or should I ONLY mark African American as a girl in this article did?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/us/14admissions.html
No. Be honest. Of course, some colleges may not consider race at all in the admissions process, and then it doesn’t matter what you put.
How d o I know which do and which don’t? I thought only the Cali state universities DONT. I was under the impression all programs otherwise, especially at private universities, do. Or does the college/program/degree (grad vs undergrad) matter here?
Am I considered a URM or not at most schools? Which schools barring California am I not considered a URM?
The race card on college applications is just that in my view. It is not the place to proclaim the subtleties of one’s identity. It helps colleges balance out their idealized menagerie. Based on perusing college admissions statistics, black is rarer than brown. So if you can legitimately check that box, then why not?
let’s say i were half black and half white…would checking ‘multi racial’ vs ONLY african american be MORE advantageous in certain situations?
There is no master list that shows what each college considers URM. You could certainly call your target colleges and ask them, but I doubt you’d get an honest answer. This is an example of “it is what it is.” If a college does not consider you URM, it’s not like you can do anything about it.
^ Right. You’re overthinking this. Mark biracial and move on. You should spend time on your studies and brushing up on your essays – not worrying about gaming this label.