Do non-black applicants apply to HBCUs?

[virtuoso735]

Just wondering if it is a good idea to apply to historically black colleges like Howard and Meharry if one is white or asian. I noticed they have lower stats and I would be considered competitive if I were black, but I'm not familiar with the schools and don't know if it would only be a waste of time and money to apply to them. Should I just throw in an application for good measure, or should I forget about it?

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[Bro Dude]

Just wondering if it is a good idea to apply to historically black colleges like Howard and Meharry if one is white or asian. I noticed they have lower stats and I would be considered competitive if I were black, but I'm not familiar with the schools and don't know if it would only be a waste of time and money to apply to them. Should I just throw in an application for good measure, or should I forget about it?

In b4 URM-MD-DO-Affirmative Action firestorm

 

[phltz]

Just wondering if it is a good idea to apply to historically black colleges like Howard and Meharry if one is white or asian. I noticed they have lower stats and I would be considered competitive if I were black, but I'm not familiar with the schools and don't know if it would only be a waste of time and money to apply to them. Should I just throw in an application for good measure, or should I forget about it?

If you have a strong interest in working with disadvantaged, marginalized, and minority communities, backed up by an existing history of doing so, sure. Training you to be a physician could be a worthwhile part of them fulfilling their mission. If you just have a mediocre MCAT and have no particular interest in anything that the HBCUs stand for, then forget about it.

 

[Catalystik]

Just wondering if it is a good idea to apply to historically black colleges like Howard and Meharry if one is white or asian. I noticed they have lower stats and I would be considered competitive if I were black, but I'm not familiar with the schools and don't know if it would only be a waste of time and money to apply to them. Should I just throw in an application for good measure, or should I forget about it?

These schools have lower average stats because they are mission-driven and not stats oriented. If one has a year's-long pattern of substantive service to minority or underserved communities, then one has a shot at acceptance. You can see in your MSAR that they matriculate students from many racial backgrounds. A few years ago an SDNer who happened to be Caucasian was accepted to one of them. She had accomplished major amazing things, though I don't recall specifics.

 

[tantacles]

These schools have lower average stats because they are mission-driven and not stats oriented. If one has a year's-long pattern of substantive service to minority or underserved communities, then one has a shot at acceptance. You can see in your MSAR that they matriculate students from many racial backgrounds. A few years ago an SDNer who happened to be Caucasian was accepted to one of them. She had accomplished major amazing things, though I don't recall specifics.

I was accepted to Meharry this year as well. I haven't really accomplished much, to be honest. I think that most cauc/asian people don't apply because they believe the won't get in, but you have a pretty good shot if you can make a case for your somehow fitting the mission.

OP, take a look at my MDapps for details.

 

[sotto voce]

These schools have lower average stats because they are mission-driven and not stats oriented. If one has a year's-long pattern of substantive service to minority or underserved communities, then one has a shot at acceptance. You can see in your MSAR that they matriculate students from many racial backgrounds. A few years ago an SDNer who happened to be Caucasian was accepted to one of them. She had accomplished major amazing things, though I don't recall specifics.

I've seen a few times where MCAT and USMLE performance are correlated...is it possible the quality of the physicians graduating from these schools is negatively impacted? That's assuming USMLE performance and performance as a physician are linked, which seems logical. I just wonder what the effect would be for at-risk communities who then maybe get stuck with a not-so-good doctor.

 

[maybemed2013]

Yes... but you need to have extensive work helping the black community.

 

[tantacles]

I've seen a few times where MCAT and USMLE performance are correlated...is it possible the quality of the physicians graduating from these schools is negatively impacted? That's assuming USMLE performance and performance as a physician are linked, which seems logical. I just wonder what the effect would be for at-risk communities who then maybe get stuck with a not-so-good doctor.

I understand your concern, but I'm not sure that your concern makes sense. Remember that residency programs select physicians after medical school based on their scores, so those with the lowest USMLE scores will not match and will not be able to practice.

In this particular situation, you also have to keep in mind that we're not comparing the quality of Meharry's graduates to, say, Harvard's graduates. Rather, a hypothetical comparison that might actually make sense would be to consider the following two scenarios and compare them:

1. Community has no doctors.

2. Community has a doctor who scored below average on USMLE.

Which fares better?

 

[tantacles]

Yes... but you need to have extensive work helping the black community.

Not necessarily. I had very little experience helping the black community.