I think I may have made a huge mistake with checking off my race
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 5:21 pm
So I received a full ride at a good law school but I am worried that I may or may not have fully earned it and even if I did, I'm afraid I did something awfully wrong regardless.
I am hispanic and of mixed race. There is white, native american, and african american mixed into my ancestry and I'm always confused whenever I have to pick a race. At a school where I received a generous scholarship which I have already accepted, I realized that under race, I only have AA/black checked off on my application. I should have had AA, white, and native american checked off for race - all three because that's what I am. I am mixed Caribbean and South American so while I do have AA heritage, I don't feel that it is right to have identified as solely that on my app. This particular school interviewed me for the scholarship so I'm sure they can see that I'm not dark enough to pass as AA/black but I'm also no where near white enough to pass as white either.
I am scared that perhaps I got a boost because I put down AA as my only race and I am wondering if I should reach out to the school to correct it? I am afraid to say anything because I don't want to lose the scholarship that I've already accepted but am afraid that if I don't, there will be serious repercussions.
How do I fix this? Can I even fix this? Am I going to get in huge trouble, will I lose my scholarship? I've already withdrawn from other schools. If I do reach out to the school, how should I even phrase this? Some people have said I am overthinking this because I can claim AA ancestry if I was asked but this still feels wrong.
I am hispanic and of mixed race. There is white, native american, and african american mixed into my ancestry and I'm always confused whenever I have to pick a race. At a school where I received a generous scholarship which I have already accepted, I realized that under race, I only have AA/black checked off on my application. I should have had AA, white, and native american checked off for race - all three because that's what I am. I am mixed Caribbean and South American so while I do have AA heritage, I don't feel that it is right to have identified as solely that on my app. This particular school interviewed me for the scholarship so I'm sure they can see that I'm not dark enough to pass as AA/black but I'm also no where near white enough to pass as white either.
I am scared that perhaps I got a boost because I put down AA as my only race and I am wondering if I should reach out to the school to correct it? I am afraid to say anything because I don't want to lose the scholarship that I've already accepted but am afraid that if I don't, there will be serious repercussions.
How do I fix this? Can I even fix this? Am I going to get in huge trouble, will I lose my scholarship? I've already withdrawn from other schools. If I do reach out to the school, how should I even phrase this? Some people have said I am overthinking this because I can claim AA ancestry if I was asked but this still feels wrong.