Just how much better are your chances if you apply URM? Example...

[HealingbyFaith]

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1) Your white guy friend should not blame not getting in on the fact he is not URM. HOWEVER- he has a point that he would have likely gotten in if he were a URM....but I agree everyone should work their hardest. Believe me...I know several URM's who even told me "Dude I don't have to work as hard cause I'm URM!" WOw great attitude...

2) URM's are often poor- but what about whites/asians who are poor as well? Last time I checked...a wealthy black female would have a much better chance at admissions than a poor white male. How is this fair?


Regardless. I agree with most of you that you can't do much. Almost every single minority I know is offended by affirmative action since it's essentially the gov't telling them "You aren't as good as other races..so we'll just lower the bar for you!"

I even know some URM's who declined awards because they were offended that they won based on skin color. Not all URM's (many don't) support affirmative action guys.

ok, i'm back...Just wanna clear something up. "URM's are often poor"? How do you know? No, they may not be rich, but that is unfair to say URM are often poor. There are many americans period who are not well off so please don't stereotype a group of people when you're probably not even an URM yourself to even have a valid opinion and may can count all the ones you know on one hand. IGNORANCE. Also, "Almost every single minority I know is offended by affirmative action since it's essentially the gov't telling them "...that comment is so biased. Just because you know a few people, they cannot speak for or represent URM. IGNORANCE.

Hogwash. Some of yal on here are just plain ignorant and it gets on my nerves. It's sad that you may be a future doctor with certain attitudes. It's been said over and over on this thread and I'll just scream it one more time, "WORRY ABOUT YOU!" Bottle up that energy and use it to secure your spot in med school. mmmmk.

And I'm out again. Deuces.

 

[HealingbyFaith]

Oh and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

[strummin]

...I have found myself ashamed / shaking my head when I see a minority doctor and think to myself "that guy had it easier getting in to med school and getting this residency"...

Wow, that is just plain ignorance. You should be ashamed of yourself. How on Earth can you make such an assumption? It's absolutely, completely wrong. Yes, some URM's might have had an advantage, but to see an URM doctor and assume he/she got into med school or residency because of their URM status is shameful. And it's completely, utterly wrong.

And btw, please make a distinction between URM and ORM. Asians (Chinese, Indians etc.) are also minorities but are NOT considered URM.. some people have even claimed that ORM's have a harder chance of getting into medical school than even whites, but that has not been confirmed. Now if that was true, by your logic and thinking, everytime you saw an Asian/Indian doctor, would you say that that person had to work harder than a White person to get into medical school or get a good residency? I'm using your same logic here.

You can clearly see that your thinking is flawed, and I would hate my own doctor to have such thinking. You're making generalizations here. I'm not saying you're racist, but racists love generalizations as well. You'll often hear racists say stuff like "blacks are 15% of the population, but 40% of the prison population.. clearly blacks are inherently violent". Such logic is completely fallacious.

Stop making generalizations.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

^^ out of context overreaction much?

 

[Pedie Packs]

Sorry man. I never said it was right... in fact, I found it shameful. But in my eyes, that's the way the system is set up... it breeds that kind of generalization. I'm gonna go out on a whim and say I'm not the first / only person that has ever had that thought.

I'm human.

edit: if you read my whole post, I agree with you completely... it's not right. I'm just voicing my disgust at the way things are set up and the contempt / generalizations that arise from it.

 

[sivar1215]

Keep in mind that the stats reported for African Americans and Hispanics also account for schools that are predominantly hispanic or black i.e. the Puerto Rican medical schools and Howard/Morehouse/etc. So the stats may be skewed a bit because the averages for these schools are lower than those for most other allopathic schools.

 

[TNK123]

I say this every time this stupid debate emerges. A huge confounding variable is the large percentage of URMs that are also classified as disadvantaged. I would love to see some data on the stats of non-disadvantaged URMs and acceptance rates, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist. Furthermore, I never understood why people make such a huge deal over this. There are only ~2000 URM applicants per year. Aside from the HBCUs, most med schools have <10 per class.

Well said!!! Trust me...there has been zero advantage who a person doesn't apply as disadvantaged...URM or Not. I know of several ORMs who have done much better with similar stats (much better as in 2-4 more interviews).

On another note...I find it funny that people assume the middle class URM have the same experience as ORM....Like some how institutionalized racism and prejudice ceases to exist after a certain socio-economic bracket has been reached. Aside from economics, there is a whole sphere of experience that comes along with being an URM...not nearly as visible or publicized--but equally real. Note: This statement doesn't pertain directly to this admissions process, but it is a point that should be clarified.

 

[mipp0]

Seriously? Wow. That's unbelievable.

This also brings up the question, "Just how difficult is it to fake being a URM for interviews?"

Is this common or not? I heard (but don't know anybody personally) about some people who got away with applying URM even though they were Asian.

How hard would it be? If you got accepted after applying as URM even though you weren't, will the medical school ever ask you questions about it again? Will it be easy to keep it secret?

Yikes buddy what is wrong with you? I've never heard of any Asian pre-med "faking" as an URM.

JUST DO YOUR BLOODY BEST! STOP WORRYING ABOUT THINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL. MAN, BEING A DOCTOR IS NOT ABOUT "GAINING RESPECT OF PEERS, FAMILIES, ETC". HOW SAD YOU JUDGE YOURSELF THROUGH THE EYES OF OTHERS!!!

Be true to yourself and work hard. And no, not just anyone can become caring and competent.

Why are you pursuing medicine again?

 

[randombetch]

Well said!!! Trust me...there has been zero advantage who a person doesn't apply as disadvantaged...URM or Not. I know of several ORMs who have done much better with similar stats (much better as in 2-4 more interviews).

If medical school admissions in relation to URM status is anything like undergraduate admissions in relation to URM status, which it is, then the quoted statement is very false.

Being URM obviously help whether or not you're disadvantaged. They want to add diversity, and they're willing to accept less qualified students to do so (ie: they're not going to accept 0 Hispanics and 100 Asians - it just doesn't happen).

 

[randombetch]

Wow, that is just plain ignorance. You should be ashamed of yourself. How on Earth can you make such an assumption? It's absolutely, completely wrong. Yes, some URM's might have had an advantage, but to see an URM doctor and assume he/she got into med school or residency because of their URM status is shameful. And it's completely, utterly wrong.

And btw, please make a distinction between URM and ORM. Asians (Chinese, Indians etc.) are also minorities but are NOT considered URM.. some people have even claimed that ORM's have a harder chance of getting into medical school than even whites, but that has not been confirmed. Now if that was true, by your logic and thinking, everytime you saw an Asian/Indian doctor, would you say that that person had to work harder than a White person to get into medical school or get a good residency? I'm using your same logic here.

Actually, yes - when I see an Asian doctor, I can safely assume he underwent more a rigorous set of criteria for acceptance than other doctors. Perhaps the URM was good enough to get in without needing to be URM - we can't know for sure. But the ORMs were always good enough to get in despite being ORM.

Funny how social Darwinism leads to unexpected results.

 

[PinkIvy08]

Actually, yes - when I see an Asian doctor, I can safely assume he underwent more a rigorous set of criteria for acceptance than other doctors. Perhaps the URM was good enough to get in without needing to be URM - we can't know for sure. But the ORMs were always good enough to get in despite being ORM.

Funny how social Darwinism leads to unexpected results.

Quite an appropriate SDN username you chose there!

 

[BennieBlanco]

spoiler alert, American History X

[YOUTUBE]FIr2nYukX9U[/YOUTUBE]

URM acceptees as a group have a bit lowers stats than non-URM (GPA/MCAT). That is about all we know.

So what. It is what it is. Do your best regardless.

Don't invest a lot of emotional energy into things you can't change.👍

 

[deleted74029]

Actually, yes - when I see an Asian doctor, I can safely assume he underwent more a rigorous set of criteria for acceptance than other doctors. Perhaps the URM was good enough to get in without needing to be URM - we can't know for sure. But the ORMs were always good enough to get in despite being ORM.

Funny how social Darwinism leads to unexpected results.

So the Asian girl I know that was accepted with a 23 was lying? She obviously really had a 37 on the MCAT.

 

[BennieBlanco]

Actually, yes - when I see an Asian doctor, I can safely assume he underwent more a rigorous set of criteria for acceptance than other doctors. Perhaps the URM was good enough to get in without needing to be URM - we can't know for sure. But the ORMs were always good enough to get in despite being ORM.

Funny how social Darwinism leads to unexpected results.

Pre-meds think much different than non pre-meds.

Positive or negative prejudices about URMs, DO vs MD, MCAT or GPA, etc only exist in our little world.

In the real world most people care how good you are and what type of person you are.

 

[BennieBlanco]

So the Asian girl I know that was accepted with a 23 was lying? She obviously really had a 37 on the MCAT.

nope. She probably had a 23. If you build an application like hers you will definitely get accepted to a similar school.

And with hard work, you should be able to clear a 30 on the MCAT.
👍👍

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Actually, yes - when I see an Asian doctor, I can safely assume he underwent more a rigorous set of criteria for acceptance than other doctors. Perhaps the URM was good enough to get in without needing to be URM - we can't know for sure. But the ORMs were always good enough to get in despite being ORM.

Funny how social Darwinism leads to unexpected results.

lol ok man

 

[Jolt21]

Actually, yes - when I see an Asian doctor, I can safely assume he underwent more a rigorous set of criteria for acceptance than other doctors. Perhaps the URM was good enough to get in without needing to be URM - we can't know for sure. But the ORMs were always good enough to get in despite being ORM.

Funny how social Darwinism leads to unexpected results.

makes no sense. the hospital still had to hire him. if he sucked that bad he would just get fired.

 

[Excelsius]

I think you are not understanding what URM really is. To most of you it seems to be just a matter of ethnicity. While that may be true in some limited cases (depending on the adcom), URM is more like a function. So, if you have a Caucasian and a URM student with similar stats, but the Caucasian has history of helping URM communities and being involved in organizations whereas the URM candidate has none, then the Caucasian has a much better chance of getting in. The purpose of having URM doctors is to have someone who will not only identify with URM groups, but also be willing to serve them. I assure you, it is not always the URM candidate who will be meeting these criteria.

 

[mipp0]

I think you are not understanding what URM really is. To most of you it seems to be just a matter of ethnicity. While that may be true in some limited cases (depending on the adcom), URM is more like a function. So, if you have a Caucasian and a URM student with similar stats, but the Caucasian has history of helping URM communities and being involved in organizations whereas the URM candidate has none, then the Caucasian has a much better chance of getting in. The purpose of having URM doctors is to have someone who will not only identify with URM groups, but also be willing to serve them. I assure you, it is not always the URM candidate who will be meeting these criteria.

And what about a URM who has the same "credentials" as the European American student? (Yes, I feel ultra politically correct today; the term "Caucasian" is scientifically and culturally problematic, but I'll spare you the lecture...)

All resumes equal (your example is clearly not), the URM has the much better chance, and therein lies the problem. Just look at the AMCAS statistics. I doubt every URM matriculant had TO-DIE-FOR extracurriculars to compensate for lower GPA/MCATs.

No, betch's logic (however twisted) isn't limited to just the pre-med "world". It's an every day lived reality for many URM doctors struggling to gain respectability in their fields. There are articles on this.

There is always a trade off. If URM applicants have an easier pass into medical school because of their ethnicity, Asian and European American students will hold this against them.

How do I know? Because every Asian and European American student talks about this when no URM student is around at my school. Even at the hospital where I work! It gets tense. Because their parents talk about this. Because even the med school students I speak to talk about this.

This sort of race-based affirmative action does nothing to assuage the very real racial prejudices (perhaps even blatant racism) in higher education and beyond.

 

[Excelsius]

And what about a URM who has the same "credentials" as the European American student? (Yes, I feel ultra politically correct today; the term "Caucasian" is scientifically and culturally problematic, but I'll spare you the lecture...)

All resumes equal (your example is clearly not), the URM has the much better chance, and therein lies the problem. Just look at the AMCAS statistics. I doubt every URM matriculant had TO-DIE-FOR extracurriculars to compensate for lower GPA/MCATs.

No, betch's logic (however twisted) isn't limited to just the pre-med "world". It's an every day lived reality for many URM doctors struggling to gain respectability in their fields. There are articles on this.

There is always a trade off. If URM applicants have an easier pass into medical school because of their ethnicity, Asian and European American students will hold this against them.

How do I know? Because every Asian and European American student talks about this when no URM student is around at my school. Even at the hospital where I work! It gets tense. Because their parents talk about this. Because even the med school students I speak to talk about this.

This sort of race-based affirmative action does nothing to assuage the very real racial prejudices (perhaps even blatant racism) in higher education and beyond.

The purpose of your post is unclear, other than you seem to be agitated about something. I was addressing the value judgment about URM acceptance decisions, yet you bring up a completely different case. First of all, try to understand that all things are almost never equal, as you tend to assume. Second, as a general trend, everyone already knows that URMs do generally have lower admission stats. We don't need to read a post about this - AMCAS statistics suffice. So that's superfluous. Third, your experience is N=1. Racism in one facility does not translate into racism in another facility or the medical field overall. Parochial view here. Finally, when you are trying to correct someone, make sure you are absolutely correct. You have misinterpreted the definition of "Caucasian," perhaps because in Europe that term is not as "politically" popular now. For our purposes, we are in United States. That term is not incorrect. Additionally, the term "Caucasian" is much more accurate than your term "European American." By using that term, you just excluded a large number of white people, including myself. And the only way you can know why the term "Caucasian" is more correct is if you know history. Politics has nothing to do with it. In fact, it sometimes pollutes perfectly normal definitions by excessive and ignorant euphemisms.

 

[imdanumb1]

I think you are not understanding what URM really is. To most of you it seems to be just a matter of ethnicity. While that may be true in some limited cases (depending on the adcom), URM is more like a function. So, if you have a Caucasian and a URM student with similar stats, but the Caucasian has history of helping URM communities and being involved in organizations whereas the URM candidate has none, then the Caucasian has a much better chance of getting in. The purpose of having URM doctors is to have someone who will not only identify with URM groups, but also be willing to serve them. I assure you, it is not always the URM candidate who will be meeting these criteria.

This is a great point. Instead of this nonsense hearsay. Here's some info on the subject:

It is important to have a diverse health workforce because diversity may be a determinant of health. It is only natural to have disparities in health based on race and ethnicity. There are genetic differences between different populations. However, having disparities in health care is unacceptable. According to Brian Smedley’s book “Unequal treatment: Confronting racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare” there are profound inequalities among race in cancer, renal transplantation, AIDS/HIV, asthma, and diabetes among other measures. Why do these inequalities exist? Chris Smaje partially attributes these inequalities to discrimination by health providers. Whether conscious or not, people discriminate based on race and ethnicity. While cultural competence will help solve this problem, having a diverse workforce will have a greater impact.
The other side of the coin is the legacy of distrust that permeates in many minority groups. From the Tuskegee Experiment to Hmong beliefs that American physicians are witchdoctors, it is obvious to see that certain minorities are wary to seek health care unless it is absolutely necessary. Trust needs to be rebuilt. Having minority representative in the health care workforce will go a long way towards accomplishing this goal.
.Added to this problem is an inherent difference in culture. The “one-size-fits-all approach” is no longer appropriate in treatment. Health care providers must realize that cultural beliefs play a big role in which medical procedures are deemed acceptable....

The number of minorities are on the rise in the U.S so having a cultural competence workforce is a pressing issue. Medical school encourages cooperation, especially through diversity of experiences. In any case, I think everyone should just worry about themselves. Just do whatever you have to make yourself a good applicant. Get into medical school and become a great doctor. End of discussion. 🙂

 

[Simplify]

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table19-mcatpgaraceeth09-web.pdf

There is definintely a racial bias in admissions. There should be no statistical difference in the mean MCAT/GPA between samples of any race. Unlike the New Haven firefighters, however, the schools get around this by setting minimum MCAT/GPA standards very low. Because of their low standards they can essentially invite whomever they please.

So unless you're a lawyer with a lot of free time on your hands, you'd do best to follow the advice that has already been given out in this thread:

Pay attention to your own application and make it the best you possibly can.

 

[TNK123]

And what about a URM who has the same "credentials" as the European American student? (Yes, I feel ultra politically correct today; the term "Caucasian" is scientifically and culturally problematic, but I'll spare you the lecture...)

All resumes equal (your example is clearly not), the URM has the much better chance, and therein lies the problem. Just look at the AMCAS statistics. I doubt every URM matriculant had TO-DIE-FOR extracurriculars to compensate for lower GPA/MCATs.

No, betch's logic (however twisted) isn't limited to just the pre-med "world". It's an every day lived reality for many URM doctors struggling to gain respectability in their fields. There are articles on this.

There is always a trade off. If URM applicants have an easier pass into medical school because of their ethnicity, Asian and European American students will hold this against them.

How do I know? Because every Asian and European American student talks about this when no URM student is around at my school. Even at the hospital where I work! It gets tense. Because their parents talk about this. Because even the med school students I speak to talk about this.

This sort of race-based affirmative action does nothing to assuage the very real racial prejudices (perhaps even blatant racism) in higher education and beyond.

1. As previously mentioned, nothing is every equal. It seems as though people acknowledge racist beliefs but deny any type of equality.
I am curious about this logic. If all things are equal up until medical admissions, why do people are URM under-represented? (Not a rhetorical question, I am seriously curious about how people mentally resolve this paradox in logic) Unfortunately, i anticipate inevitably prejudice and/or racial neo-liberal explanations....

2. We do NOT necessarily have an easier time getting into medical school. People seem to forget about people who have alumni parents, connections within the university or live as residents of Mississippi, or Texas. People accepted as a result of these advantages far outnumber accepted URM when the HBCU are excluded. (Probably with them included actually) Hypothetically, if an ORM has a 3.7 gpa with a 33 MCAT is rejected from a particular school, I can almost guarantee there are 15-20 ORM, and maybe 4 URM who got into that particular medical school with lower stats.

3. When considering the number alone, far more ORM are admitted to schools with lower stats than URM. (Simple based on the number of applicants)

4. Certain people will assume minorities don't deserve their place whether or not affirmative action exists... even in cases when those URM receive higher stats than their ORM cohort (UC Berkeley post-prop. 209) I could have a 4.0 and a 40 mcat and still have many ORMs questioning my worth. That is the nature of prejudice...and it is ugly no matter the justification.

5. At the end of the day, the only thing that matter is whether or not you have the capacity to serve.

 

[TNK123]

Please forgive the typos...I just came home from work...😴

 

[strummin]

How do I know? Because every Asian and European American student talks about this when no URM student is around at my school. Even at the hospital where I work! It gets tense. Because their parents talk about this. Because even the med school students I speak to talk about this.

Wow, I'd hate to go to school where you go. You seem to live in a very hostile and unfriendly environment. Is it a Red State?

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Wow, I'd hate to go to school where you go. You seem to live in a very hostile and unfriendly environment.

+1 seriously. i'm ORM and i have no problem with the current system.

 

[grindtime1]

How would medical schools be able to tell the difference between a Mexican American and a Puerto Rican?

Does anyone know the answer to this question?

 

[Gallix23]

if im adcom, i would pick the urm in your situation, but like all the gpa-mcat questions. nobody will be able to give you a definite answer just that URM gives you an advantage, how much is up to anyone's guess.

See, this is what I don't get. Why would you pick the URM in this situation when they have lower stats in all areas (besides the shadowing/volunteering). IMO, this is what is wrong with the system today is that the more qualified person doesn't get the job.

It happens in other areas as well. Take firefighting, a white male gets a 100 on the test, where a URM gets a 95, the URM gets the job. In a critical position like that, I'd MUCH rather have the more qualified person saving my life than someone who got the job because they are considered a "URM."

It just doesn't make sense to me

 

[neuro raqs]

How would medical schools be able to tell the difference between a Mexican American and a Puerto Rican?

Does anyone know the answer to this question?

wtf? Please be joking.

Actually it doesn't matter, b/c even if you are, NOT FUNNY.

 

[strummin]

It happens in other areas as well. Take firefighting, a white male gets a 100 on the test, where a URM gets a 95, the URM gets the job.

Source please.

 

[Gallix23]

Source please.

I don't have a written source, my grandfather was fire chief for years and he told me me it happens all the time. Plus, my cousin (white male) scored a 100 on the test and never got a job, take it for what you will.

 

[ReptarBar]

Source please.

youve gotta be the most naive person in the world. are you 12?

 

[ksmi117]

The whole URM thing IMO has more to do with the patients than with the doctors and their qualifications. The fact is that generally people are more comfortable knowing the the physician population is representative of the general population. They are called URMs for a reason. They are underrepresented compared to their percentage in the population as a whole. That's why Asians are ORMs even though there are more caucasians in medical school. Compared to the percentage of Asians in the general population, the percentage of Asians in med school is higher.

Is it right or wrong to try to have the two breakdowns match? Who knows? But if I was African-American and I knew that 99% of doctors were caucasian or Asian, I definitely wouldn't be as comfortable going to see a doctor. People generally are more comfortable around people of the same race, and patients being comfortable with their physicians is an essential part of medicine. In the end it all comes down to the patients, and it is the job of medical schools to produce doctors that will offer everyone a great quality of healthcare, not just the majority groups.

 

[daisy44]

Two things:

1) Why is it so hard to admit that yes, URM's get an advantage in admissions??? Whether that is a fair or unfair advantage, I don't know. But can URMs please just admit that all things being equal, a URM will get a slight edge. Maybe their life experiences are better - but then again, maybe they're not. (Don't tell me that every URM out there faced huge social/economic/whatever obstacles. And don't tell me that Asians don't face racism.)

Regardless of what the rest of the application looks like, being a URM will be a point in one's favor. Please, just acknowledge that.

2) This URM advantage used to bother me, but I gotta say...it's not like there are tons of URMs in every class. I was surprised to see that most med school classes have 10-20 ish. It's not like they're stealing away all the seats.

Though, it still kind of bothers me that URMs have a much better shot at huge scholarships, even if they're not economically disadvantaged.

 

[grindtime1]

wtf? Please be joking.

Actually it doesn't matter, b/c even if you are, NOT FUNNY.

How is this funny?

A link was posted above that showed the mean scores for minority applicants and matriculants.

I noticed a difference between the scores of Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans and therefore wondered how it would be possible for medical schools to tell the difference between a Mexican American and a Puerto Rican.

 

[ezsanche]

How is this funny?

A link was posted above that showed the mean scores for minority applicants and matriculants.

I noticed a difference between the scores of Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans and therefore wondered how it would be possible for medical schools to tell the difference between a Mexican American and a Puerto Rican.

Maybe they read the biographical information that is on the AMCAS.

 

[grindtime1]

Maybe they read the biographical information that is on the AMCAS.

If someone lied about being Mexican American when he was really Puerto Rican or vice versa, how could they know?

 

[wanderer]

If someone lied about being Mexican American when he was really Puerto Rican or vice versa, how could they know?

Stop it already.

 

[grindtime1]

Stop it already.

I'm asking because I really want to know. I am years away from writing my MCAT and I don't understand how the application process works.

I also searched for stuff like this (URM special cases and other related stuff) and didn't get anything useful.

Once again, I'd like to know how they can tell the difference between different types of Hispanics.

 

[icalz]

Two things:

1) Why is it so hard to admit that yes, URM's get an advantage in admissions??? Whether that is a fair or unfair advantage, I don't know. But can URMs please just admit that all things being equal, a URM will get a slight edge. Maybe their life experiences are better - but then again, maybe they're not. (Don't tell me that every URM out there faced huge social/economic/whatever obstacles. And don't tell me that Asians don't face racism.)

Regardless of what the rest of the application looks like, being a URM will be a point in one's favor. Please, just acknowledge that.

2) This URM advantage used to bother me, but I gotta say...it's not like there are tons of URMs in every class. I was surprised to see that most med school classes have 10-20 ish. It's not like they're stealing away all the seats.

Though, it still kind of bothers me that URMs have a much better shot at huge scholarships, even if they're not economically disadvantaged.

Yes, they are stealing all the med school seats, and stealing all the american jobs...next they're going to be stealing all the white women after they're done stealing all the scholarships....all because some hidden agency is giving them the power to have anything they want. Didn't you get the memo? Oh wait, it was in spanish....

This entire thread is bogus. I wish I was 2 inches taller...can't control it so I'm not going to worry about it.

 

[ezsanche]

Mexican Americans are born and usually raised in america where they are able to learn the english language proficiently. If anything I would say mexican americans tend to lack in their spanish skills since they usually speak spanish only with close friends and family members, but with everyone else they speak english. Although there are alot of puerto ricans that are in the United States of America, a lot of of puertoricans live in Puerto Rico. Puerto ricans in Puerto Rico learn both english and spanish but they are much better in spanish since everyone talks spanish in PR. English is usually learned and seldomly spoken in a school setting. But in order for a person to go to a MD school in PR they have to take the MCAT in English. Since they are taking a test in their second language, you can expect them to score lower.

Hence why Puetroricans have lower score averages than all the other hispanics.

 

[grindtime1]

Mexican Americans are born and usually raised in america where they are able to learn the english language proficiently. If anything I would say mexican americans tend to lack in their spanish skills since they usually speak spanish only with close friends and family members, but with everyone else they speak english. Although there are alot of puerto ricans that are in the United States of America, a lot of of puertoricans live in Puerto Rico. Puerto ricans in Puerto Rico learn both english and spanish but they are much better in spanish since everyone talks spanish in PR. English is usually learned and seldomly spoken in a school setting. But in order for a person to go to a MD school in PR they have to take the MCAT in English. Since they are taking a test in their second language, you can expect them to score lower.

Hence why Puetroricans have lower score averages than all the other hispanics.

I wasn't really talking about why their scores were different.

What I meant was if someone was born in Puerto Rico, came to the US at 2 years of age and learned how to speak English like everyone else born in the US, how could medical schools know he was actually Puerto Rican if he wrote down that he was Mexican American on his application?

 

[daisy44]

Yes, they are stealing all the med school seats, and stealing all the american jobs...next they're going to be stealing all the white women after they're done stealing all the scholarships....all because some hidden agency is giving them the power to have anything they want. Didn't you get the memo? Oh wait, it was in spanish....

This entire thread is bogus. I wish I was 2 inches taller...can't control it so I'm not going to worry about it.

I didn't say that, and I definitely didn't mean to send that message. Actually I said the exact opposite of that. The reason this thread is bogus is because some people are so ready to attack anyone who voices an opinion.

 

[strummin]

youve gotta be the most naive person in the world. are you 12?

Oh yes, I'm 12 and naive because I asked for a source. I'm sorry, I'll just start believing anything and everything everyone tells me because I don't want to be called "naive". Is that better now?

 

[Gallix23]

Yes, they are stealing all the med school seats, and stealing all the american jobs...next they're going to be stealing all the white women after they're done stealing all the scholarships....all because some hidden agency is giving them the power to have anything they want. Didn't you get the memo? Oh wait, it was in spanish....

This entire thread is bogus. I wish I was 2 inches taller...can't control it so I'm not going to worry about it.

Wow, on the offensive much?

You basically just exaggerated everything that Daisy44 said to the point of being ridiculous without providing any actual substance to the discussion.

 

[ezsanche]

I wasn't really talking about why their scores were different.

What I meant was if someone was born in Puerto Rico, came to the US at 2 years of age and learned how to speak English like everyone else born in the US, how could medical schools know he was actually Puerto Rican if he wrote down that he was Mexican American on his application?

I would think that they couldn't . The information on the AMCAS is self reported, so if a person checked mexican american but was really puerto rican then there would be no way of finding out unless the person later reveals himself/herself to be puertorican. But I dont see why someone would do that since there really is no advantage in selecting mexican in the race option of the AMCAS as opposed to selecting puertorican.

 

[icalz]

I didn't say that, and I definitely didn't mean to send that message. Actually I said the exact opposite of that. The reason this thread is bogus is because some people are so ready to attack anyone who voices an opinion.

👍 I agree. Even when I start a post with, "in my own personal opinion" I get assaulted from every angle (it's my opinion people!). One of these days I'm going to start a thread with "In my own personal opinion, rocky road is the best ice cream flavor," and then watch the verbal battle ensue

 

[icalz]

Wow, on the offensive much?

You basically just exaggerated everything that Daisy44 said to the point of being ridiculous without providing any actual substance to the discussion.

I know, I know...and I completely apologize to Daisy (sorry!), I just can't believe that this thread has gone on this long, some of these posts blow my mind. My statement was really made in general...I shouldn't have quoted Daisy.

 

[daisy44]

I know, I know...and I completely apologize to Daisy (sorry!), I just can't believe that this thread has gone on this long, some of these posts blow my mind. My statement was really made in general...I shouldn't have quoted Daisy.

Thanks 🙂

Anyways, yeah..to sum it up... the purpose is bigger than who gets to be a doctor - it's about adequately serving a diverse population and mending health disparities. Which, I think we would all agree, is important and necessary.

That's my last comment on this thread.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

It appears that ~45% of each ethnicity is accepted. ~45% of all applicants are accepted. It seems like ~45 is the magic number to be "fair" to each ethnicity.

Even though my family comes from mexico, I do not identify myself as being mexican-american/hispanic/whatever or anything else. Hell, I don't even look the part. I'm just human, so I'll be checking off N/A for that part of the application.