<p>On the Common App, in demographics section, one has the opportunity to check off Asian, White, Black, etc.</p>
<p>The "prompt" for that is "Please indicate how you identify yourself".</p>
<p>Let's say someone is Asian but has lived in America their entire life. They've only been around white people. They don't have Asian customs. They've fully assimilated in White/American culture. This person "identifies" with Whites.</p>
<p>Would it be wrong for this person to check off White and not Asian?</p>
<p>I was just curious, not that I plan on doing this :D.</p>
<p>You have to identify yourself based on your racial background since “racial identity” is defined as the racial component of your background that you most identify with. If you’re Asian and only Asian, then that’s how you should identify yourself. So yes, it would technically be “wrong” to check off White if you are Asian.</p>
<p>then you would be filling out your application dishonestly. For more information you can look at the Race in College Admissions FAQ. </p>
<p>Yes, race is a really fuzzy subject and is largely based on arbitrary cultural and social characteristics, however, here in the US - race is based primarily on origin, ancestry, and perception of society. I cannot say I agree with it, but that’s the way it is. </p>
<p>Like I said, if you (or someone else, like you said) does not want to identify as Asian for fear of hurting themselves in the college app process, then simply leave the race section blank - you have every legal right to do so. Answering a question as something you are not is dishonest. Even if that someone did truly “identify” with a different race, it would most likely come across as a ploy to better your chances (notice how quick ORMs are to identify themselves as URMs yet never the other way around) and colleges are well aware of this.</p>
<p>So to summarize: it would be best if that someone either answers the race question honestly or not at all.</p>