Least Racist Cities for Medical School

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I recently moved to New York City from Houston, TX for my gap year job, and the culture shock I encountered has been severe.

New York City is the most racist city I have ever visited (and I have visited alot of cities in America and Europe). Before anyone jumps on me, I want to state that this is from my personal experience--so your experience may be different.

Coming from the South, people down there are racist to an extent, but they don't treat you poorly to your face. My white next door neighbor for nearly a decade was a hardcore racist against black people (I know because I went to school with her daughter from 6th grade until I graduated high school and she would tell me about the racist things her mom said), but whenever I interacted with her, she was always nice and courteous. This was the type of racism I have been exposed to my whole life.

In the south people are racist, but because of let's say "Southern Hospitality", most people are extremely nice and polite to people of all races--regardless of whether or not they have prejudice.

In the north (especially New York City), people are overtly racist. In the two weeks since I have been here, I have experienced more racism than I did in my entire life growing up in Texas.

Before I came to visit in person, I applied to several NYC schools (4 out of 21), but I am 100% certain that I would never want to live here any longer than I have to.

When I was making my list for medical school, I put very little thought into the possibility of discrimination, but now I see it is something I have to be very aware of as an African-American male.

I want to add some schools to AMCAS that are in less racist cities in America.

Could anyone provide recommendations based on their experiences at their own medical schools?


I would really appreciate it!

EVMS is in Norfolk, VA, which is actually a very diverse city due to the military influence (non-white is actually the majority now). It's southern, but not 100% as there are many folks from different places.

+ 1 for Atlanta, very diverse, cosmopolitan southern city where you can still get good sweet tea and BBQ 🙂 . Emory is in a ritzy area, but city's not too far away.
 
It will be different for different people. For some people it may not matter, but for me it really does.

I want to walk down the street without feeling like I am constantly being watched for criminal activity.

If you have a preference for people to be fake with you or to be straight up with you is a personal choice. To each his own. But do not misconstrue this as somehow indicative of the actual levels of racism in a place, and the extent to which this racism can affect your life.

I wouldn't say that's necessarily true. Both my mom and aunt have made some pretty shady comments about hispanics over the years, but those comments were always kept private. You literally can't be overtly racist to hispanics here, because quite frankly, they're the majority. For that reason, most of LA is very hispanic friendly. The only extreme racism (i.e. other than the odd douchebag you find in every city) I've heard of is stories from friends and family about how the gangs act down here, but I imagine that kind of racism is common with gangs everywhere.

I can tell you, as a non Hispanic, that people say a lot of messed up things about Hispanics behind their backs, and some of it is to their faces. The high school 5 minutes from where I live had a race riot a few years back where it was basically a mass free for all in the school. Discrimination towards Hispanics is high, and the issue of immigration and the immigrant population contributes towards that as well.

It is a mistake, in today's culture, to only be concerned about racism when it is yelling at you in the face. Just because someone is silently racist and smiles in your face does not mean they can not harm you or others through discriminatory practices in the workplace, classroom, or elsewhere.
 
If you have a preference for people to be fake with you or to be straight up with you is a personal choice. To each his own. But do not misconstrue this as somehow indicative of the actual levels of racism in a place, and the extent to which this racism can affect your life.



I can tell you, as a non Hispanic, that people say a lot of messed up things about Hispanics behind their backs, and some of it is to their faces. The high school 5 minutes from where I live had a race riot a few years back where it was basically a mass free for all in the school. Discrimination towards Hispanics is high, and the issue of immigration and the immigrant population contributes towards that as well.

It is a mistake, in today's culture, to only be concerned about racism when it is yelling at you in the face. Just because someone is silently racist and smiles in your face does not mean they can not harm you or others through discriminatory practices in the workplace, classroom, or elsewhere.

👍 very well said. By the way I'm envious of your application.
 
I can tell you, as a non Hispanic, that people say a lot of messed up things about Hispanics behind their backs, and some of it is to their faces. The high school 5 minutes from where I live had a race riot a few years back where it was basically a mass free for all in the school. Discrimination towards Hispanics is high, and the issue of immigration and the immigrant population contributes towards that as well.

It is a mistake, in today's culture, to only be concerned about racism when it is yelling at you in the face. Just because someone is silently racist and smiles in your face does not mean they can not harm you or others through discriminatory practices in the workplace, classroom, or elsewhere.

LA is a large, diverse city. Your experience doesn't necessarily mean that's how it is everywhere, all the time. Of course, with so many people, there are bound to be racists. I myself have seen it from time to time, and I've seen it from many different ethnicities towards many different ethnicities.

Of course, at the same time, I can't speak for everyone in LA, as I haven't lived in every part of LA, but my experience has been mostly positive. I mean, I'm white, and nobody in my family has ever cared when I dated Latin Americans, despite making the occasional off-handed comment about hispanics in general. Perhaps I'd have a different experience if I was a URM, but from my observations, you can have a great time if you want to, or you can waste your thoughts and energy on that segment of the population that harbors prejudices who are present in every major city in the US. Things are changing, but it takes time brah.
 
Dammit! I came in here to say NYC as the least racist... hahaha

Hmmm... I was born and raised in NYC as an AA female and have faced very little of what you talk about it. NYC is huge and of course different neighborhoods are going to treat you differently. (Although I do frequent the UES so I have no idea what you are talking about but then again we are different genders)

Also it may be because you are not a native nyer, we can smell you guys a mile away LOL

Anyways, I reckon that you haven't lived in other neighborhoods and so I urge you not to generalize and to explore. For instances many places in Brooklyn or lower manhattan are great places to live and have great accepting and eclectic people.

It just makes me sad that you think my city is racist 🙁 🙁

Everyone is discriminatory in one way or another, but sometimes you just have to keep it moving and ignore those outright fools. NYC isn't middle america and for every one racist you encounter you'll find 10 people who are not.
 
LA is a large, diverse city. Your experience doesn't necessarily mean that's how it is everywhere, all the time. Of course, with so many people, there are bound to be racists. I myself have seen it from time to time, and I've seen it from many different ethnicities towards many different ethnicities.

Of course, at the same time, I can't speak for everyone in LA, as I haven't lived in every part of LA, but my experience has been mostly positive. I mean, I'm white, and nobody in my family has ever cared when I dated Latin Americans, despite making the occasional off-handed comment about hispanics in general. Perhaps I'd have a different experience if I was a URM, but from my observations, you can have a great time if you want to, or you can focus all your thoughts and energy on that segment of the population that harbors prejudices who are present in every major city in the US. Things are changing, but it takes time brah.

:laugh: stopped taking your post seriously there
 
If you have a preference for people to be fake with you or to be straight up with you is a personal choice. To each his own. But do not misconstrue this as somehow indicative of the actual levels of racism in a place, and the extent to which this racism can affect your life.



I can tell you, as a non Hispanic, that people say a lot of messed up things about Hispanics behind their backs, and some of it is to their faces. The high school 5 minutes from where I live had a race riot a few years back where it was basically a mass free for all in the school. Discrimination towards Hispanics is high, and the issue of immigration and the immigrant population contributes towards that as well.

It is a mistake, in today's culture, to only be concerned about racism when it is yelling at you in the face. Just because someone is silently racist and smiles in your face does not mean they can not harm you or others through discriminatory practices in the workplace, classroom, or elsewhere.

👍 very well said.
 
:laugh: stopped taking your post seriously there

Uh huh. So unless I'm URM, I'm not allowed to comment on what I've seen? Somehow the color of my skin has warped my perception of the world I guess.
 
Uh huh. So unless I'm URM, I'm not allowed to comment on what I've seen? Somehow the color of my skin has warped my perception of the world I guess.

You're marginalizing racism as a white person. It's just ridiculous. And yes to the question and assumption.
 
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Are you just salty because people look at you funny on the street once in a while? That happens to EVERYBODY. Welcome to the northeast... grow some thicker skin.
 
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You're marginalizing racism as a white person. It's just ridiculous.

This is an amusing response. Being a URM, I happen to agree wholeheartedly with his post. Seeing as how I would have typed the very same thing, how about we tweak what he wrote a little bit...

LA is a large, diverse city. Your experience doesn't necessarily mean that's how it is everywhere, all the time. Of course, with so many people, there are bound to be racists. I myself have seen it from time to time, and I've seen it from many different ethnicities towards many different ethnicities.

Of course, at the same time, I can't speak for everyone in LA, as I haven't lived in every part of LA, but my experience has been mostly positive. I mean, I'm black, and nobody in my family has ever cared when I dated Latin Americans, despite making the occasional off-handed comment about hispanics in general. Perhaps I'd have a different experience if I was a ORM, but from my observations, you can have a great time if you want to, or you can waste your thoughts and energy on that segment of the population that harbors prejudices who are present in every major city in the US. Things are changing, but it takes time brah.

Is this post valid now?
 
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In some part of the country, someone of any ethnicity will be a minority.

It's human nature to feel uncomfortable when things are different. How one feels and how one acts are hopefully two separate things.

I've treated gang members before who came into the ER with stab wounds and/or gsw's, and I was uncomfortable. I treated them with professionalism even though on the inside I was scared of retaliation if I didn't push morphine fast enough, etc.

It's unreasonable to think everywhere should be "desegregated" for the sake of preventing "racism". Why? Birds of a feather flock together. It doesn't give an excuse to be rude or demean anyone, but no where is it racist of me to not invite someone of [random ethnicity] to dinner.
 
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You probably experienced racism because you live on the upper east side. That's usually where all the business tycoons and top cats on wall street live and they're basically a bunch of old white people. Other than that, NYC is not a racist place. I've been there several times and while I'm not white, I'm also not black and I haven't experienced any of the things you experienced.
 
This is an amusing response. Being a URM, I happen to agree wholeheartedly with his post. Seeing as how I would have typed the very same thing, how about we tweak what he wrote a little bit...



Is this post valid now?

No, because its still marginalizing racism. The post was a response to Namerguys very well thought out and descriptive view of race. Namer wasn't saying this is how race issues are in LA, he commented on the complications of racism and how it is misconstrued by others, especially those that are not affected by it. Loveless responded with an anecdote that just proved his point, while trying to marginalize what he said. If you don't see that, oh well; I feel sorry for you.
 
If you think New Yorkers are bad, watch out for those nasty New Jerseyans. I was fine in NYC when I went there, but my best experience was in the Midwest. Everyone is sooo sweet here.

The midwest is racist too but similar to some other places, they won't say anything when you're around. What's weird in the midwest is that since there are so few minorities in the midwest, most of them have a hard time explaining why they are racist. It's just taught by parents or from what they see on tv. They'll know super smart minorities and really nice minorities and even love minority athletes but are quick to jump on the racism bandwagon when a minority commits a crime and forget about all the other normal minorities that they know.
 
Ohio, as well as the Midwest in general is very race-friendly.
 
Isn't NYC supposed to be the biggest melting pot in the world? Maybe try exploring more of it?
 
You're marginalizing racism as a white person. It's just ridiculous. And yes to the question and assumption.

No, I'm not. I recognize that racism exists. I recognize it happens, perhaps more often than I think, but like the poster above said about NYC, for every 1 person you meet with prejudices, there are 10 people who are totally cool. There are certainly areas in LA where a lot of racial tension exists, but there are plenty more places where you can feel at home and be left in peace no matter what the color of your skin is. If that wasn't the case, nobody would live here.
 
Do you mean cities like Seattle and Portland? I had been thinking of Seattle because my best friend from college lives there, so that is sad to hear.

It might be ironic that the best place for blacks to live is in the South.

I'm pretty sure Washington and Oregon has like the highest amount of Aryan nations i believe , but not sure. Regardless, racism will be anywhere you go. I've lived in Florida my whole life and have seen little instances but my family is from Boston. Boston is just a tough Irish/English town historically and they will tell things like it is. I remember seeing some terms being used right outside of a Fenway park game haha.

Every color will experience racism including whites, ive been called cracker or whatever they come up with. But i just dont care to be honest about stupid stuff like that. But it all depends on how you take certain actions from people or experience i guess.
 
No, I'm not. I recognize that racism exists. I recognize it happens, perhaps more often than I think, but like the poster above said about NYC, for every 1 person you meet with prejudices, there are 10 people who are totally cool. There are certainly areas in LA where a lot of racial tension exists, but there are plenty more places where you can feel at home and be left in peace no matter what the color of your skin is. If that wasn't the case, nobody would live here.

Sure there are places that you can not feel overt racism. Did you even read Namerguys post?
 
The midwest is racist too but similar to some other places, they won't say anything when you're around. What's weird in the midwest is that since there are so few minorities in the midwest, most of them have a hard time explaining why they are racist. It's just taught by parents or from what they see on tv. They'll know super smart minorities and really nice minorities and even love minority athletes but are quick to jump on the racism bandwagon when a minority commits a crime and forget about all the other normal minorities that they know.

Ohio, as well as the Midwest in general is very race-friendly.

I know this discussion has been focused on AAs, but as the other type of AA (Asian-American), I can also vouch for the friendliness of the Midwest. Mostly. While I personally never experienced any kind of racism, my parents, who aren't fluent English speakers, have told me that they've felt discriminated against/been treated differently numerous times. I think there's definitely a generation gap as well as a distinction in the type of racism you'll see depending on which minority you belong to. For example, "well-dressed" blacks and fluent English speaking Asians might, in some cases, be the less of a target of overt racism.
 
You can call reverse racism if you want, but it's BS.

BS that racism occurs against any ethnicity at some point?

Or BS that in order to prevent "racism" preference is given to certain ethnicities?
 
BS that racism occurs against any ethnicity at some point?

Or BS that in order to prevent "racism" preference is given to certain ethnicities?

You said my sentiment was racist. That's BS.
 
You said my sentiment was racist. That's BS.

I'm sorry. You made it seem that white people have never experienced racism.

I went back and re-read your post. Perhaps you did a poor job conveying your message, because it had the same impression.
 
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If you have a preference for people to be fake with you or to be straight up with you is a personal choice. To each his own. But do not misconstrue this as somehow indicative of the actual levels of racism in a place, and the extent to which this racism can affect your life.



I can tell you, as a non Hispanic, that people say a lot of messed up things about Hispanics behind their backs, and some of it is to their faces. The high school 5 minutes from where I live had a race riot a few years back where it was basically a mass free for all in the school. Discrimination towards Hispanics is high, and the issue of immigration and the immigrant population contributes towards that as well.

It is a mistake, in today's culture, to only be concerned about racism when it is yelling at you in the face. Just because someone is silently racist and smiles in your face does not mean they can not harm you or others through discriminatory practices in the workplace, classroom, or elsewhere.




Good point! Laws are the deciding factor. States that uphold equal oppournitiy and vigoriously reject discriminatory practicies through their laws make my list of potential places to live. That being said, you'll find that Northeast and West coast cities rank high in that regard.
 
I applied to Emory and I have heard very good things about Atlanta, so it is definitely high on my list of desirable places.

You should also consider Morehouse. It's a great school with a great support system.
 
If you have a preference for people to be fake with you or to be straight up with you is a personal choice. To each his own. But do not misconstrue this as somehow indicative of the actual levels of racism in a place, and the extent to which this racism can affect your life.



I can tell you, as a non Hispanic, that people say a lot of messed up things about Hispanics behind their backs, and some of it is to their faces. The high school 5 minutes from where I live had a race riot a few years back where it was basically a mass free for all in the school. Discrimination towards Hispanics is high, and the issue of immigration and the immigrant population contributes towards that as well.

It is a mistake, in today's culture, to only be concerned about racism when it is yelling at you in the face. Just because someone is silently racist and smiles in your face does not mean they can not harm you or others through discriminatory practices in the workplace, classroom, or elsewhere.

👍👍👍👍 +1000


Dammit! I came in here to say NYC as the least racist... hahaha

Hmmm... I was born and raised in NYC as an AA female and have faced very little of what you talk about it. NYC is huge and of course different neighborhoods are going to treat you differently. (Although I do frequent the UES so I have no idea what you are talking about but then again we are different genders)

Also it may be because you are not a native nyer, we can smell you guys a mile away LOL

Anyways, I reckon that you haven't lived in other neighborhoods and so I urge you not to generalize and to explore. For instances many places in Brooklyn or lower manhattan are great places to live and have great accepting and eclectic people.

It just makes me sad that you think my city is racist 🙁 🙁

Everyone is discriminatory in one way or another, but sometimes you just have to keep it moving and ignore those outright fools. NYC isn't middle america and for every one racist you encounter you'll find 10 people who are not.


I think there's a major gender gap with this. Stop and Frisk disproportionately stops Black and Latino males.

To the OP: as someone from the northeast who has spent time in both Boston and NYC, I have experienced some of these behaviors myself (being followed in stores, having women cross the street to avoid walking next to you, etc.). Have you watched the local news in NYC? Blacks and Latinos are demonized on there daily, so I can't really blame older white ladies from having their suspicions. I live in the south now and IMO I preferred the more upfront approach to racism that the Northeast had. I have NO IDEA who is racist down here, and the nicest person may think I am all of these terrible things. I personally would much rather know what I'm facing than have to guess.

And as Narmeguy said, don't think that just because someone is nice that they aren't racist. That same nice man who smiles in your face may utilize discriminatory hiring practices or screw over minorities in ways that aren't as obviously apparent. If a lady wants to clutch her purse when I walk by, I find it kinda funny and shake it off. Other parts of NYC aren't as bad as the more affluent neighborhoods.

BTW, I'm Puerto Rican, so you could say we're pretty well vilified in NYC (a hs friend of my father's forgot that he was Puerto Rican and we were going into Manhattan on the day of the PR Day Parade and the guy told my dad to be careful cause there were going to be a lot of Puerto Ricans in the city that day :laugh:)
 
I think you had an unusual NYC experience - I have noted the exact opposite.

This is coming from someone that's lived in 2 countries and 7 states, including 2 in the south.
 
Skimming through this thread, I've read several users mention Emory Medical School. Though this school is in fact my dream medical college, keep in mind that the college has a recent history of public racial "incidents". However, I'm 4 years away from applying to Emory so it would be irresponsible to imply that racial prejudice is high when I haven't experienced the college's atmosphere firsthand.

News articles concerning racial issues at Emory are still worth a read.
 
That doesn't sound like NYC at all, and I'm a minority too.

But hey at least they are honest about it up north right? That fake courtesy down south is disgusting and the whole bible belt has some of the most vile racist tones.

That being said, there are racists everywhere. But NYC is one of the most accepting places out there.
 
You are so far from right.
This is a very naive assessment and you honestly have not clue as to what you're talking about.

You are ridiculous.

It wasn't really even an assessment. As a white person, my assessment is that Portland feels like a very tolerant place. But as a white person I also know my experience isn't the best barometer for how good Portland is about race issues. So I repeated something I've heard from a small handful of people of color. I'm not sure if it really makes sense to tell me I'm ridiculous for things that other people said. Did you have something to contribute?
 
I recently moved to New York City from Houston, TX for my gap year job, and the culture shock I encountered has been severe.

New York City is the most racist city I have ever visited (and I have visited alot of cities in America and Europe). Before anyone jumps on me, I want to state that this is from my personal experience--so your experience may be different.

What exactly are you calling racist? The fact that they aren't showing you southern hospitality? New York and LA have very similar vibes where the people are sort of rude and the city is over-crowded so nobody really wants you there, regardless of skin color. Nobody is going to smile at you kindly as you pass them on the sidewalk. and beyond that, NYC is one of the most diverse cities in the country so I'm not sure how you think the North is more racist than the South.
 
Uh huh. So unless I'm URM, I'm not allowed to comment on what I've seen? Somehow the color of my skin has warped my perception of the world I guess.
Just wanted to say that yes, everyone's skin color affects how they perceive the world because our skin color affects the way the world treats us. If people are hostile to you because of your skin color, then you're going to think the world is a hostile place. If people think you're harmless because of your skin color, then you'll think the world is a friendly and accepting place. Both are true, it just depends on who you are.

OP, I'm sorry to hear about your experience living in NYC.
 
My wife is a Puerto Rican physician from NYC and I am a rising MS1 at UNC-CH, and we both agree that Chapel Hill is a great community to be an interracial couple. Interracial couples are common here and race is not often an issue in this very diverse school.
 
I live on the Upper East Side in Manhattan.

Racism in NYC is quite ridiculous. Whenever I step outside, women grab their purses as I walk by (mostly its just white women if I am being honest) and when I enter a store the security guards LITERALLY follow me while I shop. In every single store.

This doesn't happen down south. I want to stress that I am just speaking from my own experience, so I don't want to generalize.

But in the south, even when I went to Birmingham, AL and South Carolina, I didn't experience such extreme and overt racism.

Well...black man on the UES, that's understandable. Get out of the rich, white bubble if you don't want this happening then.
 
My gf, a Hispanic, has experience very overt racism growing up in the Midwest. It is especially bad when she visits me in my small college town. My friends have been called names when visiting my relatives in rural Midwest too. Chicago is very segregated, which brings about an entire different beast. The racial tension is high, especially from neighborhood to neighborhood.

It was worse when we went to the South, so I disagree with OP. What good is a polite racist when they still won't hire my gf or if they spit in her food?
 
My wife is a Puerto Rican physician from NYC and I am a rising MS1 at UNC-CH, and we both agree that Chapel Hill is a great community to be an interracial couple. Interracial couples are common here and race is not often an issue in this very diverse school.

As a Puerto Rican living in the Triangle I can co-sign that Chapel Hill is a pretty tolerant and nice place.
 
I'm not black, so maybe I'm not completely qualified to comment about racism, but in my opinion, labeling an entire city as racist is ignorant. No, New York is not "racist" any more than Houston is "racist." My gut felling is that you have not explored the city enough and have not made enough of an effort to get acclimated.

Here is a quote from Wikipedia:
According to the 2000 Census, New York City has the largest population of self-defined black residents of any U.S. city, with over 2 million within the city's boundaries. New York City had more Black people than the entire state of California until the 2000 Census.

and another
In 2005, the median income among black households in Queens was almost $52,000 a year, surpassing that of whites.[70]

I don't see why NYC should have an environment that is hostile or unwelcoming to black people.

My point is that labeling a city as racist and giving up on it is counter productive. You have to put in at least some effort to make it work. What are you going to do when you are a doctor and you get a patient that is visibly uncomfortable about being treated by a black doctor? (I'm guessing that this will happen at least once in your career.) Are you just going to give up on him and refuse to treat him?

Anyway, as I said before, I may not be the most qualified person to comment on the issue of racism. I just want to make sure that you think things through before crossing entire cities off of your list of places to live.
 
Indiana. Indiana is the least racist state in the entire country. Where I'm from, if anyone even suggests racism they'll be shunned by everyone else!

Come to the Hoosier state 👍
 
Indiana. Indiana is the least racist state in the entire country. Where I'm from, if anyone even suggests racism they'll be shunned by everyone else!

Come to the Hoosier state 👍

Indianapolis, Lafayette/W. Lafayette, and Fort Wayne maybe. Negative on the rest of the state.
 
Indianapolis, Lafayette/W. Lafayette, and Fort Wayne maybe. Negative on the rest of the state.

Agreed. Southern Indiana, or at least the part that I have been in, is pretty racist, but in the southern state, "I think I'm better than you, but at least I'm friendly!" way.
 
OP, please tell us what exactly you mean by racist experiences in NYC? What exactly happened?
 
sorry dude, but aggression does not equal racism; nor does hospitality equal less racism.
You may think they're being racist, when in fact, they are being defensive (rude, hostile, etc.). For all you know, that person who was "racist" towards you has a black girlfriend or friend since childhood.

More than any other city in America, New York throws everyone together into a pot and forces them to coexist and live together. Ironically, the population density contributes to antisocial behavior.
 
Indiana. Indiana is the least racist state in the entire country. Where I'm from, if anyone even suggests racism they'll be shunned by everyone else!

Come to the Hoosier state 👍

Hoosiers are the best.
 
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