<p>My advice is to always answer the question, don’t leave it blank, and to respond honestly, of course. If there is some extenuating situation that requires an explanation (e.g, if you are Asian by birth but raised by adoptive parents of another race) you can always explain this in the application. </p>
<p>I remember one student last year who considered himself “African-American” although he had an Asian Indian name. The explanation: His dad is of Indian descent but born and raised in Africa, where he still lives. The mom is American. The parents are divorced and the mom and son live in the U.S. But the son considers himself half “African,” since that’s where his dad has always lived, and half American due to his mom’s nationality and locale, as well as his own. Thus, he is indeed “African-American,” although that label will surely conjure up something different when admission folks spot it on an application.</p>
<p>Stories like this one may be the exception, but they, nonetheless remind me of how annoying I find the whole Race/Ethnicity question since so much of who we are is NOT defined by heritage or skin color.</p>