NatalieW

does anyone (past, present, or future students) know about UChicago's policy for declaring native american status on your application? will i need to provide documentation or anything, or will it be treated as is claiming another minority status?

kuuipo

Typically, colleges will never ask an applicant to provide tribal identification for someone who has "checked the box."

BUT...I suggest you not bet your chances and risk admission. In fact, most colleges are going beyond simply asking for tribal identifications they are actually looking for a connection to your tribal community in your application essays. Some colleges are requesting diversity essays with your identification.

Give the admissions officers a benefit of the doubt. Admissions offices are savvy and getting very good at identifying discrepancies or "untruthfulness" on college applications. They are taking workshops and lecture series on minority and ethnic affairs and see hundreds of applications everyday. An organized consortium of Native American admissions officers are educating more and more admissions officers on how to identify "discrepancies" in a college student's applications with regard to Native American identity.

The big issue is not whether you can claim Native American ancestry, it is whether you are telling the truth and giving an accurate reflection to the admissions officer of the community you represent and what kind of background you are bringing to their college community.

And further, some admissions offices are actually having members from their Native American affairs or student services offices to help them in determining whether a student's application reflects their connection to their tribal community. The reviewers are looking for any discrepencies or "shady" areas that they recognize. An untruthful identification as Native American, could likely hurt your chances of acceptance than if you were not to identify at all.

The full-proof method is to be completely honest. If you are from American Indian/Alaskan Native descent and have legitimate proof then, by all means, claim it. BUT, if you don't have any legitimate proof and have no valid connection with your American Indian/Alaskan Native community, then don't make the mistake of claiming descent. It could possibly cost you your college admissions.

- From one that knows.