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I am 2/3rds white and 1/3rd native american seminole.

Some applications allow you to check more than one ethnicity -- aka, I can check both white and American Indian on some applications. When that's the case, should I check both?

For those of you applying to Columbia, that's a good example of the kind of application I'm talking about. Thanks in advance!

Yes, check both. There was a movement in the second half of the 20th century to get those previously unavailable multiple-check boxes for multiracial people

Thanks. So when I check both boxes am I still considered a URM?

washingtondclaw wrote:Thanks. So when I check both boxes am I still considered a URM?

Yes, one drop rule.

how does thirds work?

sorry, what's the one drop rule?

washingtondclaw wrote:sorry, what's the one drop rule?

Exactly what it sounds like.

is there anything to support this rule?

not that i don't trust you, i'd just like some kind of authorative support before i submit.

justonemoregame wrote:how does thirds work?

Yeah, I was wondering this as well. It would be half, quarter, eighth, etc. right?

Also, OP I think you're fine checking the box. They allow you to check more than one box specifically for this type of situation. Isn't there something about being enrolled in a tribe or registered in some way that determines whether you get the NA URM boost or not anyway?

yeah i've noticed that for NA -- I'm not a member of a triber or anything although my grandfather was. Only a couple of schools that I'm applying to ask for tribal enrollment numbers, so for those I'll just say that I don't have one.

washingtondclaw wrote:yeah i've noticed that for NA -- I'm not a member of a triber or anything although my grandfather was. Only a couple of schools that I'm applying to ask for tribal enrollment numbers, so for those I'll just say that I don't have one.

I could be wrong, but I believe that when you check the box you are indicating that you have ties (community involvement, etc.) to some native tribe. This, at least, was written onto the application forms last year. If you have no ties to the community/culture and are relying solely on a blood relationship, you may want to double check what you're marking. Each interview I did for a law school last year explicitly asked how strong my ties to the native community were and they wanted examples of my involvement. Just a friendly, fyi.

thanks thelawschoolproject. If you don't mind me asking, what was your URM? What law schools asked you specifically about your ties? I think only a couple of school that I applied to have the potential for interviews and I've never heard of them asking specifically about URM ties. If I've asked for information too specific to post here, I'd love a pm! Thanks!

washingtondclaw wrote:thanks thelawschoolproject. If you don't mind me asking, what was your URM? What law schools asked you specifically about your ties? I think only a couple of school that I applied to have the potential for interviews and I've never heard of them asking specifically about URM ties. If I've asked for information too specific to post here, I'd love a pm! Thanks!

PM'd you.

TLSP is a babe URM by the way OP, you should enroll in dat tribe

But seriously, the thirds thing. How does that work? Are you your own grampa?

Jumping on this thread with a somewhat related Q:

Do the schools HAVE TO take a URM status under accound when looking at apps? Can they decide based on an addendum, or what they see or any other factor that that applicant is not "worthy" (for a lack of a better word) to get the boost? Or is that something that is mandatory?

thanks