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Related Discussions
23andme results for applications?
notsplitts
Free Trial Member
I got my 23andme results back.
I am 53% Asian/Native American (Mexico) and 43% European.
23% is Native American (Mexico)
Can I put down that I am Mexican, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian? And European? It’s like I could check all the boxes?
Update: Complete DNA test results below:
East asian & Native American 53.5%
Native American 24.8%
Mexico
Chinese 12.1%
Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma 2.4%
Chinese Dai 2.2%
Filipino & Austronesian 0.1%
Broadly Chinese & Southeast Asian 1.6%
Broadly East Asian 0.9%
European 41.6%
Eastern European 14.3%
Poland
Iberian 9.1%
French & German 1.1%
Ashkenazi Jewish .5%
Sardinian .1%
Broadly Southern European 10%
Broadly Northwestern European 1.5%
Broadly European 5.0%
Sub--Saharan African 1.9%
Senegambian & Guinean 0.4%
Congolese 0.3%
Broadly West African 0.4%
Broadly Sub-Saharan African 0.7%
Western Asian & North African 0.1%
Broadly Western Asian & North African 0.1%
Comments
You can do whatever you want. Personally I wouldn't rely on an ancestry test. I wouldn't claim Native American without affiliation to a tribe.
If you did not identify with a culture before a commercial test, I would question your motivation an identifying with it now. Will you continue to identify with that culture after the results of this admissions cycle?
I was adopted. I never really knew what I was, and never really knew what to identify as. I look kinda f Hispanic, so that’s usually what is identify as.
I was adopted into a Filipino family, but I think I look more Hispanic than Asian. So should I identify as Filipino (Asian) since that’s the culture that I was raised in?
I definitely would not check Native American. Tribes are very sensitive to claiming heritage without proof - could give a bad impression if anyone asked and you don’t have any real verification.
Obviously beyond that, it’s a little tricky. I might check Asian and Hispanic if I was you - given your adoptive parents, I’d guess you identify more with Asian culture. But it sounds like you have reason to guess at being part Hispanic as well. If you haven’t written one already, a diversity statement regarding being adopted and not knowing your heritage seems like it would be really interesting.
So by your guys reasoning, only those with documented affiliation to a tribe can be considered Native American? What about one who grew up in a Mayan village and came here? He might not have any documentation, but surely he is Native American?
I guess I’ll jusr say I am Hispanic. I got the test results today and thought it was cool.
@john1roger
Diversity statement is the way to go. Check the cultural boxes that apply to you, but don't rely on your ancestry for reasons you bring diversity. I spoke with some admissions committee people this week and the best advice I received was to think of something unique about you that would bring added diversity to law school and write a diversity statement about that. Schools want students from all different backgrounds and that goes way beyond race.
Write a strong PS about something that demonstrates why you'll be a great law student, and write a diversity statement about your upbringing and life experiences that will add diversity to a school.
I willl throw in another opinion about ancestry. If your genetic profile rates you as 23% native American, you are 23% native American. The genetic profile tests have been sufficiently validated that they are now used by law enforcement and medical decisions are made based on the results. I would claim it if you wanted to. An outside group can not invalidate your genetic heritage. I would check the boxes with confidence based on your genetic profile results. Your ancestors determined that you would be native American, not a tribal council deciding that you are or are not.
Great input everyone. Thanks for the thoughtful responses!
If not a DNA test, then what would you rely on? Also, what should I claim, if not Native American? It appears the largest percentage of my DNA is made up of Native American DNA.
I think you should IF discovering this about yourself brought you closer to a specific culture and religion, or maybe you became closer with people in your life and you learned 'x' about yourself because of this. I do however agree with the comments above you should think about not mentioning the Native American unless because of what earlier comments have already stated above ^^^
I hadn’t thought about the issue of DNA testing until the blowback from the Cherokee Nation against Elizabeth Warren. See their statement in this article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/10/16/why-cherokee-nations-rebuke-elizabeth-warren-matters/?utm_term=.b9665de4fa84
But, it makes sense. According to some, these tests don’t even distinguish between South or North American. And since specifically in the US, the issue of Native American heritage is extremely fraught, I’d shy away from selecting that box. Do what you want, but yes - ultimately unless you have documentation with a tribe, or at least familial knowledge about your ancestry, I think it’s best not to select that for official purposes.
I personally wouldn’t consider Native American tribes an “outside group” when it comes to determining Native American heritage. They are sovereign nations that have the definitive say in it. They don’t accept DNA tests as definitive evidence of heritage.
DNA tests are so puzzling. Where does it end and begin?
Can someone claim they're African American and thus claim URM benefit if they find a DNA result of 1% African American? How about 0.1%? Where is the line drawn?
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I wouldn’t check off any boxes and just do a diversity statement about being adopted. I think these DNA tests are pretty silly. Most Americans are not 100% European. If you hadn’t been identifying as a certain race before this test then I’m not sure why you would start now just for law school apps. You have to have tribal membership to be Native American. I agree with leah’s comment. You don’t want to look like Elizabeth warren.
Hi there!
So.. here's the thing abut DNA tests. They have a little disclaimer on them most of the time that says they are for entertainment purposes, and not to be taken for serious matters. Why? Because they are imperfect. Nine months ago, I had some percentage of Iberian peninsula, and a tiny, tiny <0.1% Native American. Now, after an update, that <0.1% became African, the Iberian peninsula went away entirely, and I became even more Uber-British. Not a shock, really, other than them not knowing what the hell that wee bit of DNA belongs to. Anyway.. my point is, this is still an evolving science.
Another thing they don't explain really well on the surface is that "Native American" will always be a result for Hispanics. Which makes sense. What is a Mexican person in the modern era made up of? The results of Spanish conquests of Native peoples, right? So, of course almost all peoples of South America and Latin America would be show a good portion of Native American DNA, right? If you are Hispanic, then I imagine this may be the source of your Native DNA. For now, the DNA-at-home tests can't differentiate between that background and say, Cherokee or Apache.
If I were you, I would not select Native American unless I knew for sure there was a tribal connection. The big question is... how do you identify? Have you spent a lifetime identifying as mostly Caucasian? Have you always felt you fit in better as a Hispanic person? That may be a better way to choose.
When they say "Native American," they almost always are referring to the tribes that were indigenous to areas that are now the USA. In other words, Mayans would not count as "Native American" as the term is used in the USA (I dont know why this is, and I don't neccesarily agree, but this is what is meant by "Native American"). see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States
You can select Hispanic if you want. I would hesitate to select Mexican, since Mexican is a nationality and not a race, so DNA tests dont reveal much. But its up to you.
" So, of course almost all peoples of South America and Latin America would be show a good portion of Native American DNA, right?"
No, this is not correct. There are large portions of South America that are largely white European, due to later waves of immigration from Italy, Germany, Spain, etc. There are also large portions of the Caribbean and South America that have a number of people with African ancestry or mixed African/European ancestry (no indigenous), due to the huge numbers of slaves that went to the Caribbean and parts of South America (just like the USA). Latin America is racially diverse, just as the USA is, and has had various waves of immigrants. Maybe a larger portion of Mexicans specifically show indigenous ancestry but many do not as well.
I like the above suggestion to not check a box and to instead put all this in a diversity statement. Overall, I say do what you want, but you need to make sure you can back up whatever box you check. Many of these schools will see you during interviews and/or may see your LinkedIn and other social media pages. If you check a box that is not readily obvious when looking at you, you have to be able to back it up (and no 23andMe is not valid evidence).
p.s. For Native Americans, you almost always need to show a connection via specific tribal members in your family tree dating back 4 to 5 generations at most. Blood/DNA tests are not accepted. This is even more vital than with the other "boxes" because Native American tribes are singularly responsible for determining who is a citizen of their tribe and who isn't.
An attorney I once worked with told me that bar associations are able to check bar applicants' law school applications. I don't know if that statement is true (though it sounds more than probable and very, very reasonable). Do keep in mind, however, that (1) there is always a chance authorities may demand to see proof for what you claim on your law school applications, and (2) those authorities are more than capable of crippling your legal career.
If one's genetic components were a necessary indicator of one's self and heritage, then by that logic everyone would be able to claim that they are African Americans, thanks to the Mitochondrial Eve.
This is more about your upbringing and self-identification than it is about your genetic profile.