Gay Friendly School List Needed

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class92006

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Hi all,

Sorry for this catchy title. I justwant to get more inputs. I am a gay man, but I am here for general suggestionfor school list based on all of my stats not just my sexual orientation. I am aTexas resident, so Balyor should be my top choice considering its incredible lowcost and excellent MSTP program. However, I am really tired of being in thecloset and living in a harassed environment. I am not ready to come out tomy parents yet. My step-father is a fundamentalist. Trust me, he will nevertalk to me again if I tell him about my sexual orientation. Since I want to doMD/PhD, I feel I will have some major mental break down if I live in Texas foranother eight years (I am serious). Please give me some suggestions about schoollist and application.

Basic Information:

Goal: MD/PhD,interested in computational biology or bioengineering or HIV related topic

Undergraduate Major: Chemical Engineering Major in a top engineering school in Texas

GPA: 3.9 (NoA+ in our school)

MCAT: 34(P12 V10 B12)

EC:

200+ hours' communityservice and clinical volunteering: Local hospital, nursing home, AIDS clinics.Since I am in the closet, I can't get involved in something likePride Alliance, so I am very involved in AIDS related organizations.

100+ hours'shadowing: private clinic, AIDS clinic, ER

Research: I really enjoy research. Working 15 hours/week in two different labs since myfreshman year, independent projects related to HIV infection and elderlyosteoporosis. I had several conference poster presentations and onesecond-author publication. Both of my mentors know me personally and like me,though one of my mentors is very skeptical about sexual orientation issue, and fortunatelyI did not tell him I am gay. This is one of the reasons I do not want to stayin Texas any more.

Working experience: Did research at NIH last summer. I will do an engineering intern ina big pharmaceutical company this summer. Tutor of college introduction scienceand calculus classes.

Leadership: Officers in AIDS service organization and Asian culture club. Resident Advisorof a resident hall for two years.

Award: Fulbright Scholar (I will do research aboard for a year before I go to medicalschool), some research awards from the school, one school outstandingleadership award

Recommendation Letter: Three Research Mentors (two of them are my science/engineeringprofessors), one letter from resident hall director, one letter from mysociology professors (we have talked about AIDS and LGBT related issues with him forseveral times, and he seems to like me), one letter from a volunteercoordinator. Most of them should be very strong.

Weakness:

I am an Asian…

I am not very artistic and not terribly good at writing (I know, I am the shame of bothgay and Asian), but I will put a lot of efforts into my PS.

I get a little bit nervous when I do interviews according to my previous job interviewexperience.

Current School List:

Harvard, Yale, Stanford, UCSF, Columbia,Cornell, NYU, Mount Sinai (Thank you NY! So many good schools!), Tufts, UWSeattle

Lower ranking school needed!

Questions (Please help):

1) My MCAT is a little bit low considering my current school list, should I retake itin July or August? (Urgent question, I need to sign up now if it is necessary)

2) Wha tshould I add into my current school list? I feel most of them can reject me. Should I apply for Baylorjust in case? I would love to go if they are not in Texas 🙂\). Some schools inmy mind, but not sure: UPenn (same sex marriage is not granted in Penn), UCSD,Duke (NC just passed anti same sex marriage law, so very unlikely I will gothere), Northwestern, U Chicago, U of Rochester, U of Maryland.

3) I feel it is too risky to mention my sexual orientation in my primary application. Can I mention my sexual orientation in my secondaryapplication especially for diversity questions? I want to say my sexualorientation and family situation helped me understand the suffering of patientsbesides their pain and diseases. And my personal experience as a gay maninspired me to be doctors to help the people who are suffering.

4) Should I bring up my sexual orientation during the interview? (If they asked I will behonest, but I don't think it's legal for them to ask ;p).
 
I don't think your MCAT is high enough for those schools. Consider applying to middle tier schools outside of TX.

Also, nobody cares enough about your sexual orientation to ask about it.
 
class92006 said:
Hi all,

Sorry for this catchy title. I justwant to get more inputs. I am a gay man, but I am here for general suggestionfor school list based on all of my stats not just my sexual orientation. I am aTexas resident, so Balyor should be my top choice considering its incredible lowcost and excellent MSTP program. However, I am really tired of being in thecloset and living in a harassed environment. I am not ready to come out tomy parents yet. My step-father is a fundamentalist. Trust me, he will nevertalk to me again if I tell him about my sexual orientation. Since I want to doMD/PhD, I feel I will have some major mental break down if I live in Texas foranother eight years (I am serious). Please give me some suggestions about schoollist and application.

BasicInformation:

Goal: MD/PhD,interested in computational biology or bioengineering or HIV related topic

UndergraduateMajor: Chemical Engineering Major in a top engineering school in Texas

GPA: 3.9 (NoA+ in our school)

MCAT: 34(P12 V10 B12)

EC:

200+ hours’ communityservice and clinical volunteering: Local hospital, nursing home, AIDS clinics.Since I am in the closet, I can’t get involved in something likePride Alliance, so I am very involved in AIDS related organizations.

100+ hours’shadowing: private clinic, AIDS clinic, ER

Research: I really enjoy research. Working 15 hours/week in two different labs since myfreshman year, independent projects related to HIV infection and elderlyosteoporosis. I had several conference poster presentations and onesecond-author publication. Both of my mentors know me personally and like me,though one of my mentors is very skeptical about sexual orientation issue, and fortunatelyI did not tell him I am gay. This is one of the reasons I do not want to stayin Texas any more.

Workingexperience: Did research at NIH last summer. I will do an engineering intern ina big pharmaceutical company this summer. Tutor of college introduction scienceand calculus classes.

Leadership:Officers in AIDS service organization and Asian culture club. Resident Advisorof a resident hall for two years.

Award:Fulbright Scholar (I will do research aboard for a year before I go to medicalschool), some research awards from the school, one school outstandingleadership award

RecommendationLetter: Three Research Mentors (two of them are my science/engineeringprofessors), one letter from resident hall director, one letter from mysociology professors (we have talked about AIDS and LGBT related issues with him forseveral times, and he seems to like me), one letter from a volunteercoordinator. Most of them should be very strong.

Weakness:

I am anAsian…

I am notvery artistic and not terribly good at writing (I know, I am the shame of bothgay and Asian), but I will put a lot of efforts into my PS.

I get alittle bit nervous when I do interviews according to my previous job interviewexperience.

CurrentSchool List:

Harvard, Yale, Stanford, UCSF, Columbia,Cornell, NYU, Mount Sinai (Thank you NY! So many good schools!), Tufts, UWSeattle

Lower ranking school needed!

Questions(Please help):

1) MyMCAT is a little bit low considering my current school list, should I retake itin July or August? (Urgent question, I need to sign up now if it is necessary)

2) Whatshould I add into my current school list? I feel most of them can reject me. Should I apply for Baylorjust in case? I would love to go if they are not in Texas 🙂\). Some schools inmy mind, but not sure: UPenn (same sex marriage is not granted in Penn), UCSD,Duke (NC just passed anti same sex marriage law, so very unlikely I will gothere), Northwestern, U Chicago, U of Rochester, U of Maryland.

3) Ifeel it is too risky to mention my sexual orientation in my primary application. Can I mention my sexual orientation in my secondaryapplication especially for diversity questions? I want to say my sexualorientation and family situation helped me understand the suffering of patientsbesides their pain and diseases. And my personal experience as a gay maninspired me to be doctors to help the people who are suffering.

4) ShouldI bring up my sexual orientation during the interview? (If they asked I will behonest, but I don't think it’s legal for them to ask ;p).
Click to expand...



I have nothing really to recommend school wise but I wouldnt really be mentioning your sexual orientation in applications. It is far too risky IMO. I understand that being gay has helped shape who you are/your desire to become a physician, but not everyone is as progressive as you/me/many SDNers...and I just think youd be putting yourself at a disadvantage for focusing on this. I live in philadelphia, and while the rest of PA may be a bit behidn the times philadelphia is pretty a pretty open minded city when it comes to homosexuality...and i think youd be fine at Penn. We have an entire neighborhood downtown called the "gayborhood" ...the streetsigns are rainbows. Not to mention they have great food down there haha. Good luck! I just wouldnt really be focusing on this....unless there really isnt any other motivating factors you had for pursuing medicine.
 
MedPR said:
I don't think your MCAT is high enough for those schools. Consider applying to middle tier schools outside of TX.

Also, nobody cares enough about your sexual orientation to ask about it.
Click to expand...

I agree with this.

I would say adcoms want to know you as a person first rather than you, insert sexual orientations here, first.
 
MDschoolorbust said:
I agree with this.

I would say adcoms want to know you as a person first rather than you, insert sexual orientations here, first.
Click to expand...

Not to mention it is not legal for them to ask about sexual orientation, relationship status etc.
 
Being gay inspired you to be a doctor? Seriously? It seems like you are grasping at strings to somehow make you being gay relevant to your application.

I would leave your personal sexual preferences out of your application for medical school and focus on things schools actually care about - research, extra curriculars, volunterring, shadowing, etc.
 
Also, Hawaii is probably considered a lower tier school, but very gay friendly if that matters a lot to you.
 
While 3.9/34 makes you a competitive candidate, your school list is incredibly top heavy. A 34 puts you below the average for several of those listed. Don't make the mistake of applying exclusively to those types of programs or you run the risk of not getting in anywhere. Stating that Baylor is a just-in-case school seems to suggest you may be misjudging your own competitiveness. You should seriously consider adding schools that don't all have such lofty admissions standards. If your primary concern is a more tolerant atmosphere, schools in most major metropolitan areas should be fine (Rush, RFU, GW, etc.)

Don't get me wrong- you are an excellent candidate and it is no reach to think you could get in to a top 10 or 20 school, but people advise to apply broadly for a reason.

As to talking about your sexual orientation: I don't think it will hurt you to state it in your primary or secondary, especially if that was a motivating factor towards healthcare. That said, I would be very wary of equating your suffering as a closeted homosexual to those of the sick and dying. Very different things, and I don't think an adcom will think being gay in a conservative state gives you special insights into the plight of the infirm. What's more, it sounds dangerously close to you making a comparison to your sexual orientation as an illness, which could only serve to alienate those same progressive schools you most want to attend.

For retaking: are you confident you can score 3+ points higher? Was your practice average significantly higher than 34- say something like 38/39+? If not, I would discourage you from retaking. Besides, a retake that late makes your application pretty late. You are probably better just applying early with the 34.

Just my two cents.
 
usmleq said:
Being gay inspired you to be a doctor? Seriously? It seems like you are grasping at strings to somehow make you being gay relevant to your application.

I would leave your personal sexual preferences out of your application for medical school and focus on things schools actually care about - research, extra curriculars, volunterring, shadowing, etc.
Click to expand...

It might be relevant if the OP experienced some significant discrimination in a healthcare environment, but I would agree with keeping it out. It's entirely unnecessary (except for truly exceptional exceptions) with very little potential benefit and significant potential risk.
 
usmleq said:
Being gay inspired you to be a doctor? Seriously? It seems like you are grasping at strings to somehow make you being gay relevant to your application.

I would leave your personal sexual preferences out of your application for medical school and focus on things schools actually care about - research, extra curriculars, volunterring, shadowing, etc.
Click to expand...


I don't see how he's grasping at straws....or strings.

Different people are pushed/inspired/turned on to their careers of choice for different reasons. Maybe he sees himself as meeting the LGBT community's needs in the future. Also, who's to say that med schools don't care about this kind of thing? My guess is that many probably do.
 
Don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure I remember a thread from the recent past in which a few homosexual members talked about their sexual orientation in their application, and actually thought it helped them out. Not positive, but run a search for the thread. If it turns out to be true, I'd definitely include it if it actually pertains to your desire to be a doctor. I don't think it can hurt, but definitely may help.
 
hopeful22213 said:
While 3.9/34 makes you a competitive candidate, your school list is incredibly top heavy. A 34 puts you below the average for several of those listed. Don't make the mistake of applying exclusively to those types of programs or you run the risk of not getting in anywhere. Stating that Baylor is a just-in-case school seems to suggest you may be misjudging your own competitiveness. You should seriously consider adding schools that don't all have such lofty admissions standards. If your primary concern is a more tolerant atmosphere, schools in most major metropolitan areas should be fine (Rush, RFU, GW, etc.)

Don't get me wrong- you are an excellent candidate and it is no reach to think you could get in to a top 10 or 20 school, but people advise to apply broadly for a reason.

As to talking about your sexual orientation: I don't think it will hurt you to state it in your primary or secondary, especially if that was a motivating factor towards healthcare. That said, I would be very wary of equating your suffering as a closeted homosexual to those of the sick and dying. Very different things, and I don't think an adcom will think being gay in a conservative state gives you special insights into the plight of the infirm. What's more, it sounds dangerously close to you making a comparison to your sexual orientation as an illness, which could only serve to alienate those same progressive schools you most want to attend.

For retaking: are you confident you can score 3+ points higher? Was your practice average significantly higher than 34- say something like 38/39+? If not, I would discourage you from retaking. Besides, a retake that late makes your application pretty late. You are probably better just applying early with the 34.

Just my two cents.
Click to expand...


Really good post....SDN at its finest.

And I would second the thought about OP possibly overestimating his own competiveness (34 MCAT is not phenomenal if you want to go the MSTP route.)
 
wolfie77 said:
I don't see how he's grasping at straws....or strings.

Different people are pushed/inspired/turned on to their careers of choice for different reasons. Maybe he sees himself as meeting the LGBT community's needs in the future. Also, who's to say that med schools don't care about this kind of thing? My guess is that many probably do.
Click to expand...

Many likely do, however I wouldn't recommend simply throwing out there that you're gay. While sane people shouldn't care, there's a chance that your application may be read or you interviewed by an insane person. Combined with the fact that the whole issue of "gay rights" is controversial (why is beyond me), outing yourself may have negative consequences. It's something that should be mentioned if it was a critical part of a person's decision to go into medicine OR if it can somehow be mentioned by responding to some other prompt. I wouldn't mention it unprompted, however.

I suppose you could justify this by saying that you're not interested in attending schools that would discriminate you for such a stupid reason, but if your goal is to simply get into medical school and/or you're not a strong applicant, disclosing this information without any medically-related context seems like a bad idea. It's unfortunate, but that's the way of things.
 
Is asking about the existence of a romantic relationship really illegal?
 
Have you considered OHSU? They do have a preference for Oregon residents, but take quite a few out of state.
 
Thanks for everybody's input. I will take these seriously. I just want to explain a little bit more about my motivation issue here. First off, I should be able to have a lot to say about research and volunteering stuff to compile a good PS. I am sure medicine is for me after volunteering in multiple medical units for more than three years and interacting with medical professions at different occasions.

Second, yes, being gay inspired me to be a doctor though it's hard to be explained. Being gay in my conservative family helped me understand how complicated medical issues are. I am under depression occasionally even I am always physically healthy, which makes me understand medicine is about treating people instead of diseases. I learned I need to understand my patient first if I really become a doctor. Besides, being gay, like a chronic disease (surely it's not), always reminds me the suffering of people. 2.5% of American are not heterosexual, but this issue has been ignored for a long long time. It reminds me how many people might need physical and mental aid despite of flourish scenes of our nation.

Again, thanks for your inputs.
 
This website helped me consider states I wouldn't mind spending the next few years of my life in: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2012/may/08/gay-rights-united-states?fb=native#state/

Especially since you are MD/PhD, wherever you end up you are going to be there for a long time. I wouldn't worry about gay friendly universities, since universities tend to be pretty accepting but instead worry about the state/city you end up in. If I was in your shoes my first goal would be getting into a MD/PhD program and then worrying about it being a gay-friendly location(assuming you have more than one option...) but if there are places you absolutely don't want to live in(like Texas) then don't apply there.

In terms of being out on your application, I have no applied yet(soon!) but I am out in one of my most meaningful essays. It was a key reason why one of my activities was most meaningful and I saw no reason to be anything but truthful. Depending on the secondary question I might bring it up there too.
 
First of all, I'm sorry are going through what you're going through with your parents and fear of coming out. I think for you to feel comfortable you should definately concentrate on where you apply. As you said, maybe Texas wouldn't be great, but San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta etc, would be fine. I can't say much about the schools you mentioned. I'm headed to my state school and never really looked into them.

In my opinion, as long as you are not applying to a very conservative school, mentioning your sexuality is not a bad thing. At least not in a certain context. Homophobia is obviously rampant, and the medical community is no exception. I'm sure many LGBT patients feel discriminated against in a health care setting and would very much appreciate a doctor who understand them. It's a similar feeling for minority patients. I think it could certainly be something you talk about in your personal statement.
 
I would consider some mid-tier schools in big cities with significant LGBT populations. You have competitive stats for those. In NY, there's Einstein, Downstate, and Hofstra. In Chicago - Rush, UIC. In Miami, there's UMiami, FAU, and FIU. Ohio State and University of Pittsburgh - Columbus and Pittsburgh both have solid gay communities too. Utah is in Salt Lake City, and while the Mormon influence is significant, it has a surprisingly active LGBT scene too.

PM me if you have any questions. Also, I wrote about it in some of my essays, but I was also involved in a significant number of LGBT related activities as an undergrad, and it did influence my desire to become a physician. If being gay put you in a position where you feel it helps you understand underserved patient populations, it might be worth mentioning. If not, no harm, no foul. Just be tactful and make sure to have a close friend or mentor read what you write before you send it off.
 
Tatertots said:
This website helped me consider states I wouldn't mind spending the next few years of my life in: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2012/may/08/gay-rights-united-states?fb=native#state/

Especially since you are MD/PhD, wherever you end up you are going to be there for a long time. I wouldn't worry about gay friendly universities, since universities tend to be pretty accepting but instead worry about the state/city you end up in. If I was in your shoes my first goal would be getting into a MD/PhD program and then worrying about it being a gay-friendly location(assuming you have more than one option...) but if there are places you absolutely don't want to live in(like Texas) then don't apply there.

In terms of being out on your application, I have no applied yet(soon!) but I am out in one of my most meaningful essays. It was a key reason why one of my activities was most meaningful and I saw no reason to be anything but truthful. Depending on the secondary question I might bring it up there too.
Click to expand...

yikes. so embarassed by my state. But i am on most things...
 
longislandbro said:
I would consider some mid-tier schools in big cities with significant LGBT populations. You have competitive stats for those. In NY, there's Einstein, Downstate, and Hofstra. In Chicago - Rush, UIC. In Miami, there's UMiami, FAU, and FIU. Ohio State and University of Pittsburgh - Columbus and Pittsburgh both have solid gay communities too. Utah is in Salt Lake City, and while the Mormon influence is significant, it has a surprisingly active LGBT scene too.

PM me if you have any questions. Also, I wrote about it in some of my essays, but I was also involved in a significant number of LGBT related activities as an undergrad, and it did influence my desire to become a physician. If being gay put you in a position where you feel it helps you understand underserved patient populations, it might be worth mentioning. If not, no harm, no foul. Just be tactful and make sure to have a close friend or mentor read what you write before you send it off.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I will need your help soon!
 
Tatertots said:
This website helped me consider states I wouldn't mind spending the next few years of my life in: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2012/may/08/gay-rights-united-states?fb=native#state/

Especially since you are MD/PhD, wherever you end up you are going to be there for a long time. I wouldn't worry about gay friendly universities, since universities tend to be pretty accepting but instead worry about the state/city you end up in. If I was in your shoes my first goal would be getting into a MD/PhD program and then worrying about it being a gay-friendly location(assuming you have more than one option...) but if there are places you absolutely don't want to live in(like Texas) then don't apply there.

In terms of being out on your application, I have no applied yet(soon!) but I am out in one of my most meaningful essays. It was a key reason why one of my activities was most meaningful and I saw no reason to be anything but truthful. Depending on the secondary question I might bring it up there too.
Click to expand...

Very cool site.
 
Ann Arbor is very gay friendly. Ton of good restaurants too. Student housing is a bit overpriced and dirty and old.
 
We have very similar stats. I was in the same boat last year, applied to MD-PhD this past cycle. 34/3.9 will give you interviews from top schools you listed, but direct acceptance is a little beyond reach, simply because there are too many stellar applicants with higher stats and too few spots for each MD-PhD program. As for the homosexuality issue, I didn't mention a word, not on my application nor my interviews. Nobody seemed to care. I would suggest you look into some MD programs and move your way into MD-PhD later in school if you so desire and not want to re-take MCAT. Vanderbilt has several openly-gay faculty members and administrators, one of who directly work with students throughout four years of medical school. Tennessee is not so much gay-friendly, but Vandy certainly seems so.
 
wolfie77 said:
Really good post....SDN at its finest.

And I would second the thought about OP possibly overestimating his own competiveness (34 MCAT is not phenomenal if you want to go the MSTP route.)
Click to expand...

I do it for love of the game...
 
class92006 said:
Thanks for everybody's input. I will take these seriously. I just want to explain a little bit more about my motivation issue here. First off, I should be able to have a lot to say about research and volunteering stuff to compile a good PS. I am sure medicine is for me after volunteering in multiple medical units for more than three years and interacting with medical professions at different occasions.

Second, yes, being gay inspired me to be a doctor though it's hard to be explained. Being gay in my conservative family helped me understand how complicated medical issues are. I am under depression occasionally even I am always physically healthy, which makes me understand medicine is about treating people instead of diseases. I learned I need to understand my patient first if I really become a doctor. Besides, being gay, like a chronic disease (surely it's not), always reminds me the suffering of people. 2.5% of American are not heterosexual, but this issue has been ignored for a long long time. It reminds me how many people might need physical and mental aid despite of flourish scenes of our nation.

Again, thanks for your inputs.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing this is more like 20-30% with even more in a gray area. That's been my experience in college, and I go to a conservative university in a conservative town in a conservative Midwest state. We have a military installation nearby, too. There are a LOT of gay dudes.
 
sotto voce said:
I'm guessing this is more like 20-30% with even more in a gray area. That's been my experience in college, and I go to a conservative university in a conservative town in a conservative Midwest state. We have a military installation nearby, too. There are a LOT of gay dudes.
Click to expand...

In your experience 2-3 out of every 10 people you meet is gay? That seems like a ton to me. I grew up in a very homosexual friendly and pretty homosexual concentrated place and nowhere near 20-30% of people were gay.
 
I'm pretty sure UW doesn't accept OOS students that aren't part of WWAMI. Not sure how their MD/PhD program works, though.

I go to UVA. I'm not sure how it is to live in Charlottesville as a gay man, but one of the guys in my class is gay and has lived here for the past 6 years. We have a couple other gay guys in my class as well, one of whom is very active in the LBGT training we get. I'm not sure how competitive you'd be for MSTP, but you seem competitive for the MD program.
 
I know that you say Texas is not somewhere you'd like to be but consider both Baylor and UTSW a little closer. Both of their MSTPs are top notch, and I really cannot imagine you feeling discrimination based on your sexuality in Dallas or Houston. It sounds like you might be doing undergraduate in college station, which there will definitely be more conservative fundalmentalism. Also your chances at these programs is likely better than those others listed, due to in state preference.
 
It's weird to see being "gay" and "Asian" listed as weaknesses.. you are already such a strong applicant that it's a shame to see the self-degradation here. Those aren't handicaps, last time I checked 🙁
 
you should check out the MSAR. they have a % of gay matriculates section for each school.
 
Gattacas said:
It's weird to see being "gay" and "Asian" listed as weaknesses.. you are already such a strong applicant that it's a shame to see the self-degradation here. Those aren't handicaps, last time I checked 🙁
Click to expand...

Realistically, Asians have the lowest chance of getting into med school with the same MCAT and GPA as other races/ethnicities.
 
Gattacas said:
It's weird to see being "gay" and "Asian" listed as weaknesses.. you are already such a strong applicant that it's a shame to see the self-degradation here. Those aren't handicaps, last time I checked 🙁
Click to expand...

MDschoolorbust said:
Realistically, Asians have the lowest chance of getting into med school with the same MCAT and GPA as other races/ethnicities.
Click to expand...

+1. Asians aren't even the most represented in medicine, yet have the hardest time getting in. Likewise AA aren't the least represented, but have the easiest time getting in.

For better or for worse, that's the system we live in.
 
I applied this past cycle (MD, not MSTP) and was out in my secondaries. I didn't think too much about it when I included it, but in retrospect, I think that being out did help me in my applications. Tufts, UChicago, Drexel, JHU, and (the) Ohio State U were all very gay-friendly in my experience. e.g. At one of these schools, my faculty interviewer chose to spend over half the interview focusing on my being out even though I only used a sentence or two to mention that I'm gay in the secondary. I would also expect schools in NYC, Boston and Philadelphia to be similarly accepting.

I doubt being gay (and out) is going to give you a significant edge (+3 LizzyM points! :laugh:), but in my opinion, it does provide an interesting topic for discussion during interviews (if the interviewer brings it up) and this may help you present yourself in a more memorable and positive light. As long as you do this conservatively and don't try to 'oversell' your LGBTness, I don't think it's going to hurt you much, if at all. Whether or not you include it is a very personal decision. If you do briefly mention it though, will you be able to talk confidently about being gay if it's brought up?
class92006 said:
Thanks for everybody's input. I will take these seriously. I just want to explain a little bit more about my motivation issue here. First off, I should be able to have a lot to say about research and volunteering stuff to compile a good PS. I am sure medicine is for me after volunteering in multiple medical units for more than three years and interacting with medical professions at different occasions.

Second, yes, being gay inspired me to be a doctor though it's hard to be explained. Being gay in my conservative family helped me understand how complicated medical issues are. I am under depression occasionally even I am always physically healthy, which makes me understand medicine is about treating people instead of diseases. I learned I need to understand my patient first if I really become a doctor. Besides, being gay, like a chronic disease (surely it's not), always reminds me the suffering of people. 2.5% of American are not heterosexual, but this issue has been ignored for a long long time. It reminds me how many people might need physical and mental aid despite of flourish scenes of our nation.

Again, thanks for your inputs.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't mention that you are "under depression occasionally." That's a big no-no from what I've heard.. Just my thoughts, good luck!
 
this user is not responsible for broken or damaged gaydars caused by said user's sarcastic remarks
 
MedPR said:
I don't think your MCAT is high enough for those schools. Consider applying to middle tier schools outside of TX.

Also, nobody cares enough about your sexual orientation to ask about it.
Click to expand...
MCAT is good enough for all those schools. It's at the median or near it.
 
I was out on my application and on my diversity essay being gay was a fundamental part (who would have thought that being one of the most hated and discriminated against minorities in the country counts as diversity.... Read sarcasm hear 🙂 ). Anyway, the point is that I found some amazing people at schools that spoke withe about it.

I would say put it on your application because it definitely helped me. Just like any activity though, you need to tie it into the bigger picture.

As for schools. From my experience Pitt, Tulane, and UVA are gay friendly. OHSU is gay friendly to the max (I live in Portland and have never felt bad about kissing my boyfriend in public). Yale didn't like me as an applicant (read "no interview") but are starting a campaign to recruit more gays because they are so underrepresented. And Duke is incredibly accepting of differences and even after this whole banning gay marriage debacle in NC the university still treats partners as spouses for benefits and was vocally pro gay marriage. They were so great that that is where I'm matriculating in August. 🙂

If you got more questions, PM me.
 
TriagePreMed said:
MCAT is good enough for all those schools. It's at the median or near it.
Click to expand...

I have to second this. I have absolutely no idea why some other people said your MCAT wasn't high enough, but that's just absurd. Your MCAT is good to go for all the schools listed.
 
Sergeant D said:
I have to second this. I have absolutely no idea why some other people said your MCAT wasn't high enough, but that's just absurd. Your MCAT is good to go for all the schools listed.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your support. Personally I also feel 34 is low for top MSTP programs (should be good for MD). I have a friend with 41/4.0 who gets rejected by Harvard😱 The competitiveness is always relative. There are so many people, and there are so few spots.
 
NickNaylor said:
It might be relevant if the OP experienced some significant discrimination in a healthcare environment, but I would agree with keeping it out. It's entirely unnecessary (except for truly exceptional exceptions) with very little potential benefit and significant potential risk.
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Im not sure. I get the feeling that if it were somehow tied into an essay (sprinkled in, not the main ingredient) that the diversity committee would be all over it.
 
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