Getting past the 3.0 computer gpa screen

[hopefool]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering how one gets past this? If someone has a below 3.0 average as I may have just barely by the time I apply, I mean, I would apply to schools that look at non-trads but are there schools that dont have 3.0 gpa screens? The other parts of my application should be very good but my gpa will never be able to be all that great.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[thoffen]

That's unfortunate. I doubt you'll be able to find a published list of GPA screens. Some schools may give that information directly to you. A sub-3.0 GPA is a tough hurdle to overcome, and very unfortunate for non-trads when it isn't reflective of your academic abilities. Are you considering both DO and MD schools?

 

[AdamB]

What is the typical screen for most schools, 3.0? I know there have been people who have landed in medical school with a sub 3.0 gpa. How do they get around that inital "screen"?

 

[thoffen]

What is the typical screen for most schools, 3.0? I know there have been people who have landed in medical school with a sub 3.0 gpa. How do they get around that inital "screen"?

You might want to go to mdapps and search profiles with sub 3.0 GPA:
http://www.mdapplicants.com/searchprofiles.php

FWIW, unless a school specifically tells you that they screen for a particular GPA, you can't know that they screen in this manner at all! Don't assume there's a 3.0 or bust cutoff.

 

[AdamB]

Yikes... there are some people on there that simply do not have a clue. NO ECs, Sub 3.0 gpa in both AO and BCPM, sub-25 MCAT and they are pissed off about the "unfair" process or complainging about politics in the admissions process?!?! Some of these folks need to get a clue. I am all about supporting dreams and goals, but when someone has not done ONE thing that had a positive result, I think they need a serious reality check.

 

[thoffen]

Yikes... there are some people on there that simply do not have a clue. NO ECs, Sub 3.0 gpa in both AO and BCPM, sub-25 MCAT and they are pissed off about the "unfair" process or complainging about politics in the admissions process?!?! Some of these folks need to get a clue. I am all about supporting dreams and goals, but when someone has not done ONE thing that had a positive result, I think they need a serious reality check.

LOL. You *can* narrow it down to people who have been interviewed or accepted to med school in the search parameters.

 

[aaj117]

Well, my overall gpa is just over a 3.0, but my science gpa which some may argue is more important is below a 3.0 (2.94). So far, it hasn't affected me at all. I didn't really apply to schools that screen pre-secondary because those that don't tend to see more of your application...but look at my schools list on my MDapps...i have gotten some interviews so those are schools you might want to check out. For the most part, i find that schools aren't lying; they really do look at the "whole" applicant, and if you have experiences that compensate for a weakness on your app, they take it into consideration.

 

[postbacker]

Well, my overall gpa is just over a 3.0, but my science gpa which some may argue is more important is below a 3.0 (2.94). So far, it hasn't affected me at all. I didn't really apply to schools that screen pre-secondary because those that don't tend to see more of your application...but look at my schools list on my MDapps...i have gotten some interviews so those are schools you might want to check out. For the most part, i find that schools aren't lying; they really do look at the "whole" applicant, and if you have experiences that compensate for a weakness on your app, they take it into consideration.

ummm...you are URM...whole 'nother ball game, pal...

 

[utahjazz]

ummm...you are URM...whole 'nother ball game, pal...

Yeah, I'm sure her killer MCAT score and great ECs have nothing to do with it. 🙄

 

[drizzt3117]

Look, I have zero interest in getting involved in an AA argument but I will say that a non URM candidate w/ a sub 3.2 GPA will have a tough time. I have a friend who had a remarkably similar profile to aaj, applied got zero interviews, did research for a year and volunteered, reapplied, got 1 interview, was waitlisted and finally accepted in august.

 

[hopefool]

Yikes... there are some people on there that simply do not have a clue. NO ECs, Sub 3.0 gpa in both AO and BCPM, sub-25 MCAT and they are pissed off about the "unfair" process or complainging about politics in the admissions process?!?! Some of these folks need to get a clue. I am all about supporting dreams and goals, but when someone has not done ONE thing that had a positive result, I think they need a serious reality check.

I was simply talking about gpa, I guess your comment was directed towards other posters.

What does URM stand for?

 

[drizzt3117]

UnderRepresented Minority

 

[Meatwad]

ummm...you are URM...whole 'nother ball game, pal...

Don't even bother, dude... people here are so uptight and unwilling to accept the fact you can have a lower GPA and MCAT if you are URM. They will always point out one facet of the application and try and claim it was this, and not the URM status, that helped them get an interview. It's not even worth mentioning anymore.

 

[AdamB]

Not referring to you... I was speaking in reference to some of the profiles I was seeing.

I don't know how anyone can rationally say that there isn't an advantage to being an URM. Why the hell else is everyone that has a 1/16th of any URM blood in them trying to claim URM status.

 

[Flopotomist]

ummm...you are URM...whole 'nother ball game, pal...

She is a URM with a 35 on her MCAT. I say she earned those interviews.

 

[dancinRN1022]

Not referring to you... I was speaking in reference to some of the profiles I was seeing.

I don't know how anyone can rationally say that there isn't an advantage to being an URM. Why the hell else is everyone that has a 1/16th of any URM blood in them trying to claim URM status.

okay.,,, why can't people understand that...YOU DO NOT APPLY AS A URM....there is no check box!!!! if you happen to fall into that racial group then you just happen to represent one of the groups in medicine they are trying to increase!!! medicine should represent the public we are trying to serve...and right now it doesn't... now stop attributing people's success stories to a racial check box....and get over it....just like the general pool...1/2 of all African American and Hispanic applicants won't be accepted anywhere either! they break it all down on AAMC...are the numbers lower...yes...but people are more than numbers... I'm not going to respond to any comments I get I am just tired of people always attacking aaj whenever she tries to be nice and offer encouragement...I personally don't care what you think of my 11 MD interviews🙂



as for the OP.... yes people get pass the screen....do a search on md apps and find those schools that have accepted these applicants...people are more than numbers... did u have to work through college?...did something bad happen to you? was there an upward trend... u don't have to answer these publicly....just think about them...and if it doesn't work out the first time you apply... then you know what you have to work on....do a post bac program...,but having a bad UG GPA doesn't mean you will never be a doctor ...but it does mean you may have to work harder....good luck to you

 

[mastamark]

ummm...you are URM...whole 'nother ball game, pal...

Are you kidding me? Did you see her MCAT and activities. With all of that she has the Average Joe with a 3.9 30MCAT beat. Even if she was not URM. People really kill me with that. I have a similar GPA and am URM and I didn't get nearly as many interviews as she did. I do have very similar ECs as I was a paramedic for 6+ years, non-trad, worked with inner city kids, etc.

Good Luck to the criticized person and don't listen to this crap. People look at our skin color and think we have a "get into med school free" card inscribed into our genome. We have to live up to standards and have worked equally hard to get here. BTW I know a URM with a 3.5 and 29MCAT that was rejected from 7 schools because of the lack of ECs. These were not all top tiered schools either.

 

[drizzt3117]

Are you kidding me? Did you see her MCAT and activities. With all of that she has the Average Joe with a 3.9 30MCAT beat. Even if she was not URM. People really kill me with that. I have a similar GPA and am URM and I didn't get nearly as many interviews as she did. I do have very similar ECs as I was a paramedic for 6+ years, non-trad, worked with inner city kids, etc.

Good Luck to the criticized person and don't listen to this crap. People look at our skin color and think we have a "get into med school free" card inscribed into our genome. We have to live up to standards and have worked equally hard to get here. BTW I know a URM with a 3.5 and 29MCAT that was rejected from 7 schools because of the lack of ECs. These were not all top tiered schools either.

... the friend I mentioned had a 3.15 in a double major from Cal and 35 MCAT with similar breakdown, 10 hours/wk of volunteering and community service including volunteering at free clinics helping the underserved, three summers of international health experience in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, a ton of research with two pubs and a poster presentation at AACR, great recs from profs that loved her and her PI, good PS, and she applied to 42 schools during her first cycle with June 5 AMCAS submission and got 2 very late interviews with 2 waitlists and 0 acceptances. Her second cycle she did research for an additional year with more pubs and volunteering/shadowing, got ONE interview and was waitlisted and finally admitted at a lower tier OOS school. She's a M3 and recently scored 250+ on Step 1.

Anecdotal information isn't always going to be that useful but the fact remains that non-disadvantaged, non-URM applicants w/ sub 3.2 GPAs aren't going to be that competitive in MS apps regardless of their level of ECs/MCAT without a SMP, which is essentially answering the OPs question.

 

[Meatwad]

okay.,,, why can't people understand that...YOU DO NOT APPLY AS A URM....there is no check box!!!! if you happen to fall into that racial group then you just happen to represent one of the groups in medicine they are trying to increase!!! medicine should represent the public we are trying to serve...and right now it doesn't... now stop attributing people's success stories to a racial check box....and get over it....just like the general pool...1/2 of all African American and Hispanic applicants won't be accepted anywhere either! they break it all down on AAMC...are the numbers lower...yes...but people are more than numbers... I'm not going to respond to any comments I get I am just tired of people always attacking aaj whenever she tries to be nice and offer encouragement...I personally don't care what you think of my 11 MD interviews🙂

I fail to see a practical difference between checking off "African-American," and checking off "URM." We all know that an African-American is considered a URM, so whether or not the vocabulary says URM or not, is inconsequential; the practical meaning of the word is the same.

 

[thoffen]

... the friend I mentioned had a 3.15 in a double major from Cal and 35 MCAT with similar breakdown, 10 hours/wk of volunteering and community service including volunteering at free clinics helping the underserved, three summers of international health experience in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, a ton of research with two pubs and a poster presentation at AACR, great recs from profs that loved her and her PI, good PS, and she applied to 42 schools during her first cycle with June 5 AMCAS submission and got 2 very late interviews with 2 waitlists and 0 acceptances. Her second cycle she did research for an additional year with more pubs and volunteering/shadowing, got ONE interview and was waitlisted and finally admitted at a lower tier OOS school. She's a M3 and recently scored 250+ on Step 1.

Anecdotal information isn't always going to be that useful but the fact remains that non-disadvantaged, non-URM applicants w/ sub 3.2 GPAs aren't going to be that competitive in MS apps regardless of their level of ECs/MCAT without a SMP, which is essentially answering the OPs question.

There is no point in comparing 2 candidates like this. It can't be done objectively. There is the possibility that your friend had a negative letter of recommendation or poor PS/secondary essays. One key thing to getting into medical school, especially for the nontrads who have an uphill battle, is selling yourself to the mission of the school. It also helps to be in-state for the right schools.

 

[drizzt3117]

There is no point in comparing 2 candidates like this. It can't be done objectively. There is the possibility that your friend had a negative letter of recommendation or poor PS/secondary essays. One key thing to getting into medical school, especially for the nontrads who have an uphill battle, is selling yourself to the mission of the school. It also helps to be in-state for the right schools.

As I mentioned, the example was anecdotal, but a quick search on MDapplicants will quickly show you how successful < 3.2 GPA non-URMs were in the application process.

 

[thoffen]

As I mentioned, the example was anecdotal, but a quick search on MDapplicants will quickly show you how successful < 3.2 GPA non-URMs were in the application process.

Now that is a whole lot better. Personally, I agree with you. URM, all other things equal, helps you get into med school. Of course, you still have to be outstanding.

There are, however, many people on that search who are not URM that have had success.

 

[aaj117]

Now that is a whole lot better. Personally, I agree with you. URM, all other things equal, helps you get into med school. Of course, you still have to be outstanding.

There are, however, many people on that search who are not URM that have had success.

Additionally, not all schools use an afirmative action program. Tufts, for instance, specifically told me at my interview that they do not, and have not for quite a while. So it does not always make a difference, and the level of difference it makes depends on the school. Anyway, this thread was not intended to be an AA debate, it was asking if it was possible to succeed with that GPA, and my point remains that the majority of schools do not screen with that cutoff, and one's application will still at least be glanced at, so stay enthusiastic and work hard to make the rest of your application glow and overshadow the gpa.

 

[Meatwad]

Additionally, not all schools use an afirmative action program. Tufts, for instance, specifically told me at my interview that they do not, and have not for quite a while. So it does not always make a difference, and the level of difference it makes depends on the school. Anyway, this thread was not intended to be an AA debate, it was asking if it was possible to succeed with that GPA, and my point remains that the majority of schools do not screen with that cutoff, and one's application will still at least be glanced at, so stay enthusiastic and work hard to make the rest of your application glow and overshadow the gpa.

That is still yet to be proven. That's how this whole URM debate got opened up. Very, very few people get into medical school sub-3.0 without:

1) Being URM
2) Having an insanely high MCAT (very high 30s)
3) Having an SMP

The point is that none of us are privy to the detailed processes of medical school admissions, because none of us are on adcoms. However, given the increased volume of medical school applications, it is very reasonable to assume (and has been explicitly stated by some adcom members on this site) that schools must find a way to screen out applications. Without doing so, the process would take even longer and be more inefficient than it is already. The chances of getting in sub-3.0 (without a high MCAT/URM/SMP) are so low that it is totally reasonable to expect them to basically shred your application before they ever take a good, long look at it.

This is why the route with most success for the non-trad, low GPA student is:

1) raise UG GPA to 3.0 (although this may change to 3.2 as class averages continue to rise; who knows how long until that day?)
2) attend an SMP program and get at least a B+ average
3) Get a 30+ on the MCAT (since average MCAT scores are rising as well, it may be common for us to be saying aim for 32+ in the near future)

 

[medactar]

That is still yet to be proven. That's how this whole URM debate got opened up. Very, very few people get into medical school sub-3.0 without:

1) Being URM
2) Having an insanely high MCAT (very high 30s)
3) Having an SMP

The point is that none of us are privy to the detailed processes of medical school admissions, because none of us are on adcoms. However, given the increased volume of medical school applications, it is very reasonable to assume (and has been explicitly stated by some adcom members on this site) that schools must find a way to screen out applications. Without doing so, the process would take even longer and be more inefficient than it is already. The chances of getting in sub-3.0 (without a high MCAT/URM/SMP) are so low that it is totally reasonable to expect them to basically shred your application before they ever take a good, long look at it.

This is why the route with most success for the non-trad, low GPA student is:

1) raise UG GPA to 3.0 (although this may change to 3.2 as class averages continue to rise; who knows how long until that day?)
2) attend an SMP program and get at least a B+ average
3) Get a 30+ on the MCAT (since average MCAT scores are rising as well, it may be common for us to be saying aim for 32+ in the near future)

funny, because the urm who is getting bashed now did 1) have a gpa of 3.0; 2) is attending a post bacc at a great school(is that not as good as an SMP); 3) did get a 30+, but yet she was told that her acceptance is simply because she is an urm. doesn't seem like the urms can win huh?

 

[aaj117]

funny, because the urm who is getting bashed now did 1) have a gpa of 3.0; 2) is attending a post bacc at a great school(is that not as good as an SMP); 3) did get a 30+, but yet she was told that her acceptance is simply because she is an urm. doesn't seem like the urms can win huh?

Nope, we can't. Anytime i have ever tried to encourage someone who asked these types of low-gpa questions, i get attacked, because apparently black people can't be encouraging. It doesn't matter that the school that i've been accepted at doesn't use affirmative action, that's STILL the reason that i'm there according to most. Apparently, to be able to speak at all on these forums, i should have lied about my background on my app and just put white even though i'm not. that would gain respect.

Yeah so back to the point of the thread, i don't have a sub-3.0 gpa, but i do have a sub-3.0 BCPM gpa, which is why i had originally replied. And my original point was that most schools don't seem to have a RIGID SCREEN at 3.0. While Meatwad is telling me that that can't be proven, the fact that a single white person with a sub-3.0 gpa has ever been accepted, would in fact prove it. their application was looked at at least a little bit to decide if they were a worthwhile gamble. Of COURSE people with a sub-3.0 don't do as well in the application process as the 3.6+-- that should be obvious-- but the fact that there isn't a rigid screen at most schools is pretty obvious too, as they do OCCASSIONALLY accept people with lower scores.

 

[drizzt3117]

2) is attending a post bacc at a great school(is that not as good as an SMP);

Postbac isn't the same, or as effective as a SMP for people with low GPA (sub 3.0) except in increasing that GPA to the level where they can be a viable candidate with good SMP performance.

A lot of people have valid points on this post. The core issue, as I see it is this. The OP asked about good strategies to get past the 3.0 GPA computer screen, which is a valid and important question for a lot of low GPA people.

aaj said that it wasn't necessary and pointed out her interviews as an example. While her accomplishments are impressive and obviously required a good deal of hard work, regardless of her race, and she has every right to post about them. There's no rule that says that URMs can't contribute to SDN. That said, it's probably not fair to the OP to say that they could have similar success with similar stats.

There is a lot of reasons why people are going to criticize URMs, and much of it has to do with jealousy, because people with higher stats, more ECs, etc, and look at URM candidates getting into the same schools with "lesser qualifications". On the other hand, many URM candidates can point out that their pre-med experience was different and more difficult then the average premed, many of which had little to concentrate on besides building the best profile possible. Ultimately, it's difficult to reconcile both sides of this argument because people are pretty set in their ways regarding how race should be treated in admissions.

Ultimately, my views are based on an essentially color-blind approach based on SES/disadvantaged status where URM candidates are only given preference if they have an interest in serving underserved communities, and there are some people that are going to agree and some people that won't.

That said, it isn't necessary to bring up the argument for or against AA every time a URM poster makes a post, but then again, this community is made up of insecure and at least semi-neurotic premeds that are worried about not getting in to medical school despite dedicating their entire lives to it, and seeing people get in to the schools they want with lower stats is going to make them angry, whether or not it's justified, so I'm not sure that such posts can't be avoided.

 

[Meatwad]

funny, because the urm who is getting bashed now did 1) have a gpa of 3.0; 2) is attending a post bacc at a great school(is that not as good as an SMP); 3) did get a 30+, but yet she was told that her acceptance is simply because she is an urm. doesn't seem like the urms can win huh?

Nice first post, troll. Let me guess, medactar = aaj117?

This argument is ridiculous. This isn't the proper place. But if you don't believe URMs can get in with lower stats, why do you think the URM designation is even used in med school admissions?

Drizzt explained eloquently above. Enough said, this thread sucks, the end.

 

[drizzt3117]

One other point I'd like to make regarding this issue that draws upon my personal experience. I made the point in the other thread that I don't feel that URMs that are from typical pre-med backgrounds (upper/middle class, both parents attended college) that didn't show an interest in serving underserved communities shouldn't receive preference in medical school admissions. This is because I believe that there's a differential in pre-medical experiences between people of different socioeconomic status or degree of "disadvantagedness" if you will.

I would say that my background is somewhat typical pre-med. My parents were poor Asian immigrants that made something of themselves, one of my parents is a doctor and both have graduate degrees. I attended top undergraduate and graduate schools and left a job paying well over $200k to apply to medical school. I don't have a single disadvantaged bone in my body.

I don't have a problem with someone in the situation of my parents (who bought boxes of crackers to eat for a week when they first arrived to this country b/c they couldn't afford anything else), URMs that grew up in inner city environments who had to work to support siblings or themselves during undergrad, or other people who had difficult educational environments obtaining some degree of preference or leeway in the admissions process. Not only does it bring experiential diversity to each class, but their true abilities may not be shown by their academic performance because of such hardships.

The medical school admissions process as a whole is very biased against people of lower socioeconomic status. Not only are the primaries and secondaries expensive, but the required travel to/from interviews may make it impossible for lower SES applicants to apply to the full complement of schools that they'd like.

I can understand the frustration when applicants see people trying to game the system, which is difficult enough, and take advantage of their 1/16 URM ancestry to try to get preference. That said, I'd have to say that most URM applicants I've been able to meet seem to be very qualified.

 

[utahjazz]

Nice first post, troll. Let me guess, medactar = aaj117?

This argument is ridiculous. This isn't the proper place. But if you don't believe URMs can get in with lower stats, why do you think the URM designation is even used in med school admissions?

Drizzt explained eloquently above. Enough said, this thread sucks, the end.

It's funny how you guys are freaking out over something that no one has said. No one has claimed that URM status is irrelevant to the process at some schools. Aaj was just sharing her experiences to help the OP and did not deserve to be attacked... by the way congrats on the Tufts acceptance Aaj.

 

[drizzt3117]

It's funny how you guys are freaking out over something that no one has said. No one has claimed that URM status is irrelevant to the process at some schools. Aaj was just sharing her experiences to help the OP and did not deserve to be attacked... by the way congrats on the Tufts acceptance Aaj.

I agree that aaj shouldn't be attacked, but my question is whether that info is very helpful for the OP. "You'll probably be fine" is probably not the advice people want when they're spending thousands of dollars in application fees, especially when it isn't true.

 

[aaj117]

It's funny how you guys are freaking out over something that no one has said. No one has claimed that URM status is irrelevant to the process at some schools. Aaj was just sharing her experiences to help the OP and did not deserve to be attacked... by the way congrats on the Tufts acceptance Aaj.

Thank you!
And Drzzt, i wasn't saying "you'll be fine" to the OP, i was just saying that i don't think the majority of schools have a 3.0 computer screen, as they asked in the title of this thread, because there are occassionally applicants (both URM and non) who get interviewed and even accepted to schools, and that wouldn't be possible if there was a rigid computer screen. Of course it's going to be quite a challenge below 3.0, and most don't succeed. If at all possible, the OP or anyone in this situation should find a way to raise it. I'm jsut saying that a computer screen isn't what they should be worried about, so much as appearing that you can or can't succeed as a physician.

 

[Meatwad]

It's funny how you guys are freaking out over something that no one has said. No one has claimed that URM status is irrelevant to the process at some schools. Aaj was just sharing her experiences to help the OP and did not deserve to be attacked... by the way congrats on the Tufts acceptance Aaj.

If by "you guys," you mean drizzt and myself, I hardly think we are freaking out, as you put it. We just posted some of our observations and criticisms. If you don't like, that's fine, and feel free to interject with your own opinion. However, a lot of the arguments in this thread in favor of the URM thing, and saying its no easier for URMs than non-URMs are flawed and poorly constructed. I'll be honest; I'm way too uninterested (and lazy) to pick apart the posts of the above couple of posters who were putting words in my mouth. I stand by all the points I made in here, and am about as far from being "freaked out," as could be.

And once again, I agree with drizzt's assessment of the disadvantaged status not being racially based. I know white people that it way harder than black people, and asian people who have it harder than Spanish people, and black people that have it harder than Native American people, and Native Americans that have it harder than white people, etc. etc. It goes to show race is too subjective a thing to use for med school admissions, if the point is to attract those interested in serving minority communities.

I live in an area that is 50% Hispanic and 20% black; there are barely any doctors here (in comparison to more affluent surrounding areas). Out of the few doctors that are here, 1 of them is Korean, a handful are white, a couple are Indian, a couple are Hispanic, and maybe 1 is black. There are, however, plenty of black and Hispanic doctors serving in more affluent areas surrounding where I live. So, is the URM thing working? Are more URMs coming back to practice where we really need doctors? Not from what I've observed in my area. People gravitate where there is money, regardless of race. Let's at least give more "points," in the application process, if we are going to give preferential treatment, to those who have shown a strong dedication to underserved communities. This would be evidenced through volunteer experiences, etc.

 

[aaj117]

It goes to show race is too subjective a thing to use for med school admissions, if the point is to attract those interested in serving minority communities.

I live in an area that is 50% Hispanic and 20% black; there are barely any doctors here (in comparison to more affluent surrounding areas). Out of the few doctors that are here, 1 of them is Korean, a handful are white, a couple are Indian, a couple are Hispanic, and maybe 1 is black. There are, however, plenty of black and Hispanic doctors serving in more affluent areas surrounding where I live. So, is the URM thing working? Are more URMs coming back to practice where we really need doctors? Not from what I've observed in my area. People gravitate where there is money, regardless of race. Let's at least give more "points," in the application process, if we are going to give preferential treatment, to those who have shown a strong dedication to underserved communities. This would be evidenced through volunteer experiences, etc.

This is why i love the HBCU medical schools, honestly. Howard, Morehouse, and Brown (not an HBCU but i love it) each specifically state in their mission statement that they are aiming to bring medicine to underserved areas, howard and morehouse more specifically to educate those underrepresented in medicine to work in traditionally underserved areas. This is why i got the interviews that i did so early; i applied to schools where i was a good fit. All nine years that i have been in EMS i have worked in a less-than-affluent, very diverse area where the majority of my patients do not have health insurance, and few speak english. I mentored inner-city students in college, and worked with LGBT groups and racial groups such as the NAACP to work towards equality, and applied to schools where i'd be able to continue this.

 

[drizzt3117]

This is why i love the HBCU medical schools, honestly. Howard, Morehouse, and Brown (not an HBCU but i love it) each specifically state in their mission statement that they are aiming to bring medicine to underserved areas, howard and morehouse more specifically to educate those underrepresented in medicine to work in traditionally underserved areas. This is why i got the interviews that i did so early; i applied to schools where i was a good fit. All nine years that i have been in EMS i have worked in a less-than-affluent, very diverse area where the majority of my patients do not have health insurance, and few speak english. I mentored inner-city students in college, and worked with LGBT groups and racial groups such as the NAACP to work towards equality, and applied to schools where i'd be able to continue this.

That's very admirable. It's a challenging situation for a number of reasons, because a lot of people who grew up in underserved areas just want to get the f out of there, which is totally understandable, especially if they worked hard enough to be a doctor. I don't have a problem with that and it isn't reasonable to say that just because you're a URM you have to work with underserved populations. That said, those that do are actually helping to ease the problem of health care with underserved populations and giving back to the community, and that's a really good thing IMO.

 

[Meatwad]

This is why i love the HBCU medical schools, honestly. Howard, Morehouse, and Brown (not an HBCU but i love it) each specifically state in their mission statement that they are aiming to bring medicine to underserved areas, howard and morehouse more specifically to educate those underrepresented in medicine to work in traditionally underserved areas. This is why i got the interviews that i did so early; i applied to schools where i was a good fit. All nine years that i have been in EMS i have worked in a less-than-affluent, very diverse area where the majority of my patients do not have health insurance, and few speak english. I mentored inner-city students in college, and worked with LGBT groups and racial groups such as the NAACP to work towards equality, and applied to schools where i'd be able to continue this.

Although I'm not a URM, I'd definitely apply to Howard, Morehouse, Meharry, etc. because like you said, I like their mission statement. They produce a lot of quality docs that practice in underserved areas. My only hope is they don't think of me as applying to them as "safety schools," because they have lower averages than other medical schools in the US. From what I've seen, Howard takes the largest amount of non-URMs than the other historically black colleges.

 

[aaj117]

Although I'm not a URM, I'd definitely apply to Howard, Morehouse, Meharry, etc. because like you said, I like their mission statement. They produce a lot of quality docs that practice in underserved areas. My only hope is they don't think of me as applying to them as "safety schools," because they have lower averages than other medical schools in the US. From what I've seen, Howard takes the largest amount of non-URMs than the other historically black colleges.

It's true when i was at howard it was so wonderfully mixed! Ah i loved it there, almost every school i've been to says that their students are like a family, but that was the only place that i REALLY saw it. And there was absolutely no self-segregation which i found to be a big problem at princeton. As i myself am mixed, i was just kind of always uncomfortable in every group, and it seemed like some people tried to make you feel that way. I don't know. But when Ms. Walk was talking to us, she was explaining how the interview and your past experiences are how they tell if you really have the heart to work in such areas and devote yourself to that ideal. Today or tomorrow i should find out if she believed that i do... But that is how they make their decisions. She says they like to take chances on a few students who might not have the grades or the scores, but appear to be those diamonds in the rough that really have something that makes them sure that's what they want to do.
Also, and i've written this other places, i was extremely impressed with a point made at morehouse. Dr. Roaf was talking about how Morehouse's average MCAT is a 27, but they had a 100% step-1 first time pass rate last year and met the nation's average. He was saying how any school can take good test takers, teach them some information, and have them do well on a test, but to take below-average test takers and bring them up to or above average really takes something. I think that that "something" is found in the sense of community at these schools caused by having the same cause, and that's why anyone of any race can be so comfortable there. So definitely apply if you want to! if your experiences show that you mesh with their mission statement, they will definitely look seriously at you and not just assume you're using them as a backup.