<p>I had a friend from South Africa who was very white and very jewish who put african-american on all his applications. He was rejected from every Ivy he applied to. Funny stuff.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>I am not going to get into your checking the box issues because after all has been said and done, there is no right way to do something that you know is wrong.</p>
<p>However, keep in mind that even in the world of blacks colleges are now looking at the fact that Blacks with roots in the U.S. are underrepresented as the large number of blacks especially at "elite' universities are first/seond generation immigrants. As a result some schools have already started adding breaking down the category of blacks the same way the break down the category of asians (as students of carribean descent or african immigrants are overrepreseted in the pool of black candidates).</p>
<p>if you were white but originally from south africa (thus making you african-american) can you check the african american box, since technically you are african-american?</p>
<p>NOTE: this doesn't actually apply to me, I'm just curious.</p>
<p>I support any efforts to subvert and destroy affirmative action as we know it. Anyone who fights this new form of reverse Jim Crow is a hero in my mind. Good work!</p>
<p>If you yourself identify yourself as black -- on school records, driver's license, applications, etc., then you put the right thing -- If not, then you put the wrong thing and CAN correct it, and should. (I don't give much credence to the "how much black" theory, because we are probably ALL part black.)</p>
<p>you clearly know you did something wrong and hoped people on this forum would say "oh no, thats ok" and absolve you from your guilt. well, you are in the wrong here. you seem to justify your actions by saying that asians are over represented so you should not be at a disadvantage if you dont lead the "full asian lifestyle" (ill decide not to address how offensive that term is). well, i would like to ask you why you should be at an advantage if you dont lead the, to borrow your term, "black lifestyle." Even if you actually considered yourself an african american and designated yourself as one whenever given the option, it would still be your ethical obligation to check off other or both and explain. call me punitive, but i hope you feel very guilty about this. in a process that affects so many people and that trusts some sense of honesty and integrity from the applicants, you decided to disregard that.</p>
<p>Not all Asians are that smart. Scratch that, they are, but many blacks and caucasians etc are smart too~</p>
<p>It would be unethical to select black just to get an edge on admissions if you do not identify yourself as an African-American/Black/whatever in everyday life.</p>
<p>There was a young woman (operative word was) in my PhD program who applied stating she was hispanic. One of the professors ended up nominating her for a fellowship for hispanic student. She gave a dazed an confused look wondering why she would be considered for the fellowship and said there must be some kind of mistake. She ended up being tossed out of the program and having to repay scholarship $$ that had been given to her.</p>
<p>yeah what you did was pretty risky. hopefully, you wont have to suffer what that woman above.</p>
<p>I have a completely white friend who checked off the african-american box because he is South African. Skin color has nothing to do with it if you are african</p>