Do you think it is wrong to put myself down as a minority?

close one. i've often discussed with my mom what would have happened had she given birth to me while my family lived in africa (i was born a few days after we moved to the U.S.) i am white, but technically, i could have called myself an african american!

{:( said:

I have strawberry blonde hair with blues and I am fair skinned. However, I am an EOP (educational outreach program) student because I am 3/32 native american ( I have the card) so I do qualify for all the advantages as an undergrad. What do you think the interviewer will think if I put native american/caucasian on my application? or

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I would say that if you feel you are, or represent, a minority student body, and therefore qualify for any perceived or established "benefits" then yes mark down that you are a minority. (I wouldn't mention 3/32 at the interview, just say native american-don't leave it up to the adcom to decide whether you are or are not a minority student). However, if you are just declaring minority to hopefully boost your admission possibilities then I would say no (just against my moral fibers). I am not a minority student though, so my advice only represents my personal feelings on the subject and should be taken with a grain of salt. Good luck to you!

{:( said:

I have strawberry blonde hair with blues and I am fair skinned. However, I am an EOP (educational outreach program) student because I am 3/32 native american ( I have the card) so I do qualify for all the advantages as an undergrad. What do you think the interviewer will think if I put native american/caucasian on my application? or

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Ehh? WTF? I am 1/8 NA, how in the hell did I not know about all these benefits growing up? I even look NA, but no one ever in my life told me I could get benefits URM etc until I read it here on SDN. It's too late now! I'm already interviewing/waiting for acceptances. BOOO!

OK edit to say: In all sincerity, I think it is very, very weak and insulting to NAs and other URMs to claim NA/URM status IF you did not have the experience of a URM/NA childhood. It's not about the "blood", it's about the disadvantage people who were raised as a black, hispanic, or especially an NA in white America. So, even though I just joked about it, I say this is just like the Disadvantaged Status thing...you shouldn't claim it unless you honestly believe it. Do you believe you experienced a disadvantage in your life by being 3/32 NA, or do you believe that you will represent the NA population and all their strife by using that status to get into med school?

I think that is where the line is.

I, personally, did not experience NA life at all. I grew up 100% white trash and always wanted to be the cowboy and kill the indians, I have no NA pride/culture/disadvantage in me whatsoever, so I would never pursue obtaining URM status, even though it sounds like technically I could get it.

You guys get a card?

zahque said:

close one. i've often discussed with my mom what would have happened had she given birth to me while my family lived in africa (i was born a few days after we moved to the U.S.) i am white, but technically, i could have called myself an african american!

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Yeah, this is part of the reason why I think the whole URM is pointless...instead some schools have a disadvantaged status (more environmental than color).

I feel you, according to the US census a white person is categorized as someone from European, Middle Eastern, or North African descent. WTF??? Now, i'm no rocket scientist, but there a large/diverse spectrum of people from those areas (religions, cultures, colors, etc.)

I am writing from the opposite end of the spectrum. I am your stereotypical looking white boy, but I was adopted by a Japanese family (and therefore have a Japanese last name). I am sure there are admissions committee's right now saying WTF. Of course, asians don't really fit the "disadvantaged status" category, so it matters a little less on my part. However, I mark japanese.Cause you know what, I was raised with a lot more japanese culture than a lot of guys I have met that are full-blooded Japanese. It is more about the culture and expereince, not the blood. My two cents.

Rockhouse said:

I am writing from the opposite end of the spectrum. I am your stereotypical looking white boy, but I was adopted by a Japanese family (and therefore have a Japanese last name). I am sure there are admissions committee's right now saying WTF. Of course, asians don't really fit the "disadvantaged status" category, so it matters a little less on my part. However, I mark japanese.Cause you know what, I was raised with a lot more japanese culture than a lot of guys I have met that are full-blooded Japanese. It is more about the culture and expereince, not the blood. My two cents.

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domo domo very much


Incredible how many people don't see this.



In addition, the main point of having an ethnically sensitive med school admission committee is to ensure by as many means possible that those to whom the URM status is recognized potentially would return to such communities to serve them medically.

I know of a guy who is Egyptian but listed himself as "African American" on his AMCAS. I know he grew up in an Egyptian/Muslim household, and since he's Arab, isn't he technically Caucasian? I feel that it's unfair to my Afircan American friends applying who are actually really African American...

He did well on his MCAT (like 36+) and is getting interviews at every single school he applied to, and I can't help but think that it has partly to do with his "African American" status. WIll this guy get caught or will he get away with it? I feel indignant for some reason..
let me know what you guys think.

ablumoon said:

I know of a guy who is Egyptian but listed himself as "African American" on his AMCAS. I know he grew up in an Egyptian/Muslim household, and since he's Arab, isn't he technically Caucasian? I feel that it's unfair to my Afircan American friends applying who are actually really African American...

He did well on his MCAT (like 36+) and is getting interviews at every single school he applied to, and I can't help but think that it has partly to do with his "African American" status. WIll this guy get caught or will he get away with it? I feel indignant for some reason..
let me know what you guys think.

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Contrary to erroneous belief most Egyptians are not Arabs. They are part of the Arab nations but not Arab in origin.

Despite being Egyptian, what race is your friend?

That's all I know about him; he's Egyptian. He looks sort of like he's black because of his hair, but when I look at him he looks more Saudi or could even pass as Pakistani. If he were to claim himself as black, he would definitely be an extremely fair black person.

The point being, that I don't feel he was discriminated against in life because of his race, as say real African Americans are on a day-to-day basis. (Trust me, I live in LA, it happens a LOT). Affirmative action and such policies are for those whose backgrounds and racial differences would prevent them from advancing in the same way a Caucasian would. So, this is why I feel like he's taking advantage of the system.

Funny what people will do to get into med school. Wait, not that funny. It's rather pathetic to claim being an URM because your great great great (you get the point) grandma was an URM, but then again, I'm not an adcom (yet ).

ablumoon said:

That's all I know about him; he's Egyptian. He looks sort of like he's black because of his hair, but when I look at him he looks more Saudi or could even pass as Pakistani. If he were to claim himself as black, he would definitely be an extremely fair black person.

The point being, that I don't feel he was discriminated against in life because of his race, as say real African Americans are on a day-to-day basis. (Trust me, I live in LA, it happens a LOT). Affirmative action and such policies are for those whose backgrounds and racial differences would prevent them from advancing in the same way a Caucasian would. So, this is why I feel like he's taking advantage of the system.

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Hmm...but given the current attitude towards middle easterners, he probably still faces some discrimination. There are some Egyptians who look really black, though--so they could pass as African Americans, no problem. In that case, is it fair for people of the same ethnicity to be treated differently based on how black they look? How do we quantify the correlation between degree of blackness and discrimination?

ablumoon said:

That's all I know about him; he's Egyptian. He looks sort of like he's black because of his hair, but when I look at him he looks more Saudi or could even pass as Pakistani. If he were to claim himself as black, he would definitely be an extremely fair black person.

The point being, that I don't feel he was discriminated against in life because of his race, as say real African Americans are on a day-to-day basis. (Trust me, I live in LA, it happens a LOT). Affirmative action and such policies are for those whose backgrounds and racial differences would prevent them from advancing in the same way a Caucasian would. So, this is why I feel like he's taking advantage of the system.

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Incorrect Ablumoon, the latest supreme court position on AA is not based on race but on whether the person in question would most likely serve a traditionally underserved community. That is probably where your friend fits the equation.

{:( said:

I do come from a socially and economically disadvantaged background and I do know a great deal about my family history from our family book. I wouldn't call me pathetic... using what is given is part of life. Also since my mother happens to be Croatian and most people happen to not know what that is; I have grown up with racism because my mother looks "foreign." Anyways, if I cannot get into an MD/PhD program, then I will serve the undeserved but not necessarily NA's.

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Then ethically you shouldn't claim to be a NA URM and in my opinion you should not. My 2 pesos.

u guys are missing the point.

URM is for underrepresented minority. even if you were affluent black/hispanic/NA you would still benefit from URM status. it's about AA, not about socioeconomic factors. disadvantaged is a seperate question. i can't remember whether disadv. status was asked on amcas or secondaries, but it's also asked.

two seperate factors.

radioh3ad said:

u guys are missing the point.

URM is for underrepresented minority. even if you were affluent black/hispanic/NA you would still benefit from URM status. it's about AA, not about socioeconomic factors. disadvantaged is a seperate question. i can't remember whether disadv. status was asked on amcas or secondaries, but it's also asked.

two seperate factors.

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radioh3ad

AA is no longer about race but about showing potential of returning to an underserved, underpriviledged community and providing services to its members (Note: Most such communities are NA reserves, Black and latino/ low resource neighborhood, rural communities, migrant communities...)

then replace "AA" in my post with "under-represented race."

i'm making a point that the URM and disadvantaged factors are seperate considerations for AMCAS.

Just thought I'd mention that on one of the secondaries I'm filling out, it specifically asks if you are a "self-described Native American". Although the OP has the "card" it doesn't sound as if she describes herself as NA, therefore it's hard to see how she can claim being a NA.

Egypt is in Africa.

yeah, i know where you're coming from. my mother is japanese and native hawaiian (i think i'm 1/8 native hawaiian) and my dad is white. my mom grew up in hawaii, so i definately grew up with some of that culture. however, i took after my dad, so i look white (both of my brothers are dark skinned). on my application i put i was caucasion/ japanese /nat. hawaiian because that's how i think of myself. i wondered if i would get any questions about this at interviews, but none so far.....it's definately a judgement call....good luck!

I don't think there is anything wrong with it or bad about it whatsoever. If you are native american, then put it down. It doesn't mean you are claiming disadvantaged status, like a previous poster said. It's just who you are!

Not that I think what anyone has done or how they see themselves is wrong, but I really feel a large part of being a URM is the racism you experience, which is directly based on how you look (come on, we don't all agree with what the supreme court said just because they're the supreme court. And planning on serving an underserved community does not make you a URM). Just because my mother was a woman doesn't mean my brother knows what sexism feels like.

I think whatever you honestly feel yourself to be, put that. This is why those checkboxes are so stupid anyway-- I think we're a little beyond being able to catagorize most of the population in 16 groups. But really be honest with yourself- no matter how much I know about african- american culture, have african-american friends/family, I'm still not black. And I agree with the above poster that if you do it to get into medical school, it's unethical (and you're a bad person- my judgement).

spoon said:

I don't think there is anything wrong with it or bad about it whatsoever. If you are native american, then put it down. It doesn't mean you are claiming disadvantaged status, like a previous poster said. It's just who you are!

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Well, it's just being 3/32 of who he/she is.

Note to the OP: If you haven't worked with these communities and know nothing about the culture, they're going to shoot you down at your interviews.

Labslave said:

Well, it's just being 3/32 of who he/she is.

Note to the OP: If you haven't worked with these communities and know nothing about the culture, they're going to shoot you down at your interviews.

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I don't understand this at all. The space for ethnicity is not supposed to be "who you feel to be." If it were, then the people raised by other cultures would not have any problem putting down that that is their ethnicity. Ethnicity is just who you are, racially, ethnically. She is Native American and Caucasian, so why lie and just say Caucasian?

edit: To the previous poster, my point is, she is not saying she is 100% Native American. She is just telling the truth about her blend of ethnicity. I don't see why she has to have worked with that population in order to be a part of it. A biracial man who lives in a white neighborhood and teaches at a white school is still biracial..

spoon said:

I don't understand this at all. The space for ethnicity is not supposed to be "who you feel to be." If it were, then the people raised by other cultures would not have any problem putting down that that is their ethnicity. Ethnicity is just who you are, racially, ethnically. She is Native American and Caucasian, so why lie and just say Caucasian?

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I disagree. I think the above posters who focus on culture are right. If you have grown up in a specific culture, or even if you have adopted it long enough for it to be a significant part of your life, you will have experienced all of the typical lifestyle aspects of the culture as well as the discrimination associated with it. I think the above poster who said he put Japanese because he was raised in a Japanese family is entirely correct in doing so. The issue of ethnicity or race for the admissions process really is one of knowing what background a person comes from, rather than caring what they look like.

If the OP participates in Native American cultural activities and considers herself part of that group, it would seem appropriate to put this on her application. However, if she simply has the genetic background and the card to prove it, it seems less appropriate.

There was a really interesting article in the New York Times Magazine a while ago about people who consider themselves Native Americans but don't particularly look the part. Certainly somebody who looks like a typical white girl won't experience the same kind of racial discrimination outside of any reservation or Native American environment; but then, many Native Americans today are not really identifiably native simply based on appearance, and many people living on reservations or in heavily Native American areas, who certainly experience all of the associated problems with access to education and lower income levels, etc., do not "look like" American Indians.

tigress said:

I disagree. I think the above posters who focus on culture are right. If you have grown up in a specific culture, or even if you have adopted it long enough for it to be a significant part of your life, you will have experienced all of the typical lifestyle aspects of the culture as well as the discrimination associated with it. I think the above poster who said he put Japanese because he was raised in a Japanese family is entirely correct in doing so. The issue of ethnicity or race for the admissions process really is one of knowing what background a person comes from, rather than caring what they look like.

If the OP participates in Native American cultural activities and considers herself part of that group, it would seem appropriate to put this on her application. However, if she simply has the genetic background and the card to prove it, it seems less appropriate.

There was a really interesting article in the New York Times Magazine a while ago about people who consider themselves Native Americans but don't particularly look the part. Certainly somebody who looks like a typical white girl won't experience the same kind of racial discrimination outside of any reservation or Native American environment; but then, many Native Americans today are not really identifiably native simply based on appearance, and many people living on reservations or in heavily Native American areas, who certainly experience all of the associated problems with access to education and lower income levels, etc., do not "look like" American Indians.

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I definitely see your point of view. I didn't see that the Japanese man put down he was Japanese. I misspoke; I think that is fine too. You make a good point about culture and I see why that comes into consideration. However I do feel that the OP is just as justified in putting down her ethnicity as Native American and Caucasian as somebody is in putting down Japanese because he identifies with that culture. I think it is a personal choice but I don't see what is wrong with describing your genetics. Genetics mean different things to different people. I am not Jewish but I come from a Jewish ancestry and consider myself Jewish in the sense of how I look and what my family is like. Genes do mean something to me in that way.

Anyway, an itneresting question...I will try to track down that article...thanks!

Tan your skin a little bit... If the system likes to screw all the non-minority kids.. I would go back and screw the system.

Labslave said:

Well, it's just being 3/32 of who he/she is.

Note to the OP: If you haven't worked with these communities and know nothing about the culture, they're going to shoot you down at your interviews.

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I dont know about that. Many interviews are closed file which means the interviewers dont know anything about your ethnic or racial background. Also, even if they do know you claimed that, many people would shy away from this type of discussion because it's obviously a touchy subject. Also, you should look on the AAMC website. They talk about the individuals that are fractions of a particular race. They specifically say that there is no percentage that they must be over to be considered one race or another. So ask yourself "Am I native American?", I think the answer is pretty obvious.

spoon said:

I am not Jewish but I come from a Jewish ancestry and consider myself Jewish in the sense of how I look and what my family is like. Genes do mean something to me in that way.

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I also come from Jewish ancetry (Jacobi of NYC) but the last time I checked, Judaism was a religion NOT a gene.

Interesting thing about the NA issue, my mother has her "card" as 1/4 Cherokee but I NEVER bothered to get mine although I know that with my stats getting into just about any med school in the country would be a sure thing. I don't "play that card" because I know very little about NA culture and identify primarily with African American culture. Most importantly, I have VERY strong ethics.

i dont know if you know this already, but you will need a tribal affiliation card or something like that for some schools. They will ask for it. So if you dont have one I would research getting one. Im not native american so I have no idea how, but I have seen them ask for that on some secondaries. Also, I dont feel that it is immoral to say you are what you are. The question they ask isnt," Have you been exposed to the full experience known as the native american?" the question they ask is," Are you native american?" Keep in mind some people are already against affirmative action so its to be expected that they try and paint you as some kind of immoral villian for claiming what you are. I see no moral dilemma here. Now if you dont claim white as well, then I think that could be a moral issue, but thats your decision to make.

Indryd said:

Ehh? WTF? I am 1/8 NA, how in the hell did I not know about all these benefits growing up? I even look NA, but no one ever in my life told me I could get benefits URM etc until I read it here on SDN. It's too late now! I'm already interviewing/waiting for acceptances. BOOO!

OK edit to say: In all sincerity, I think it is very, very weak and insulting to NAs and other URMs to claim NA/URM status IF you did not have the experience of a URM/NA childhood. It's not about the "blood", it's about the disadvantage people who were raised as a black, hispanic, or especially an NA in white America. So, even though I just joked about it, I say this is just like the Disadvantaged Status thing...you shouldn't claim it unless you honestly believe it. Do you believe you experienced a disadvantage in your life by being 3/32 NA, or do you believe that you will represent the NA population and all their strife by using that status to get into med school?

I think that is where the line is.

I, personally, did not experience NA life at all. I grew up 100% white trash and always wanted to be the cowboy and kill the indians, I have no NA pride/culture/disadvantage in me whatsoever, so I would never pursue obtaining URM status, even though it sounds like technically I could get it.

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my thoughts, too. i'm something like 1/16 na, and i'd never consider putting that down. if that were enough to qualify, then every single person from oklahoma would be na because we all have some na blood somewhere. i didn't grow up in an na environment, and i never experienced any hardships related to it, so it wouldn't be right to claim it.

I refused to answer the race question since I look Hispanic/asian/hawaiian.....even though I am 100% caucasion. I figure I'll leave it up to the adcoms to decide if they think I'm a minority or not.

Plus to all those that SAY they have too high of morals, I'd like to see what they would do next year if they didn't get in anywhere this year........

did you guys see the post about URM being a totally different/separate thing as Disadvantaged status?
URM is literally what it means, "underrepresented minority," whether you grew up as bill cosby's son driving a porsche since the age of sixteen, or grew up in a trailer park sustaining on welfare. the motivation behind giving consideration to URMs is because med schools want to contribute to a society of doctors that show a diverse representation of race in america. if you are black you are black you are black. and if you are asian or white, the same applies.

of course checking the race box becomes more of a dilemma when you are half-something(or quarter-mixed), as the OP. this is the only time i believe it is up to you to put down however you identify yourself racially. NOT CULTURALLY. i could be causcasian born with white skin and blonde hair and bllue eyes and happen to really love and immerser myself in japanese culture, eat sushi every day and only associate with japanese people, but that does not mean i can check that i am japanese! they are asking what your RACE is, not how you culturally identify yourself. you can not change your biological bloodline, even if you are adopted into a different race family. i have a few korean friends who have american last names because they were adopted into white families, but the reality is they are not white. they are korean/asian and taht's what they check in any id boxes. they are AMERICAN but not white.

now if you are disadvantaged, regardless of being asian/white/indian, you can document your history of this and submit yourself as such when you are applying to med school.

I don't think you guys understand that it doesn't matter what the Supreme Court rules. The medical school wants the numbers - they want people to fill the minority slots and sometimes will require supporting documentation to cover their a$$e$, but are not really concerned with whether you match into a residency for primary care in some NA reserve. Get real.

What do people think is the proper course of action for Latinos/as, since you can be white, native south american, black or (more likely) some mix of the three and still be very much latino...

Lets say my parents are from (insert any Latin American country), of nearly 100% European ancestry and quite wealthy. They have had access to high education to boot, as have I.

Lets say that furthermore I speak fluent Spanish (or Portuguese if you chose Brazil) and very much grew up in a Latin atmosphere, often traveling back to my parents country to spend time with relatives.

That said, I feel like I've suffered nearly no racial or ethnic discrimination, and although I identify myself as Latino, have no problem blending in with white America.

Am I wrong to check white, Latino and NON-disadvantaged on my application? I'm being honest, but it's sure to give me an edge.

What if all of the above still stood (wealthy, from an educated family, little or no felt discrimination), but now I am a darker skinned Latino. Am I wrong to check black, Latino and NON-dasadvantaged knowing I haven't suffered many of the injustices of poor immigrant Hispanics struggling through the American dream or black americans having felt discrimination from white America?

How do you play with the balance of being true to who and what you are and not putting yourself in a position where you will incur advantages you know you do not deserve?

ablumoon said:

I know of a guy who is Egyptian but listed himself as "African American" on his AMCAS. I know he grew up in an Egyptian/Muslim household, and since he's Arab, isn't he technically Caucasian? I feel that it's unfair to my Afircan American friends applying who are actually really African American...

He did well on his MCAT (like 36+) and is getting interviews at every single school he applied to, and I can't help but think that it has partly to do with his "African American" status. WIll this guy get caught or will he get away with it? I feel indignant for some reason..
let me know what you guys think.

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Uhm - I hate to point this out but uhh.. Egypt is in the North Eastern corner of Africa. He isn't getting away with something - he is from Africa. Good thing geography isn't on the MCAT eh?

I think the OP knew that Egypt is in Africa. It's just that most people count Arabs as caucasian, not african-american (generally considered "black") regardless of whether the individual is from an Arab country that falls in Africa (Egypt) or one a little outside (Yemen)

Labslave said:

Well, it's just being 3/32 of who he/she is.

Note to the OP: If you haven't worked with these communities and know nothing about the culture, they're going to shoot you down at your interviews.

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Whatever. Do you really know this, or are you just talking out of your ass?

Anonymous_Uzer said:

Whatever. Do you really know this, or are you just talking out of your ass?

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I've actually heard that about claiming Native American status. It may be unfair but if you don't "look" Native American, you've never lived on a reservation and you haven't done any work with the underserved, you may be in for some awkward interview moments.

mashce said:

I think the OP knew that Egypt is in Africa. It's just that most people count Arabs as caucasian, not african-american (generally considered "black") regardless of whether the individual is from an Arab country that falls in Africa (Egypt) or one a little outside (Yemen)

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Uh.... only people that don't know where the Caucus Mountain range is would consider an Arab caucasian. Also, careful who you call an Arab - many Egyptians identify as Coptic or African (particularly Egyptians from Southern Egypt.)

To the OP, if I were interviewing somebody that was claiming 3/32 of anything, I would be offended that they would try such a stunt, and view them as opportunistic. I mean - if we go back that far, don't we all have a little something in us? Geesh.

{:( said:

I do come from a socially and economically disadvantaged background and I do know a great deal about my family history from our family book. I wouldn't call me pathetic... using what is given is part of life. Also since my mother happens to be Croatian and most people happen to not know what that is; I have grown up with racism because my mother looks "foreign." Anyways, if I cannot get into an MD/PhD program, then I will serve the undeserved but not necessarily NA's.

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my parents are from war-torn kosovo, and they "look" foreign too. i look white.

By all means put it down. I dont agree with AA and giving preferential treatment in addmissions based on ethnicity/race but its not your fault is the way i look at it. Use every advantage you can get. Maybe it wont mean anything but maybe it could be a difference maker in getting into a top 10 school.

Flopotomist said:

Uhm - I hate to point this out but uhh.. Egypt is in the North Eastern corner of Africa. He isn't getting away with something - he is from Africa. Good thing geography isn't on the MCAT eh?

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My fiance is from Zimbabwe, and people have told him (admissions for undergrad) that he is not African-American, and African-American designation is for affirmative action and therefore for people who were discriminated by race (and ties to era of slavery). His black friends from Zim also say they don't put African-American because they are not decsendents of slaves. He grew up in Africa, speaks English and Shona, but yet he is not African-American because he is white and they are not African-American because they are not "American enough"? Then why don't we just ditch the non-accurate politically correctness and go by skin color and decsent if that is the case? I just think it doesn't make sense. They grew up surrounded by poverty incomprehensible to many Americans, so, if anything, they would be more dedicated to serve the underserved. He usually ends up putting other and then being specific.

jackets5 said:

By all means put it down. I dont agree with AA and giving preferential treatment in addmissions based on ethnicity/race but its not your fault is the way i look at it. Use every advantage you can get. Maybe it wont mean anything but maybe it could be a difference maker in getting into a top 10 school.

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Hey why not?

I like taking risks. on one hand it could really work out and you come to realize (just like most URMs) that it isn't all people on SDN fuzz so much about and on the other you could come accross to an adcom as a low opportunistic dishonest applicant...your call

Its not really a risk, just make sure you have enough background information on the culuture etc. in case you get asked questions about it. Its not being dishonest, he actually is Native American and can prove his heritage. He will be only using the way the system is set-up to his advantage and better his situation, its not his fault its a terrible policy. It much less dishonest than people who list all types of EC's on their application that they probally spent about 2 days involved in and make it seem significant. You cant argue it is an advantage (how much is debatable) and the actually is qualified to recieve the benefit then i dont see why he shouldnt take advantage of it.

medhacker said:

Hey why not?

I like taking risks. on one hand it could really work out and you come to realize (just like most URMs) that it isn't all people on SDN fuzz so much about and on the other you could come accross to an adcom as a low opportunistic dishonest applicant...your call

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abcehmu said:

What do people think is the proper course of action for Latinos/as, since you can be white, native south american, black or (more likely) some mix of the three and still be very much latino...

Lets say my parents are from (insert any Latin American country), of nearly 100% European ancestry and quite wealthy. They have had access to high education to boot, as have I.

Lets say that furthermore I speak fluent Spanish (or Portuguese if you chose Brazil) and very much grew up in a Latin atmosphere, often traveling back to my parents country to spend time with relatives.

That said, I feel like I've suffered nearly no racial or ethnic discrimination, and although I identify myself as Latino, have no problem blending in with white America.

Am I wrong to check white, Latino and NON-disadvantaged on my application? I'm being honest, but it's sure to give me an edge.

What if all of the above still stood (wealthy, from an educated family, little or no felt discrimination), but now I am a darker skinned Latino. Am I wrong to check black, Latino and NON-dasadvantaged knowing I haven't suffered many of the injustices of poor immigrant Hispanics struggling through the American dream or black americans having felt discrimination from white America?

How do you play with the balance of being true to who and what you are and not putting yourself in a position where you will incur advantages you know you do not deserve?

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The first person should check off Hispanic,Caucasian and Non-Disadvantaged. That's what he is and being fluent in Spanish is more important than having parents from a Latin American country.

The second person should check off Hispanic, Black, and Non-Disadvantaged. I guess as long as he's down as black-hispanic, the adcoms understand that he's not actually african-american, but actually is Dominican and never faced any prejudices.

This whole race thing worries me since I have no idea what to put myself down as next year. I'm 50% hispanic (cuban). I look like how a caucasian-hispanic should look like (a male version of my mom), have a white dad and speak no spanish. I def. don't want to play the race card because that would be ridiculous (3.8+ GPA from top school, 37 MCATs, research + clinical exp., etc.). If anything, it would make adcoms dislike me and think I'm taking advantage of the system. They'll roast me during the interviews. Wouldn't answering "Yes" to the "Are you Hispanic" question be the truth? I don't want to lie

{:( said:

I have strawberry blonde hair with blues and I am fair skinned. However, I am an EOP (educational outreach program) student because I am 3/32 native american ( I have the card) so I do qualify for all the advantages as an undergrad. What do you think the interviewer will think if I put native american/caucasian on my application? or

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First, how dominant is the native american culture in your everyday life? If the culture and heritage has a large influence on you, then it is arguable reasonable for you to stress your 3/32 bloodline.

P.S. strawberry blonde hair is the best. Wish I had it!

i cant wait until the day when we are all one mixed-up race, then no more urm status for anyone and we are all on a level playing field. *sigh* yay!