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Medicine is inherently a social profession, so having autism would definitely garner interest and also scrutiny. Your grades and MCAT will speak to your ability to handle the rigors of medical school. Your ECs, LORs (and ultimately interview) will speak to your ability to communicate and socialize with others.

Assuming that your application shows that you can handle the academic and social aspects of medicine, then having ASD would help differentiate you from others, and be a valuable asset in contributing to the diversity and learning of the class. Just my thoughts.
 
I think it’s a fine topic for an adversity essay. I talked about an illness quite a bit in my applications, but I did cover my bases and assured the readers I have a low chance of it negatively impacting (i.e. in the case of a relapse) my ability to handle medical school and life beyond.

For you, you need to cover your bases and assure the readers that your condition will not negatively impact your ability to treat patients. I think it is doable, but keep in mind it might open you up to some subconscious biases in your interviewers, who may ding you for lack of eye contact.
 
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Sephirakra said:
URM has to do with an applicant's racial and ethnic background, so this wouldn't have anything to do with that.

www.aamc.org

Underrepresented in Medicine Definition

The AAMC Executive Committee adopted a clarification to its definition of "underrepresented in medicine" following the Supreme Court's decision in Grutter.
www.aamc.org www.aamc.org
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Some schools consider factors other than race, such as identifying as LGBT, as URM. However, the AAMC definition only includes race.
 
ae7hyr said:
Hey, I was diagnosed at 4 by a CHOP Neurologist. I was planning on writing about my experiences as apart of the secondary essays regarding adversity.

Question is, does it matter? Is it URM? I know some people think of rain man, while others think of good doctor, but what do ADCOMs think?
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From my admissions standpoint, you have to be able to communicate and display the other humanistic domains that the required core competencies of medical education demand. If you can do this, you're fine. But if you can't make eye contact with me during an interview, that will not bode well.
 
Honestly I wouldn’t tell them. They may unfairly categorize you as “that guy” (the annoying gunner with zero social skills that everyone hates) and be more critical of your application. Also some prejudice adcoms may say “I don’t want an autistic doctor, so I don’t want him/her here” when reviewing your app. Sorry to say, it’s more likely to hurt than help you.
 
Don't mention it. It'll be either neutral or negative depending on how much risk adcoms are willing to accept ("Do we take a chance with this applicant or give the spot to one of the other thousand people we interviewed who doesn't have this condition?"), but under no circumstances will it help. Stick to the shallows, don't take your chances with sharks in the deep water.
 
It is risky business, for sure. If you can show that you've really overcome the social challenges autism presents, then it might be a positive. Have you shown significant, sustained leadership? Worked with people who were very different from you for long periods of time? If you're going to discuss this, it will raise doubts about your interpersonal skills that would not have been there had you stayed silent. You have three physicians here offering different points of view: HomeSkool says it won't do you any good, while Moko says it could be a positive. Goro is neutral.

If it's obvious that you're on the spectrum, or you've shown that your interpersonal skills are quite strong, I'd mention it.
 
BlackMathMajor said:
It is risky business, for sure. If you can show that you've really overcome the social challenges autism presents, then it might be a positive. Have you shown significant, sustained leadership? Worked with people who were very different from you for long periods of time? If you're going to discuss this, it will raise doubts about your interpersonal skills that would not have been there had you stayed silent. You have three physicians here offering different points of view: HomeSkool says it won't do you any good, while Moko says it could be a positive. Goro is neutral.

If it's obvious that you're on the spectrum, or you've shown that your interpersonal skills are quite strong, I'd mention it.
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To clarify: this would be a positive only if the OP has overcome the social (and to a lesser extent, academic) challenges associated with ASD. There are certainly many cases in which this can hurt (as it would draw extra scrutiny, warranted or not).

Being able to educate others about the ASD community would be seen as a plus, but this would not make up for the inability to hold conversations, eye contact, etc. Ultimately, we're looking for folks who show the most potential to be good doctors. Having a 'disorder' does not give anyone a free pass.
 
HomeSkool said:
Don't mention it. It'll be either neutral or negative depending on how much risk adcoms are willing to accept ("Do we take a chance with this applicant or give the spot to one of the other thousand people we interviewed who doesn't have this condition?"), but under no circumstances will it help. Stick to the shallows, don't take your chances with sharks in the deep water.
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This sounds like straight up discrimination. On every medical school website I’ve seen a nondiscrimination statement that includes disability. An individual with ASD can be just as good of a doctor as an individual without. Perhaps an individual with ASD could better connect with certain groups of patients.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
Perhaps an individual with ASD could better connect with certain groups of patients.
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OTOH one may assume they won't relate well empathetically to patients; whether it is right for a committee to hold a bias like that is a different discussion, but it is probably safer to not disclose having autism IMO. I agree with above posts that at best it is a net-neutral.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
This sounds like straight up discrimination. On every medical school website I’ve seen a nondiscrimination statement that includes disability. An individual with ASD can be just as good of a doctor as an individual without. Perhaps an individual with ASD could better connect with certain groups of patients.
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Anythings possible. But the world isn't fair. That includes medical school admission.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
Good to know that nondiscrimination statements mean absolutely nothing.
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Yes but you also agree when you apply to medical school that you can fulfill the core compentencies, social skills being one of them. Yes, you can ask for reasonable accomodations, but, bad social skills is one that is hard to overlook.

You also have to agree that having ASD is a disability. It definitely is in some cases. Not so sure if OP wants to consider themself “disabled”, though.
 
ciestar said:
Yes but you also agree when you apply to medical school that you can fulfill the core compentencies, social skills being one of them. Yes, you can ask for reasonable accomodations, but, bad social skills is one that is hard to overlook.

You also have to agree that having ASD is a disability. It definitely is in some cases. Not so sure if OP wants to consider themself “disabled”, though.
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Yes, I agree you need to be able to demonstrate social skills. But that’s not what I’m responding to. HomeSkool implied the committee would choose someone without the condition over someone with the condition, assuming all things being equal. If OP can demonstrate reasonable social skills, the only thing being held against them is disability status.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
Yes, I agree you need to be able to demonstrate social skills. But that’s not what I’m responding to. HomeSkool implied the committee would choose someone without the condition over someone with the condition, assuming all things being equal. If OP can demonstrate reasonable social skills, the only thing being held against them is disability status.
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Yeah that is crappy, but they can hold literally anything against you. I have been told repeatedly not to get pregnant (or be visibly pregnant if that were to happen) on interviews for residency. Totally illegal but they’ll just tell you they had many qualified candidates and you didn’t make the cut. Or, in the case of medical school admissions, say you’re not ready for medical school yet or something like that.
 
ciestar said:
Yeah that is crappy, but they can hold literally anything against you. I have been told repeatedly not to get pregnant (or be visibly pregnant if that were to happen) on interviews for residency. Totally illegal but they’ll just tell you they had many qualified candidates and you didn’t make the cut. Or, in the case of medical school admissions, say you’re not ready for medical school yet or something like that.
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That sucks. At least getting pregnant is a choice. Having a disability isn’t.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
I agree. And "life's not fair" is not an adequate justification to discriminate on the basis of a disability. I didn't realize being an admissions committee member means you are above the law.
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So should they admit someone who has intellectual disability? You have to function as a doctor and it’s not discrimination to not admit someone who does not have the capacity to do the job
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
Good to know that nondiscrimination statements mean absolutely nothing.
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Whether we like it or not, the world ain't fair. In an ideal world, would we be able to perfectly and holistically evaluate every candidate? Sure. But in reality, people have biases that affect their decisions, whether they are implicit, explicit, justified, or unjustified.
 
Sterling_Archer said:
Whether we like it or not, the world ain't fair. In an ideal world, would we be able to perfectly and holistically evaluate every candidate? Sure. But in reality, people have biases that affect their decisions, whether they are implicit, explicit, justified, or unjustified.
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"The world ain't fair" isn't an excuse to break the law. Do you use this same reasoning to defend racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia?
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
"The world ain't fair" isn't an excuse to break the law. Do you use this same reasoning to defend racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia?
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That's quite the conclusion to draw. I am only trying to explain to you that reality is often not ideal. I never said that discrimination is justified.

Should we strive to do better? Of course. Are we doing things to help decrease these biases? Yes, many schools, including undergraduate schools, try to raise awareness of implicit biases and promote diversity.

However, you should be aware that not every admissions committee member, especially the really old school ones, are as self-aware about these issues.
 
ae7hyr said:
Hey, sorry for the late reply guys. I probably should have specified I'm high functioning enough that you can't tell. In terms of my social skills, I'm a Firefighter/EMT and a Research Assistant, so I guess my only weakness is with women haha!
Anyway, I didn't mean to cause such a divide, but I really appreciate everyones' responses 🙂
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I didn't participate in this thread, because I honestly don't know whether or not you should disclose. I don't know if or to what extent your ASD is part of your identity, but for what its worth, I'm so sorry our society can be prejudiced against people with ASD/autism. I truly hope we keep improving in this respect.

I believe we need more physicians with ASD (or very literate in ASD issues) to better help neuroatypical patients navigate healthcare. If you make it into medical school and are so inclined, you could be a powerful advocate for your ASD patients. Best of luck with your cycle and I'm eager to hear how it goes for you.
 
Firefighter/EMT proves that you can handle dangerous situations. I'm afraid there might still be doubts regarding your interpersonal skills. Have you tutored underserved youth, spent significant amounts of time volunteering in hospice, or shown any other significant leadership? If you were the captain of your local EMS department, for example, that might be an example of leadership that would seriously help to quell the doubts that admissions committees might have about your interpersonal skills or lack thereof.

What are your stats and ECs like, overall? If people can't tell that you're on the spectrum, I'd think that for disclosure to be beneficial you'd need to be an above-average applicant: it raises doubts. If, on the other hand, you've served in AmeriCorps or something like that or have volunteered on a crisis hotline or something that shows that you've got strong interpersonal skills - and the rest of your application is solid - it may help you.

Good luck, whatever you decide. It's certainly a high-variance strategy.
 
Don’t disclose. For better or worse mental illness among healthcare professionals has a huge stigma, and for many physicians that work with low functioning severe autism patients they will subconsciously view your app differently (not in a positive way).

This can only hurt you. Anyone telling you otherwise is giving bad advice
 
sliceofbread136 said:
Anyone telling you otherwise is giving bad advice
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I actually agree with you all that OP should not disclose their condition, after reading HomeSkool’s offensive comment and seeing multiple committee members “like” it and comments that defend it.

I am fine with schools choosing people with better social skills over those who lack social skills. The problem is you are just assuming that OP does not have them based on a label. It is relying on stereotypes to make a decision and discriminating on the basis of a disability - why does nobody else find this offensive? Some disabilities are not possible to conceal. Guess those people are just screwed.
 
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EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
I actually agree with you all that OP should not disclose their condition, after reading HomeSkool’s offensive comment and seeing multiple committee members “like” it and comments that defend it.

I am fine with schools choosing people with better social skills over those who lack social skills. The problem is you are just assuming that OP does not have them based on a label. It is relying on stereotypes to make a decision and discriminating on the basis of a disability - why does nobody else find this offensive? Some disabilities are not possible to conceal. Guess those people are just screwed.
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Well it’s not really a stereotype, it’s part of dsm v criteria for the diagnosis of autism
 
sliceofbread136 said:
Well it’s not really a stereotype, it’s part of dsm v criteria for the diagnosis of autism
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I know what ASD is. OP said that they were hoping to use it as a topic for an adversity essay because they overcame the challenges associated with the disorder. Social skills are learned. The learning process is just harder for some people than it is for others.
 
ae7hyr said:
I understand, it's like risk management, right? A medical school is making an investment in me, and they're just going off what they see. I was pretty nonverbal when I was a child. Thankfully, my mom is a BCBA, and raised me using a lot of ABA. I mainstreamed in 7th grade, kept my IEP, but graduated on time 🙂

And sorry I forgot to clarify, this isn't my cycle. My friend is doing his secondaries, and it just got me thinking, y'know? I'm a rising sophomore at Saint Joseph's University.

I have a 3.8 GPA. As for clinical volunteering, I have 25 hours at Lankenau ER, and 25 hours at (what was) Hahnemann ER. I would of gotten more, but the lack of scope frustrated me, and thus motivated me to get my NREMT. I'm a wing for Hawks Rugby, which has helped me form a better understanding of team-dynamics, and working together with my peers under pressure.

We have a dedicated autism research and clinical institution called the Kinney Center, so I'm considering applying there to be a scholar. It'll consist of mentoring an incoming freshman with autism. I'm also going to reapply to be a Residence Assistant, and run again for class senator (both of which I did not get last year). Lastly, I like to run a lot of long distance, and am getting into triathlon stuff. My goal is to at least try to run an ironman by 2022, I figured that would be a nice dedication thing to talk about too.
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It sounds like you will probably be a strong candidate for medical school. Congrats on all of your accomplishments and success so far.
 
ae7hyr said:
I understand, it's like risk management, right? A medical school is making an investment in me, and they're just going off what they see. I was pretty nonverbal when I was a child. Thankfully, my mom is a BCBA, and raised me using a lot of ABA. I mainstreamed in 7th grade, kept my IEP, but graduated on time 🙂

And sorry I forgot to clarify, this isn't my cycle. My friend is doing his secondaries, and it just got me thinking, y'know? I'm a rising sophomore at Saint Joseph's University.

I have a 3.8 GPA. As for clinical volunteering, I have 25 hours at Lankenau ER, and 25 hours at (what was) Hahnemann ER. I would of gotten more, but the lack of scope frustrated me, and thus motivated me to get my NREMT. I'm a wing for Hawks Rugby, which has helped me form a better understanding of team-dynamics, and working together with my peers under pressure.

We have a dedicated autism research and clinical institution called the Kinney Center, so I'm considering applying there to be a scholar. It'll consist of mentoring an incoming freshman with autism. I'm also going to reapply to be a Residence Assistant, and run again for class senator (both of which I did not get last year). Lastly, I like to run a lot of long distance, and am getting into triathlon stuff. My goal is to at least try to run an ironman by 2022, I figured that would be a nice dedication thing to talk about too.
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RIP HUH
 
ae7hyr said:
I understand, it's like risk management, right? A medical school is making an investment in me, and they're just going off what they see. I was pretty nonverbal when I was a child. Thankfully, my mom is a BCBA, and raised me using a lot of ABA. I mainstreamed in 7th grade, kept my IEP, but graduated on time 🙂

And sorry I forgot to clarify, this isn't my cycle. My friend is doing his secondaries, and it just got me thinking, y'know? I'm a rising sophomore.

I have a 3.8 GPA. As for clinical volunteering, I have 25 hours at Lankenau ER, and 25 hours at (what was) Hahnemann ER. I would of gotten more, but the lack of scope frustrated me, and thus motivated me to get my NREMT. I'm a wing for Hawks Rugby, which has helped me form a better understanding of team-dynamics, and working together with my peers under pressure.

We have a dedicated autism research and clinical institution called the Kinney Center, so I'm considering applying there to be a scholar. It'll consist of mentoring an incoming freshman with autism. I'm also going to reapply to be a Residence Assistant, and run again for class senator (both of which I did not get last year). Lastly, I like to run a lot of long distance, and am getting into triathlon stuff. My goal is to at least try to run an ironman by 2022, I figured that would be a nice dedication thing to talk about too.
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Hmm: you're only just wrapped up your freshman year, so you've got at least two years before you apply. The autism mentoring is going to look good on your application, though it may not allay doubts about your interpersonal skills. If you were an RA, that might help some; if you were elected to a position as class senator, it would help even more. That would show that you can work well with others and have good social skills. The rugby is an important thing to include as well if you go down the disclosure road, as it shows you're interested in being part of a team. It also helps to dispel the stereotype of individuals on the autism spectrum as solitary, socially-inept, unfit nerds.

As for the volunteering: you need at least 200 and preferably 300 hours of clinical volunteering. EMT is good, but things like CNA work or especially hospice work are better. For nonclinical volunteering, things like Big Brothers Big Sisters, coaching a sport in a poor school district, or tutoring underserved youth can all serve to show your interpersonal skills and your altruism. You'd want 200 to 300 hours of that as well.

It's good that you have a 3.8 GPA; keep that up and do well on the MCAT and you could be a very strong applicant. You can obviously succeed academically; if you choose to disclose it will raise doubts as to whether you can succeed socially. If you can allay those doubts - get elected to student government, mentor fellow individuals on the spectrum, tutor underserved youth in the community, work in hospice with the dying - you may reap rewards from disclosure. Even after all that, however, there are still some adcom members that would have - justified or not - doubts about your ability to handle the stress of medical school.

Good luck, whatever path you choose; Moko is right about your autism adding valuable diversity to the physician population. However, it does come with challenges - and these may give admissions committee members pause.
 
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EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
I know what ASD is. OP said that they were hoping to use it as a topic for an adversity essay because they overcame the challenges associated with the disorder. Social skills are learned. The learning process is just harder for some people than it is for others.
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You can learn to some degree but at the end of the day someone with actual autism is inherently limited in that regard to some extent. Hardwired deep into the brain, no interventions have really shown much promise in changing prognosis
 
sliceofbread136 said:
You can learn to some degree but at the end of the day someone with actual autism is inherently limited in that regard to some extent. Hardwired deep into the brain, no interventions have really shown much promise in changing prognosis
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That largely depends on the severity.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
That largely depends on the severity.
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Possibly, but if you do a literature review of the interventions we have to offer there hasn’t been consistent data that any long term difference in prognosis is made through behavioral training. Unfortunately it’s similar to global delay, we will send you to therapy but it’s unclear if it actually does anything
 
sliceofbread136 said:
Possibly, but if you do a literature review of the interventions we have to offer there hasn’t been consistent data that any long term difference in prognosis is made through behavioral training. Unfortunately it’s similar to global delay, we will send you to therapy but it’s unclear if it actually does anything
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I have actually written literature reviews on this topic. To me, it sounds like OP will be able to demonstrate competency in social interactions. But this thread has taught me that people have a lot of preconceived notions about what it means to carry that diagnosis and OP is better off not mentioning it. Or, at least phrasing their difficulties in more general terms.
 
ae7hyr said:
I understand, it's like risk management, right? A medical school is making an investment in me, and they're just going off what they see. I was pretty nonverbal when I was a child. Thankfully, my mom is a BCBA, and raised me using a lot of ABA. I mainstreamed in 7th grade, kept my IEP, but graduated on time 🙂

And sorry I forgot to clarify, this isn't my cycle. My friend is doing his secondaries, and it just got me thinking, y'know? I'm a rising sophomore at Saint Joseph's University.

I have a 3.8 GPA. As for clinical volunteering, I have 25 hours at Lankenau ER, and 25 hours at (what was) Hahnemann ER. I would of gotten more, but the lack of scope frustrated me, and thus motivated me to get my NREMT. I'm a wing for Hawks Rugby, which has helped me form a better understanding of team-dynamics, and working together with my peers under pressure.

We have a dedicated autism research and clinical institution called the Kinney Center, so I'm considering applying there to be a scholar. It'll consist of mentoring an incoming freshman with autism. I'm also going to reapply to be a Residence Assistant, and run again for class senator (both of which I did not get last year). Lastly, I like to run a lot of long distance, and am getting into triathlon stuff. My goal is to at least try to run an ironman by 2022, I figured that would be a nice dedication thing to talk about too.
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Rising senior with ASD here who also happens to be in an autism research lab. I do research about individuals with disabilities and also volunteer with kids with special needs. In addition, I’m a college ambassador, was VP of our campus disability society, and am a peer mentor at my school for individuals with disabilities.

For the record, most of what people have written in this thread is incorrect as far as how ASD presents over the spectrum and the efficacy of different therapies, but I’m sure you know that. We are both perfect examples of how diverse the spectrum is; I’m constantly told by people that they wouldn’t have known about my ASD unless I tell them. In my case, because of my disability activism being known around school, I can’t really hide my diagnosis anyway. But I’m not worried about it.

I don’t apply until next year, so I can’t tell you anything for certain anymore than anyone else can. With that being said, I think it’s worth disclosing it when you can show that you’ve overcome the stereotypes of autism and are interested in working with such patients to improve their QOL in the future. And if you have other disabilities, you could actually focus on those as a whole, and integrate ASD as one more obstacle you’ve overcome. That’s what I plan to do, as I’ve had several health issues during my time as an undergrad.

Oh, and don’t be too hard on yourself. I get told that a lot too.
 
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Whether you decide to disclose or not, best wishes. It looks like you are building a solid application. Keep doing what you’ve been doing and you have the potential to be a very strong applicant.

EDIT: It will all come down to your MCAT, if you keep doing well. You’ll be a solid applicant for your state schools with a 510, a strong mid tier candidate with a 515, and a 520 will give you a shot at top schools - although at that level, it’s a crapshoot.
 
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If the school chooses to not accept you based on your Autism then is that the school you want to be at? Assuming all else is acceptable in your application and interviews but they still rely on their implicit bias to characterize you based on a diagnosis then I think you deserve better than that school anyway.
 
EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
This sounds like straight up discrimination. On every medical school website I’ve seen a nondiscrimination statement that includes disability. An individual with ASD can be just as good of a doctor as an individual without. Perhaps an individual with ASD could better connect with certain groups of patients.
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So would be rejecting an obviously pregnant woman at a job interview, but it 100% happens and there isn't anything anyone can do about it.
 
OP, I haven't been formally diagnosed with ASD (mainly just never had the opportunity to be psychologically evaluated, though maybe I'll change that soon), but I've had a variety of people (including my aunt, who's a special education professional) suspect that I meet the criteria, and my personal experiences tend to match up with those of friends who *have* been formally diagnosed with ASD. It can be so confusing for me because I don't know if growing up with prolonged periods of social isolation may have contributed to ASD-like behavior. ASD is also notoriously underdetected in girls/women, apparently. I'm also wondering if I should talk about this, but it seems tricky.
 
I am a strong believer that our world only benefits when we celebrate neurodiversity and encourage people with ASD and other different ways of thinking to follow their passions. And while medicine is a very social profession, it does not mean that someone on the spectrum could not succeed in this career. If anything, I believe someone with ASD will be much more understanding of their neuroatypical patients and be able to relate to their struggles more than someone who is neurotypical. I can sympathize till the cows come home, but I will personally never really know what it's like to be on the spectrum.

It does make me sad to see people relying on stereotypes on this thread, and that alone would give me pause to disclose it during applications. I took a bit of a risk myself and discussed my struggles growing up witnessing abuse and how therapy helped me deal with it, but that really isn't the same as having a mental health or other neurological disorder.

I hope that any SDNers with ASD know that there are people on their side who want to see a greater diversity in the profession of medicine, which includes neuroatypical people. And even if OP does not disclose in their apps, I hope that they continue to strive for their dreams and act as both a role model for other people with ASD and as an advocate for more neurodiversity in medicine.

PS: Anyone here who doesn't know much about ASD should 100% read NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman. It was an incredibly eye opening book for me.
 
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