<p>So if you don't remember my past posts(most probably do not)...I shall summarize. A kid at my school has a White south african mother or father (not sure which), and decided to apply as bot white and check the "african american or black" box to all his schools. Having a white south african father, I almost did the same thing just because it would make me URM status (which is why he did it, too)...but I decided against it as it was kinda a shady and misleading thing to do. </p>
<p>SOooo, do you think leaving ethnicity blank on my apps was the right choice? or should I have "worked" the system for a sneaky advantage?</p>
<p>If you’re black then you’re black :p. If you got the heritage in you then why not? It’s not at all shady; it’s who you are. It’s too late now, no use in calling up your colleges and telling them that you’re black. I really don’t think there’s a matter of conflict here…like I said, you’ve got African heritage then that makes you a minority. Sure, it’s an advantage but it’s not “working” the system unless your heritage is like…1/64 black, lol.</p>
<p>You did the right thing. You are not an African-American as defined by the Federal Government’s Office of Management and Budget, which is the standard setting agency for this purpose. Colleges and universities uniformly follow these definitions. According to OMB, a Black or African-American is: “A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa [Emphasis added].”</p>
<p>If you are white you are white. For purposes of defining African-American, it is irrelevant where you or your parents came from if you are white. Had you listed yourself as an African-American, you would have been lying.</p>