Gender Discrepancy

[Aggie95]

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I'm a third year at a mid-tier UC, with a fairly even male to female ratio (something like 47% male 53% female). I remember in my first week of college freshman year when I walked into the pre med AMSA meeting, there was an enormous gender discrepancy... I'm talking like 93-95% female. My school has a pretty large pre med AMSA too, like a few hundred students, so this was pretty hard to believe.

In the summer after my first year, I went on a two week medical volunteer trip to costa rica, and I found myself in a similar position: Of the 44 participants, there were 41 females and 3 males (including myself).

This year, I participated in an internship very common among pre meds. Exactly the same outcome- 90+% female, <10% male.

Now, just to be clear, I'm not exactly complaining[emoji6]... I just don't know where all of the other pre med guys are. Is this just happening at my school, or are all schools like this?

 

[deleted407021]

I've found it to be fairly even at my UG, but I'm also not in any "premed clubs". I'm going off the clinic where I work and the composition of my classes. I find your observations hard to believe, actually.

 

[Aggie95]

It's hard for me to believe too lol, but it really is that skewed.

 

[Spinach Dip]

I have noticed a similar imbalance, though not nearly as extreme as you say.

Maybe all the guys are at college football games?

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

I saw this in almost all of my school related activities (research groups, clinical volunteers, etc). Women outnumbered men by a large margin. I also went to a UC school...

 

[occams_razor]

At my school it was just about 50/50 in our premed society

 

[organdonor]

My med school class was 60/40 with a female predominance. Midwest.

 

[Chelsea FC]

Mine was unbalanced too but I was soo much of a macho man I balanced it out 😏

 

[Aggie95]

I saw this in almost all of my school related activities (research groups, clinical volunteers, etc). Women outnumbered men by a large margin. I also went to a UC school...

I guess it must just. Be UC's that are like this then...

 

[NotASerialKiller]

I know Canadian universities have more women, with math/physics/engineering still dominated by men, making most others (definitely bio) heavily female. I assumed the same was true in the US but maybe not.

 

[Mad Jack]

Most of the clubs and such seemed to be majority female at my schools. There's probably a sociological explanation, something to the lines of self-selection and such.

 

[Law2Doc]

Premed clubs are irrelevant. Most self proclaimed freshman premeds don't actually end up applying at the end of four years. And there's no real reason to identify yourself as premed so early to go to med school. When I was in med school AMSA had to give out free stuff to get people to join and very few people I knew were already premed members.

The question is what happens at matriculation? From what I've seen med school classes are still pretty balanced, with imbalances remaining in certain gender dominated specialties come residency.

 

[user121]

enlightening

 

[Psai]

Looks like I need to put in for a transfer

 

[Petrichor1]

I'm a third year at a mid-tier UC, with a fairly even male to female ratio (something like 47% male 53% female). I remember in my first week of college freshman year when I walked into the pre med AMSA meeting, there was an enormous gender discrepancy... I'm talking like 93-95% female. My school has a pretty large pre med AMSA too, like a few hundred students, so this was pretty hard to believe.

In the summer after my first year, I went on a two week medical volunteer trip to costa rica, and I found myself in a similar position: Of the 44 participants, there were 41 females and 3 males (including myself).

This year, I participated in an internship very common among pre meds. Exactly the same outcome- 90+% female, <10% male.

Now, just to be clear, I'm not exactly complaining[emoji6]... I just don't know where all of the other pre med guys are. Is this just happening at my school, or are all schools like this?

I was at a school (not a medical school but other similar profession) and the admissions person told us the reason behind the discrepancy and she plain and simple said "we receive better quality gpa and standardized test scores from females". I didn't have a problem with that understanding that it was implied that they try very hard to equalize the class but they can't just be giving free rides to one gender because it somehow is underrepresented. The females earned it...and that is end of conversation. If anything, it makes me want to work harder seeing that I am competing with myself and my qualifications. When you look at most medical schools, (atleast the ones in my region), the ratio is pretty equal however.

 

[wasteofspace323]

but they can't just be giving free rides to one ________ because it somehow is underrepresented.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Cotterpin]

 

[Petrichor1]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

There's no hmm about it. No matter who you are, if you got into medical school, you earned it, you worked hard for it. We need to stop thinking that those that get into the schools are there because they had someone lift them up. Believe in yourself, and stop asking these ridiculous questions about gender/or whatever misrepresentation. We are trying to get in a world where each person regardless of who they are is a unique person. Categorizing is just bad form. Work hard, we all experience pitfalls, and maybe one day we'll reach somewhere where there is hope.

 

[wasteofspace323]

Categorizing is just bad form.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Maybe this sentiment shoulder perhaps be directed at a subpopulation of this forum that are not students.

 

[Petrichor1]

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Maybe this sentiment shoulder perhaps be directed at a subpopulation of this forum that are not students.

hmm I'm confused about your implications. I'm just trying to see what sort of meaning you're coming up with. Am I saying anything incorrect when I mean if you earned your spot, you should get it?

 

[StudyLater]

There's no hmm about it. No matter who you are, if you got into medical school, you earned it, you worked hard for it. We need to stop thinking that those that get into the schools are there because they had someone lift them up.

What about URMs?

 

[Cotterpin]

Noooooooooooooo. Don't do it.

 

[Technology]

This is kind of funny! Even my high school Anatomy & Physiology class has a huge gender imbalance. There are 21 girls and three guys in the class! I wonder whether the other A&P classes are like this as well

Not that taking A&P directly correlates with a desire to becoming a doctor, but I have spoken to several of the girls and many are planning on pursuing a career in the medical fields.

 

[molarmom]

Guys tend to be less group focused in my experience (husband is premed). He was mainly doing his own thing while getting ECs, studying etc.

 

[Holy Frans]

I'm a third year at a mid-tier UC, with a fairly even male to female ratio (something like 47% male 53% female). I remember in my first week of college freshman year when I walked into the pre med AMSA meeting, there was an enormous gender discrepancy... I'm talking like 93-95% female. My school has a pretty large pre med AMSA too, like a few hundred students, so this was pretty hard to believe.

In the summer after my first year, I went on a two week medical volunteer trip to costa rica, and I found myself in a similar position: Of the 44 participants, there were 41 females and 3 males (including myself).

This year, I participated in an internship very common among pre meds. Exactly the same outcome- 90+% female, <10% male.

Now, just to be clear, I'm not exactly complaining[emoji6]... I just don't know where all of the other pre med guys are. Is this just happening at my school, or are all schools like this?

my school was nothing like this. There were more girls and guys, but the girls were more commonly pre-PA. In the end, the people who applied and actually got in comprised of 50M/50F (sampled from my pre-med frat class)

 

[LizzyM]

This is kind of funny! Even my high school Anatomy & Physiology class has a huge gender imbalance. There are 21 girls and three guys in the class! I wonder whether the other A&P classes are like this as well

Not that taking A&P directly correlates with a desire to becoming a doctor, but I have spoken to several of the girls and many are planning on pursuing a career in the medical fields.

HS A&P is recommended for students going into nursing, which is still a largely female profession. I can also see it appealing to students who end up in OT & PT which, I suspect, are largely female professions.

 

[samac]

Interesting. Our school is like a 60/40 M/F in my class, and a 65/35 in the class before mine. Didn't realize there were schools where there was a mildly higher percent of female than males.

 

[Lucca]

Across the nation females outnumber males on many college campuses, if not most. It is odd the discrepancy is so large and obvious at yours I have to say. The pre med events I've attended tend to be like 60-70/40-30. Funnily enough, the MD/PhD events have been overwhelmingly male but the N for those is much, much smaller.

 

[drsaurus]

My department in my clinical volunteering position has 17 females and 3 males.