<p>if someone has roots to south america natives i.e. Quechua/Aymara, is it possible to select hispanic / native american? I know the definitions, and I don’t want a lecture on it because the “tribes” do not have registration numbers like the north american tribes. Therefore, it would be impossible to “prove” it. What could be done in this case? </p>
<p>Also, out of curiosity, does race even make a difference in graduate school, namely masters programs? If so, does being a competitive hispanic and native american applicant make a “more attractive candidate” than a hispanic white or hispanic asian?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>No, race does not really make a difference, not the way it potentially could in undergraduate admissions.</p></li>
<li><p>If you have always identified as Hispanic/Latino and Native American, then go ahead and pick those. If you’re just trying to decide whether you should as a strategic move, then just select what you always select.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In STEM, race and sex makes a difference in just about everything I can think of and the range of significance varies. For grad school apps, I’ve seen a lot say that race info will not be disclosed to the adcom and were for stats purposes only, but I have no idea what goes on behind closed doors.</p>
<p>I think you can select whatever box you feel best describes you. If there is an option to select “other” you can choose that and write in whatever you want. Whether it matters or not, I can’t say, but I doubt adcoms will meet you and have the audacity to argue with you over how you choose to identify yourself.</p>
<p>Race/ethnicity (and even gender) can be huge in professional schools’ admissions. I’d love to see some stats on how/why PhD programs would be any different.</p>