<p>I am a junior right now and I am part white and black. I know that putting black on my application could possibly help me, but should I put both races or just black?</p>
<p>There are options for Black, Biracial or opt out (decline choosing any). Its your choice, so do what you feel is right for you.
At the end of the day, its your life to live and you are responsible for every decision you are going to be making going forward.
Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Why not other/mixed race?</p>
<p>What do you identify as? Do you actively and frequently engage yourself in your white heritage? Black heritage? Both? </p>
<p>I don’t particularly identify myself as one or the other nor do I engage in any specific type of heritage. Would putting mixed or both be as beneficial as just putting black?</p>
<p>Just put african american. The URM boost is tremendous. No need to feel connected to one side or the other if you are biracial.</p>
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<p>@tlynch1315: The 2013-2014 Common App does NOT list mixed or bi-racial as an option. Maybe it will change for next year, but if it doesn’t, you can check both boxes or the “Black or African American” box. </p>
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<p>Sorry, my copy and paste missed the “white” box. Here it is corrected</p>
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<p>Like I said earlier. It is up to you, and yes you can select more than one box. However, it seems like you are just asking this to see the “BENEFITS” as you call it, that comes with your racial/identity disclosure. I would say, let go of that notion at this point. Yes, there may be some benefits from certain schools and there also might be some disadvantages from certain schools. So, at the end of the day, choose what you would want to be identified with for the rest of your life, and most importantly, what YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH.
If you are accepted/rejected from a school because of your race, you probably would not know that anyway, as it will never be disclosed to you, but you can be rest assured that you made a conscious decision that you are happy with and have no regrets whatsoever, doing so.</p>
<p>You’re competing with cheaters. Take the URM advantage.</p>
<p>What do you have listed on your high school files? You should probably stick with that. </p>
<p>@NewHavenCTmom That’s also worth considering. Some colleges do use your previous records to check.</p>
<p>There are many advantages to listing yourself as African American and no advantage to listing yourself as Caucasian so why wouldn’t you take advantage of that in college admissions? If you were my child, I would insist on applying as African American to take advantage of this. There are many people out there who are good students with great SAT scores, etc. You should try to take whatever advantage you can in life. Don’t be naïve.</p>
<p>Yup. They do! They realize that students are trying to use certain races to give them a perceived edge in college admissions. Native American is another one. I say it’s always best to be truthful about who your are. Authenticity is always best, then you never have to lie or look over your shoulder. </p>
<p>@ ^ You have give OP two opposite advice to run with… I hope he sticks with the 2nd. LOL.</p>
<p>Does anyone else find it silly that simply checking one box over another that deals with just a few bits of DNA is such an important decision? </p>
<p>COULD NOT AGREE MORE. Its absurd, but unfortunately, that is the world that we all live in. </p>
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I disagree. Just as some colleges have “soft quotas” for Asians (about 15% to 20% of the incoming class depending upon the college), and Internationals (about 10% to 12% of the incoming class depending on the college), they also seem to have “soft quotas” for African American students. But, the percentage of white students in an incoming class always seems run in the 40% to 45% range, depending upon the college. I think the OP should list both ethnicities as it’s a win-win situation.</p>
<p>@gibby I doubt colleges would try to limit the number of African American students however since URMs are high in demand</p>
<p>I would definitely check African American. But do make sure that your high school records jive with whatever you check on your college application. If they don’t, you can probably have your high school record changed. My neighbor did that. She’s half Cuban, but her HS record just had her down as white. In order to change it to Hispanic, she had to present her father’s birth certificate as “proof” (which they accepted, even though it didn’t even list his race/ethnicity). Check with your counselor to see if you need any documentation. </p>