LGBT students: are you out on your applications?

[Ellie Arroway]

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"so, did you fly or drive? How was your trip?"

"the trip was great! I really should have flown into midway instead of o'hare, but i got to ride the el-train. I thought it was interesting that almost all the buildings i saw were made of brick and i got into a conversation with a guy about the great fire."

"well, that's nice. You mention on your essay that you are lgbt. Why do you think that is important?"

*insert an anecdote that shows how the experience of oppression helps one be more attuned to the essential vulnerability that lies at the heart of all medicine*

"good, good. Now i see you did some icu research, can you tell me more about your role in that?"

"well yes, i...."

ftfy

 

[DR MOM]

I got my first interview for a school I was out to, and I'm in their first batch (as far as I can tell on SDN). Points for team gay. 😉

Winks aside, I think it's important to go to a school where you feel like you can be yourself. If I am nervous to bring my wife or kid to a social, it's not the school for me. My family is a huge part of my support network and I want to go to a school that will embrace us.

 

[PTtodoc]

.

 

[QrtrLifeCrisis]

IMO I do NOT think that sexuality should be discussed or disclosed on anyone's application. Personally, I really despise labels of any kind, and despise the whole "LGBT..." branding. The whole point of LGBT activism is to show the world that LGBT people are all "equal" which they are. Basically, all human beings have a right to exist in liberty, peace, and happiness and differences between people (sexual orientation, gender, religion, ethnicity) should bear no impact whatsoever on someone's ability to contribute to society and lead a meaningful and purposeful life. In my opinion, up to the point of face to face interviews, all applicants should be a "code" only, with all individual characteristics unknown. If it so happens that interview time, all applicants are female or all straight or all black, well then it must be that these people had the best marks/scores/life experiences/application letters to warrant an interview.

Unless you happen to be the president of your school's GSA or a co-ordinator of your local pride event or write a long letter about your religious organizations mission to some foreign country, there should be no other proclamation of your supposed religious / ethnic beliefs or your sexual orientation.

I think that is the only way to achieve a fair society. Show you belong on the basis of merit and character, I'm 100% open minded to all human beings who show respect towards others, and carry themselves in a mature and professional manner. Like I said, if it is all based on merit and the entire class turns out all gay, or all female, or all black, then that is the fairness of the system.

*sigh*

Anyone going to take this one?

 

[PTtodoc]

[

 

[QrtrLifeCrisis]

Why the sigh? I would like to hear your opinion. Honestly, to answer the OP question, I do not care about anyone's individual differences. I have friends and colleagues from every single walk of life imaginable and I'm not anti-anything. I just really really want to know why people need to categorize themselves based on any individual characteristic on an application to medical school??
Why do I care if you are jewish? Why do I care if you are Nigerian?

I want the best student who shows the most keen interest in medicine and the brightest potential to be a doctor. That's all I want out of my own family doctor, all the other doesn't matter.

How do you want society to be inclusive of all people if you need to box everyone and brand them this or that? Why can't everyone just be on a level playing field?

I think I've made my opinion pretty clear earlier in this thread.

The fact is, we're not on a level playing field. Our society clearly favors the affluent straight white male. Until that changes, the push for diversity is a necessity.

 

[Do Something]

*sigh*

Anyone going to take this one?

Double sigh.
What would be the point?
He's an obnoxious troll blind to his own privilege. I'm just glad people like him no longer make the rules.

 

[PTtodoc]

.

 

[freakingoutabit]

Why the sigh? I would like to hear your opinion. Honestly, to answer the OP question, I do not care about anyone's individual differences. I have friends and colleagues from every single walk of life imaginable and I'm not anti-anything. I just really really want to know why people need to categorize themselves based on any individual characteristic on an application to medical school??
Why do I care if you are jewish? Why do I care if you are Nigerian?

I want the best student who shows the most keen interest in medicine and the brightest potential to be a doctor. That's all I want out of my own family doctor, all the other doesn't matter.

How do you want society to be inclusive of all people if you need to box everyone and brand them this or that? Why can't everyone just be on a level playing field?

If society were a level playing field, you would be right. It is absolutely not, though, and many people deal with discrimination every day because of the ignorance and bigotry of others. That's an experience that not everyone faces, and it's a very important, formative experience that gives a person a unique perspective, particularly in medicine.

Obviously med schools want the best and brightest, but they also want a diverse group of students with various qualities, ideas, and viewpoints to add. Medicine is a very humanistic profession, and admitting students who can relate to the effects of poverty or discrimination because they've experienced those things firsthand helps to ensure that the rising class of doctors will be compassionate and empathetic to the experiences of others (and as a result, better doctors).

Additionally, performing well on the MCAT and in science pre-reqs is enough of a challenge, but performing well while faced with homophobia, discrimination, or poverty? I personally think that shows a lot of determination and character.

 

[QrtrLifeCrisis]

Wow!

Thanks for calling me obnoxious and a troll.

Perhaps you don't know if I belong to the LGBT branding??
Perhaps you don't know that I've been a member of this site for 8+ years, despite having a new account?

White affluent males would not be surpassing other applicants if no one knew the sex/age/ethnicity/sexual orientation of the applicants up to a certain point.

People run double-blind studies for a reason right? Why not blind the application process? How does no one see that this would eliminate all bias??

You're not LGBT, so don't even.

It's not the application process. It's everything leading up to that. If you can't see the problem, then there really is no hope for you.

 

[PTtodoc]

-.

 

[KnuxNole]

Why are you deleting all your posts? That is weaksauce...if you post stuff, at least own up to it.

Especially since 3 of your 4 posts are now permanent to the thread. 😛

I can never understand why people post and then delete it in a scared manner. Either don't post it at all, or post it and own it.

 

[touchpause13]

Weak sauce indeed

 

[TRSTme]

If society were a level playing field, you would be right. It is absolutely not, though, and many people deal with discrimination every day because of the ignorance and bigotry of others. That's an experience that not everyone faces, and it's a very important, formative experience that gives a person a unique perspective, particularly in medicine.

Obviously med schools want the best and brightest, but they also want a diverse group of students with various qualities, ideas, and viewpoints to add. Medicine is a very humanistic profession, and admitting students who can relate to the effects of poverty or discrimination because they've experienced those things firsthand helps to ensure that the rising class of doctors will be compassionate and empathetic to the experiences of others (and as a result, better doctors).

Additionally, performing well on the MCAT and in science pre-reqs is enough of a challenge, but performing well while faced with homophobia, discrimination, or poverty? I personally think that shows a lot of determination and character.

Well put. This should honestly be a sticky at the top of this thread, a must-read for anyone questioning why someone would mention their race, gender, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status on an application.