<p>Ok,I know this has been discussed before, but I am a bit confused and don't want to do the wrong thing here. So my dad and his side are all Guatemalan/Hispanic, and my great grandmother on my mom side is full blooded Cherokee (and yes we have the documentation to prove it), which makes me 1/6 or 1/8 I believe. So my question is, can I legitimately say I'm Hispanic & NA. I know some colleges need to see cultural activity for me to be able to say I'm NA. what I also wanted to know is what constitutes 'cultural activity'. I was part of a NA meeting back in middle school, where we just did things like projects but haven't done anything since. Should I get back into that or does that even count?
Thanks for all the help,
Gabriel</p>
<p>Yes you legitimately can lol. Also, being Native American (even if it is just part of you) will do wonders for you when applying.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help, I was just worried I might be viewed as an ‘imposter’ for not being very involved culturally. </p>
<p>Most commonly, native American status is based on tribal enrollment, although you want to read the fine print at each school. For example, the American Indian Tuition Waiver at the University of Minnesota - Morris allows direct descendants of those who have tribal enrollment: <a href=“http://www.morris.umn.edu/financialaid/scholarshipswaivers/americanindiantuition/”>http://www.morris.umn.edu/financialaid/scholarshipswaivers/americanindiantuition/</a></p>
<p>The enrollment is not needed at many colleges. The Common App has space for it, but iIt’s mostly schools in areas with high NA populations that look for it, to be fair to those truly experiencing the life, culture, etc. </p>
<p>You can legitimately claim Hispanic & NA. We don’t know what schools you’re interested in, what major or your achievements. That matters. In general, a middle school meeting isn’t enough. But I think you knew that.</p>
<p>Yeah I didn’t think that would be enough, and I plan on doing more within the next year, as well as seeing what I can do about that tribal enrollment. If it helps, I’m interested in majoring in history or biology (maybe both) at one of the more prestigious universities like UVA or by some miracle duke haha, and am aiming for becoming a doctor or lawyer. </p>
<p>Enrollment takes time. The key is if your ancestor was on the Dawes Roll. </p>
<p>Love UVA, but it’s one that’s nearly impossible to predict, partly because of N VA and partly because they’re trying to get in kids from all corners and SES. It’s not really just about your “cultural” involvement, there are many ways you can show the connection.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help and the info! Didn’t know about the Dawes roll, I’ll see about that as well. </p>
<p>Here’s a thread that might be helpful. <a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000293.htm”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000293.htm</a></p>
<p>At our high school, we were told the “25% rule” – so 1/8 wouldn’t normally count. However, the question on the apps are typically “to what ethnicity do you IDENTIFY yourself with”. So technically, you could identify with a race that you aren’t really part of – but then you get into ethical issues. One southern CA private school got in hot water with a highly selective college because they had a student report as “African-American” when they were Caucasian but lived in South Africa. The college felt that the guidance counselor should have convinced the student not to lie – the student can’t get penalized but the student’s high school can then be on the “naughty list” by that college which only hurts subsequent students. One highly selective rep said last week that they now typically look for mentions of race in the guidance counselor letters, and look at ECs that might hint at ethnicity, simply because so many students are gaming the system.</p>
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<p>Ummm, just because you play cricket does not mean that you are Indian, and just because you play piano or violin does not mean that you are Chinese.</p>
<p>Per the government, African American has to do with “origins in the Sub-Saharan regions of Africa.” You can see the difference when it’s a Caucasian kid who lived there. Even a legit white citizen of South Africa would be "South African or, if they emigrated here, “South African American.” Not African American. </p>
<p>I don’t know why a high school would limit this to 25% when the tribes accept more distant, regardless of whether you lived among them. Right, it’s not about playing cricket or loving Bollywood movies. Not that aspect of self-id.</p>
<p>Um, I don’t think he meant that he would assume playing violin meant the person might be Chinese. I think he was thinking more along the lines of a Latino club, or something like that.</p>