacific islander.</p>
<p>Bump for any other opinions though</p>
<p>It appears to be mostly on the honor system, unless you claim to be Native American, in which case there may be documentation (e.g. tribal enrollment and the like) required by some schools.</p>
<p>You can put more than one.</p>
<p>And Native Americans also have less of a blood amount required. For other ethnicities it’s 25%, for Native Americans it’s only one digit, I believe.</p>
<p>Race is self reported, no question. But, if you are inconsistent in the many opportunities to self report, that could be an issue. You have been self reporting your race for quite a while before applying to college and some of that will make its way into your college apps. Some HS transcripts list race which might be based on a form your parents filled out for you long ago. SAT score reports include your self reported race. Many schools require or recommend an interview. That is certainly an opportunity to confirm race. And, some schools take the time to call counselors about certain applicants, especially in the ED rounds.</p>
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<p>This is a gross generalization: 25% is the threshold in a few cases (eg. NHRP) but not in the majority of others (eg. CA-no threshold, Hispanic Scholarship fund-50% threshold). </p>
<p>For NA, tribal enrollment is what is important and requirements vary between tribes.</p>
<p>Also, people need to consult the Race FAQ thread or Hispanic Definition thread to understand the difference between race and ethnicity. Hispanic is the only ethnicity of interest for college admissions and Hispanics can be, and are, of any race(s).</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I should have specified… I was talking about NHRP.</p>
<p>To OooOooo… My son is in the same situation, but is thinking of self identifying as hispanic (ethnicity) and caucasion (race) but stating very specifically in the describe section that he is one quarter hispanic by virtue of his maternal grandfather. That way, he is totally honest and transparent and the adcoms can decide for themselves.</p>
<p>You are required to answer truthfully and when you sign your applications you are certifying that you have done so. There are actually definitions which exist to determine some of these areas of race/ethnicity. You’ll want to do a little research to discover whether the school you are applying to or the test (ie, SAT) you are taking uses a federal or some other definition. It is something that has gotten some attention lately as others ask the same question so you want to make every effort to be answering accurately.</p>
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<p>Complete and up-to-date information about race and ethnicity in college admission is contained in the first several posts of the Race FAQ sticky thread.</p>
<p>And that is where further discussion of this subject is directed.</p>