<p>^</p>
<p>I’ve glanced in. I’ll take a longer look at your recommendation.</p>
<p>A look at various levels of high school course preparation for college: </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.act.org/news/data/09/pdf/three.pdf[/url]”>http://www.act.org/news/data/09/pdf/three.pdf</a></p>
<p>How do you balance diversity at a university while maintaining fairness in the admissions process for a high performing ethnic group? On the one hand, providing diversity among students enriches the overall academic experience. But on the other hand, should people that have strong merits be limited in college acceptance on the basis of race? Would like to hear your thoughts.</p>
<p>[Do</a> colleges redline Asian-Americans? - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/02/08/do_colleges_redline_asian_americans/?s_campaign=8315]Do”>http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/02/08/do_colleges_redline_asian_americans/?s_campaign=8315)</p>
<p>Its easy… just don’t fill in any race. You aren’t required to.</p>
<p>Here’s an informational question for everyone reading the thread: what have college admission officers been telling you this year about what the college policies are on race or ethnicity as an admission factor? Does this issue regularly get discussed in college information sessions? Do the brochures you receive from colleges mention specifics about this?</p>
<p>Yes, the book Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study by Thomas Sowell </p>
<p>[Affirmative</a> Action Around the World - Sowell, Thomas - Yale University Press](<a href=“http://yalepress.yale.edu/Yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300107753]Affirmative”>http://yalepress.yale.edu/Yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300107753) </p>
<p>[Affirmative</a> Action Around the World … - Google Books](<a href=“Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study - Thomas Sowell - Google Books”>Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study - Thomas Sowell - Google Books) </p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study (9780300101997): Thomas Sowell: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Affirmative-Action-Around-World-Empirical/dp/0300101996]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Affirmative-Action-Around-World-Empirical/dp/0300101996) </p>
<p>turns out to be quite an interesting take on how affirmative action policies have actually been implemented in other countries, which provides some good perspective on policies in the United States. Food for thought.</p>
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<p>No, but it is a fact that many who clearly display meritorious qualities are deprived of deserved opportunities because of admission factors that are largely derived from stereotypes and assumptions. I am ideologically opposed to admission practices that indiscriminately assume the extent to which certain factors irrationally provide admission boosts. But that is not to say that I am opposed to all forms of Affirmative Action. To eliminate all traces of it would be be to limit social mobility and would fail to acknowledge certain circumstances that are disadvantageous to achievement and success. As I argued for in the thread that LuciaB cites, I firmly believe in a more equitable policy that recognizes the context in which achievements are attained which may include, but are not necessarily limited to, socioeconomic barriers, detrimental familial circumstances, or any legitimate discrimination due to race, sexuality, physical impediments, and so forth.</p>
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<p>There are certainly statistics provided that note racial diversity but there is no explicit mention of ethnicity as an admission factor. Affirmative Action is definitely a highly volatile topic and is an institution that universities do not wish to directly discuss. Colleges/universities find it fashionable as a vehicle for appealing to the burgeoning minority population (thus to increase overall selectivity) and to enhance their overall marketing capacities.</p>
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<p>The claim on the part of a great many colleges is that that is their policy, but it is unclear how different context factors are weighted in most admission decisions.</p>
<p>Im a junior in high school and I really want to go to uva. my gpa isnt that great im not exactly sure what it is but i know my freshman year i have a c on my transcipt and my sophmore year i have 2 C’s the rest a’s and b’s. im wondering if i put black and native american on my application, i would have a better chance. im part of united cherokee indian tribe of va but were not federaly recognized. can i get an edge if i add native american? im trying really hard this year. i got A’s and B’s the first 9 weeks but my grandmother passed and i was stressed so i got b’s, c’s and an f. im gonna strive for straight a’s the next 2 nine weeks. do i have a chance?</p>
<p>Only put Native American down if you are truly Native American and could prove it if a question ever arose. I know this sounds extreme - but you can have a DNA test done for about $150.00 that will show that you have NA in your lineage. So if you really had to prove it down the line - you could for $150.00.</p>
<p>However, with your grades, I don’t know that being NA will help you much, if at all.</p>
<p>I doubt that being Native American will help you enough for you to be able to get in at Virginia.</p>
<p>^why not? it’s like the highest level of diversity.</p>
<p>^^^^^^^^^Beacuse of your grades.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^</p>
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Oh, I don’t know about that. The admit rate at UVA for in-state students hovers around 40%, which is not absurdly low. Furthermore, UVA considers race in admissions much more important than most of its fellow publics. </p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that the OP is still only a junior, and there is plenty of time for an upward trend. A great deal depends on the difficulty of the OP’s courseload. A failing grade is troubling, but one bad quarter will not necessarily completely sink his/her chances.</p>
<p>I’m not saying it’s not a long shot, but I do think it’s a bit hasty to discourage him/her from applying.</p>
<p>It’s definitely a long shot.</p>
<p>And if you’re not federally recognized, I’m going to guess no.</p>
<p>are there any other good va colleges i can apply to and most likely get in?</p>
<p>im also interested in jmu and george mason</p>
<p>If you can prove it with a blood test, do it. I think you only have to be 1/8 to qualify. One girl from our school got a full ride to a great LAC here in Ohio. Another just got into Stanford. $150 blood test will get you a good scholarship at a school, but may not be UVA.</p>
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<p>This question, which originally opened a separate thread, has been merged into this FAQ and discussion thread. </p>
<p>First of all, the way the question is asked suggests not having seen many college applications. The federal term for the race category asked about in the question is “American Indian or Alaska Native” rather than “Native American.” College application forms these days should all be standardized to the federal categories under a regulation </p>
<p>[U.S</a>. Department of Education; Office of the Secretary; Final Guidance on Maintaining, Collecting, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic Data to the U.S. Department of Education [OS]](<a href=“http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2007-4/101907c.html]U.S”>http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2007-4/101907c.html) </p>
<p>that took effect this school year. </p>
<p>As noted in [post</a> # 2](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064033816-post2.html]post”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064033816-post2.html) of this FAQ and discussion thread, the definition of American Indian and Alaska Native includes specifying that persons in that category “maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment.” So mere biological ancestry alone is not enough to show that someone is an American Indian or Alaska Native. </p>
<p>What each college does with the information it has from the student’s application about the student’s race is up to each college (subject to [general</a> federal law against discrimination by race](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064033895-post9.html]general”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064033895-post9.html) and usually subject to state law as well, for both public and private colleges). If you have low grades in average courses, you risk being passed over in favor of any student with higher grades in more challenging courses. Job number one is to study successfully to prepare for college. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064033895-post9.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064033895-post9.html</a> </p>
<p>But if you do have tribal affiliation or community attachment to an American Indian group, you may as well ask how to document that and you may as well report that on your application if the facts back up that self-description. You also have the choice of not marking any race or any ethnicity on your application at all. That’s a choice every college applicant has, by the controlling federal regulation. </p>
<p>Good luck in your studies, and good luck in your applications.</p>
<p>When my niece was adopted by my sibling and sibling’s spouse, permission had to be obtained from the Alaskan native tribe with which the biological mother was affiliated. This biological mother had also been adopted (with permission from the Alaskan native tribe) and raised by a non-Alaskan native family.</p>
<p>In cases like this, when a minority child is adopted and raised by a non-minority family, does the student typically list the biological or “adoptive” race on college applications? Or is this when “race unknown” is typically used? (The only reason there’s any knowledge of the child’s racial background in this case is because tribal approval was required for the adoption.)</p>