URM

[Imani44]

So I've been reading up on the term URM. I am from Denmark, and I am biracial. Father is Danish(Caucasian) and mother is African American. My question is, on the application is there a place to indicate specifics such as biracial with Caucasian and African American? If there is or isn't, would it be more beneficial to just choose a race?
(My birth certificate says white, which is crazy since I most definitely look like I'm black lol, so I would be choosing black)
Also would their be an area for me to mention that I grew up in Denmark. All my family is over there and it is a pretty big part of my life.

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[Doug Underhill]

Yes, you can indicate more than one race on AMCAS. Do you have any ties or service to the African-American community here?

Do you have US citizen or permanent resident status? Did you do your undergrad in the US or in Denmark? I'm guessing you did it at UGA due to the bulldog.

 

[Imani44]

I am a U.S. Citizen and I moved to America at the age of 10 after both of my parents got out of the marine corps.
I do not have any specific involvement with the African American community.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Fellow Georgian (there for school or otherwise, same to me)? Go Dawgs!!

For mentioning growing up in Denmark, I think this is something that would go in your Personal Statement. Your PS is really where you tie together how your background and life experiences have influenced your desire to become a physician. If growing up in Denmark is part of your identity, you might mention how the culture affects your perspective, and how that will make you an excellent physician.

 

[NickNaylor]

You can certainly claim that you are a URM, but understand that that designation is used primarily to identify people (minorities) that are more likely to return to their communities when they become physicians. This is often demonstrated by involvement in those communities during college. In your case, you don't have that experience. I wouldn't expect too much benefit from the URM designation.

 

[LizzyM]

Here are some things you may not know about the AMCAS application:

Your place of birth is listed.

You have the option of listing your parents names, the county in the US or the country where they live, the school which awarded their highest degree and their occupations. Sometimes this serves as a clue that a parent is from another country.

You have the option of listing the county & state (or country) where you grew up.

You may list one or more races. You may list an ethnicity.

Of course, you can write about this in your personal statement if it is relevant to your decision to pursue a career in medicine. You might also find it relevant to a secondary essay about diversity or some such.

 

[Doug Underhill]

You can certainly claim that you are a URM, but understand that that designation is used primarily to identify people (minorities) that are more likely to return to their communities when they become physicians. This is often demonstrated by involvement in those communities during college. In your case, you don't have that experience. I wouldn't expect too much benefit from the URM designation.

They don't necessarily have to "return to" the African-American community- which is kind of a nebulous concept in and of itself if they work in a big city medical center. First, an African-American patient may be comforted by being treated by an African-American-looking physician. Second, diversity in the workplace is a virtue, and different backgrounds bring different perspectives. Finally, specific knowledge of the health problems that affect African-Americans in a disproportionate manner, and empathy towards those problems, would probably be very valuable to have in the interview, even if you don't have a history of service to the African-American community.

 

[Imani44]

Thanks everyone! That really cleared up any confusion I was having