Are Med Schools more open about GAYS?

[Mr. Monkey MD]

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Don't get me wrong. It's not like my whole PS will encompass just about being gay, (I dont think I'm not going to even write about it)...nor will i walk into an interview acting extra flamboyant while waving a rainbow flag. 😀

Basically, I'm just curious where gays stand. Anyone went through it already and care to share?

Thanks in advance

 

[jbing]

My suspicion is that certain schools consider gays to be a minority, so in that sense it can only help you. Here is why I think that. I knew this guy who had a good GPA from a really low level state school (a bad cal state - not even a UC) and a really low mcat score (25!!). he got into every uc except ucsd, as well as a handful of other top schools around the country.

He was a white male, not disadvantaged, so no other reason to be considered a minority. He ended up going to UCLA, and I recall hearing him say once that he was invited to some UCLA minority banquet, so it seems he was definitely considered a minority. And that would explain how he got into a bunch of great schools with a 25 mcat and ****ty bachelors degree.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

My suspicion is that certain schools consider gays to be a minority, so in that sense it can only help you. Here is why I think that. I knew this guy who had a good GPA from a really low level state school (a bad cal state - not even a UC) and a really low mcat score (25!!). he got into every uc except ucsd, as well as a handful of other top schools around the country.

He was a white male, not disadvantaged, so no other reason to be considered a minority. He ended up going to UCLA, and I recall hearing him say once that he was invited to some UCLA minority banquet, so it seems he was definitely considered a minority. And that would explain how he got into a bunch of great schools with a 25 mcat and ****ty bachelors degree.

Sick. I think that this isn't the only case of this happening.

 

[Mateodaspy]

Don't get me wrong. It's not like my whole PS will encompass just about being gay, (I dont think I'm not going to even write about it)...nor will i walk into an interview acting extra flamboyant while waving a rainbow flag. 😀

Basically, I'm just curious where gays stand. Anyone went through it already and care to share?

Thanks in advance

For the most part, things are changing at so many schools across the country -- the old, bigoted, pre-integration era physicians are dying off and a whole new batch of fresh and open-minded M.D.'s have taken the helm at so many leading medical schools across the country (don't get the wrong idea from the ever-so lovely mercapto who denies both the existence of homosexuals and all mental illnesses--he's much more of a sideshow than anything else here on SDN).

Essentially, I think being gay will definitely help your application at many schools (excluding the arch-conservative ones, i.e. Loma Linda, Rosalind Franklin, Texas Tech, Univ. of Alabama etc., etc.). I was completely open on my AMCAS and during each of my interviews, taking uncompromising positions on many hot-button issues dealing with situations at the crossroads between sexuality and health care, and I was thankfully admitted at most of the schools where I applied. In short, don't hide who you are on your application -- be yourself, be out, be proud and, trust me, you will thank me later on when you attend a school that accepted you for you.

 

[IAMS]

I believe no one can tell you what is right for you, you should do what makes you comfortable. This is professional school, and your application will be evaluated on its merits.

Instead of focusing on sexuality on my PS, I talked about the issues of academic freedom and hostility toward gays at my ultraconservative mormon undergraduate school. That was an influential time for me, and I tied that in to my desire to be a physician. But I wasn't out there like I considered doing - I have been in a committed relationship for 4 years this month, and didn't end up specifically mentioning that.

I agree with Mateo, that its best for a school to pick you for you. There are all sorts of opportunities to talk about who you are, including secondaries and with the interviewer. Just don't feel you have to fit some stereotype to get accepted. There is no silver bullet.

 

[Stroganoff]

Wait, so is being gay like a really unique EC or something nowadays? Where do I sign up? Maybe I can quit one of my ECs and just be gay for ~10 hours/week (as long as I keep track of hours, right?). I'll get a LOR from my mentor for proof just in case adcoms are wary.

From what I gather from this thread, I'll have a better chance at getting in with my "eh" GPA if I start being gay. I'll do whatever it takes to get into med school, even if I have to start kissing super hot bois! 👍 😛

 

[IAMS]

I'll do whatever it takes to get into med school, even if I have to start kissing super hot bois! 👍 😛

That's a good plan! Pucker up, buttercup!

 

[PookieGirl]

My suspicion is that certain schools consider gays to be a minority, so in that sense it can only help you. Here is why I think that. I knew this guy who had a good GPA from a really low level state school (a bad cal state - not even a UC) and a really low mcat score (25!!). he got into every uc except ucsd, as well as a handful of other top schools around the country.

He was a white male, not disadvantaged, so no other reason to be considered a minority. He ended up going to UCLA, and I recall hearing him say once that he was invited to some UCLA minority banquet, so it seems he was definitely considered a minority. And that would explain how he got into a bunch of great schools with a 25 mcat and ****ty bachelors degree.

How well did you know this guy? How do you know there weren't other things that made him a minority? Maybe he was from an economically disadvantaged family, or had a very screwed up family? Maybe his good GPA was enough to override his low MCAT score and he wrote a stellar personal statement. I don't think you can simply assume he got in because he was gay, but maybe you know him very well and can safely say that.

As for increasing diversity, I see good reasons for admitting qualified people who better reflect the general population's diversity (as opposed to maintaining medicine's lack of it). With healthcare disparities affecting people along ethnic lines, one of the ways to improve care is to recruit people of those ethnicities. The same might be said of gay people. I'm not sure what the actual situation is like, but I would guess that school's gay friendliness depends on location (cities tend to be more gay friendly, especially on the coasts) and age of faculty (older people are less used to gay issues, and the AMA has leaned more towards the Republican party).

 

[Ron Mexico]

haha dude, i was thinking the same thing...i think its worth it to get into med school

 

[Flopotomist]

hmm.. I didn't mention being Gay in my personal statement because I had toomuch other stuff that I felt was more relevant. I can't imagine it coming up in an interview unless I am asked about my "support structure" or some other euphamism trying to figure out if I am married. I have decided to tell the truth if asked because I have no desire to be in a place that openly discriminates (NYMC, Loma Linda) but I am also not going to mention anything if not asked.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

I dont know how you would bring this up in a medical school application. I have a thing for busty redheads in short skirts but just couldn't find a place to insert it into my PS.

 

[Trismegistus4]

Wait, so is being gay like a really unique EC or something nowadays? Where do I sign up? Maybe I can quit one of my ECs and just be gay for ~10 hours/week (as long as I keep track of hours, right?). I'll get a LOR from my mentor for proof just in case adcoms are wary.

From what I gather from this thread, I'll have a better chance at getting in with my "eh" GPA if I start being gay. I'll do whatever it takes to get into med school, even if I have to start kissing super hot bois! 👍 😛

You don't even have to do that. The best part about using gayness to your advantage is that all you have to do is claim to be gay. They can't prove you wrong, right?

 

[MoosePilot]

I dont know how you would bring this up in a medical school application. I have a thing for busty redheads in short skirts but just couldn't find a place to insert it into my PS.

I did work that into my PS, but eventually had to cut it because I didn't realize spaces counted as characters, so I exceeded the allowable character count.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

For the most part, things are changing at so many schools across the country -- the old, bigoted, pre-integration era physicians are dying off and a whole new batch of fresh and open-minded M.D.'s have taken the helm at so many leading medical schools across the country (don't get the wrong idea from the ever-so lovely mercapto who denies both the existence of homosexuals and all mental illnesses--he's much more of a sideshow than anything else here on SDN).

Essentially, I think being gay will definitely help your application at many schools (excluding the arch-conservative ones, i.e. Loma Linda, Rosalind Franklin, Texas Tech, Univ. of Alabama etc., etc.). I was completely open on my AMCAS and during each of my interviews, taking uncompromising positions on many hot-button issues dealing with situations at the crossroads between sexuality and health care, and I was thankfully admitted at most of the schools where I applied. In short, don't hide who you are on your application -- be yourself, be out, be proud and, trust me, you will thank me later on when you attend a school that accepted you for you.

Mateo - the point is not that there should be discrimination against gays. Even though I think it is their choice, I don't support discrimination. The point: why should they be given an advantage any more than someone should for their religion? If you want to argue for "reflecting the patient population" does that mean we should favor Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Shinto, etc. doctors because they are religious minorities in the US and patients from these groups will "relate to them better"? If someone was oppressed for something they can in no way change - because they were black, or Native American - and that group is still in a disadvantaged position in modern society, I can somehow understand affirmative action (although I believe it should be socioeconomic and not racial/ethnic). But why should someone be given an advantage because of their religious beliefs or because of who they want to have sex with?

 

[63768]

sigh, i never thought gays would have URM status. even more reason to get rid of URM status and use merit. haha it makes me sad to hear that someone with a 25 on the MCAT can get into UC schools when I probably won't get into one because i'm a straight asian male.

 

[happydays]

sigh, i never thought gays would have URM status. even more reason to get rid of URM status and use merit. haha it makes me sad to hear that someone with a 25 on the MCAT can get into UC schools when I probably won't get into one because i'm a straight asian male.

But you can say that you like ugly girls. That you put you in the minority bin. 🙂

 

[Destroy364]

If someone was oppressed for something they can in no way change - because they were black, or Native American - and that group is still in a disadvantaged position in modern society, I can somehow understand affirmative action (although I believe it should be socioeconomic and not racial/ethnic). But why should someone be given an advantage because of their religious beliefs or because of who they want to have sex with?

Although I do agree with your stance on socioeconomic affirmative action, your logic is a little off. Are gays are oppressed for something they can in no way change? They are. Are they still in a disadvantaged position in modern society? They are. I wouldn't have spent all those years self-loathing, miserable, and in the closet if this weren't the case. Let's not have this turn into an argument over whether homosexuals can change become heterosexual if they really "want" to because that's leading nowhere.

That said, I don't want any extra points in admissions for my race or sexuality. I did not write about it in my statement because it didn't pertain to why I've chosen medicine. If your sexuality motivated your choice in the extracurriculars you were involved in that had a role in your decision to pursue medicine, by all means write about it but dont dwell on it and don't count on being gay to get you into your school. From what I hear it's a gamble anyhow and the "gay factor" can just as easily land your application in the reject pile depending on whose hands it goes through.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

Although I do agree with your stance on socioeconomic affirmative action, your logic is a little off. Are gays are oppressed for something they can in no way change? They are. Are they still in a disadvantaged position in modern society? They are. I wouldn't have spent all those years self-loathing, miserable, and in the closet if this weren't the case. Let's not have this turn into an argument over whether homosexuals can change become heterosexual if they really "want" to because that's leading nowhere.

That said, I don't want any extra points in admissions for my race or sexuality. I did not write about it in my statement because it didn't pertain to why I've chosen medicine. If your sexuality motivated your choice in the extracurriculars you were involved in that had a role in your decision to pursue medicine, by all means write about it but dont dwell on it and don't count on being gay to get you into your school. From what I hear it's a gamble anyhow and the "gay factor" can just as easily land your application in the reject pile depending on whose hands it goes through.

Well, then those who practice bestiality should be given super-special URM status. What about necrophilia? Coprophilia? Has our society really degenerated to the point that it gives points for sexual deviancy?!?

In any case, med school is not worth going gay. If being gay and blabbing about it is the difference between going to med school and not - I'll look for something else.

 

[Peterock]

Well, then those who practice bestiality should be given super-special URM status. What about necrophilia? Coprophilia? Has our society really degenerated to the point that it gives points for sexual deviancy?!?

In any case, med school is not worth going gay. If being gay and blabbing about it is the difference between going to med school and not - I'll look for something else.

Those examples are all ridiculous and inaccurate parallels and you know it. Two consenting adults and what they do together in privacy shouldn't have any importance in your life as long as it does not threaten your health/safety. You realize that your radical statements simply push people away from you and your views?

I think it is difficult to be a homosexual in this country, but can we say it is any more so than being unattractive, overweight, blind, deaf, orphaned, diseased, etc? It becomes difficult to rank, I would only consider it if I knew that homosexuals were underrepresented in medical school the same way that blacks, hispanics, american indians and socioeconomically disadvantaged students are clearly not enrolling in percentages that are on par with their percentages in teh American public.

 

[Shredder]

sigh, i never thought gays would have URM status. even more reason to get rid of URM status and use merit. haha it makes me sad to hear that someone with a 25 on the MCAT can get into UC schools when I probably won't get into one because i'm a straight asian male.

dude...i thought you were that hot chick in your pic the whole time! haha who is that. anyway, your posts seem pretty good 👍

 

[Phil Anthropist]

I honestly don't see how this

I don't want any extra points in admissions for my race or sexuality. I did not write about it in my statement because it didn't pertain to why I've chosen medicine. If your sexuality motivated your choice in the extracurriculars you were involved in that had a role in your decision to pursue medicine, by all means write about it but dont dwell on it and don't count on being gay to get you into your school. From what I hear it's a gamble anyhow and the "gay factor" can just as easily land your application in the reject pile depending on whose hands it goes through.

provoked a response like this

Well, then those who practice bestiality should be given super-special URM status. What about necrophilia? Coprophilia? Has our society really degenerated to the point that it gives points for sexual deviancy?!?

In any case, med school is not worth going gay. If being gay and blabbing about it is the difference between going to med school and not - I'll look for something else.

I don't see why every thread that mentions anything about gay lifestyles has to get derailed like this. If you would like to discuss these issues, please do so in the Everyone forum.

Let the discussion get back on topic. I don't think I'm asking too much.

 

[gujuDoc]

sigh, i never thought gays would have URM status. even more reason to get rid of URM status and use merit. haha it makes me sad to hear that someone with a 25 on the MCAT can get into UC schools when I probably won't get into one because i'm a straight asian male.

👍 👍

I agree with your assessments.

 

[63768]

dude...i thought you were that hot chick in your pic the whole time! haha who is that. anyway, your posts seem pretty good 👍

hahahahah your post made me rofl. the hot chick is hyori lee, a kpop star. thanks, i like SDN because it has a higher population of people who understand what i'm saying. not liberal like rice university, where i went to school.

to clarify, i dont hate gay people or any URM people for that matter. i just don't think it's fair for everyone else to favor quotas. i've always said affirmative action and the like are simply reverse discrimination and doesn't solve anything. i know it's a dream to believe that adcoms will accept people based merit and without bias but i've never felt URMs were the way to solve that.

 

[45408]

Maybe his good GPA was enough to override his low MCAT score

I don't think there is a good enough GPA to override a 25 for practically any applicant to selective schools like the UCs. Hopefully the guy was accepted for more than just the fact that he was gay - because I'm sure there are plenty of qualified gay applicants. Personally, I don't see a whole lot of relevance.

 

[LabMonster]

I don't think there is a good enough GPA to override a 25 for practically any applicant to selective schools like the UCs. Hopefully the guy was accepted for more than just the fact that he was gay - because I'm sure there are plenty of qualified gay applicants. Personally, I don't see a whole lot of relevance.

Right - you are relevant to your PS, your sexual orientation is not.

 

[ForbiddenComma]

Bringing up one's sexual orientation would have the expected results at the expected schools -- it would be a net plus at, say, Stanford, but it would not have quite the same impact at a school in the Deep South. There are exceptions, but the rule here is the usual rule of thumb when it comes to regions of the U.S. and gay rights: blue state good, red state bad.

Now, the thing is: Your AMCAS essay is a universal essay that gets sent to ALL med schools. Do you really want to define yourself by whom you have sex with? Ok, if you want to go into Infectious Disease and combat HIV in the gay community, or something along those lines, then your sexuality would be a relevant part of your essay... otherwise, you have to ask yourself, why are you bringing that up on your primary essay? Because rest assured, adcom people will be asking that exact question.

My recommendation: Just leave it out, assuming it really isn't part of why you are going into medicine. If you are sure that your sexual orientation will help you land a spot (such as with a UC) then during your interview, be like the Human Torch and "Flame On!!" Otherwise, play it low key and professional. Your sexuality is not the main point to your existance, right?

Med school adcoms may not be as progressive when it comes to gay rights as law schools, but they are still far more enlightened than many private employers. Lighten up, and give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[riceman04]

dude...i thought you were that hot chick in your pic the whole time! haha who is that. anyway, your posts seem pretty good 👍

Nope, he's just a biotch that I know from Rice! Lovett College Sucks!

 

[idq1i]

Can someone enlighten this 3rd year? What does "gayness" or "straightness" have to do with a medical education?

 

[riceman04]

hahahahah your post made me rofl. the hot chick is hyori lee, a kpop star. thanks, i like SDN because it has a higher population of people who understand what i'm saying. not liberal like rice university, where i went to school.

to clarify, i dont hate gay people or any URM people for that matter. i just don't think it's fair for everyone else to favor quotas. i've always said affirmative action and the like are simply reverse discrimination and doesn't solve anything. i know it's a dream to believe that adcoms will accept people based merit and without bias but i've never felt URMs were the way to solve that.

Dumb ass, you call rice liberal! Being that I am afr. amer. and was stopped by police on a consistent basis (yeah I was never drunk nor was I causing trouble like some of the kids on that campus. I just did not fit the stereotype of Rice Univerrrrrrrrrrrsity. My experience did not give me the impression that Rice is liberal. And the fact that James A. Baker (duh the building named after him - you know the baker building) is affiliated with Rice only suggests that the administration is quite conservative. Were you at Lovett by the way? If not then maybe you are not the biotch I am thinking of.

What clubs were you involved in? If you were a member of RPMS then 👎 👎

 

[TheMightyAngus]

Where does the name Rice U come from? It just seethes racial undertones and conjures images of white conservativism. Kinda like naming a college Cotton U, Gaye U, Cornbread U, or Beaver U.

 

[riceman04]

Where does the name Rice U come from? It just seethes racial undertones and conjures images of white conservativism. Kinda like naming a college Cotton U, Gaye U, Cornbread U, or Beaver U.

Yeah, it really does! My father calls it the confederate university.

William Marsh Rice University

That guy wrote in his will that he did not want any minorities (which at that time were primarily blacks) to attend his school. And for that reason, Rice was not fully integrated until the 60's. And then to keep the # of Blacks eligible to attend once they were allowed to attend was to add tuition (it was free up till the seventies). Or maybe they just wanted to ensure that the endowment remained healthy.

 

[71263]

Mateo - the point is not that there should be discrimination against gays. Even though I think it is their choice, I don't support discrimination. The point: why should they be given an advantage any more than someone should for their religion? If you want to argue for "reflecting the patient population" does that mean we should favor Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Shinto, etc. doctors because they are religious minorities in the US and patients from these groups will "relate to them better"? If someone was oppressed for something they can in no way change - because they were black, or Native American - and that group is still in a disadvantaged position in modern society, I can somehow understand affirmative action (although I believe it should be socioeconomic and not racial/ethnic). But why should someone be given an advantage because of their religious beliefs or because of who they want to have sex with?

Before this thread gets any more off topic, I feel it is time for me to say my piece.

As far as the OP question goes, I dont believe that a person's sexuality, whether straight or gay, should have any bearing on their acceptance, unless, as many have said before me, their experiences and motivations to become a doctor were shaped as a direct result of their experiences being gay/straight. A good candidate is a good candidate, regardless of their characteristics. Open discrimination is wrong, but only occurs in those couple of cases. For the most part, it shouldnt be an issue that hurts or helps.

As for your views on minority status, I could see how it may be used as far as sexuality goes. I agree and disagree with you on some of your points. I personally dont believe that sexuality is a choice, but that is besides the point. You say that you dont believe that homosexuals should be oppressed, while you also believe that they shouldnt be given any advantages.

You cannot dispute the fact that homosexuals are an oppressed minority in society, even if you do believe that it is a choice. America, the country that is supposed to champion individual freedoms, forbids homosexuals from holding the same tax benefits and economic advantages that heterosexuals are naturally entitled to in all but one state. Many companies still do not include sexual orientation/identity in their discrimination policies. Even outside formal discrimination, personal prejudices and hate crimes still exist.

Getting back to the point, all oppressed groups should be treated the same, regardless of whether they are 'chosen' or whether they cannot be changed. If you believe that people should not be oppressed because of race or sexuality, why is it right to give people advantages because of their race but not their sexuality? You are right when you say that religious groups should not be discriminated or helped because of their choice of beliefs. However, in today's society, following a certain religion hardly makes a person an 'oppressed minority'. Religious discrimination is illegal, and is almost a non-issue, except for schools that have religious affiliation and favor individuals of that faith.

Choice or not, discrimination should not be given to any minority group, and if an advantage is to be given to one minority group, it should be given to ALL minority groups.

 

[tacrum43]

Well, then those who practice bestiality should be given super-special URM status. What about necrophilia? Coprophilia? Has our society really degenerated to the point that it gives points for sexual deviancy?!?

I think you should get "super-special URM status", afterall, how many people are time warped directly from 1953 Alabama? They must be severely under-represented in medical school.

In any case, med school is not worth going gay. If being gay and blabbing about it is the difference between going to med school and not - I'll look for something else.

I agree, becoming gay just to get into medical school is going too far. I would look into getting your race changed instead, it's just a much more practical solution.

 

[fuzzyerin]

Can someone enlighten this 3rd year? What does "gayness" or "straightness" have to do with a medical education?

I wondered the same thing all last year, idq1i.

 

[t33sg1rl]

In my AMCAS, I said nothing to imply that I was gay, and I left off gay community service activities. However, it came up in perhaps 2/3 of interviews. As a slightly older female applicant, interviewers usually asked me if I was married. There was no hedging, no 'support structure' phrasiong-just a flat "Are you married?". I've been with my partner for five years, and I felt that to say that I'm not married and leave it alone would basically be lying. In the interviews where it came up, for the most part there was no effect. In one interview, though, the interviewer became EXTREMELY hostile after he found out. But... at Dr. Hostile's school, I sat in on a psychology lecture where the students were learning about family structures. I was bored out of my mind until the lecturer mentioned same-sex households, and said, "Of course, one of the great questions facing society today is whether such households should be allowed to exist or parent children". Guess I wasn't really jonesing for an acceptance from that school anyway...

 

[Trismegistus4]

Can someone enlighten this 3rd year? What does "gayness" or "straightness" have to do with a medical education?

Geez, haven't you been reading the papers or watching TV for the past 5 years? Everyone knows by know that homosexuality is the cornerstone of all that is good and noble and right in the world; the crowning achievement of the human race. There is nothing more wonderful. Therefore, there is no better doctor than a sodomite doctor.

 

[Flopotomist]

Therefore, there is no better doctor than a sodomite doctor.

I started reading this thread with the belief that any type of affirmative action applied to gays and lesbians was wrong. However, after reading how much prejudice and hostility there still is towards gays, maybe it is necessary to insure that people like this poster don't discrimintate against very well qualified gays just because of his warped 1950's mentality. Wake up people - we are here, we are gay, and we aren't going away. Deal with it, it isn't an issue. Stay out of my bedroom, and leave me and my family alone, and I will provide you the same respect.

And for all of the posters so horrified by all things gay, don't you want more gay doctors around so that you don't have to take care of gay patients? We are doing you a favor!

I do have to wonder though why certain posters (you know who you are) find it necessary to click on all posts with word gay on it. Hmm.. Shakespeare may have had it right when he said, "the lady doth protest too much methinks."

 

[tacrum43]

Geez, haven't you been reading the papers or watching TV for the past 5 years? Everyone knows by know that homosexuality is the cornerstone of all that is good and noble and right in the world; the crowning achievement of the human race. There is nothing more wonderful. Therefore, there is no better doctor than a sodomite doctor.

🙂 Aren't we nice and judgmental? 🙂

 

[IAMS]

Mwahahahahhaha!!!!

 

[idq1i]

We need more gay doctors so we can convert as many people as possible.
Mwahahahahhaha!!!!

idiotic post warning. Will they lock this thread already?

 

[MoosePilot]

idiotic post warning. Will they lock this thread already?

Why would they? 😕

 

[idq1i]

Why would they? 😕

Because of the subforum title: Pre-Allopathic

 

[HumptyDumpty]

Don't get me wrong. It's not like my whole PS will encompass just about being gay, (I dont think I'm not going to even write about it)...nor will i walk into an interview acting extra flamboyant while waving a rainbow flag. 😀

Basically, I'm just curious where gays stand. Anyone went through it already and care to share?

Thanks in advance

If being gay is relevant to activities or life experiences that are important to you and relevant to your app, then I think you should talk about it for sure. You may run into the occasional person who's uncomfortable w/ the subject, but that's probably no different than the rest of your life, right?

One more little suggestion: if you do decide to bring it up, do it all the way and do it with confidence. I was still in the process of coming out during the app process, and so in my early interviews I danced around the subject of being gay, even though it was completely relevant to the discussions and, in retrospect, I should have just said it. Not only were my answers vague, but I myself probably came off as being wishy-washy. By the time my later interviews rolled around, I felt okay talking about being gay, and I had a lot more success.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[jennben4]

don't know if anybody is looking at New York Medical College, but this was brought to my attention after i applied.

http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/12/122104nyMed.htm

then...

http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/01/012705nyMed.htm

i did interview bc/i already had the plane ticket, but i eventually withdrew. i just really didn't feel right there.... i'm not lesbian, but i'm very "open" and i came from an extremely liberal school (oberlin, if anybody knows it). i need a more open discourse on campus and i just felt like things were "shut off" there. even if it is a technicality due to the catholic archdiocese affiliation, if that seeps into the mindset of faculty and curriculum, forget it - i'd be miserable getting such a slanted education.

👎

 

[SitraAchra]

I'm not EVEN going to lie. I LOVE the drama that erupts in the Gays vs. Belligerently Militant Straight Upstanding Moral High Grounders...threads.

A lurker I will forever be. I have nothing valid to contribute. The post with the guy jumping from a pool made me laugh out loud though, I will admit.

 

[barcelona-bound]

Where does the name Rice U come from? It just seethes racial undertones and conjures images of white conservativism. Kinda like naming a college Cotton U, Gaye U, Cornbread U, or Beaver U.

LOL - i didn't attend rice but my friend graduated from there a couple years ago...Mr. Rice was from MA, moved to TX and traded cotton before the civil war, retired to the east coast, and wrote a blank-check charter for the "Rice Institute..."....noting no action would be taken BEFORE he died...a lawyer and Rice's own valet killed Rice, but they were caught WHILE trying to cash the check.....

ok, that's more than enough....back to the gay issue....

i, too, didn't write about being gay in my PS because my desire to become a doctor was not influenced by me being gay....had it done so, then, sure, i would have put it in....

another friend of mine just moved back to LA from Boston...he was doing a fellowship at Harvard (a loma linda med grad) and said about 1 in 4 students was gay and that the med school/hospital are very gay friendly (anyone else concur?)

for those interested in so cal schools.....check out www.sclma.org southern california LAMDA medical association...they have medical school scholarships for gay med students who will be attending UCLA, USC, UCI, Western, and even LOMA LINDA. you have to be a member...but it's FREE for medical students....

and lastly :O)

before i went to interviews last year, another friend (a psych res at cedars-sinai LA) gave me a list of gay med students at various schools who have offered to house gay prospective students and show them around....

PM me if you would like information...

anyways, best of luck to all...ciao ciao

 

[theblastopore]

LOL - i didn't attend rice but my friend graduated from there a couple years ago...Mr. Rice was from MA, moved to TX and traded cotton before the civil war, retired to the east coast, and wrote a blank-check charter for the "Rice Institute..."....noting no action would be taken BEFORE he died...a lawyer and Rice's own valet killed Rice, but they were caught WHILE trying to cash the check.....

Hmmm, I always thought Rice University was an Asian school.

 

[Ragamuffindave]

I guess if I were on an admissions commity and was looking at an applicant's file and that person was openly gay, I would probably have trouble discerning how that would effect their ability to be a good physician. I would probably just not even factor that in. As for homosexuals being an underrepresented minority, I'm not so inclined to agree. This is simply because other URMs are easier to identify because their status is based upon ethnic and racial differences. Unless someone openly admits to being a homosexual, their sexual status is I would think assumed to be heterosexual. I don't know how anyone could get accurate numbers on this. I would definitely agree that there are much more heterosexual applicants and a much more represented heterosexual population, but how would you get statistics on this if some people don't even admit their sexuality one way or the other? Unfortunately there is still quite a bit of discrimination against homosexuals in this country, and I think that this is completely wrong. Having said that, I would advise against openly admitting to being a homosexual at a more conservative school, and wouldn't recommend using it as a trump card so to speak at more liberal schools. Basically, if you're going to be a good physician, it has nothing to do with your sexual orientation, so don't hedge your bets on getting in based on being gay.

P.S. I think there's a range of opinions about subjects like this, and it's not necessarily only between homophobic, repressed conservatives left wing gays.

 

[myodana]

don't know if anybody is looking at New York Medical College, but this was brought to my attention after i applied.

http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/12/122104nyMed.htm

then...

http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/01/012705nyMed.htm

i did interview bc/i already had the plane ticket, but i eventually withdrew. i just really didn't feel right there.... i'm not lesbian, but i'm very "open" and i came from an extremely liberal school (oberlin, if anybody knows it). i need a more open discourse on campus and i just felt like things were "shut off" there. even if it is a technicality due to the catholic archdiocese affiliation, if that seeps into the mindset of faculty and curriculum, forget it - i'd be miserable getting such a slanted education.

👎

hey! another obie here! 😀 (what year did you graduate? do i know you?) i interviewed at NYMC, disliked it immensely, and eventually withdrew as well. i'm sure it's a fine medical school, and people who go there seem to like it, but i couldn't. no way. especially not after 4 years at oberlin.

 

[getunconcsious]

To the OP: I did not say I was gay on my PS or any secondary applications, though I probably should have used it on Stanford's. I just wasn't comfortable discussing it, didn't do any gay EC's, and it didn't really influence my decision to enter medicine.

That said, I think a few of my interviewers picked up on it and almost all were fairly hostile. I think being gay hurt me in the admissions process, if you check out my MDApplicants profile I think you'll agree. Mateodaspy ALWAYS advises people to say that they're gay and cites himself as a success story for this method. I would take this with a HUGE grain of salt. And no, I'm not saying that he's lying about his acceptances, it's just that there is something else that he fails to mention every time he gives this advice. I like him a lot and I'm not trying to start a fight, but if you're an average gay applicant it's bad advice.