I already submitted my medical school application... But something has caught my interest... White and Asian men have a 30% less chance of getting into medical school than Hispanic/Black/Native American applicants for my MCAT and GPA combination.
Background: I have been raised believing I'm 50% Navajo, but I never proved my status or have had any affiliation with the Navajo Nation. My mother declared herself as a full-blooded Navajo - child of two full-blooded parents, but she was put up for adoption for unknown reasons. Her father was killed in a bar fight before she was born (I like to believe that had something to do with it and not infidelity.) She is a registered member of the Navajo Nation, but she is listed as half-breed given her adoption status. So I can definitely prove I am 25% Native American.
What makes things more complicated... I do not know my mother... a result of her behavior when I was a child. I was raised with my white father. It was not until recently that we connected again, but I still have not met her... 17 years later. She released all of her tribal affiliation to me in an effort to help me prove my status as Navajo.
As I have been raised in white culture, and I identify as white... would it be unethical for me to claim my minority status after proving my affiliation in the instance I am not accepted my first go-around?
Background: I have been raised believing I'm 50% Navajo, but I never proved my status or have had any affiliation with the Navajo Nation. My mother declared herself as a full-blooded Navajo - child of two full-blooded parents, but she was put up for adoption for unknown reasons. Her father was killed in a bar fight before she was born (I like to believe that had something to do with it and not infidelity.) She is a registered member of the Navajo Nation, but she is listed as half-breed given her adoption status. So I can definitely prove I am 25% Native American.
What makes things more complicated... I do not know my mother... a result of her behavior when I was a child. I was raised with my white father. It was not until recently that we connected again, but I still have not met her... 17 years later. She released all of her tribal affiliation to me in an effort to help me prove my status as Navajo.
As I have been raised in white culture, and I identify as white... would it be unethical for me to claim my minority status after proving my affiliation in the instance I am not accepted my first go-around?