- Joined
- Mar 8, 2007
- Messages
- 3,556
- Reaction score
- 14
Greatest understatement EVER.Because let's face it, there is a higher attraction from the male viewer towards lesbians than female to gay men.
Greatest understatement EVER.Because let's face it, there is a higher attraction from the male viewer towards lesbians than female to gay men.
I'm confused...it could be the percocet.Greatest understatement EVER.
Really? You're comparing homosexuality to that? Being gay, in comparison to the above, is pointless. If they ask you why you're part of that organization, you can answer. But being gay has no bearing on why you're a physician, how hard working you are or even how intelligent you are. All those EC's, etc are meant to show your ability to manage your time, be involved and dedicate your time to selfless things. Unless you're standing behind the building offering sexual favors to same sex people everyday, being gay is not worth mentioning. In fact, it serves as a cry for attention, imo.
*Note, I have nothing wrong against people that are gay.
Secondly, I don't think stating that one is gay (if one felt so inclined) would be pointless. In most cases, adcoms could assume that a gay applicant has dealt with discrimination and other challenges that have developed her character, left her with greater self-knowledge than the average 20 year old, and forced her to mature. Oh, she would also necessarily be more open-minded. So I'd say it could have a significant bearing on what kind of student/physician she could be.
Really? You're comparing homosexuality to that? Being gay, in comparison to the above, is pointless. If they ask you why you're part of that organization, you can answer. But being gay has no bearing on why you're a physician, how hard working you are or even how intelligent you are. All those EC's, etc are meant to show your ability to manage your time, be involved and dedicate your time to selfless things. Unless you're standing behind the building offering sexual favors to same sex people everyday, being gay is not worth mentioning. In fact, it serves as a cry for attention, imo.
*Note, I have nothing wrong against people that are gay.
Are you being serious?? Contrary to what you apparently must believe, LGBT student organizations aren't just a front for circle jerks and scissor parties. The amount of dedication people put into, and leadership experience gained from being heavily involved with LGBT-related activities in many cases can out value a lot of the other stuff mentioned. While I have no desire to get into a discussion about the relative "value" of specific extracurriculars, I will say that it's hard for me to fathom how anyone could think that one couldn't get just as much valuable life experience volunteering at an urban HIV clinic/organizing civil rights rallies through your campus pride group, as being president of amsa/a frat/whatever.
Realistically, yes, I agreeWhich brings me to a related point that, at least in theory, the whole reason med schools seek out URMs is that studies have shown that doctors from those populations are more likely to return to practice in those underserved communities. Regardless of how you feel about the various issues surrounding the gay lifestyle, surely you must admit that the LGBT community has a unique set of health care needs. Many gay patients prefer seeing LGBT doctors because they know that they can be open and honest about their lifestyle without fear of judgment, and that their doctor will be able to, at least on some level, relate to their needs better. Furthermore, gay med students/doctors can also provide a resource to help end this gay-patient-discrimination by making their straight counterparts more aware of how to better care for and be more sensitive to their LGBT patients. The more physicians that are properly trained and willing to work with an LGBT patient population, the better off those patients will be.
Nope, 0. But it doesn't bother me.I know, I'm sure you have many gay friends...
The question was open-ended and so I misinterpreted. Apologies.First of all, the OP's question is not about putting "I'm gay" on her app--it's about listing her involvement in the LGBT organization--so your criticisms don't exactly apply.
Secondly, I don't think stating that one is gay (if one felt so inclined) would be pointless. In most cases, adcoms could assume that a gay applicant has dealt with discrimination and other challenges that have developed her character, left her with greater self-knowledge than the average 20 year old, and forced her to mature. Oh, she would also necessarily be more open-minded. So I'd say it could have a significant bearing on what kind of student/physician she could be.
Really? You're comparing homosexuality to that? Being gay, in comparison to the above, is pointless. If they ask you why you're part of that organization, you can answer. But being gay has no bearing on why you're a physician, how hard working you are or even how intelligent you are. All those EC's, etc are meant to show your ability to manage your time, be involved and dedicate your time to selfless things. Unless you're standing behind the building offering sexual favors to same sex people everyday, being gay is not worth mentioning. In fact, it serves as a cry for attention, imo.
*Note, I have nothing wrong against people that are gay.
My question wasn't whether I should highlight "I'm A HOMO!!! Hear me roar!!" in my personal statement. I simply asked if I should mention my involvement in the LGBT club. I assume heterosexuals don't exactly have the same thing. Just like there are Asian clubs or African American societies, but no White Clubs.
Thank you everyone for your response. I guess I will add it in if it becomes a significant part of my application, which it looks like it will, but otherwise I will stay wary. I probably won't apply to schools in extremely conservative areas, so hopefully that will help.
Read my post above. No need to type all that outNote: I'm not trying to be rude, but I find your post frustrating. If you're going to make what I perceive to be somewhat ignorant comments and really, what I construe as prejudice remarks, please actually read what a post says. We are discussing whether or not the OP should put down that she held a leadership position in a LGBQT organization, which is very much the same as holding a leadership in any other organization (which is why I mentioned sports, music talent, etc.). While you don't absolutely need to mention it specifically, I think it's pretty normal that if you put down you were a leader of a LGBQT organization you might mention a motivation for being a part of it....like for instance, you being transgendered, gay, lesbian, etc. It's just as if you put down that were president of Asian Student Association, that the committee would instantly think you joined the organization because you yourself were asian and it was a part of your identity. Also, your assertion that your own identity has no bearing on why you want to be a physician is ridiculous.
Suppose an applicant grew up in a community of African immigrants (herself being one) and saw problems with her friends and family getting healthcare and/or communication with physicians. That provides her a motivation to become a part of the health system because she wants to serve her own cultural group (which she is a part of). It the same for people of alternative sexualities and gender identities, all who live in a unique social sphere structure, have unique illness attitudes and medical seeking behaviors, and sometimes desire professionals who share these ideals in what we pretty much all agree is a traditionally conservative profession. Your med school app tells adcoms not only why you'd be a good physician, but also why you personally WANT to be a physician. So, yes, putting down that you're gay in the context that you've had substantial leadership experience in this field and possibly, that it motivates you to become a physician, is highly relevant to a medical school application.
Well, back in the old days, that wasn't considered gay. It was a deep admiration of another mans body. - Bonus points to whoever gets this very far reaching quote.it was never a negative...even with the old guys.
Lucky for you, being a gay woman is MUCH easier these days than being a gay male. The media doesn't even blink when Lindsey Lohan dates a girl, but pictures of Clay Aiken on a gay dating site before he came out caused quite a stir.
These days, I'd think being an openly gay woman would only make you more memorable to the adcoms, and not necessarily in a bad way.
\I'm a gay woman in medical school, dating my gay classmate, and no . . . it's neither easier nor more fun nor more sexy nor more exciting than the gay male relationships in our medical school. Ugh.
The comment wasn't about how YOU feel regarding homosexual relationships. It was directed to the population in general. I would wager that more people find the idea of two men together offensive than two women. Granted, this could simply be because men are "allowed" by society to be more verbally expressive about their sexuality and desires than women, but regardless, you are much, MUCH more likely to see two women kiss or be in an intimate relationship on television than two men. I mean, come on, even Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, a show aimed at teenagers, had a lesbian couple.
This is the kind of nonsense I loathe, because not only is it b*** it's offensive b***. Determining what's easier for homosexuals based on celebrity reports?
I'm a gay woman in medical school, dating my gay classmate, and no . . . it's neither easier nor more fun nor more sexy nor more exciting than the gay male relationships in our medical school. Ugh.
It's a loose connection to derive at best, and quite honestly, based on actual experience--a conservative homophobe doesn't make distinctions based on gender. If you're not married/procreating/supporting traditional family values . . . then you're trouble. Man or woman. And that's the kind of discrimination the OP was worried about, not whether she'd slide because society thinks two women are either a) more kosher than two guys or b)hot.
If the school rejects you because of your sexuality, then you don't want to be there anyway.
I hate to derail this thread, but I have an issue that's similar.
I've been very heavily involved for many years with reproductive rights advocacy through a well-known organization. I've put a lot of time in this, campaigned, lobbied, etc., and it's something I feel very strongly about.
I've also done clinical volunteering through the medical division of this organization for about 1.5 years now, and there's no way I'm leaving that out. I'm just not sure about the whole pro-choice advocacy stuff. It's not just about abortion, mind you. It's about access to birth control, access to medically accurate sex education, and yes, access to abortion when the woman chooses that route.
What do you think?
LGBT student organizations aren't just a front for circle jerks and scissor parties.
personally, I would leave it out considering the medical professions is a fairly conservative field. Although they may not openly discriminate against you, it may be a factor, even though they may not say it. Discrimination is still alive and well, unfortunately. So, I would leave ur sexuality to yourself first. Once your accepted, then you can come out. Just to be safe.
Never underestimate the open-mindedness of the university atmosphere. This idea that the field is dominated by close-minded people is somewhat false, from what I can tell, at least in academia. I live in the Midwest, in a fairly conservative area, and our College of Medicine (from what I can tell) actively seeks people who understand hardships, including discrimination, and the type of people who can stand up to it. It's true that it might hurt your chances at some schools, depending on the couple of people who look at your app, but it is more likely to be looked favorably upon. Maybe you could be safe about it, but I say go for it.
Leave it in without question. The whole idea behind the AMCAS experiences is that the schools can get to know you through your actions. Talk is cheap. Obviously, that is a big part of who you are and you don't want to leave it out.
And to be shrewd, for most people it is really hard to distinguish themselves from the crowd in their AMCAS. If you were leaving this out, you'd essentially be trying to blend into the crowd.
I wasn't involved in my school's LGBT organization until after I sent my primaries, so it wasn't included in my ECs. But I wrote about it for two secondaries, as the questions were pertinent. One school rejected me post-secondary, and the other invited me out, interviewed me with the head of their school's LGBT organization, and was overall extremely accomodating to and interested in that portion of my application. The latter interview was obviously an awesome experience, and that level of acceptance really offered a more relevent view of how my social life would integrate at that school versus if I'd hid that aspect in the application.
If I'd had the experience you do, I'd have definitely included it on my primary.