<p>I am typical of most users on this site, 4.0 uw, great ECs, great SAT, etc. I was wondering how much of a bump URM is. I'm 1/32 black, and 31/32 white. That would be enough to make me Cherokee when I apply to colleges, but would be enough to be black? Or biracial? Or is URM not important enough to matter, and I just should put white and roll my dices like everyone else. Any help would be great. Thanks!
PS, I'm looking at Ivy level schools.</p>
<p>So one of your great, great, great grandparents (probably born in the mid 1800’s) was black? I’d say you are white.</p>
<p>I’m black and I don’t claim that I’m white and my great-grandfather was white.
That being said…
I honestly don’t think it will make a difference.
Based on your description of 31/32 white… you’re 96.8/97% white.
That’s pretty white, I’d say!</p>
<p>You may identify as you please.</p>
<p>If the institutions that admit you threaten to rescind their offers, provided that you can present evidence of African-American ancestry, you have a case.</p>
<p>I would just that you HAVE to be honest on your application. You will never be able to live with yourself if you lie on your college application. If you truly identify as black then check black. If you truly identify as white check white. It doesn’t matter what will help you get in, just be honest.</p>
<p>Wow, this really begs the question as to what lengths one will go to get into an Ivy. First of all none of us are pure anything. You may be 31/32 white but if that includes Italian, Irish, Jewish or Gypsy blood, etc. then you are not really white either. Those backgrounds weren’t considered white until Kennedy was elected President. My family is Japanese, Jewish, Filipino, French, German, Romanian, Hungarian, Czech, and a gazillion other things. Last week I took my kid to the doctor and he put “a lot” under race on the intake form. For college applications it was “mixed race”. We are multilingual, dual citizens and try to spend as little time as possible thinking about this garbage. My advice? Be honest about what you are and the race you identify with. If you try faking it you will get hammered and possibly damage your future like Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>There is actually useful information in a medical context here, though the social definitions of race and ethnicity do not always match up with the genetic variations in humanity that are often relevant for evaluating medical risks and the like (e.g. African Americans with origins in various parts of Africa, or compared to Africans, or Chinese and Chinese Americans of north versus south Chinese origin).</p>
<p>Cultural habits can also be relevant to medical risks and the like, but this is another case where social definitions of race and ethnicity are not perfectly correlated to cultural habits (e.g. Japanese Americans who eat traditional Japanese home foods versus those who eat fast food burgers and pepperoni pizza).</p>
<p>You have less black in you than I have white in me, and I consider myself African American. Most Americans are mixed in some capacity.</p>
<p>Assuming you are not a ■■■■■, the question is a racial/cultural one. African Americans who have identified as that their entire life, and are identified that way by other people, face disadvantages in society that white people do not. If you have identified as white your entire life - and others have seen you as white, too - then it would be disingenuous of you to co-opt to experiences of African Americans in order to try to gain some advantage (real or imagined) in college admissions.</p>
<p>I would think of this as a two part test.</p>
<p>One is whether you’ve experienced the societal disadvantages that black Americans typically face. Do other people identify you as black, because of your appearance or your family members or your culture, and thus subtly or blatantly discriminate against you? If so, then I think you can easily check the black box, after all one goal of admissions privilege is to counteract the impact of racism on applicants. </p>
<p>The other is whether you bring an African American cultural perspective. If you’re 1/32 black, but you’re raised by a parent who was raised by a parent who identified as black, and has passed on African American culture or another culture such as Haitian, then I think you can reasonably think of yourself as black. Afterall, the other goal that schools have is to increase the diversity of cultural perspectives through holistic admissions. </p>
<p>To give you two examples. My son is being raised by a white mother (me) with input from my extended family. He’s certainly exposed to African American culture, has African American friends, etc . . . but culturally, at this point in his life, his upbringing has been pretty “white”. But, he’s got chocolate brown skin, kinky hair, etc . . . inherited from his biological ancestors, the majority of whom were either African, enslaved Americans, or their descendants. There’s no doubt that when he goes out into the world, whether it’s school or employment, or whatever, that the world views him as “black”, and of course that’s the box we check. </p>
<p>In contrast, I have a friend who has majority white ancestry, and looks white enough to “pass”, but identifies as black. Her white father left her mixed race mother when she was an infant, and she was raised by her mixed race mother and her black stepfather, alongside siblings of that union. She grew up in a majority black neighborhood, attending majority black schools. The church she considers her second home is AME Zion. Culturally, from her speech patterns, to the songs she grew up playing, to the games she grew up playing, to the foods she prepares for her children, and the names she gave them . . . in all these ways she reflects her rich wonderful African American heritage. When she went to college she brought that knowledge and that perspective, and enriched her university. </p>
<p>If neither of these applies to you. That is, if you look white, benefit from white privilege, were raised immersed in white culture, etc . . . then I don’t think that checking the “black” box is the right choice, either ethically, or pragmatically.</p>
<p>Cases like this are why AA is a problem. “Diversity” should be less about ancestry, and more about culture, as CuriousJane touched on</p>
<p>“That is, if you look white, benefit from white privilege, were raised immersed in white culture, etc . . . then I don’t think that checking the “black” box is the right choice, either ethically, or pragmatically.”</p>
<p>lol, then most of the self-proclaimed “black” students at the top national universities and liberal arts colleges are morally bankrupt.</p>
<p>KWU, I couldn’t agree with you more. </p>
<p>However, it’s kind of disheartening while you sit and listen to your HS talk about advantage after advantage for URM’s. </p>
<p>“you all qualify for this grant or this scholarship… except one of you…” </p>
<p>But i don’t get why it wouldn’t be pragmatic? Wouldn’t it make logical sense to do it, but just be morally irreprehensible?</p>
<p>I couldn’t agree more with julliet and curiousjane.</p>
<p>Dont listen to this argument.</p>
<p>if you can prove you are part black, DO IT. you arnt lying at all saying you’re black…as long as you have some evidence in case the school charges you or something.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Yeah “you should” as in the pragmatic sense that you have actual ancestry. </p>
<p>this goes back to the whole ethics thing. Why are we doing it for the first place? AA policies. </p>
<p>AA policies assume that one race (group of people) in general terms does better than another group of people. </p>
<p>You know that its true, numbers prove it. You’re taking advantage of “general terms of one race” and using the even more advantageous policies of another.</p>
<p>so? if AA exists then you should use it to the fullest extent you can. i sure as hell did</p>
<p>Found this on the web. Although it is for a law school website, it seems reasonable. You can ask your HS guidance counselor but 1/32 minority seems really stretching it. If it had a major impact on your life, maybe address it in an essay.</p>
<p>[URM</a> (Under-Represented Minority) Application FAQ](<a href=“http://www.top-law-schools.com/urm-applicant-faq.html]URM”>URM (Under-Represented Minority) Application FAQ)
“The generally accepted threshold for claiming a race is ¼ (does not include Native Americans, which are a more grey area). Beyond that, claims of minority status tend to become a bit more dubious.”</p>
<p>I think the rules are different for Native Americans because the population is so small. In my opinion opinion you are very much white.</p>
<p>I’m the one who wrote that it’s not “pragmatic” to claim a heritage you don’t have. I’m imagining an interview, where the interviewer becomes quizzical. I believe that if the school begins to question your integrity in this area, it’s natural for them to begin to question it in other areas. I think that could easily hurt your chances.</p>
<p>According to your other post, you’re only in 9th grade. If you already have a great SAT score, I don’t think you have much to worry about!</p>
<p>I would think you could get in big trouble if you put down “black” with only 1/32 black ancestry.</p>