Stating your race

[msn]

Hey all,

I'm just wondering how other people are dealing with stating their race of their forms?

I'm especially interested to know what multi and bi-racial people are doing.

As a bi-racial, I'm conflicted about acknowledging any race at all.

I claimed my minority background for my undergraduate applications, and I think that this hurt my chances. Especially since my other half is Asian, I felt that I was being compared to other Asians on some sort of achievement scale.

Is it ok not to claim any racial background? Does it negatively affect one's application?

Thanks.

[gellert]

You say your "other half" is Asian -- what's the second half?

I don't think not claiming any racial background could hurt your application, but if your non-Asian half is a minority race, it could help on the diversity angle.

[msn]

Ah, what I meant was, especially since my minority half is Asian. My other half is white and thus, not a minority.

[gellert]

I think it's going to come down to what will make you feel more comfortable. I'd like to say no one is going to compare you to some Asian Achievement Scale, but I'd like to say a lot of things about race stereotyping. I don't think anyone would compare you to some stereotyped view of what Asians "should" be like. Whether or not you get accepted will be based on factors such as research experience, fit, SOPs, LORs, and grades/test scores, not your race. Race only comes into the picture so far as applying for diversity fellowships.

However, I don't think being Asian will help on the minority race/diversity angle, as Asians typically aren't underrepresented in academia. I doubt it would hurt you to include race on your form. I doubt it would hurt you to leave the question unanswered. But only you can know which is going to make you feel more comfortable, and will lead to less stress over the next few months.

Edited December 15, 2011 by gellert

[Safferz]

I read this article the other day you may want to read, though it focuses on college admission. Ultimately it's your decision.

[gellert]

^ That's kind of horrifying.

[ShiWei]

MSN, I don't really think it is something you need to concern yourself with. Despite what the article suggests, the issue should not adversely affect your admission chances. Check whatever ethnicity or culture you identify with. Furthermore, if your background, family, and culture do inform your approach to studying International Relations, then it may be worthwhile to describe their influence in your SoP.

For example, perhaps the ideological and spatial negotiations you engaged in as a twenty-first-century Asian-American have broadened your perspectives on states and power. If you identify partially as Javanese, then maybe your awareness of Indonesian history and politics have equipped you with a different understanding of power, one that acknowledges its performance dimension. If you view yourself as Chinese, then maybe you acknowledge the role of harmony, and the state as a model for and provider of harmonious society, in the current Chinese political imagination. These sources of information then may dispose you to view events or people in lights that other applicants may not.

But I digress.

[msn]

The truth is, my background really does affect my approach to International Relations, but I haven't spoken of it much in my SoP and what not, because I've been on the fence about the issue. I guess I'm afraid of what happened to me in terms of my undergrad applications, which was basically what the article above talks about and I wish I had known such kind of discrimination was possible before.

What do you think of the approach of not explicitly picking a race in the questionnaire but mentioning my background if it relates to my SoP?

[ShiWei]

I think it's going to come down to what will make you feel more comfortable. I'd like to say no one is going to compare you to some Asian Achievement Scale, but I'd like to say a lot of things about race stereotyping. I don't think anyone would compare you to some stereotyped view of what Asians "should" be like. Whether or not you get accepted will be based on factors such as research experience, fit, SOPs, LORs, and grades/test scores, not your race. Race only comes into the picture so far as applying for diversity fellowships.

However, I don't think being Asian will help on the minority race/diversity angle, as Asians typically aren't underrepresented in academia. I doubt it would hurt you to include race on your form. I doubt it would hurt you to leave the question unanswered. But only you can know which is going to make you feel more comfortable, and will lead to less stress over the next few months.

Gellert basically sums up my feelings toward the issue. As he says, do what results in the least stress for you. If the questionnaire disconcerts and distracts you, then I would leave it blank.

[gellert]

I'd also like to add that grades and GRE scores are much less important in grad applications than in undergrad, so even if they do end up comparing you to Asians as a whole, it shouldn't make too much difference in light of the quality of your experience, LORs, and SOP.