<p>The US could say a sheep is a wolf (something it does do often), but that doesn’t make it true.</p>
<p>Who cares, just say you are African American. You get a boost, are not technically lying, and the admissions people don’t check anyway so it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Well I have seen many Egyptian, near africa middle eastern people identify with african-americans. In this way I could see it as plausible for being as black.</p>
<p>Do you identify culturally with blacks/africans?</p>
<p>you can be whatever you want. I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem if you checked off AA. Like someone mentioned earlier Egypt is in Africa, right?</p>
<p>If you need proof go to the National Geographic website and seach for their Genome studies. For around $100 they will send you a kit to collect the cells from your cheeks and within a few weeks send you documentation regarding your family’s origins. You’ll then have definate proof you’re an African-American.</p>
<p>This subject comes up about a dozen times a year. Egypt or an Afrikaans South African or white Rhodesian. Whichever scenario. Do a search on the word “disingenuous” where an admissions officer slams kids who try to game the system by suddenly claiming something they’ve never claimed before just to get an advantage.</p>
<p>To the OP: if you identify w/your Arabic heritage, then state so. If you identify with an American black culture, then state so.</p>
<p>Colleges try for diversity: not giving one race a significant over-representation compared to the national average.</p>
<p>Asians are hugely over-represented.</p>
<p>hugely? That’s a word? </p>
<p>But anyway, nobody really has proof that asians are at a disadvantage in college admissions because I’m pretty sure admissions officers don’t reveal the selection process that deep.</p>
<p>It is well accepted that Asians are at a slight disadvantage compared to whites. This is based on admissions decisions and the sheer number of qualified Asians applicants.</p>
<p>By the way, hugely is a word. [hugely</a> - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary](<a href=“http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hugely]hugely”>Hugely Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster)</p>
<p>Harder to get in depends entirely on where you are applying. Hard for an Asian to get into never-heard-of-by-immigrant-Asian-parents-U? Probably not. Hard for an Asian with perfect grades, perfect ACT/SAT scores, perfect fill-in-generally-associated-with-Asian-1st-gen-students-here ECs applying to an overly-popular-with-immigrant-Asian-parents-U? Quite possibly.</p>
<p>If you want your ethnicity to work for you on the diversity front, look for colleges and universities that don’t normally attract a lot of students with your cultural background. This may well mean going outside your (or your parents’) comfort zone.</p>
<p>Egypt has a large black population, especially in the south, and a substantial mixed race population as well. While Arab culture has been overlaid on the original African culture(s), that does not mean everyone there is of middle eastern origin. I think only the OP can know whether or not he meets the intent of the classification and his conscience will have to be his guide.</p>
<p>what about other north african countries, like algerian americans?</p>
<p>“If you want your ethnicity to work for you on the diversity front, look for colleges and universities that don’t normally attract a lot of students with your cultural background.”</p>
<p>This may not always work due to the fact that one may never know why that college does not have students from a certain background.</p>
<p>Sorry your white according to the US government.</p>
<p>But the question is, do they want us to identify with what the gov’t says, or the fact that we are from africa- and thus african american. also, if the case is that i should identify w/ the gov’t, should i just check white or do the “other” option and write in: algerian american.</p>
<p>Colleges are collecting data for the US government to ensure that they are in compliance with the Federal civil rights laws. Therefore, they must use the definitions created by the Federal government. This is not anthropology or sociology, it is political and it involves definitions for the purposes of data collection.</p>
<p>The Office of Management and Budget sets the standards. For purpose of data collection, Black or African American is defined as: "A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as “Haitian” or “Negro” can be used in addition to “Black or African American.”</p>
<p>[Revisions</a> to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity](<a href=“http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/ombdir15.html]Revisions”>http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/ombdir15.html)</p>
<p>To look at it another way: were your Black African ancestors brought to the Americas in slave ships during the 17th-19th century; forced to work for others; routinely killed or tortured; raped; sold without regard to family; and denied political rights? If so, go ahead and count yourself as African American.</p>
<p>There are many schools where Asians are URMs. The increased competition is at the big name schools that get tons of Asian applicants. Colleges quota every group you can think of, so naturally it is harder when there are lots of high stats aspplicants in the pool you’re in.</p>
<p>
Every college in the country will vehemently deny this is the case, since “quota”, by definition, is illegal.</p>
<p>No, not culturally really. It is self-reported though, with arbitrary guidelines, so i guess i’ll just go with that.</p>
<p>edit: oh ok, i’m definitely not then.</p>
<p>okay - speaking as someone who lived in Egypt for several years, I have never known any Egyptians to consider themselves African. They consider themselves first and foremost to be Egyptian. After that - Arab or Middle Eastern.</p>