Ethnicity on applications?
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Anonymous
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Here is the story... applying to privates for the first time. One parent is 100% European Caucasian. On the other side, one grandparent is from Latin America and one grandparent is from the Middle East. Both look totally Caucasian. Child appears 100% Caucasian and the culture child was raised in is classic "east coast elite." Not a lot of family around, so minimal exposure to Latin or Middle Eastern culture while growing up.
On the Ravenna application, they request "ethnicity" not "race." My understanding is that race is determined by how you look (hair, bone structure, skin color, etc.) whereas ethnicity is determined by the social and cultural groups you belong to. And.. you can have multiple ethnicities. What do we put on the application? Child wants to include all three and identifies as all three. Parent that is 1/2 Latino and 1/2 Middle Eastern feels that is disingenuous. Thoughts? |
Anonymous
| Because it doesn’t true as you describe kid’s upbringing. |
Anonymous
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What do you mean by “Latino”? White descendant of mostly Spanish colonizers?
Honestly I think it’s up to the kid. |
Anonymous
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How old is the child? How does he himself describe his engagement with those cultures? If he has a hard time answering that in a meaningful way, then I’d question including it.
Maybe it can be mentioned in one of the essays or interviews. |
Anonymous
| oh my.... |
Anonymous
Think of it as a game, so just play for fun and to win. If child wants all three, why not? |
Anonymous
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What is on your drivers license?
Whatever you consider yourself any other time, that’s what you put on your application. |
Anonymous
Yes. Multiples generations in Latin America, but most likely fully European ancestry. |
Anonymous
HS aged kid who describes self (even before dealing with applications) as 1/2 European, 1/4 Middle Eastern, 1/4 Latino. Feels a connection to all three cultures, although spends less time immersed in the latter two. |
Anonymous
OP here - Frankly, I agree, which is why I posted this anonymously. But, I wanted to see what others thought. |
Anonymous
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What is the ethnicity on the kids birth certificate?
The schools aren’t just going to take your word for it. They are going to check you out in the application process and you don’t want to come over as being deceptive. |
Anonymous
| When whites wanted free land benefits, they paid a $5 fee to register as Native American. That is where the term “$5 Indians” came about. |
Anonymous
| Right on! |
Anonymous
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WWEWD?
(What would Elizabeth Warren do?) |
Anonymous
| Ethnicity isn't on a birth certificate. Race is. My kid is 1/2 Hispanic so I put white under race and Hispanic under ethnicity. He looks white but has black hair and light brown eyes. Put whatever you want. |