AMCAS Gender Identity on Identifying Information birth and sex

[blueangel12]

I had a question about AMCAS Identifying Information section of birth and sex. Before it would only have check boxes for male, female, or choose not to identify. Now they transgender male, transgender female, genderqueer/gender non-conforming, and different identity (please state). Would selecting the transgender, genderqueer/gender non-conforming, or different identity affect your application a lot? I know depending on the school, they may be more for/against transgender or non-mainstream gender identities. If you do select one of those options, do they check it thoroughly or need a psychiatric evaluation that proves that? I am a male but I am genderqueer/gender non-conforming but have never had psychiatric evaluation before for that.

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[P0ke]

I have no idea what a genderqueer is

 

[Saifa]

I have no idea what a genderqueer is

Thanks for your constructive reply.

@blueangel12 you may want to change your avatar for anonymity.

@LizzyM or @DokterMom might have some useful advice for your OP

 

[P0ke]

Thanks for your constructive reply.

@blueangel12 you may want to change your avatar for anonymity.

@LizzyM or @DokterMom might have some useful advice for your OP

Hey in a fair world, it shouldn't matter what you are. But of course adcoms are people, and people are going to have biases. It was genuinely my first time hearing that term.

 

[begoood95]

Hey in a fair world, it shouldn't matter what you are. But of course adcoms are people, and people are going to have biases. It was genuinely my first time hearing that term.

Actually, in the "fair world," it does matter who you are -- and if we in fact want a fair world than we ought to recognize that some individuals have extra burdens that others may not have.

Anyways... I would say this lies in the realm of it affects your application, but not "a lot" and in which direction we can't really say. For schools like University of Vermont, I would say it positively affects you, perhaps enough to warrant me saying -- all else being equal -- you'd have an edge over other applicants; for religiously mission-based schools, I'd say that, in general, it would have the opposite, unwanted effect.

Be that as it may, if that identifying information best reflects who you are, I would click it regardless of it's alleged effects.

 

[Saifa]

Hey in a fair world, it shouldn't matter what you are. But of course adcoms are people, and people are going to have biases. It was genuinely my first time hearing that term.

Sorry it came off as aggressive. I am interested to hear what people who would know have to say because I was honestly surprised to see AMCAS accommodate these responses.

Some people have a lot of problems with genderqueerness and want to pass it off as a fake personality trait or something while many others read about it for a minute, say "okay, now I know about this," and move on. Having grown up with friends who are now openly genderqueer I believe that the only reason it is a "new" thing that people like to debate/erase is because it never would have been talked about seriously in the past.

 

[softball2344]

googled

 

[P0ke]

Sorry it came off as aggressive. I am interested to hear what people who would know have to say because I was honestly surprised to see AMCAS accommodate these responses.

Some people have a lot of problems with genderqueerness and want to pass it off as a fake personality trait or something while many others read about it for a minute, say "okay, now I know about this," and move on. Having grown up with friends who are now openly genderqueer I believe that the only reason it is a "new" thing that people like to debate/erase is because it never would have been talked about seriously in the past.

Also, I'm sure a lot of Adcoms will have the same reaction as me upon seeing that box checked (especially the older generation). Hopefully they get a short description that explains what each one means.

 

[1996-]

I would imagine that Title IX policies would apply here, but I believe this varies by state. Schools (There's been a lot of buzz regarding potential policy switches given the Trump administration, so be aware). They can't "make" you prove your gender, since there's no real metric upon which to reasonably do that (unless they are specifically evaluating for gender dysphoria, and gender dysphoria sometimes ≠ transness).

That being said, based on what I have seen, I wouldn't expect adcoms to be the most knowledgeable about topics of gender identity, so it might be worth practicing describing how you identify so that you aren't caught off-guard.

 

[LizzyM]

I can't say that I've ever looked at the sex/gender box on the AMCAS application. That said, I think that AMCAS is trying to be sensitive and inclusive to applicants regardless of how they identify. Will it be an advantage at some schools in a hope to expand the diversity of the class? Maybe, but on the other hand, an application reader might see it and be . I would find it unusual if a school tries to call this part of their URM diversity. That said, gender-queer /trans-gender, gender non-conforming applicants were never barred from applying. I'd be willing to wager that almost every medical school has offered admission to at least one in the past few years, I know we have and we've had at least one matriculate. Some applicants make it part of their PS or their secondary.

As for the oldsters, they'll all think of Renee Richards who was a professional tennis player in the 1970s and an ophthalmologist before and after her transition. She is 82 years old.

 

[Ismet]

I had a question about AMCAS Identifying Information section of birth and sex. Before it would only have check boxes for male, female, or choose not to identify. Now they transgender male, transgender female, genderqueer/gender non-conforming, and different identity (please state). Would selecting the transgender, genderqueer/gender non-conforming, or different identity affect your application a lot? I know depending on the school, they may be more for/against transgender or non-mainstream gender identities. If you do select one of those options, do they check it thoroughly or need a psychiatric evaluation that proves that? I am a male but I am genderqueer/gender non-conforming but have never had psychiatric evaluation before for that.

For the most part, it shouldn't be an issue. They will not check it thoroughly and will certainly not require a psychiatric evaluation.

And honestly, even if there are a couple of schools that would judge you negatively for that, those aren't schools you want to attend anyway.

While I can't speak for all schools/admissions committees, decisions are typically made by the committee and not just one person. So even if there are a couple people who are unfamiliar with the terminology in the group, hopefully there are others who are familiar and can even educate the unfamiliar. I think it's pretty great that AMCAS is doing this!

 

[Dr.Kat]

do they check it thoroughly or need a psychiatric evaluation that proves that?

a psychiatric eval?? that would be so callus. I highly doubt they require one. If so, that's a little disgusting in my opinion.

 

[Goro]

I had a question about AMCAS Identifying Information section of birth and sex. Before it would only have check boxes for male, female, or choose not to identify. Now they transgender male, transgender female, genderqueer/gender non-conforming, and different identity (please state). Would selecting the transgender, genderqueer/gender non-conforming, or different identity affect your application a lot? I know depending on the school, they may be more for/against transgender or non-mainstream gender identities. If you do select one of those options, do they check it thoroughly or need a psychiatric evaluation that proves that? I am a male but I am genderqueer/gender non-conforming but have never had psychiatric evaluation before for that.

Because LGBT are considered as URM by a number of schools, I think that the box itself won't yield any plusses, as per the wise LizzyM's comments. What WILL get you noticed will be your PS and secondaries.

 

[DokterMom]

Honestly, I'd say it's a bit of a tightrope. For some liberal schools, it will add an element of diversity; for some conservative schools or application readers it will be seen as a negative. But the last thing you want to do is be dishonest...

Since 'choose not to identify' is an option, it might be the safest one for a situation where there's otherwise not a perfect fit. Some application readers may think you're trying to play the game to your advantage, but since you're gender non-conforming, it's also a very honest description if your best description is "don't put me into some gender box 'cause it won't fit." Though you might be asked to explain why you didn't just select 'genderqueer/gender non-conforming' if that's how you'd describe yourself.

Overall, I'd certainly agree that you wouldn't want to attend a school that will have a problem with gender non-conformity. Medical school is hard enough without some of your faculty members deliberately trying to make it harder for you, and that appears to have happened to some of our SDN friends.

 

[NeuResurgens]

My opinion might be unpopular with some, but I hope it doesn't now and won't affect the application at all. Giving anyone *any* kind of advantage or disadvantage because of something like this, which might be subjectively answered by some applicants as a manipulation attempt rather than out of genuine gender identification, is just asking for trouble IMO. I simply hope we'll keep it to the most important data on the application - the scores and curricular/extracurricular experiences.

Bias can go any direction, and I'm a bit worried that biases will now be introduced or reinforced because of this.

 

[DokterMom]

My opinion might be unpopular with some, but I hope it doesn't now and won't affect the application at all. Giving anyone *any* kind of advantage or disadvantage because of something like this, which might be subjectively answered by some applicants as a manipulation attempt rather than out of genuine gender identification, is just asking for trouble IMO. I simply hope we'll keep it to the most important data on the application - the scores and curricular/extracurricular experiences.

Bias can go any direction, and I'm a bit worried that biases will now be introduced or reinforced because of this.

I can't see anyone falsely self-identifying as "genderqueer" to game med school admissions any more than I can envision cis men dressing in drag to openly walk into women's restrooms for the purpose of molesting women and children. Just doesn't seem likely --

 

[Goro]

I can't see anyone falsely self-identifying as "genderqueer" to game med school admissions any more than I can envision cis men dressing in drag to openly walk into women's restrooms for the purpose of molesting women and children. Just doesn't seem likely --

The false ID's are reserved for Caucasians who suddenly discover 1/32nd Native American or Mexican ancestry when they apply to med school.

 

[NeuResurgens]

I can't see anyone falsely self-identifying as "genderqueer" to game med school admissions any more than I can envision cis men dressing in drag to openly walk into women's restrooms for the purpose of molesting women and children. Just doesn't seem likely --

Probably true, that is a more extreme example, but I still see the opportunity to introduce extra biases into the admissions process as problematic. Basically, the options for gender identification should be there most importantly to help people with different gender identities to feel more included, and also for data gathering purposes, but I don't think it should have sway in admissions decisions. Having biases on the issue in either direction wouldn't be fair to applicants, especially if the person reading the app had incorrect misconceptions about such groups.

 

[g.enx]

I'm not sure. I'm trans and it's something that I'm weighing myself.

I can't imagine that you would need a psych evaluation to self-identify as genderqueer. I think that the only realm is which that matters is in terms of medical and legal transition... but not self-identification on a form!

I do know that medicine can be a conservative field, so I worry about potential biases. However, my experience as a trans person has been a major motivating factor in why I've decided to pursue medicine. I'm really interested in trans healthcare and LGBTQ+ health. Most of my work and volunteer experience in within queer and trans communities, so I can't really avoid it on my application. For me, I'm going to talk about how my identities ties in on my application essays.

However, if it's not relevant factor for you, it might be worth considering whether or not you want to self identify?