Minority status question...? Plz help

[FIREitUP]

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Great post, really it is. But what the OP is talking about has nothing to do with what you said and there was no reason for you to get political or discuss your views on URM status. The point is the OP clearly never identified himself as African American before so why all of a sudden would he want to now. We all know what someone means when they say African American please dont get all philosophical. We know that in the US African American=Black. Just because there is an advantage in admission all of sudden people who are 1/8 native american are asking if they are a URM and are seriously trying to convice themselves, you cannot be serious with these question

Yes, I know it wasn't directly related to the OP's post, but it is peripherally related, and it did come up in the responses. Basically, OP's post is so stupid I really didn't want to acknowledge it, however, I did want to acknowledge the underlying ideals of race that are fundamental to the idea of URM.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Pons, this guy is just saying that black people face tougher odds in job interviews due to biases/subtle racism that is far from dead in America. You disagree?

As I just stated, I just don't think it's something that you get to turn on and turn off. Yes, blacks still face institutional racism.

 

[prometheusk]

yes you are, and you are already starting to justify it to yourself. to wit-

just be honest with yourself man

You know how it is, everyone wants any advantage they can get. To be honest it all depends on how my MCAT goes. GPA is close to 3.7 so not too bad. if i hit anything above 29 in the mcat im white, if its below that im black

 

[prometheusk]

I interviewed right after a trip to the Bahamas and got accepted to Harvard.

That's intended as a joke right? lol

 

[prometheusk]

...if you're from Africa, why are you white?

That's my point exactly, I'm not white and I've never been mistaken for white, but for some reason north africans are being forced to check off the white race box.


Quoting directly from the US Censes Bureau, defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, and the White populations within the Middle East, or North Africa."

Thats unfair, white people in the US certainly do not consider arabs and north africans white 😕

I'm checking off white since its the right thing to do (although I dont agree with it), and hoping for that 34+ on the mcat.

 

[startswithb]

That's intended as a joke right? lol

Very much a joke.

Checking the US Census Bureau was a good call. Good luck to you.

 

[prometheusk]

I think you misread my comment. I'm pretty sure that the advantages and disadvantages of being black in America aren't something you get to turn on and off as it suits you. You don't have to "identify" with black people to receive the negative externality is places upon you; it happens as soon as "they" see the color of your skin (or determine it through contextual information.) You don't get to "choose" to be identified as black when you show up for an interview. You either are or are not.

I really dont want to turn this into a race battle, but I think Arabs have their share of discrimination. I live in georgia down south, and trust me when I say, the "African america" named tyrome would get a job over the Arab named mohammad. And I apologize for the stereotyping.

 

[BadHorse]

I really dont want to turn this into a race battle, but I think Arabs have their share of discrimination. I live in georgia down south, and trust me when I say, the "African america" named tyrome would get a job over the Arab named mohammad. And I apologize for the stereotyping.

It's not really about discrimination, it's about being under-represented in healthcare. Native Americans aren't really discriminated against but they get an advantage for admissions because it's damn near impossible to find one in a long white coat.

Anyway, you're doing the right thing. If you feel you're disadvantaged because of your race and background that is a completely different part of the application, and you'll get your chance to speak your piece.

 

[munchymanRX]

I am 100% Moroccan, born to 100% moroccan parents in north Africa. I came here when I was 12 yrs old.

This might be too technical info for my question but even thoI am moroccan, I am not Arab. I am Berber from the people who inhabited that land before the arabs came.

I have done some research and it seems that minority status does not extend to north africans. Whether Arab, Berber or even black...

Do they consider north africans "white" in the race chart no matter what???

I do not look white at all, if anything I look arab or hispanic.

Any idea which box I should check guys?

You're african-american. You're from Africa and reside in the US. I think there's a bad tendency to equate that to black, but people from morocco and south africa are just as african as the rest of the continent, black or white.

You'll raise some eyebrows, especially in the older generations, but they can't argue with you once you explain your ancestry.

 

[Sammich117]

You're african-american. You're from Africa and reside in the US. I think there's a bad tendency to equate that to black, but people from morocco and south africa are just as african as the rest of the continent, black or white.

You'll raise some eyebrows, especially in the older generations, but they can't argue with you once you explain your ancestry.

.... No.

Quoting directly from the US Censes Bureau, defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, and the White populations within the Middle East, or North Africa."
.

I'll save the fairness discussion for another day, but this tells you what to do.
If you have found yourself to be at a disadvantage, find other ways to discuss that in your application.

 

[PanRoasted]

I agree with this post. You don't have to be disadvantaged to be URM and vice versa. the two are mutually exclusive.

I was in a similar situation when I applied in that I wasn't sure what to put or what would be considered appropriate. In that case I checked off the two boxes that would be applicable to me (according to national understanding and my own personal view) and explained myself in my personal statement (i.e. made it clear where I was from). I don't know if it hurt me anywhere but I still got accepted at multiple schools and no one ever even brought it up.

Thought you should know, to be mutually exclusive means that the two things cannot happen at the same time. I think you meant that they can occur separate from each other, together, or not at all. Might save you some embarrassment down the road.

 

[Swiss Medical]

No one has answered my question about albinism.

 

[LizzyM]

No one has answered my question about albinism.

Albanism is distinct from race and ethnicity. Albinos can be of any race.

White, when describing a racial group is not literally the color of the skin but as was noted above, "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, and the White populations within the Middle East, or North Africa."

 

[RogueUnicorn]

No one has answered my question about albinism.

because it was a stupid question if it was serious