Minority friendly schools?

[OlderStudent]

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Hello all,

I am currently going back to school after graduating in 2001 with an unimpressive 3.0 (approx) GPA after attending aout 6 schools adding credit from CLEP and AP exams. Many family prolems throughout school left me with several Ws, D & F.

I am now taking my pre-requisite courses in California (my home state) Assuming I do well in them as well as the MCAT I would like to explore my options as to which schools I should apply to. (Acceptance anywhere is my first priority ) If I am unable to secure a spot here in the States I will go abroad and go through the hurdles of an IMG. When I apply I will be 30 and hopefully matriculate at 31.

My question is which schools would be most open to accept me given my own situation and being Mexican American. (Mentioned only because I may count as an under-represented minority in some places.) Any suggestions would help

 

[sasevan]

Congrats on pursuing your dream; best of luck!

Definitely check-out NSU-COM. Obviously, South Florida has a huge Hispanic population but Mexican-Americans are underepresented in the professional work force and many Mexican and Central American migrant workers are woefully underserved. Though So. Fl. is very urbanized, NSU-COM has a lot of outreach to rural populations throughout the State, especially migrant workers. I believe with your background, if you have an interest in providing healthcare to underserved populations, you'd be a natural fit at NSU-COM.
Again, best of luck.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Get your GPA above 3.0 and do well on the MCAT (25-27+). You should get multiple interviews offers regardless of your race. Read the FAQ for GPA info and retake info.

You should look into how AACOMAS handles CLEP and AP credit into your GPA.

If you are interested in demographics for osteopathic medical schools you can look at this PDF:
http://www.aacom.org/data/annualreport/index.html

It's a little old and does not have info on recently opened schools but the info is still relevant.

Average age at DO schools is higher than MD schools due to the amount of nontraditional students going to DO schools. At larger DO schools you should find many classmates your age and perhaps older.

 

[mletter]

Being a minority is NOT a bad thing at all while applying to medical schools. Most med schools want minorities very badly so it will be a great advantage. I would try to raise the gpa a bit and work on getting at least a 23 on the mcat. 👍

 

[Super21]

I dont think NSU would be good because yes... there is already too many minorities (hispanics) applying there! Im hispanic and this year I focused on schools such as in Virginia, Tennessee, Iowa... why?? Because NOT many hispanics are applying there! Stay away from Cali cuz that pretty much Mexico... ... anyways... I used my minority thing and ill be attending school in TN! VCOM send me a letter for an interview invite because I was a minority.. according to the letter! Good luck!!! Never GIVE UP!

 

[OlderStudent]

I dont think NSU would be good because yes... there is already too many minorities (hispanics) applying there! Im hispanic and this year I focused on schools such as in Virginia, Tennessee, Iowa... why?? Because NOT many hispanics are applying there! Stay away from Cali cuz that pretty much Mexico... ... anyways... I used my minority thing and ill be attending school in TN! VCOM send me a letter for an interview invite because I was a minority.. according to the letter! Good luck!!! Never GIVE UP!

Thanks for the encouragement. It is always good to see others who have done it. As for me my plan is the same. Apply where the hispanics don't apply. In CA so what if I'm Mexican so many people here are. In another state who knows. That is where I am going.

I am asking for some opinions. I want to go to an Osteopathic Medical school because I feel they would be more welcoming to someone who is different. It is my understanding that non-traditional is what they are looking for. My goal is to be a physician and as for the MD vs DO thing I really don't care. They are all doctors. Sure I will learn OMM in a DO program but an MD can learn it too. Point being I just want to be somewhere where I can
1. learn Medicine
2. Be comfortable
3. Get a good residency afterwards.

For those that can help point me in the right direction - THANK YOU

 

[jkhamlin]

I dont think NSU would be good because yes... there is already too many minorities (hispanics) applying there! Im hispanic and this year I focused on schools such as in Virginia, Tennessee, Iowa... why?? Because NOT many hispanics are applying there! Stay away from Cali cuz that pretty much Mexico... ... anyways... I used my minority thing and ill be attending school in TN! VCOM send me a letter for an interview invite because I was a minority.. according to the letter! Good luck!!! Never GIVE UP!

I agree. I am part American Indian, and that probably wasn't too impressive to OSU for obvious reasons. 😀