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I have a lab report due tomorrow so naturally I am starting a thread on SDN to procrastinate (but at least I have been accepted so technically I don't have to try too hard - though the premed inside me prob still will haha)
anyway, I thought it would be a good idea for future applicants/current students to share their experiences with being LGBT and applying/attending medical school, or even residency or practicing.
Why you ask? because medicine is a traditionally conservative field, and with the U.S. already being one of the slowest Western countries in the fight for civil rights, the subject is still touchy. I would personally like to hear how other people dealt with their sexual orientation and what benefits/consequences it has had.
I guess I'll start:
I personally did not decide to either "come out" or not disclose my sexual orientation in a general sense. I had no information regarding it in my AMCAS, but if a question on a secondary related to the subject for me, then I fully disclosed it. For example, many schools asked about a difficult obstacle you faced, or what diversity you may bring, etc.
I guess I did not feel the need to shove it in adcoms face in a way that I seemed like I thought being LGBT was equivalent to being URM, but at the same time, it is a large part of my life and has affected the person I am to a great extent, and I didn't want to ignore that.
I don't want to disclose too much, but I personally found success in this method.
Out of the 4 schools I had heard a decision from, I talked about being LGBT significantly during the interview at 2 of them. I was accepted to both of those schools, and waitlisted at the other two.
Moreover, of the 6 schools I have interviewed at so far, I talked about being LGBT in either 2 or 3 of their secondaries (out of the total maybe 5 - 7 secondaries that it was brought up).
I am in no way saying that it gave me an advantage, and this could all just be a coincidence, but I at least want to show fellow applicants that at the very least, it won't hurt you. Of course, there may be schools were it does, especially if the school is extremely conservative (Loma Linda, Mid-West, etc.) or if you get unlucky and the person reviewing your app happens to react negatively to your "lifestyle." - but I personally wouldn't want to attend those schools either (even if this is not reflective of the student body, I don't want a close-minded administration or atmosphere in general)
**Please correct me if I'm wrong about Loma Linda, etc. I do not mean to generalize, and certainly am not suggesting that everyone who attends or works at these institutions are close-minded, but I think its safe to say with LL's contract, they are more generally conservative, as compared to schools such as NYU haha
Anyway, I am already foreshadowing that this thread may run quickly off into a tangent about gay rights, etc. But my intention is to have a thread were future/current LGBT students can look to to see how other applicants handled it. If there is already one, sorry, but reading threads wasn't as good of a method of procrastination as writing this was .
to all this cycle!
anyway, I thought it would be a good idea for future applicants/current students to share their experiences with being LGBT and applying/attending medical school, or even residency or practicing.
Why you ask? because medicine is a traditionally conservative field, and with the U.S. already being one of the slowest Western countries in the fight for civil rights, the subject is still touchy. I would personally like to hear how other people dealt with their sexual orientation and what benefits/consequences it has had.
I guess I'll start:
I personally did not decide to either "come out" or not disclose my sexual orientation in a general sense. I had no information regarding it in my AMCAS, but if a question on a secondary related to the subject for me, then I fully disclosed it. For example, many schools asked about a difficult obstacle you faced, or what diversity you may bring, etc.
I guess I did not feel the need to shove it in adcoms face in a way that I seemed like I thought being LGBT was equivalent to being URM, but at the same time, it is a large part of my life and has affected the person I am to a great extent, and I didn't want to ignore that.
I don't want to disclose too much, but I personally found success in this method.
Out of the 4 schools I had heard a decision from, I talked about being LGBT significantly during the interview at 2 of them. I was accepted to both of those schools, and waitlisted at the other two.
Moreover, of the 6 schools I have interviewed at so far, I talked about being LGBT in either 2 or 3 of their secondaries (out of the total maybe 5 - 7 secondaries that it was brought up).
I am in no way saying that it gave me an advantage, and this could all just be a coincidence, but I at least want to show fellow applicants that at the very least, it won't hurt you. Of course, there may be schools were it does, especially if the school is extremely conservative (Loma Linda, Mid-West, etc.) or if you get unlucky and the person reviewing your app happens to react negatively to your "lifestyle." - but I personally wouldn't want to attend those schools either (even if this is not reflective of the student body, I don't want a close-minded administration or atmosphere in general)
**Please correct me if I'm wrong about Loma Linda, etc. I do not mean to generalize, and certainly am not suggesting that everyone who attends or works at these institutions are close-minded, but I think its safe to say with LL's contract, they are more generally conservative, as compared to schools such as NYU haha
Anyway, I am already foreshadowing that this thread may run quickly off into a tangent about gay rights, etc. But my intention is to have a thread were future/current LGBT students can look to to see how other applicants handled it. If there is already one, sorry, but reading threads wasn't as good of a method of procrastination as writing this was .
to all this cycle!