Race/Ethnicity!!! Can someone explain, PLEASE

<p>On applications there is:
Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin?</p>

<p>Of course, I mark "yes"</p>

<p>BUT, then there is the whole"check which box describes your race best" or something like that.</p>

<p>white
asian
african
native american
pacific islander
etc.</p>

<p>I don't remember exactly what it says, but you guys know what I mean. </p>

<p>So, what do I mark if I'm Mexican??? I'm not white or asian or any of those other things, but I feel weird leaving all of the boxes blank. Should I just click "white", even though I'm not? Do I use it as a kind of default? Or do I leave them all blank?</p>

<p>Please help me, becaue I feel kind of dumb not knowing what to put down.
Thanks for any help.</p>

<p>First, don’t feel dumb, it’s a pretty complex question. Mexico and other countries that have a large proportion of the population of mixed Original Peoples and other races pose a problem for the race question in college admissions. Because in these countries tribal registration like in the US and Canada doesn’t exist. See the stats on the racial mix in Mexico (don’t be confused by the fact that the title says ‘ethnicity’, what they are describing is race):</p>

<p><a href=“https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2075.html[/url]”>https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2075.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>This question has been asked before in different variations, please do a Search on this forum for ‘mestizo’ and you will find a few threads that describe how the CA defines racial groups and discussions about how to describe people of likely mixed but undocumented race. </p>

<p>My advice is that with your best knowledge of your family background, mark whichever race(s) that you believe you belong to. I don’t think there’s any need to leave the race question blank.</p>