Can I list my race as Black instead of Indian Asian?

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Title

  • Yes

    Votes: 90 27.7%

  • No

    Votes: 235 72.3%
  • Total voters
    325
flatearth22

flatearth22

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My family came to the US from Trinidad and are mostly of East Indian descent (my last name is Singh...pretty much the Smith of India) except for my maternal grandmother's father who was of African descent.

With my stats (3.57/32) and being a California resident I am trying to get as much of an advantage as possible when applying this cycle - hopefully my first and last time. I am applying as early as possible and am on top of my LOR writers. I am also scouting out secondaries from previous years and getting a head start on them. However, according to the AAMC matrix, individuals who self-reported as Asian with my stats has about a 50% chance of getting into an MD school while individuals who self-reported as Black or African American had about a 90% chance of getting into an MD school.

Just wondering what you guys think I should do.....
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You're only bending the rules if you're not "Black". You are of partial African descent, so unless there's an option for mixed ethnicity, you're technically good to go.

That being said, getting into medical school shouldn't be all about "messing with the system" to your advantage. It should be about your own preparation for a career in this profession. If you have the grades, MCAT score, and extracurricular activities that have demonstrated a true passion for medicine, along with said passion during interviews, you should be fine in getting into medical school as long as you apply broadly.

To be honest, you don't need to "pull the black card" if you have a strong application. Also, it's not all about what race an applicants puts on his/her AMCAS app that changes the statistics, it's about the life experiences and background of each applicant that changes those statistics. I don't want to go into details, but that's just my two cents.
 
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Umm... you're of primarily Indian descent. It's not like they're going to be fooled if they interview you. Not to mention, your name kind of gives it away. Being Asian isn't really more than, perhaps, a small strike against you, but trying to steal a base before you hit the ball by saying your A.A. when you're pretty much not is definitely a strike against you! (At minimum, it's going to raise some eyebrows and the fact that it sounds like you probably have no connection to the A.A. community means you wouldn't really get the "boost" anyway.)
 
You're not Black. Be honest or it'll bite you in the ass. It's not like your interviewers will be interviewing you with blindfolds on. They'll see that you're not black.
 
I agree that you're not doing yourself any favors by listing yourself as "black" when all other factors indicate otherwise (your appearance, last name, etc). It may end up even hurting you more than listing yourself as Asian would come interviews.
 
flatearth22 said:
My family came to the US from Trinidad and are mostly of East Indian descent (my last name is Singh...pretty much the Smith of India) except for my maternal grandmother's father who was of African descent.

With my stats (3.57/32) and being a California resident I am trying to get as much of an advantage as possible when applying this cycle - hopefully my first and last time. I am applying as early as possible and am on top of my LOR writers. I am also scouting out secondaries from previous years and getting a head start on them. However, according to the AAMC matrix, individuals who self-reported as Asian with my stats has about a 50% chance of getting into an MD school while individuals who self-reported as Black or African American had about a 90% chance of getting into an MD school.

Just wondering what you guys think I should do.....
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during an interview, if they see you as black then do it.
 
first off your a disgrace
your the reason why affirmative action fails miserably, your not black, your not close to black, you cant bust a rap lyric during your interview to smooth any doubt the interviewer has that your lying.
instead of saying hmmm let me find a race that is the most unprivileged and exploit it to get into medical school, why dont you spend a tad bit more time working hard.
people like you are the biggest epic fail of society and i hope your plan back fires.

End.Rant.
 
If you ain't black, you white.

So what'll it be OP?

You Decide in 2011.
 
Wow A Deer said:
first off your a disgrace
your the reason why affirmative action fails miserably, your not black, your not close to black, you cant bust a rap lyric during your interview to smooth any doubt the interviewer has that your lying.
instead of saying hmmm let me find a race that is the most unprivileged and exploit it to get into medical school, why dont you spend a tad bit more time working hard.
people like you are the biggest epic fail of society and i hope your plan back fires.

End.Rant.
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😕🤣😕
 
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Wow A Deer said:
first off your a disgrace
your the reason why affirmative action fails miserably, your not black, your not close to black, you cant bust a rap lyric during your interview to smooth any doubt the interviewer has that your lying.
instead of saying hmmm let me find a race that is the most unprivileged and exploit it to get into medical school, why dont you spend a tad bit more time working hard.
people like you are the biggest epic fail of society and i hope your plan back fires.

End.Rant.
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i will follow you to the ends of the earth.
 
It is going to bite you in the you know what big time!

Do you even look black? I doubt it as your GREAT GRANDFATHER who was! You need to list your predoninate race not a race that you are 1/8 of and have no cultural affiliation with.

You will not get any advantage and not only will it backfire, but it can turn really nasty as affirmitive action is controversal to begain with, without people fudging the system.

👎 for even thinking about it!
 
Thanks for the responses guys. I think I am just going to leave that section blank since it is optional and putting down Black wouldn't be in the spirit of the system and putting down Asian Indian wouldn't help me any.
 
Yet, another dumb "I wanna be a URM" thread!!!! Mr. Singh, I think you should classify yourself as "black" as you wish. Please keep us informed since this would make for great party conversation. The mere fact that you started a thread of this caliber makes me wonder if you are even ready for the medical profession.
 
Jesus Christ. Please don't.

What's with the Idiot Factor? A guy deciding between Ross and Wayne State? Another guy deciding between research in a Nobel Laureate's lab and being an EMT? And now we have Mr. Singh wanting to be black.

Harold Camping was right. Rapture has come and we're all doomed.
 
shaggy alfresco said:
Jesus Christ. Please don't.

What's with the Idiot Factor? A guy deciding between Ross and Wayne State? Another guy deciding between research in a Nobel Laureate's lab and being an EMT? And now we have Mr. Singh wanting to be black.

Harold Camping was right. Rapture has come and we're all doomed.
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:laugh:
 
shaggy alfresco said:
Jesus Christ. Please don't.

What's with the Idiot Factor? A guy deciding between Ross and Wayne State? Another guy deciding between research in a Nobel Laureate's lab and being an EMT? And now we have Mr. Singh wanting to be black.

Harold Camping was right. Rapture has come and we're all doomed.
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you must be new around here. the bathroom's to the left, and the cafeteria is downstairs and around the corner. please enjoy your stay.
 
Do it, and ensure the adcoms perform your interview over the phone or in the dark.

Stop looking for excuses. if you really had to ask this question on SDN--then you knew the answer to begin with.
 
shaggy alfresco said:
Jesus Christ. Please don't.

What's with the Idiot Factor? A guy deciding between Ross and Wayne State? Another guy deciding between research in a Nobel Laureate's lab and being an EMT? And now we have Mr. Singh wanting to be black.

Harold Camping was right. Rapture has come and we're all doomed.
Click to expand...

I have seen exactly 3 posts by you.

I have rated all 3 posts A+.

I would high five you across the internet if I could.
 
I don't think the small connection you to being black allows you to list your race as such.

For the purpose of applying to med school, I think ethnicity counts for more than where your relatives came from; it encompasses the experiences you've had because of your specific ethnicity.

If you feel you've grown up black because your distant relative was from Africa, put it down, but you won't be fooling anybody.
 
shaggy alfresco said:
Jesus Christ. Please don't.

What's with the Idiot Factor? A guy deciding between Ross and Wayne State? Another guy deciding between research in a Nobel Laureate's lab and being an EMT? And now we have Mr. Singh wanting to be black.

Harold Camping was right. Rapture has come and we're all doomed.
Click to expand...

🤣🤣
 
Now why isn't the AAMC bright enough to put down a listing for multiple ethnicities?! Go to my home state Hawaii and you will the vast majority of the population are mixed ethnicities there. FYI less than 10% so called hawaiians are "100% native hawaiian", almost all of them are of mixed descent. The AMA even have awards for native hawaiian URM but most of the award winners are not of pure descent.

The OP should try to list his ethnicity as other (sorry can't remember if there was an option like that). Then try to list the ethnicities that he/she is. This would be most fair.
 
yamaraja808 said:
Now why isn't the AAMC bright enough to put down a listing for multiple ethnicities?! Go to my home state Hawaii and you will the vast majority of the population are mixed ethnicities there. FYI less than 10% so called hawaiians are "100% native hawaiian", almost all of them are of mixed descent. The AMA even have awards for native hawaiian URM but most of the award winners are not of pure descent.

The OP should try to list his ethnicity as other (sorry can't remember if there was an option like that). Then try to list the ethnicities that he/she is. This would be most fair.
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I thought you could select more than one race on the app?
 
OP, don't listen to all of these racist, jealous white people. They are the reason that affirmative action is still necessary.

You know who else was 1/8 black? A guy named Harold Plessy (oh and he was 7/8 white). He was arrested for refusing to get off of the "white man's" train car--you may remember the little case known as Plessy v. Ferguson. I see no reason that you shouldn't get the one of the few benefits of being black since that 1/8 blackness would qualify you to get arrested in this country just 60 years ago.

Oh, wait, apparently the "man" only thinks that 1/8 qualifies as black when its to get you away from him.
 
I think that if you look black and can pass as African American in an interview go for it. If it is obvious that you are Asian Indian, do not mark African American, if you do they will only think less of you when they find out you aren't black.
 
well...if you can do that, I might report myself as physically disabled because I am asian and I am short.....just kidding..seriously though, you shouldn't.period.
 
It's OK everyone. Just the usual cyclical surge of stupidity at SDN. Cycles through and through every few months or so.
 
Donald Juan said:
OP, don't listen to all of these racist, jealous white people. They are the reason that affirmative action is still necessary.

You know who else was 1/8 black? A guy named Harold Plessy (oh and he was 7/8 white). He was arrested for refusing to get off of the "white man's" train car--you may remember the little case known as Plessy v. Ferguson. I see no reason that you shouldn't get the one of the few benefits of being black since that 1/8 blackness would qualify you to get arrested in this country just 60 years ago.

Oh, wait, apparently the "man" only thinks that 1/8 qualifies as black when its to get you away from him.
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No one here is a jealous white racist, get off your high horse. Fact is affirmative action was created to help the REAL under-privileged, not mr singh of indian descent whos great great great grandfather was black. its abusing the freaking system.
this country is going down hill because someone creates a system thats suppose to help a minority but instead ppl like mr singh abuse the potential.

no one wants to work hard anymore, f*ck ill start looking into my genealogy maybe im 1/2000 cherokee and can mark URM in my application.

stop encouraging people to blatantly abuse the system. hes not black, he doesnt live in the ghetto, his parents werent poor farmers in the south, hes of EAST FREAKING INDIAN decent.
 
I loled real hard when I saw this thread. Trust me I will probably get screwed to next year for being Indian but w/e. It's not worth lying and getting screwed in the end. If any adcoms see you are lying even the slightest bit you get screwed

Edit: Before anyone else over reacts, this comment was a joke. Race doesn't matter. I see have to add this in because certain people can't handle jokes and over react
 
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ALPACA.gif


Can_t%20Tell%20if%20Trolling.jpg


My reaction without words
 
Reaction said:
Trust me I will probably get screwed to next year for being Indian but w/e.
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Really??? Is this the new trend for Asian and/or White students? In other words, we can blame URM recruitment efforts for our failures? LOL
 
Some days I wish I was blacker than this guy

blooddiamond.gif


*Thinks about medical school app*...Feels good to be black (no racist)
 
jvesco22 said:
Some days I wish I was blacker than this guy

blooddiamond.gif


*Thinks about medical school app*...Feels good to be black (no racist)
Click to expand...

Obviously he just found a diamond. He's visually pumped up, and rightfully so -- now he can list the carat weight on his med school app.
 
GeronimoMD said:
Really??? Is this the new trend for Asian and/or White students? In other words, we can blame URM recruitment efforts for our failures? LOL
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I was just kidding.. take a joke 😀
 
apumic said:
Being Asian isn't really more than, perhaps, a small strike against you
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Is this really true? I've heard from people before that schools actually have a cap on how many Asians they accept ... T or F?
 
Frazier said:
Obviously he just found a diamond. He's visually pumped up, and rightfully so -- now he can list the carat weight on his med school app.
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Wow! Frightening!!! I hope some of you don't get to practice medicine. It will be a scary experience. Similar to having racist cops.
 
If you need to ask, the answer is always no.
 
The OP is probably more black than W.E.B. DuBois, one of the founders of the NAACP. If the OP had an African American grandfather, and were otherwise of caucasian descent, nobody would question it.

Also-assuming med schools discriminate against south Asians, and I am not sure they do- then still, the OP is not typically south Asian... his ancestry is Caribbean, and it wouldn't be fair to classify him with other south Asians.

All the more reason to judge people based on their merit, not on their race. We really shouldn't be in the business of 'classifying' human beings anyway.
 
Too bad society does. And it's reflected in the socioecomic differences (and healthcare access and outcomes) between populations. Which is why med schools are trying to fulfill their own missions (which is often to serve those communities) by trying to attract people from those communities.
 
GeronimoMD said:
Wow! Frightening!!! I hope some of you don't get to practice medicine. It will be a scary experience. Similar to having racist cops.
Click to expand...

And finally Burnett's Law has been invoked. Congratulations thread, it's about time.
 
I regret voting no. This asshat should say yes and get destroyed at the interviews.
 
You know what they say, "If you have to ask......."
Anyways, save yourself the embarrassment OP, if you're trying to ball the system, you will, without a doubt, be the one getting bounced.

-B.H.
 
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