Questions regarding race on AMCAS and TMDSAS

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eb53

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So just wanted some quick feedback on your thoughts on what I should put for my race on my applications. I don't mean to start any fiery arguments and if anyone takes offense, I apologize in advance. :)

Anyways... so both of my parents and their parents and well for several generations have been living in Africa. My dad is from Uganda who came to the US in the 70's and mom is from Kenya who came to the US after marriage in the 90's. Im born in the US and my skin color is not of black origin.
I've read so many threads talking about this but there are just so many different opinions out there so I decided to just make my own.
Thoughts anyone?

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The US Census definition of Black/African American, "A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "Black, African Am., or Negro"; or report entries such as African American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian." So, if you have your origins (let's say where your ancestors lived 700 years ago) in Africa and you are of one of the black racial groups, then you would self-identify as Black. If your people originated in Europe, North Africa or the Middle East you would list yourself as White, if your people were from India, you would list yourself as Asian.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_RHI125212.htm

How did you self identify in the 2010 US Census?
 
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When you took standardized tests like ones administered by the state, the SAT, the ACT, were you asked your race? What did you put then?
 
You're not black and you don't qualify for URM.
 
The standardized test in this case happens to be one of the older beige Apple computers:
Macintosh_128k_transparency.png


If your skin color is as above or ligher, it is in your best interest to not put down "African-American" regardless of how you self-identify.
 
The standardized test in this case happens to be one of the older beige Apple computers:
Macintosh_128k_transparency.png


If your skin color is as above or ligher, it is in your best interest to not put down "African-American" regardless of how you self-identify.

Completely false.
 
Thanks for the input guys. When I had applied to undergrad, I had put African American and when my interviews asked me why I explained and they thought it was a acceptable for me to do so even at the Ivys. So I didn't know if its any different for med schools or not..
On my original post I didn't mean to say black "origin", as some of my ancestors were in fact black, what I meant by that was my skin color is not. Which is why I wasn't sure.
 
Is there an option to put "other" and explain? If not, you could still check other and then explain at interviews. That could start an interesting conversation about your family and background.
 
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So just wanted some quick feedback on your thoughts on what I should put for my race on my applications. I don't mean to start any fiery arguments and if anyone takes offense, I apologize in advance. :)

Anyways... so both of my parents and their parents and well for several generations have been living in Africa. My dad is from Uganda who came to the US in the 70's and mom is from Kenya who came to the US after marriage in the 90's. Im born in the US and my skin color is not of black origin.
I've read so many threads talking about this but there are just so many different opinions out there so I decided to just make my own.
Thoughts anyone?

You're African American honey even if you're not "black". YOU originated in Africa. The U.S. is a bigot and seeks to place people in a box based on Phenotypic reasoning which is complete idiocracy because you can be a light skinned african just as someone can be a dark skinned indian. Black people are the only people grouped by skin color, everyone else is grouped by nationality or ethnic origin. It's apart of the systematic racism.

These people who are telling you what you are..... don't listen to them! YOU classify yourself! Do NOT let them classify you. It's discrimination and oppression. I'm mixed; African, Spanish , French, Native American, Romanian, Finnish, Orkney, and Russian and I prefer to be called such. My ancestors may have originated in Africa, but I'M A PRODUCT OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

BE YOUR OWN PERSON!
 
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You're African American honey even if you're not "black". YOU originated in Africa. The U.S. is a bigot and seeks to place people in a box based on Phenotypic reasoning which is complete idiocracy because you can be a light skinned african just as someone can be a dark skinned indian. Black people are the only people grouped by skin color, everyone else is grouped by nationality or ethnic origin. It's apart of the systematic racism.

These people who are telling you what you are..... don't listen to them! YOU classify yourself! Do NOT let them classify you. It's discrimination and oppression. I'm mixed; African, Spanish , French, Native American, Romanian, Finnish, Orkney, and Russian and I prefer to be called such. My ancestors may have originated in Africa, but I'M A PRODUCT OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

BE YOUR OWN PERSON!
This is both false and bad advice. LizzyM's and BeMD13's answers above are about as good as you're going to get from this thread, OP.
 
Your first paragraph is totally true, but I just want to put it out there that the term African-American typically refers to those who are descendants of enslaved blacks.

eb53, I think that you should define your race as how you see fit. The whole classification system is ridiculous and outdated anyway.

Not in my opinion. An African American is a person who migrated from Africa to America. My ancestors didn't migrate here they were forced to come here and turned in to Americans. They helped build these states, and contributed much to American society even as slaves. Therefore, the descendants of enslaved blacks, are AMERICANS... in my books, not AFRICAN-AMERICANS. We are apart of THIS culture.
 
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