Is anyone apply who's Native American?

[woolie]

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I have a friend who's Native American (Navaho) and she is thinking of becoming a nurse. To be honest, I think she really wants to be a doctor but she's not sure is she could get in, and not sure if she could do it - all the usual insecurities alot of us have.

I told her: medical schools are knocking each other down trying to enroll Native Americans, and that she would have NO problems as long as her grades were decent, etc.

She didn't go to a fancy school or anything, but I still say she would be GREAT! She has years of volunteer EMT experience, plus she works in a health clinic now.

Anyone else out there have any experiences with this? I told her she should go for it - I think she feels insecure because of her culture, whereas I tried to tell her that it was a really great strength for her.

 

[klinzou]

All she needs is a 2.5 pga and like 25 MCAT and she is in for sure. Go AA

 

[grumbo]

I would say that your friend should definitely think about med school if she's really interested. I'm Chippewa, and I've found that there are definitely a lot of options out there for Natives. I'm sure the Navajo Nation could help out with scholarships of some sort (possibly even to help pay for this money eating machine called the application process). I'm not sure if she intends on returning back to the res or not, but there's always the IHS scholarship as an option to pay for med school, and all you have to do is serve in a Native area year for year.

Also, as was mentioned above, I'm pretty sure schools will give her a second look just for being Native (assuming somewhat decent grades). She also might want to look at schools that have strong Native programs like Stanford (where I went to undergrad), Dartmouth (where I'm interviewing in a couple weeks), and New Mexico (where I didn't apply b/c I'm a CA resident). There are lots of options out there if she really wants to. Of course, no one should ever become a doctor just because they can, she has to really want it. Take it for what it's worth; that's just my two cents.

 

[pinfeathers6]

I would say she has a good chance.
But just wondering: was your friend raised as a native american -- and by this I mean, was she raised in and active in her culture? I've been struggling with this because I am native american, but I was raised in a white bread, upper- middle class family -- and I didnt even learn that I was native until I was 15!! So I am not planning to put down on my app that I am native because it just doesnt feel right.

But I think her decision to apply to med school should rest on her true desire and her motives -- if she really wants to do it and she wants to declare that she is native, then she probably stands a good chance depending on her other stats.

 

[woolie]

Grumbo, that's a great reply and I am going to pass on to her what you said.

She does want to stay on the reservation because her family is there. Also, she feels it would be good to have a Navaho doctor serving in the community. It was hard for me to comprehend that almost all the local physicians are non-Native but I guess that's the case.

She really does want to do medicine, but just hasn't been exposed to the awareness of how to get there. I think that's part of the problem with social conditions and education. With so few role models, it can be hard to see yourself as a doctor, or whatever. I am trying to encourage her as much as I can. Now, she can be a good role model 😉

Pinfeathers, she was definitely raised right there on the reservation and that's sort of been part of her thinking; she's never really seen what alot of middle America sees, and so her horizon of possibilites has been lower. Your case is interesting, and you have two different cultures now.

 

[Megalofyia]

Originally posted by grumbo
there's always the IHS scholarship as an option to pay for med school, and all you have to do is serve in a Native area year for year.

Is this only open to people who are registered asbeing native american? I would be highly interested in this. My grandfather was a native american in Mexico. However due to a long complicated story we are not registered. However I do feel compleled to help people who live in reservations and who are native american and would be interested in a scholarship like this. I am sure I would end up serving much more than a year.

 

[Alexander99]

Originally posted by pinfeathers6
I would say she has a good chance.
But just wondering: was your friend raised as a native american -- and by this I mean, was she raised in and active in her culture? I've been struggling with this because I am native american, but I was raised in a white bread, upper- middle class family -- and I didnt even learn that I was native until I was 15!! So I am not planning to put down on my app that I am native because it just doesnt feel right.

I guess it's your choice to make but I hope you realize that not putting down you're Native American is the equivalent of giving up a free 5 points on the MCAT. It shouldn't be that way but it is.

Alexander

 

[king_robert12]

I am also Native American (Choctaw) and am applying this year. If your friend has any questions, please tell her to email me at [email protected].

 

[personal jesus]

IHS is open to anyone willing to give their time I believe. good luck!

 

[Mistress S]

A girl I knew a couple of years ago applied as a native american; she was only 1/4 native american and never lived on a reservation (her dad was a doctor). I would say it helped her out a great deal, she had only a 25 MCAT and GPA >3.0 but <3.5 (can't remember exactly), and got interviews everywhere including Harvard and 3 acceptances. She also got a scholarship through her tribe. Your friend sounds like she would bring real diversity, if she wants to be a doc she should definitely apply and keep in mind that if anything her URM status will help her in the application process. Native americans are the most under-represented of the URM's, so having this background can only help her.

 

[SticknRudder]

Originally posted by pinfeathers6
I was raised in a white bread, upper- middle class family

What is a white bread family? Did you have something against rye, whole-wheat, or even sourdough?


j/k

 

[indo]

Originally posted by mcbatuofa
What is a white bread family? Did you have something against rye, whole-wheat, or even sourdough?


j/k

corny....but funny. Speaking of bread, how good does a footlong sweet onion chicken terryaki from subway sound?

Indo is native american but I won't put it on my application. Why? I don't need it and it wouldn't seem right. I really have no way of "proving" that I'm native american so people won't believe me unless I show up in war paint or a full headress. Also, I have never lived on a reservation and don't have plans to practice there full time. I only consider myself underprivelaged when it comes to trying to convince my mom to buy me a brand new m5 before they change the body style.

 

[southerncomfort]

Originally posted by Alexander99
I guess it's your choice to make but I hope you realize that not putting down you're Native American is the equivalent of giving up a free 5 points on the MCAT. It shouldn't be that way but it is.

Alexander

If you're not registered with a federally recognized tribe (no, not all tribes have recognition status!), then usually you can't qualify! It's not like claiming you're African-American or even Hispanic, they usually want "proof"! And I'm in kind of the same boat--I've never lived on a reservation, or gone through the hardships and prejudices that often go with that, so I don't feel right going for a spot that could go to someone who did.

 

[Mistress S]

The past couple of posters have a good point--native american is the one URM where adcoms can demand proof via registry with a federally recognized tribe. The girl who I mentioned earlier had this, if barely--apparently you have to be able to establish that you are at least 1/4 by direct descent from a specific tribe to qualify as a member of that tribe according to federal guidelines (at least that's what she told me, I've heard that different tribes have different criteria for establishing who can be on their tribal roles, but these can be even more stringent than federal regulations). This is important since some tribes distribute money from tribally shared holdings (like land, timber, oil, and casino revenues) to all their members as well as sometimes qualifying for federal aid or compensation because of their status. A lot of people in this country can claim some descent from native americans--I myself am something like 1/16 Cherokee--but unless you are registered with a recognized tribe, claiming this status for something like AMCAS is probably a big mistake and will do you more harm than good. This is a big exception to the "native american status= increased admissions odds" statement of my previous post.

 

[clayito]

I'm recognized as 1/16 Cherokee by the Western Cherokee of Arkansas and Miss. (not a federally recognized tribe), and I put it down on my AMCAS app. because this is the heritage that I am most proud of (I'm actually more than a 1/16, but some of my ancestors did not register). Does anyone think I will run into problems because of my tribe's lack of federal recognition?

 

[noy]

If schools can only chalk you up as a Native (for federal $$$) if you are from a federally recognized tribe, they will not give you 'help' in the admissions process for that. But you are still a Native, and that adds to the diversity they are looking for.

If you can prove you are direct from those tribes, I don't see a problem, any more so than saying your grandma was from Cuba or parent is black - they will not ask for your DNA (yet).

 

[ironey]

First off, the IHS scholarships are for registered Natives only. You can check their website for more detailed information. There is, however, a loan repayment program for which the IHS recruits physicians independent of their tribal affiliation.

Second, those who are considering claiming Native status need to know that they WILL be asked for registration proof. There are two ways that I know of to be "officially" Native:

1) Be enrolled in a federally recognized tribe (each tribe has the right to grant membership based on their own guidelines as a sovereign nation).

2) There is also a process of proving certain amounts of "blood quantum" through the BIA. This includes gathering evidence of your blood line and submitting official documents to be reviewed (I have only a general idea of how this works - I'm sure you can contact the BIA for more info.). This process is used by members of non-recognized tribes and those who are not elligable for enrollment in their own tribe.

I was asked in several instances to provide proof of my tribal membership during my application process last year.

Best of luck to everyone!

 

[woolie]

Hey everyone who's contributed to this thread, just to let you know I have given my friend a copy of this thread and the comments (and some PM's too) and let her know just how much support is out there for someone like her. She is about 30, a mother and a strong community member so with all her life experiences and abilities, I think she would be just great as a primary care physician.

Now it's up to her if she wants to take the next steps. Personally, I really like living here in the Utah and I love seeing the different Native communities. It's a great experience.

 

[2badr]

Originally posted by clayito
I'm recognized as 1/16 Cherokee by the Western Cherokee of Arkansas and Miss. (not a federally recognized tribe), and I put it down on my AMCAS app. because this is the heritage that I am most proud of (I'm actually more than a 1/16, but some of my ancestors did not register). Does anyone think I will run into problems because of my tribe's lack of federal recognition?

I never even considered putting the information down. I read that you needed 'verifiable' proof and I'm not sure my Mom has the info.

Like one poster mentioned, I didn't find out until later in life too. But then again, my family's not big on sharing information about heritage. 😉

You should definitely tell your friend to apply!🙂 If she really wants to be a doctor, she should go for it.

 

[jenni4476]

I am 1/16 Native (Miami) and have a membership card proving I'm on the tribal roles. They closed the roles shortly after I was born and my cousin (who was born around the same time) and I were the last two to make it on.

I'm on the fence as to whether to claim URM or not. On one hand, I attend tribal gatherings every few years and maintain nominal contact with the tribe-I'm interested in their affairs and what I can do to help-I probably will work on the reservation as a physician for a few years later in life. I'm also educating my children in their heritage as much as I can-we live six hours from the reservation and it's hard to get there often.

On the other hand, I was raised in an upper-middle class white lifestyle. I always knew I was part Native, but didn't know anything about the culture until I was an adult and decided to pursue it on my own, and it's not something that totally defines me, although it is a part of me.

This is something I'll have to think about....

As far as the OP, tell her to go for it! I know all too well how it is to have an artificially narrowed viewpoint on life (for other reasons) and how hard it is to open up and believe things are possible...she sounds like she'll be a great doc!

 

[Ryo-Ohki]

It's not about how much you know about Native American culture or how much "diversity" you can bring with that knowledge. If that were the case, there would be a test of knowledge (NAT: Native American Test) or a preference for persons who majored in Native American studies. The fact is, a 1/16 Native American who knows very little about Native Americans is preferred over a non-Native American who is an expert in Native American culture. Race, something you are born as, is the only factor in receiving these "diversity" points. We should not be kidding ourselves about that fact.