I am thinking of applying to some really prestigious schools such as Harvard/Ivies, Stanford, WashU, UMKC’s 6 year program for medicine. My GPA is a 3.8 UW with one of the most rigorous courses taken. One of my black friends got into Harvard with a 3.6 UW and with very little extracurriculars while my Asian friend got waitlisted with a perfect GPA and ACT along with leadership positions. I am Indian, but my dad claims that we are somewhat black because my cousins are half African american. If I put down African American on my transcript in hopes of having a better shot, will there be some sort of consequence? I heard they can’t really assign you a race as that only happens in prison systems. I can probably look somewhat mixed if I shave my hair off my arms. What do yall think? Also, I know a little bit of Urdu and I want to mention that in the special talents portion of the application. Will that be a giveaway that I am not black since Urdu is an Indian based language?
If you think about how ancestry works, your ethnicity comes from your parents and grandparents. My kids have black cousins as well but are not black.
Your signature on the Common App certifies that the application is truthful. If the application is not truthful, a college can reject your application. If the lie is discovered after acceptance, your offer can be rescinded. If it is discovered after you arrive on campus, you can be forced to withdraw. If it’s discovered after graduation, your degree can be revoked.
It is possible for a cousin to be part black and you not to be. I don’t think I need to explain the concept of genetics to someone looking as BSMD programs.
Also note that your transcript and/or SAT may already list your race and/or ethnicity. And finally, there is a difference between race and ethnicity; African American is a race.
I can pretty much guarantee you no one here is going to agree this would be a smart, not to mention ethical, thing to do.
When you e-sign an application, you are saying that you are being completely truthful and honest about the foregoing information. Saying that you were African-American, when your school records and counselor, don’t indicate any history of that, will put you in a bind because you’ve lied.
Don’t lie! There are significant consequences when you’re caught being untruthful on your admission application. You will get caught.
Once you’ve lied or been dishonest, the applicant school will “share” your information with a national clearinghouse that all of the colleges use. They “red flag” your name, stats, HS and application, so that no other university will want to admit you because you were dishonest.
So you’re willing to masquerade as an African-American (by disguising and changing your appearance) and you have no concept of what it means to be “AA”, historically, and how offensive it is to an African American?
What kind of quack doctor do you intend to be, with no morals and no character?
@MaineLonghorn, @skieurope your take?
I gave my response upthread. @“aunt bea”
First and foremost is your own sense of guilt over loss of personal integrity. Even if no one finds out, you know you lied. If you are against unfair ethnic advantage or any other law, you need to use your voice, written word, money and vote to change it, not lie about it for a personal advantage.
Second, if they find it, you can be expelled. Imagine your picture in newspaper next to Aunt Becky.
Your cousins are half black? How does that relate to you at all?
Looks like you’ve already failed Ethics 101, Dr. Cousin-is-Half-Black.
Have fun getting caught when your GC counselor has to verify that your cousin is half black.
P.S. I’m skeptical this post is legit.
Lying is a sin, but you And your father already know that —signed another Indian heritage Urdu speaker
As everyone said: Don’t do it.
Race isn’t a joker card you use to get ahead, you probably know that, as you are yourself Indian. If you don’t see how that’s ethically wrong, then think about your own background, perhaps experience of racism.
Your experience is different from an Asian or Black person, so your application should reflect what YOU’VE experienced. If your friend got waitlisted at Harvard (which is already a big achievement), it may not be because of race, same goes for your accepted friend. Those schools are hard to get into for everyone even with the highest stats and achievements, and Harvard wants a well-rounded class, maybe your accepted friend brought something to the school that they didn’t have.
You’d be expelled, for something very offensive and not very smart. So don’t, just don’t.
First, knowingly lying on your application can, and likely will, get your application rejected or, if you are accepted, it will get your admission rescinded.
Second, you may be doing pretty well, but you really have a somewhat over-inflated idea of your own cleverness. Do you actually think that you are the first kid in the past 40 or so years to come up with this “brilliant” idea? Do you actually think that the admissions offices of these colleges do not have ways to figure out whether you are lying on your application? There are a dozen indicators on your profile which will raise up red flags if you claim to be black. Your Guidance Counselor will have to support your lie, as well. Moreover, colleges like Harvard generally want to interview you, especially if you are a serious contender.
Finally, admissions can be rescinded even after you have started attending college. So the moment you walk in there, and you are obviously not black, there is a very large chance that your admission will be rescinded at that point, if you are lucky. If you are not lucky, you will be expelled, and the lie will then be on your college records.
So the consequences of lying about your ethnicity or race to receive a boost in admissions chances can be pretty severe.
You should be asking about ways to make you application excellent, not looking for dishonest shortcuts.
And you are ascribing the different outcomes solely to their different ethnicities? You don’t know what you don’t know about the reasons for the outcomes, and to make it solely about ethnicity is not only a disservice to all three of you, but it won’t help you learn about the things that will help you make your best application.
Just leave race/ethnicity off.
As for “speaking a few words of Urdu”… Seriously, leave that off unless you have an externally-validated certificate of proficiency worth mentioning.
Finally, run the NPC on many colleges. It’s fun to think of dream schools - but the real work is finding safeties and matches you like and which your parents can afford.
The fact that you are asking could be that you are not comfortable lying. Jut be proud of who you are and yes, you should write about what makes YOU special, not everyone knows Urdu. I am sure that you have many qualities that you can bring to the table besides grades and test scores. The minute that you start writing how to beat the system you will not only be lying but you will get sidetracked of all the amazing things that you can write about yourself. Good luck!
You’ve already heard what the potential consequences are: Denial, Blacklisting, Expulsion, Exposure… People questioning your morals, values, and character forever.
Now, consider this-- The incredibly offensive myth of the “lesser”/low achieving black person who “got into Harvard” is just that; A myth. Every single person who gets into Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Brown/Cornell/Columbia/Dartmouth/UPenn/Stanford/MIT/Michigan/Amherst/Duke/Williams/Virginia/University of Chicago/Rice/<insert “prestigious”="" university="" of="" choice=""> is not a 4.0+, 1500+/36 who can attest to curing cancer or visiting the international space station to conduct alien experiments. Just like every single other college or university in this country, a range of academic results, talents and desirable traits, relative to the perspective of the inviting institution, are considered and admitted. Your GPA and standardized test scores are only two of MANY data points considered.
“Friends” and “Competitors” are rarely in a position to fairly, or even realistically assess the qualifications of another applicant. IF it’s even true that your “black friend” got into Harvard with whatever cherry-picked “stats” that you’ve posted, then obviously Harvard valued something about that student’s profile that stood apart from thousands of other applicants. Instead of cherry-picking the attributes that would have clearly posed as a challenge for their admission, perhaps ask your friend about what did get them in. I can absolutely promise you that your friend didn’t get into Harvard using the mythological black trump card (I feel safe in speaking for every American black person when I laugh hysterically at the notion).
When you want to walk a lifetime in an American black person’s shoes, live with the enduring legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and contemporary social/economic/educational/justice inequities and microagressions, then go right ahead and compromise your character. I doubt it’s a proposition that you’d want to live with, and I can promise you that you won’t seek what you’re finding. And, you are not likely to get into Harvard, or any other super-selective school. But, you would get a lesson that you’d never be able to forget; What it means to be black in America.
OR, you can be truthful (rather than attempting to co-opt and exploit another culture), not compromise your character, and do what my own son did. He did his very best in school, in the most challenging courses, and went above and beyond in “gifted” program requirements. He followed his passions. He rolled up his sleeves and got engaged with his community. He is bright and engaging, and professionals in his acquaintance were eager to give heart-felt recommendations. He’s multi-talented, and his passions are revealed through those talents. He worked hard on his essays that truly reflect who he is and his strength in writing (no sob stories, no dire situations, no excuses, no seen-it-a-million-times comeback/rise from the ashes story, no sports, and he didn’t save anyone from any burning buildings, and he never mentioned race or ethnicity), and his resume (that reveals more than his application did), and his search for “fit” (he considered things that mattered, not someone else’s yardstick for prestige). He didn’t pretend to be anyone, or anything that he wasn’t. He didn’t have to meet any imaginary benchmarks for perfection. He didn’t have to pretend. He didn’t have to lie. He got outstanding results in both the super-selectives and State flagships. How? Why? Because he found the universities that spoke his language, and they recognized a kindred spirit, not just someone who achieved high (like the tens of thousands of their high achieving peers), so they feel like they’re owed a spot in whatever colleges are on the “Top X” list as their reward.
Oh, and he’s actually black.
If happened, it will be ground for rejection and rescinding admission.
I speak some French. I am not French.
I have a daughter who is Chinese. I am not Chinese.
My daughter who is Chinese doesn’t ‘feel’ Chinese as she was raised in the USA. Sometimes she doesn’t mark Chinese under ethnicity (but usually the only choices in ethnicity are Hispanic, and if so, are you white or non-white).
@nomatter Great post! It should be pinned somewhere.
Actress Mindy Kaling’s brother says that he posed as a black man years ago to get into medical school and that the experience opened his eyes to what he calls the hypocrisy of affirmative action.
Chokal-Ingam says he hatched the plan in 1998 after realizing in college that his grades weren’t going to be good enough to get into med school as an Indian-American.
Wasn’t there someone who actually did that while applying to medical school, incidentally finding out that, while “disguised” as a black person, he had more incidents of being viewed as a potential suspect by police?