<p>Hey all,</p>
<p>Whenever possible, I choose not to identify with any ethnic group, simply because I feel that the whole idea is asinine (color of skin shouldn’t matter, nor should historical beliefs, etc). In retrospect, it may not have been a great idea. I remember briefly running my eyes over something about ethnic background, but I can’t recall if it was some arbitrary information or if it said “select it or else your chances will decrease dramatically”.</p>
<p>If I were to call the admissions office and inquire about this, I’m pretty sure that they would say that it wouldn’t affect chances. I would like, however, to know from anyone else (truthfully) whether or not leaving this optional field blank would affect my admissions chances, especially to Duke ED.</p>
<p>Thanks,
Romanian</p>
<p>Nobody knows for sure, but I don’t think it’s worth calling admissions over it. Are you Romanian? That should have no effect on your admissions. I’m assuming you live in the US but have romanian ancestry…if you live in Romania, they’ll obviously know that. They won’t think negatively of you just because you left the ethnicity field blank.</p>
<p>The general answer, as much as it is known, for all colleges is found in the FAQ: </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/568159-race-college-admissions-faq-discussion-2-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/568159-race-college-admissions-faq-discussion-2-a.html</a> </p>
<p>It is always optional to indicate your ethnicity on a college form. That is not only a good idea, it is the law. </p>
<p>A Duke admission officer who visited my city in September made clear that Duke values ALL forms of diversity–not just ethnicity, as he said in his words–so you should be sure to mention anything about yourself that makes you different from other applications in your application, whether it’s career goals, life experiences, or whatever.</p>