Black Excel Tips

[MissMedicine]

For those of you who may find this link useful:

http://www.blackexcel.org/Med%20School%20Tips.htm


I find tip three interesting:

"Students of color should begin serious study six months to a year before the test date. Study, study, study! "

"The MCAT Examination is, always, the SHOWDOWN. This is
where we are often knocked to the side. It's a killer, and you must be ready. "

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[Street Philosopher]

Someone call undercover brother!

 

[Blitzkrieg]

rofl SP

it's a movie, DW, duh.

 

[Dr. MAXY]

Hahaha.....Anyways that page should be helpful to URMs.

 

[lola]

i don't get why these tips should be any different for students of color vs. white students.

 

[Dubbya]

maybe the MCAT is designed to test stuff only white people would know, like rodeos and country music!

 

[Explosivo]

Me smells a flame war in its infancy...keep going guys I need some entertainment today!

 

[BushBaby]

URM or No URM everyone should study months ahead before the MCATS...unless your uncle/father/sister/mother/brother/aunt wrote the exam.

The MCAT is a showdown where everyone has a chance of getting knocked to the side....

$.02

 

[Sweet Tea]

Originally posted by lola
i don't get why these tips should be any different for students of color vs. white students.

me neither.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

dw,

wasn't being sarcastic. SP was funny, and you should have recognised the reference. Oh well.


Black and White pre med students should both work hard, and do the best they can. It's nobody's fault that the adcoms have reverse discrimination against whites.

 

[Diogenes]

Originally posted by Blitzkrieg
It's nobody's fault that the adcoms have reverse discrimination against whites.

Who's being discriminated against? I'm white and no adcom looked at my application and said, "Hmm... We'd might otherwise accept him, but he's white so we won't."

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Diogenes,

it's well known that many adcoms factor race as an advantage for minorites, and a disadvantage for whites. The admission standards are different, esp. number wise. Come on now..

 

[Street Philosopher]

Hey DW,

Sorry if you took it the wrong way. I just read the second quote and SHOWDOWN and KNOCKED ON THE SIDE kinda reminded me of the jokes in Undercover Brother.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

exactly, SP.

That was a funny movie, btw.

 

[lola]

ha ha! looks like i stirred up some trouble. it was getting pretty boring around here...

 

[orion1978]

I used to be in education, and many tests by the white male majority are often biased against the thought patterns of women and other cultural groups. Women tend to think from a divergent perspective (evaluate all options) whereas some cultral groups have different general methods of abstract thought. There is nothing wrong with this study tip--it may recognize the inherent bias of some tests.

 

[dtreese]

Well, you know, because white people get those secret MCAT bonus questions. Last time I checked, Affirmative Discrimination was supposed to offset this. I would seriously hope that AAMC would consider the racial diversity of its test-making pool. I'm sure they do.

 

[lil pook]

Orion-- I'm not in any way doubting the validity of your statement, but could you specify or at least give an example of how a test might ask a question that favors one' s thought pattern over another? Is this what they mean when they say the MCAT is not fair toward URMs? Dont we all take the same science classes for 3 years or whatever and then take this dumn test? Or is it the verbal part that discriminates?? Just wondering.

Please dont let my innocent question turn into an ugly AA thread . I think everbody is pretty tired of that worn out subject.

 

[SouthernGirl]

Whoa, check out the dates for the first page of this thread. Why oh why was this brought back from the dead when we have so many perfectly good, current AA threads?

 

[curlyq]

Well after reading those BlackExcel tips, I too thought to myself "Hmm there is nothing new here..everyone knows that you need to study at least 6 months for the MCAT and that you don't need to be a pre-med major to get into med school" I mean it seems like common sense, no? However then I had to stop myself and think who constitutes "everyone". If we are talking about SDN members then I think it is safe to say that everyone knows these tips already, REGARDLESS of race. But unfortunately not everyone can get access to such information and more often then not it is low income students of color. For such populations, these tips are really needed and invaluable because they can help these students navigate through the loooooooong process of getting to medical school. So I guess what I am saying is that although we may smirk or roll our eyes at the existence of such websites, especially since they are aimed at specific populations....I don't think it is really hurting anyone to have them exist. Just my 2 cents...


-curlyq

 

[ready]

Originally posted by lil pook
Orion-- I'm not in any way doubting the validity of your statement, but could you specify or at least give an example of how a test might ask a question that favors one' s thought pattern over another? Is this what they mean when they say the MCAT is not fair toward URMs? Dont we all take the same science classes for 3 years or whatever and then take this dumn test? Or is it the verbal part that discriminates?? Just wondering. ...

I do remember a question for the SAT that was highly publicized. It was a verbal question that had to do with the word "silo." The claim was that kids from rural areas would no what a silo was but kids from urban settings would have no clue. Built onto this was the idea that more minority kids live in urban ghettos while majority kids all live in the suburbs (this is not actually a fair statement, it's more public (majority) perception than fact).

Could we go back and say conclusively that there are specific questions on the MCAT that favor one group towards another? Probably not. But the fact remains that there is a large disparity between scores of majority and minority students. Few people would suggest that this is due to differences in academic ability. Therefore, there must be another factor that is causing this disparity (IE 400 years of bondage and systematic hatred).

We must understand that these arguments about the MCAT and A.A. are arguments about the symptoms of a problem, not the actual problem. In order to fix these symptoms we must fix the actual problem. This problem will not be solved by arguing on a message board or classify each other as "us" and "them." It can only be solved with individual action and time.

 

[Celiac Plexus]

The key, from our perspective, is to study for the MCAT as if it's life and death. Taking a Kaplan, Princeton Review or one of the other top test strategy courses is highly recommended by Black Excel. Our cultural groups know that this test is their waterloo, and they study for it with a ferocity. If you're buying study guides two months before the test, you don't understand what you're facing. Students of color should begin serious study six months to a year before the test date. Study, study, study!

Um, like it's not important for all "cultural groups"...

Though since I'm not black, I guess that's why I did ok on the MCAT even though I was buying review books 2 months before the MCAT.

Ridiculous.

And, as far as the MCAT being culturally biased... Also ridiculous. Unless you consider physics, o-chem, biol, biochem etc... culturally "biased" subjects.

 

[Gbemi24]

But the fact remains that there is a large disparity between scores of majority and minority students. Few people would suggest that this is due to differences in academic ability. Therefore, there must be another factor that is causing this disparity (IE 400 years of bondage and systematic hatred).

As long blacks in this country keep living by this self-pity nonsense and pointing the finger at everyone but themselves for some of the abhorent conditions in which many blacks live, all the AA in the world will not make a difference. Slavery did not cause 70% of black children to be born out of wedlock in 2000 as opposed to 3% in 1960 when there was MORE racism.

I am sick and tired of the excuse making that goes on in the black community. The failure of many black students in this country is not only due to poverty but lack of personal responsibility and tolerance of shoddy behavior in the black community at large. Middle class blacks kids on AVERAGE are not able to compete with white and Asian kids in the nations most competitive schools.

Why do you think that is? Are their parents taxed more? Oh i get it, the teachers hate them so they give them bad grades. What ever happened to cultural pride? What happened to Dr. King's dream of blacks excelling like everyone else if given the opportunity? What happened is that the so-called black leadership did not LEAD. Instead they figured out a way to blame everything on racism and not encourage any moral standards or discipline in schools in poor areas. The white liberals did a damn good job of supporting them too.

In the '60s, a black teenage girl feared having an illegitimate child because she would be ostracized from the community. Today having a "baby momma" is the new fad of the day. I don't hear a peep from the Jesse Jacksons or Al Sharptons of the world about it. Dare a non-black person say anything about it and they are branded a racist. They are metaphorically burnt in effigy as being fascist and intolerant. If the dissenter happens to be black then he or she is branded a "sellout" or an "uncle Tom." If proud black nationalist like Marcus Garvey, George Padmore, Kwame Nkrumah and Malcom X could hear this excuse making, they would scream in disgust.

The notion of there being a cultural bias on the MCAT is SO SILLY that I don't know how to even debate it. Are the proponents of this nonsense claiming that black culture is so backwards that scientific reasoning is alien to it?

 

[cracker69]

true

 

[lil pook]

One word.......

WOW.

 

[ready]

I don't think anything on this site or on this thread is claiming a cultural bias to the MCAT. I am making the point that after 400 years of bondage and systematic racism, 40yrs of freedom is not nearly enough to allow the character of African American to recover.

It seems that some of you (who seem to claim superiority in character(unwed babies) and academics (comparing middle class whites to middle class blacks) do think that African Americans are a lesser species. Can you see that this is what you are, in effect, inferring?

Gbemi, I am impressed at your knowledge of a few civil rights leaders? names. However, your interpretation of their vision for America is nonsense. I do agree that there is a strong need for better "black" leaders.

Just as you claim an unwillingness to rise from the ashes of slavery you are absolving yourself of the responsibility of racial reconciliation in America. By placing the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the African race you are effectively saying "this is not my problem." We are all Americans and must live together. Therefore we all have a responsibility to come together as one.

Again, the problem of race relations in America will not go away with affirmative action or reparations, or eeo. It will only go away with individual Americans (BOTH black and white) coming together and working to restore equality.

 

[Gbemi24]

It seems that some of you (who seem to claim superiority in character(unwed babies) and academics (comparing middle class whites to middle class blacks) do think that African Americans are a lesser species. Can you see that this is what you are, in effect, inferring?<<

There we go again with the self-pity. I just stated the FACTs! I did not make syllogistic deductions one way or the other. Don't demerit me because of your personal insecurities. I believe the reason blacks don't do as well as other ethnic groups when given the same economic advantages is that the black community as whole does not encourage or value learning as other communities do. They are also more likely to shift the causes of failure onto external agents rather than take personal responbility for it. Speaking well in the black community is not "cool." Having a large vocabulary means being "white." Going to jail in the black community is like going to pizza hut--its no big deal. Most middle class black kids feel a need to act thuggish because if don't they are not "representing." Having kids with 5 different women makes you a playa. After all you have 5 "baby mommas." This nonsense is tolerated with a cavalier attitude.

Gbemi, I am impressed at your knowledge of a few civil rights leaders? names. However, your interpretation of their vision for America is nonsense. I do agree that there is a strong need for better "black" leaders.

Please enlighten me as to their vision. I OWN a copy of EVERY book written by Nkrumah, Padmore and Malcom X and I have read countless articles on Marcus Garvey and his back to Africa movement. Do you even know who NKrumah and Padmore were and what they stood for?

Just as you claim an unwillingness to rise from the ashes of slavery you are absolving yourself of the responsibility of racial reconciliation in America.

This is not an issue of racial reconciliation. This is about blacks acknowledging the moribund social infrastructures of their communities and stepping up to the plate to try to deal with them.
Racial reconciliation would not teach young black men and women personal responsibilty and discipline. The failure of Lyndon Johnson's "great society" programs should tell you that the problems facing the black community goes beyond economics and racism. It is spiritual and moral. I for one would love the day when blacks will win nobel prizes in proportion to their numbers in the world population. NOTHING distresses me more than the "black culture." NOTHING! I enjoy many of the positive fruits of past black culture such as jazz, r&b, rock n roll and the negro spirituals. When I hear old negro spirituals they brings tears to my eyes. To think of the suffering that many endured to garner freedom for blacks only to have it be used to excuse social dysfunction is appalling. Whenever I hear excuses for failure in the black community I want to jump out of my skin. I care more about blacks than most blacks care about themselves.

 

[Celiac Plexus]

Agree with you 100%.

I didn't know that 70% of black children are born out of wedlock as compared to 3% over 30 years ago. Interesting. Where did you get that number?

 

[Gbemi24]

I got it from the bureau of the census and demographic statistics. It is a federal agency. You can get many of these from government websites and sociological journals in your school library.

 

[Gleevec]

While I MIGHT be willing to concede that verbal questions COULD be skewed against certain racial groups, there is no way I would buy that for math/science sections.

Looking at MCAT score breakdown by race, the same lower trend that is seen in URMs for verbal extends to both sciences as well. So its not just verbal.

These math/science sections are derived from texts that EVERYONE is foreign to (that is why Organic is chosen as a requirement, its something most people havent encountered that represents the kind of studying that will be needed for medical school). I sincerely cannot think of any way one of the questions on the bio or phys sciences section could have been biased against anyone.

So I definitely dont think that applies to the sciences section, its too abstract and technical to be affected by socioeconomic factors unrelated to studying the material itself.

That said, affirmative action is a necessary racist action to counter past racism to ensure that underserved areas are serviced. I too once vouched for economic AA, until I realized that it would not reach the same end. Sometimes life just isnt fair.

 

[Gbemi24]

>>I too once vouched for economic AA, until I realized that it would not reach the same end.<<

Please elaborate.

 

[ready]

Gbemi, I am glad that you feel so much for the African American race. It is not my intent to continue an argument that will do little to fix the problem. It is my intent to open all American's eyes to the fact that this is EVERYBODY'S problem. I do not disagree that there are some undesirable characteristics of SOME parts of the African American culture. However, I'm not sure reducing such a large problem to such a few factors is appropriate.

So as not to deem your great concern somewhat superficial, I would be interested to know how you have worked to correct a problem that disturbs you so gravely.

Again, I think ALL individuals need to acknowledge responsibility for the racial inequality in America today. Unless people of all colors own this problem, people will continue to complain about the symptoms of racial inequality.

 

[Jeffy]

By the way Gbemi24, I'm not trying to bash your argument or anything (since I thought it was pretty good), but all of that talk about going to jail being no big deal and everyone wanting to have a baby's mama in black culture just makes you look like you watch MTV too much and have posters of Snoop in your room. Just be sure to let us all know how Malibu's Most Wanted turns out.