Howard and Meharry...whats considered minority?

[todds]

Hi,

I saw the stats for these two schools and unusually low and give preference to minorities..

1. What is considered minority...(I am of East indian). Seeming how the stats are so low, is there anything different about these two schools are or are they looked badly upon?

Thanks

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[BeachLuvr]

Depends on who's doing the looking, and from what angle. Theses schools primarily want black students because it is by far one of the least represented classes in dental education. I'm a black fem. and I discussed this with one of the Student Affairs directors at one of the dental schools in Texas to see what was the deal. He basically said that there are so few black students in dental schools nationwide because often the applicant pool is not competitive enough for various reasons ... which he listed as financial constraints, socioeconomic disadvantages, so on and so on. Take that as you will. These schools are simply trying to make the dental professionals in America more representative of what Americans are...which is a little bit of everything. Training more black dentists will also be able to help tap into a more specific sector of the population...the black community. Studies show, that if given the choice, an individual is more likely to use a doctor/dentist that looks more like themselves. Perhaps these schools take the view, that if we can narrow our matriculants down to a particular type of student (in this case, blacks) we can help give them get an advantage .. which will in turn benefit the society at large. Don't mean to ramble...but I had to give a presentation about this topic, so it hits home 😛 Remember too, scores don't necessarily make a fantastic dentist. When you become a dentist and have that patient in the chair, he/she's looking right up at you 🙂 No matter what school you came from, every day people will be looking up to you...and that's real. These schools should not be looked down upon at all.

 

[clevelandDDS]

I'm with you BeachLuvr. I'm also a black female. I've shadowed a few dentists that went to Howard and Meharry. Actually my sister's orthodontist went to Howard and I feel he's one of the best dentists I've shadowed and I've shadowed with about 7 dentists. I did visit the campus of howard last year and it is as culturally diverse as the DC area. There are blacks, whites, asians, middle easterners, etc. The school is mostly african american, but it is a nice mixture of other cultures. So since I've been there and know dentists who graduated from there, I can say that there is nothing sub par about Howard (and the same is true for Meharry). Many people just see that it is an HBCU and make that assumption. Their curriculum is just as challenging as any other school, and they have good pass rates on the boards.

 

[todds]

but as an east indian, would i be considered a minority...technically i would be, but when the howard or meharry look would they still see me as a minority?

 

[busupshot83]

Minorities in dental education (from 1980 to 1999):

23.8% - Asian or Pacific Isander
5.1% - Hispanic
4.6% - Black or Africian American
.5% - Native American or Alaska Native

Obtained from www.nga.org/cda/files/VALACHOVIC.ppt

 

[phosphorylation]

theoretically speaking you are a minority....

are you a minority to howard or meharry? no, your not. why? because if they consider you a minority, what would happen to all the entrants? what i mean is exactly what beack lover said. its all about african americans. they did this whole system to try to override the socioeconomic, etc problems in the african american population. african americans have a lot of problems as a race in the U.S., and they understand that which is why they are doing what they are doing?

but on the other hand, take whatever I say with a grain of salt. Call both schools up and ask them, you have nothing to lose!

good luck!

-phospho

 

[toothcaries]

those schools recruit underrepresented minorities..
...if i remember correctly, folks from appalachia are included in that def.

east indians and asians in general are over-represented if anything.

 

[JattMed]

but as an east indian, would i be considered a minority...technically i would be, but when the howard or meharry look would they still see me as a minority?

I guess being from the East or West Indies I assume you have some black blood in you?
If so then I guess you should qualify as an under-represented minority, however if you erroneously refer to yourself as an East Indian when you intend to mean you are of an ethnic group (i.e., of pure South Asian blood)that can trace its roots to India then you would not be considered an under-represented minority.

Interestingly enough, in Amercan history South Asians (Indians) were not considered a non-white minority until some extensive lobbying was done during the Reagan era by Gujurati (West/SouthWest Indian) businessmen-to attain some low interest loans/loan guarantees and other 'minority' status privileges-I guess there is a price on everything.

 

[charmstot]

I would definetly call the school in order to get their perspective

 

[boogaking]

Hey Todd... you might not be so lucky... because most schools categorize east indians in the same group as Asian/Pacific Islander... I disagree with this classification because that is one group title for a very diverse and distinct number of ppl... this is seen to be a disadvantage for many of us ....case in point... places where affirmitive action is still alive.

 

[mobius]

I think they should level the field all this letting people in because they are minorities is a bunch of crap... if they got the skills then let them in. The color of their skin shouldnt matter for good or bad. not to piss anyone off but that is how i feel.

 

[charmstot]

I think they should level the field all this letting people in because they are minorities is a bunch of crap... if they got the skills then let them in. The color of their skin shouldnt matter for good or bad. not to piss anyone off but that is how i feel.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I suggest you do some research about the issue before you start verbalizing such statements.

 

[Lumbee.Dr]

First, I will also try to answer this question. As an applicant to Meharry this cycle, I understand that minority "status" is given mostly to African Am., Hispanic, and Native Am. (Am. Indian) applicants. However, as historically black universities, these schools continue to give preference to African Am. students.

I am also a minority female. I hope to be one of the very few, "0.5% Native American" minorities in dental school. (One person here on SDN a couple of months ago referred to us as "nonexistent" in dental schools.)

One of our tribe's first dentist graduated from Howard in the 1970's, still a time when Native Am. were not given the welcome mat at most schools. He returned home and has been providing care to our people since. It is near impossible to get dentists here because our community does not provide the lifestyle most dentists want to have. Therefore, just letting people in because they have the skills, as was stated above, is not the solution to providing dental care to my tribe. Unless you are from an "underserved area", it is difficult to appreciate dental schools that produce dentists who are dedicated to providing care to our community. So, despite your ethnicity, if you demonstrate to these schools that you are indeed dedicated to practicing in an underserved area of our country, you will probably have a better chance at getting accepted at them than at many other schools.

 

[BeachLuvr]

😛 It's probably...no ... likely, a little bit of what everyone has said. But like someone said...call the schools, I'm sure they'd love to give you the spill ~