My Rant Against Med School Admissions

[TaylorMDhopeful]

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[TaylorMDhopeful]

double post....deleted

 

[Crash88]

to the above poster --- try quintuple post

 

[bobsmith]

lol at all the double/triple posts when the site has maintenance for half an hour

 

[TaylorMDhopeful]

lol at all the double/triple posts when the site has maintenance for half an hour

Yea, bad combination with a computer that sucks.

Does anyone think that legacy/family faculty appointment or employment shouldn't be taken into account in the medical school admissions process?

 

[Medgirl55]

In particular, my rant against how the med school admissions process selectively discriminates against Caucasians and Asians. First, a little bit about myself: I am an Asian male attending Columbia University. My GPA is 3.9+, and I got a 39S on my MCAT. I have 2 years of research, countless hours of volunteer experience, work experience in both medical and non-medical fields, and leadership positions in school clubs and student organizations. My recommendation letters were written by professors who really knew and liked my work, so I presume that they wrote great letters. And I live in South Jersey.

So far, I have gotten into four medical schools: Tufts, UMDNJ-NJMS, NYU, and Temple. Let me first say that I am thankful for receiving these four acceptances, and I am glad that I will be able to pursue my dream of becoming a physician. However, the number of waitlist and rejection decisions that I have received really bothers me. I was waitlisted at Mount Sinai, the University of Chicago, and even Robert Wood Johnson as an in-state NJ resident, which is extremely perplexing. I was rejected without even receiving an interview invite at Cornell and Johns Hopkins, was deferred at Penn, and have not heard back at all from Harvard or Columbia. Granted, I know that these are all top-notch schools, and I would never expect to receive positive news from all of them. However, I find it incomprehensible that I should have received negative news from all of these schools, considering the strength of my application. And then as I peruse MDapplicants, I see people with significantly lower scores and less impressive applications than mine getting acceptances to these schools, and these applicants are almost all URMs. Okay, so I know that scores don't mean everything, and I'm not going to say a kid with a 39 on the MCAT is much better than one with a 35. But when I see kids with a 30 on the MCAT getting accepted to schools I got waitlisted or rejected at, and the only distinguishing feature about them is that they are a URM, do you know how frustrating that is? I don't care how "unique" or "amazing" your life experiences are, but unless they've cured cancer or mapped the human genome, there is no reason why someone with a 30 should be getting accepted over me. There is a significant difference between a 39 and a 30 on the MCAT, and it's a joke that applicants with scores so much lower than mine are getting interviews and acceptances when I'm getting neither. I have seen URM applicants getting interviews at Harvard and Penn and Johns Hopkins with a 30, 31 on the MCAT and 3.5 GPAs. And then there's me, sitting here with a 39 and 3.9+ from Columbia, getting rejected. Me, getting waitlisted at Robert Wood Johnson and Mount Sinai. Really, Robert Wood Johnson??? Are you s****ing me??? It is called the Medical College Admissions Test for a reason; it's not the be-all, end-all, but what is the point of having an admissions test if you are going to disregard it for certain applicants while holding others to higher standards? I saw an African American applicant's MDapps page; with a 30, she got interviews at Harvard, Yale, and Penn, got waitlisted at Johns Hopkins, and was accepted at Robert Wood. As for me, I haven't heard back from Harvard or Yale, got deferred from Penn, got rejected pre-interview from Johns Hopkins, and was waitlisted at Robert Wood. You know what would happen if I got a 30 on the MCAT? I'd be lucky just to get into any med school and would have absolutely no shot of getting into any top school. But if a URM gets a 30, suddenly all of the top schools are falling over themselves to get that student. What the f***?! I feel so frustrated knowing that all of the effort I put into studying for the MCAT, maintaining a good GPA, and participating in all of my activities means nothing in the grand scheme of things, because it just makes me an average Asian applicant, whereas if I were a URM with the same exact application, I'd have my pick of any med school in the country. The American medical school application system is a joke, and I am so fed up with dealing with all of this bs discrimination against Asians. We're basically getting penalized for being smart and successful, while other groups are getting special treatment.

So there, that's my rant against med schools admissions. Am I frustrated? Yes. Am I bitter? Yes. Am I pissed off? Hell yes. I know that the med school application process is somewhat unpredictable and that I can't expect to get into all of the schools I apply to. But seeing URM applicants with significantly less impressive applications getting into the schools I have already gotten rejected or waitlisted at just makes me want to punch something. I can't wait for this whole application process to be done and over with so that I don't have to deal with anymore of this bs.

[/rant]

Life isn't always fair. You just have to deal with it.

 

[PinkIvy08]

And it's failing in classes, gang warfare, and being good at basketball that drives the black stereotype, which is worse than being numbers driven as far as being a doctor goes, but that doesn't make it right OR true, and both stereotypes are ethically wrong and fundamentally racist.

While I agree that I hate stereotypes because they always pigeonhole people, growing up with a stereotype that you are smart is far less detrimental to one's psyche than growing up with one that you are innately violent and inferior.

GPA and MCAT are huge selection factors for medical schools, including top medical schools. A 39 is not a trivial score (top 99.4%), lots of people study months and months and can't break the low 30s.

MCAT is pretty variable. For instance, I know I lucked out on my BS section with the material I was tested on and could've done a few point worse had they chosen to tested me on other areas of BS knowledge. Perhaps if everyone was tested on the same information each exam, I would support your claim. However, as it stands now, we all know that each MCAT exam has a random sample of questions from different areas...and to a certain extent, luck of the draw plays out in some scores. A 39 is a good score and something to be proud of, but it is foolish to think that numbers represent the quality of a doctor you will make. I know many many book smart people with no common sense and very minimal social skills...

It's a legitimate question, then, if it is true that the academic portion of his application is very strong (which is hard to dispute with the numbers, but it could be he had a 4.0 and 2 Cs his semester right before applying), and if his extracurriculars are very strong, why isn't he accepted? Could it be something to do with URM acceptances?

OP is accepted. He actually has 4 acceptances. But, I'm sure that the places he's WL at, the 15 URM the school accepted took his place. gtfoh...
Oh yeah, it's still December...things likely will change.

Having an admissions process influenced by race is also highly controversial. If your ethnicity is looked down upon, even if it's just by 0.01%, these questions will naturally arise.

Lastly, I agree with TaylorMD's points: no one gets in a riot over legacy and parental employment playing a factor, and yet it does...something I guarantee does not typically help URMs.

 

[mybubbles14]

Lastly, I agree with TaylorMD's points: no one gets in a riot over legacy and parental employment playing a factor, and yet it does...something I guarantee does not typically help URMs.

+1

I love how nobody ever has anything to say about that, the fact that ::gasp:: other ethnicities get in with "low stats"...or that 1/2 of the URMs attend schools that many applicants have no interest in attending in the first place. Bottom line is the admissions process is way too variable and to say "I should be getting more love from top 10 schools they must be giving my seat to an undeserving URM" is quite erroneous. How do you know that your seat didn't go to someone with legacy status or other affiliations to the school?

 

[schrizto]

Lastly, I agree with TaylorMD's points: no one gets in a riot over legacy and parental employment playing a factor, and yet it does...something I guarantee does not typically help URMs.

Chances are legacy and parental employment applicants end up looking more qualified because of their affiliation. That means that a parent is highly educated (since they are either a graduate of the medical school or a faculty member), which likely converts to their child being raised with an emphasis on education.

During most of my time in high school, I didn't even know what research really was or how research was carried out. Yet I have met kids who have been doing science research since early in high school. Their parents were scientists/doctors, and wanted to expose them to research at a young age. I've heard of physician parents teaching their high school age kids organic chemistry and anatomy. Can this likely result in a higher MCAT and gpa? Probably. That's why you don't usually hear people complaining about legacy/affiliation in medical school admissions.

 

[s1lver]

In particular, my rant against how the med school admissions process selectively discriminates against Caucasians and Asians. First, a little bit about myself: I am an Asian male attending Columbia University. My GPA is 3.9+, and I got a 39S on my MCAT. I have 2 years of research, countless hours of volunteer experience, work experience in both medical and non-medical fields, and leadership positions in school clubs and student organizations. My recommendation letters were written by professors who really knew and liked my work, so I presume that they wrote great letters. And I live in South Jersey.

So if an applicant has stats like these and can't even get an interview at Cornell, Columbia, etc. what kind of stats are these top schools looking for?

 

[BlueElmo]

The OP was banned, maybe he was a troll. But man, if you have 4 acceptances to Tufts, NYU, UMDNJ, Temple then seriously, what the hell do you want more?

 

[Pianoman32]

Why aren't military vets given URM status in the app process? They are more under-represented than any group in medicine. They face higher rates of drug abuse, violence, homelessness, mental illness/suicide, educational barriers, etc. than any other group out there.

People say that African Americans are given an advantage because they make up 10% of the population, yet only fill up 3% of the applicant spots. They say that African Americans tend to understand one another better. Why isn't this same logic applied to military vets? Wouldn't a military vet be able to better understand the struggles of that homeless vietnam vet when they rotate through the VA? Why the double standard in the process? Aren't military vets more likely to serve their population? Haven't military vets struggled in their pursuit to become physicians?

 

[Dr Lyss]

While I agree that I hate stereotypes because they always pigeonhole people, growing up with a stereotype that you are smart is far less detrimental to one's psyche than growing up with one that you are innately violent and inferior.



MCAT is pretty variable. For instance, I know I lucked out on my BS section with the material I was tested on and could've done a few point worse had they chosen to tested me on other areas of BS knowledge. Perhaps if everyone was tested on the same information each exam, I would support your claim. However, as it stands now, we all know that each MCAT exam has a random sample of questions from different areas...and to a certain extent, luck of the draw plays out in some scores. A 39 is a good score and something to be proud of, but it is foolish to think that numbers represent the quality of a doctor you will make. I know many many book smart people with no common sense and very minimal social skills...



OP is accepted. He actually has 4 acceptances. But, I'm sure that the places he's WL at, the 15 URM the school accepted took his place. gtfoh...
Oh yeah, it's still December...things likely will change.



Lastly, I agree with TaylorMD's points: no one gets in a riot over legacy and parental employment playing a factor, and yet it does...something I guarantee does not typically help URMs.

took the words out of my mouth. Only in the pre-med world do people obsess about this test and correlate it with the quality of a doctor. Do people honestly think answering a few extra questions about the frequency of a moving cop car or the genetic cross of a fruit fly means that you will be a better doctor? They are testing your ability to retain information -- NOT your skills as a physician. Why do we think we know what makes a physician? Because we got an A in biochem? Because you did research for a year and got to write your name in tiny print on a paper? get out of here. Stop fooling yourself that you know better than an adcom. Even better, we should all stop pretending we know anything about how applicants are selected. Some of the best doctors bombed their MCAT. Get over it. Obviously med school admissions doesn't think it's a problem so why should you? They won't risk their reputation for the sake of diversity so I doubt these "unqualified" (I hate that) students are failing left and right. In fact, there was a thread a month or so ago about someone who failed out of med school with a good gpa and solid MCAT score. The numbers aren't enough to say you will do well in med school. In my school, I sit and work alongside people that probably schooled me in the MCAT, but we are all at the same level.

The MCAT =/= success in medicine. How come we don't see a bunch of URMs failing out of medical school if the MCAT is such a predictor of Med school success? Lose the entitlement, stop whining, and worry about yourself. Let the admissions committee do their jobs and stop pretending you have been bestowed the powers to know what a good doctor will be.

(I love this smiley)

 

[IMDoc607]

I this a joke?

 

[SirSpicious]

+1

took the words out of my mouth. Only in the pre-med world do people obsess about this test and correlate it with the quality of a doctor. Do people honestly think answering a few extra questions about the frequency of a moving cop car or the genetic cross of a fruit fly means that you will be a better doctor? They are testing your ability to retain information -- not your skills as a physician. Why do we think we know what makes a physician? Because we got an a in biochem? Because you did research for a year and got to write your name in tiny print on a paper? Get out of here.

The mcat =/= success in medicine. How come we don't see a bunch of urms failing out of medical school if the mcat is such a predictor of med school success? Lose the entitlement, stop whining, and worry about yourself. Let the admissions committee do their jobs and stop pretending you have been bestowed the powers to know what a good doctor will be.

 

[Gifted Hands]

Why aren't military vets given URM status in the app process? They are more under-represented than any group in medicine. They face higher rates of drug abuse, violence, homelessness, mental illness/suicide, educational barriers, etc. than any other group out there.

People say that African Americans are given an advantage because they make up 10% of the population, yet only fill up 3% of the applicant spots. They say that African Americans tend to understand one another better. Why isn't this same logic applied to military vets? Wouldn't a military vet be able to better understand the struggles of that homeless vietnam vet when they rotate through the VA? Why the double standard in the process? Aren't military vets more likely to serve their population? Haven't military vets struggled in their pursuit to become physicians?

I never really thought about this. I think it's really interesting. Does anyone know the percentage of military vets that apply/get accepted to medical school?

 

[Pianoman32]

I never really thought about this. I think it's really interesting. Does anyone know the percentage of military vets that apply/get accepted to medical school?

I actually just started a thread about this in the underrepresented in healthcare forum. I wanted to hear peoples thoughts instead of hijacking another thread that's almost dead.

 

[thamsenman]

Dude, I don't think you realize. Tufts and NYU and even temple are very hard to get into. You should pat yourself on the back for that one.

I know someone with a 39/3.9 who didn't get in anywhere. It's much more complicated than race, although race often does help in these things. A school is looking for "fit" and that might have nothing to do with whether you are a good candidate or not. Just not what they are looking for.

Particularly at the Top Schools like Sinai, Chicago, fit is really really important.

You should be proud of yourself, you're doing very well!

 

[gplex86]

To the above poster:

I'm not asian but...really??
Poor interviewing skills among Asians? versus white people who are all great at interviewing?
cmon man...i think you're letting your own biases show here

Not sure if you were talking about my post or not

I was referring to possible confounding variables, which may be more enforced in one culture than another. If Asian students were culturally more likely to put their effort into improving their "numbers" and not other factors important to admission, then that could explain the small difference in admission statistics. It would perhaps be a better explanation than to cry "racism".

And I'm going to say it again - high GPA and MCAT alone do not make you more qualified. What you learn in college, and what you learn for the MCAT, actually have little relevance when you get to med school. Your ability to be a great physician is not dependent on those exams, or really any exam. Consider that many medical schools don't even really have grades, that some don't even have real exams, and technically the USMLE is pass/fail as well. It's use as an admissions metric is entirely off-label. And, of course, not all med students take the MCAT.

Furthermore, while it's terrible to stereotype an individual, it's ridiculous to ignore reality. For whatever reason, my people have a propensity to become lawyers. Those of us who grew up with Jewish parents can attest to many shared values, experiences, and expectations. Similarly, many Asian populations also share a common upbringing that instills in them certain values and goals. While this makes them highly competitive in many career paths, they may be focusing too much on exams and scores - things that they feel are most important - when other aspects of their application are lacking.

And the truth is, if a population is applying to medical school with high scores and little else, then that group is going to appear homogeneous. It becomes a stereotype when you lump all Asians into that pot - and that's wrong.

 

[tonguetalker]

That's an interesting table. And this isn't an argument either way just an observation:

Acceptance rates by MCAT, GPA of 3.8+:

Hispanic, Black, African American

27-29: 91.2
30-32: 91.1
33-35: 97.0
36-38: 100.0
39-45: 100.0

Asian

27-29: 72.0
30-32: 86.5
33-35: 90.6
36-38: 94.2
39-45: 97.0

Notably the difference above a 30 isn't that large between Asian and African/Hispanic/Native American, but I wonder how much of that is due to approaching the upper limit (100%).

I'd also like to point out that the number of blacks and hispanics having a 3.8+ GPA and MCAT scores over 33 are going to be substantially lower than Asians. I mean for each one of the black people doing that well, there are likely to be at least three or four times as many Asians. And still, this is to get in SOMEWHERE, which the OP did.

 

[albie19888]

Hi, I'm back for a brief bit, I just wanted to respond to a few of the comments first before disappearing again.

MCAT is pretty variable. For instance, I know I lucked out on my BS section with the material I was tested on and could've done a few point worse had they chosen to tested me on other areas of BS knowledge. Perhaps if everyone was tested on the same information each exam, I would support your claim. However, as it stands now, we all know that each MCAT exam has a random sample of questions from different areas...and to a certain extent, luck of the draw plays out in some scores. A 39 is a good score and something to be proud of, but it is foolish to think that numbers represent the quality of a doctor you will make. I know many many book smart people with no common sense and very minimal social skills...

took the words out of my mouth. Only in the pre-med world do people obsess about this test and correlate it with the quality of a doctor. Do people honestly think answering a few extra questions about the frequency of a moving cop car or the genetic cross of a fruit fly means that you will be a better doctor? They are testing your ability to retain information -- NOT your skills as a physician. Why do we think we know what makes a physician? Because we got an A in biochem? Because you did research for a year and got to write your name in tiny print on a paper? get out of here. Stop fooling yourself that you know better than an adcom. Even better, we should all stop pretending we know anything about how applicants are selected. Some of the best doctors bombed their MCAT. Get over it. Obviously med school admissions doesn't think it's a problem so why should you? They won't risk their reputation for the sake of diversity so I doubt these "unqualified" (I hate that) students are failing left and right. In fact, there was a thread a month or so ago about someone who failed out of med school with a good gpa and solid MCAT score. The numbers aren't enough to say you will do well in med school. In my school, I sit and work alongside people that probably schooled me in the MCAT, but we are all at the same level.

The MCAT =/= success in medicine. How come we don't see a bunch of URMs failing out of medical school if the MCAT is such a predictor of Med school success? Lose the entitlement, stop whining, and worry about yourself. Let the admissions committee do their jobs and stop pretending you have been bestowed the powers to know what a good doctor will be.

+1

I never said, and never will say, that the MCAT is a good predictor for success as a physician. Of course it isn't, since it just covers basic bio, chemistry, etc. If anyone did well on the MCAT would make a good physician, that'd be a crapload of people. However, regardless of whether or not it indicates anything about future success, the MCAT is in fact an admissions criteria. It gives an objective measure in a subjective process and allows medical schools to compare all applicants in a similar way. I understand there is a point of diminishing return (i.e. 35 vs. 40), but to say that there is NO difference between a 30 and a 40 is ignorant. If it doesn't matter, why not just make the MCAT a pass/fail?

Everyone keeps saying "stop worrying about others, just worry about yourself." Well, I worried about myself plenty, getting good grades, a good MCAT, showing an interest and commitment for medicine, etc. And it still didn't mean anything, because I still got turned down from all of those schools. Everyone keeps saying "you got into 4 schools, just be happy, stop whining." Well, yeah, I'm stoked that I got into 4 schools and that I'm going to be practicing medicine in the future. But you know what, the unfairness of it all still reeks, and knowing that I am held to a different standard from other applicants is extremely frustrating. The four schools I got into are great, but who wouldn't want to get into Harvard or Penn or Yale? Knowing that the bar is set lower for some applicants and higher for others, knowing that my admissions decisions would have likely been very different if I were a different race, that is what is frustrating. And yes, before you all feel the need to remind me, yes, I know the world is not a fair place, but that won't stop me, or anyone else for that matter, from getting ticked off about getting treated unfairly, whether it is in med school admissions or just about any facet of life.

The OP was banned, maybe he was a troll. But man, if you have 4 acceptances to Tufts, NYU, UMDNJ, Temple then seriously, what the hell do you want more?

What more do I want? I want a fair shot, that's what I want. I want to be held to the same standards as everyone else, not a higher standard because of my race, or have other applicants with lower standards because of their race. I don't have a problem with getting rejected by Harvard, JHU, etc. Those are ridiculously competitive schools, and I'd be stupid to think of myself as guaranteed a spot at any of those types of institutions. However, what does bother me is that applicants with far lower objective measures are able to get into these schools over me.

 

[albie19888]

I also like reading all of the comments implying that because I'm Asian, I must somehow be socially inept and have poor interviewing skills. Yeah, nice stereotyping there people.

 

[CapnCrunch]

So if an applicant has stats like these and can't even get an interview at Cornell, Columbia, etc. what kind of stats are these top schools looking for?

I agree. Although from our standpoint, it's a little biased since we cannot see all the components of this applicant's application. Nonetheless,

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm

says that within 2005-2007, only 1,682 applicants have gotten a MCAT score of 39-45 out of 114,712 total applicants (1.5% of total applicants!). Even though the table clearly shows that only 93% of the people within the category of the OP are accepted. But then we are left to speculate why the other 7% did not receive admission which could due to a variety of reasons. However, when it comes to the OP, his/her ECs almost make him/her seem as though s/he was a "perfect" applicant and to not receive interviews from top schools would be quite disheartening. Even though I feel I am modest most of the time, I too would become angry and frustrated after all the effort I've put in.

I wish you the best OP and I hope you don't take it too personally. Overcome this obstacle and continue your excellence in academics and onwards to becoming a spectacular physician. Good luck.

 

[albie19888]

Last post, I promise.

I just wanted to leave by saying that I don't hold any grudges against any applicants, whether they're URM or not. I understand the need to get more URMs in medicine, but I don't believe this is the way to go about doing it. Do I have a solution? No. But do I think it's right to go about doing it this way? No. I know I'm not the only one who feels like they got screwed over (in the sense that I wasn't given a fair shot at some schools) by the admissions process, I just had the balls to say it, so don't shoot the messenger. My rant came out cocky and arrogant and reeking of entitlement, but that's because it's a rant, so believe whatever you want about me. I wanted to voice my frustrations, and I've done that, so now I'll move on. I'm glad we were able to have a civilized discussion about this and that this didn't dissolve into name-calling and all of that nonsense.

Hey, I'm gonna be going to med school, so I'll still be able to realize my dream. In that respect, I'm excited, and I'm still holding out hope for the schools that I was waitlisted at.

Good luck to all of you. Peace

 

[Alwaysbehopeful]

I'm Asian and I kind of feel the same way but for me it's more like okay Asians = minority, why the hell are all the Asian people going into medicine!??? Ruining my URM chances

But then again I'm sure applying to a graduate school for Art History or Sociology, we would get some advantage . So it's kind of balanced in a way. Just sucks that we are minorities but all decided to become engineers, lawyers, and doctors. WHY?????? I think FOR THE MONEY! What gets me going are all my pre-med Azn friends going into dental...I mean come on...really? You really have been wanting to be a dentist? Then why were you pre-med for 4 years? Once again for the MONEY!

This kind of bothers me. I'm not saying there aren't Azns who are altruistic, it's just I feel money is a big motivation factor.

But for the OP...yes stop complaing too much...there much be something about your application that isn't standing out...My friend interviewed at all the UC's and she is HELLA asian (she only applied to UCs). Same stats...so I mean maybe your LOR arn't that great? Maybe not enough unique experiences?

Why did he get banned? Why does this forum ban people for speaking their minds? What happened to the first admendment?

 

[thamsenman]

Last post, I promise.

I just wanted to leave by saying that I don't hold any grudges against any applicants, whether they're URM or not. I understand the need to get more URMs in medicine, but I don't believe this is the way to go about doing it. Do I have a solution? No. But do I think it's right to go about doing it this way? No. I know I'm not the only one who feels like they got screwed over (in the sense that I wasn't given a fair shot at some schools) by the admissions process, I just had the balls to say it, so don't shoot the messenger. My rant came out cocky and arrogant and reeking of entitlement, but that's because it's a rant, so believe whatever you want about me. I wanted to voice my frustrations, and I've done that, so now I'll move on. I'm glad we were able to have a civilized discussion about this and that this didn't dissolve into name-calling and all of that nonsense.

Hey, I'm gonna be going to med school, so I'll still be able to realize my dream. In that respect, I'm excited, and I'm still holding out hope for the schools that I was waitlisted at.

Good luck to all of you. Peace

Yeah, not to mention the number of wealthy african americans and hispanics I've known get ahead in the system is ridiculous. If you're in an excluded group, you'll probably think it's unfair. And I do too.

But get over it, don't waste your time griping about things you can't control anyway.

 

[stevesavi]

The fact is, 12.4% of the US population identifies as Black or African American whereas 3.3% of the physician population is Black/AA (using Black/AA as an example for URM). This is a problem, and the solution is the URM program in place today.

QFT, And we need a similar program for the NBA. The US population is 60% white and the NBA is only 30%, this is an obvious problem. And the fact that white basketball players don,t do as well in high school and college isnt an accurate indicator of their potential success in the pros. Lets also keep in mind that they cant be expected to do as well in HS or college because there is less cultural emphasis placed on sports in the white culture. And the NBA is about entertainment not social change, and like it or not there are white people who would rather watch white athletes, so we need the percentages in sports to reflect the percentages of our nation.

 

[zempa]

QFT, And we need a similar program for the NBA. The US population is 60% white and the NBA is only 30%, this is an obvious problem. And the fact that white basketball players don,t do as well in high school and college isnt an accurate indicator of their potential success in the pros. Lets also keep in mind that they cant be expected to do as well in HS or college because there is less cultural emphasis placed on sports in the white culture. And the NBA is about entertainment not social change, and like it or not there are white people who would rather watch white athletes, so we need the percentages in sports to reflect the percentages of our nation.

lol

 

[rg871]

QFT, And we need a similar program for the NBA. The US population is 60% white and the NBA is only 30%, this is an obvious problem. And the fact that white basketball players don,t do as well in high school and college isnt an accurate indicator of their potential success in the pros. Lets also keep in mind that they cant be expected to do as well in HS or college because there is less cultural emphasis placed on sports in the white culture. And the NBA is about entertainment not social change, and like it or not there are white people who would rather watch white athletes, so we need the percentages in sports to reflect the percentages of our nation.

Haha Stevesavi...I'm guessing that post reeked with sarcasm, but you kind of inadvertently confirmed the OP's point. In the NBA, the players are selected based solely off skill, merit, and potential regardless of race or socioeconomic background.

That's all the OP was asking for.

 

[exPCM]

In particular, my rant against how the med school admissions process selectively discriminates against Caucasians and Asians. First, a little bit about myself: I am an Asian male attending Columbia University. My GPA is 3.9+, and I got a 39S on my MCAT. I have 2 years of research, countless hours of volunteer experience, work experience in both medical and non-medical fields, and leadership positions in school clubs and student organizations. My recommendation letters were written by professors who really knew and liked my work, so I presume that they wrote great letters. And I live in South Jersey.

So far, I have gotten into four medical schools: Tufts, UMDNJ-NJMS, NYU, and Temple. Let me first say that I am thankful for receiving these four acceptances, and I am glad that I will be able to pursue my dream of becoming a physician. However, the number of waitlist and rejection decisions that I have received really bothers me. I was waitlisted at Mount Sinai, the University of Chicago, and even Robert Wood Johnson as an in-state NJ resident, which is extremely perplexing. I was rejected without even receiving an interview invite at Cornell and Johns Hopkins, was deferred at Penn, and have not heard back at all from Harvard or Columbia. Granted, I know that these are all top-notch schools, and I would never expect to receive positive news from all of them. However, I find it incomprehensible that I should have received negative news from all of these schools, considering the strength of my application. And then as I peruse MDapplicants, I see people with significantly lower scores and less impressive applications than mine getting acceptances to these schools, and these applicants are almost all URMs. Okay, so I know that scores don't mean everything, and I'm not going to say a kid with a 39 on the MCAT is much better than one with a 35. But when I see kids with a 30 on the MCAT getting accepted to schools I got waitlisted or rejected at, and the only distinguishing feature about them is that they are a URM, do you know how frustrating that is? I don't care how "unique" or "amazing" your life experiences are, but unless they've cured cancer or mapped the human genome, there is no reason why someone with a 30 should be getting accepted over me. There is a significant difference between a 39 and a 30 on the MCAT, and it's a joke that applicants with scores so much lower than mine are getting interviews and acceptances when I'm getting neither. I have seen URM applicants getting interviews at Harvard and Penn and Johns Hopkins with a 30, 31 on the MCAT and 3.5 GPAs. And then there's me, sitting here with a 39 and 3.9+ from Columbia, getting rejected. Me, getting waitlisted at Robert Wood Johnson and Mount Sinai. Really, Robert Wood Johnson??? Are you s****ing me??? It is called the Medical College Admissions Test for a reason; it's not the be-all, end-all, but what is the point of having an admissions test if you are going to disregard it for certain applicants while holding others to higher standards? I saw an African American applicant's MDapps page; with a 30, she got interviews at Harvard, Yale, and Penn, got waitlisted at Johns Hopkins, and was accepted at Robert Wood. As for me, I haven't heard back from Harvard or Yale, got deferred from Penn, got rejected pre-interview from Johns Hopkins, and was waitlisted at Robert Wood. You know what would happen if I got a 30 on the MCAT? I'd be lucky just to get into any med school and would have absolutely no shot of getting into any top school. But if a URM gets a 30, suddenly all of the top schools are falling over themselves to get that student. What the f***?! I feel so frustrated knowing that all of the effort I put into studying for the MCAT, maintaining a good GPA, and participating in all of my activities means nothing in the grand scheme of things, because it just makes me an average Asian applicant, whereas if I were a URM with the same exact application, I'd have my pick of any med school in the country. The American medical school application system is a joke, and I am so fed up with dealing with all of this bs discrimination against Asians. We're basically getting penalized for being smart and successful, while other groups are getting special treatment.

So there, that's my rant against med schools admissions. Am I frustrated? Yes. Am I bitter? Yes. Am I pissed off? Hell yes. I know that the med school application process is somewhat unpredictable and that I can't expect to get into all of the schools I apply to. But seeing URM applicants with significantly less impressive applications getting into the schools I have already gotten rejected or waitlisted at just makes me want to punch something. I can't wait for this whole application process to be done and over with so that I don't have to deal with anymore of this bs.

[/rant]

You have a good point. In the guise of ending discrimination we are actually seeing reverse discrimination against non-URMs.

 

[stevesavi]

Haha Stevesavi...I'm guessing that post reeked with sarcasm, but you kind of inadvertently confirmed the OP's point. In the NBA, the players are selected based solely off skill, merit, and potential regardless of race or socioeconomic background.

That's all the OP was asking for.

Yeah that was an attempt at satirizing some of the responses. I much prefer the NBA's color-blind meritocracy.

 

[Alwaysbehopeful]

Wait can someone answer this?

So do you have to be from a disadvantaged background to be considered URM or just be an ethnicity that isn't seen in medicine as much? Because let say a Hispanic student from a well off family is much more different than a student from a disadvantaged/dysfunctional family, in terms of opportunities and such. Or what about white students from really disadvantaged backgrounds? That doesn't seem fair that they wouldn't get some special perks. I thought schools considered both?

 

[gplex86]

The ignorance... we really ought to add more non-science classes to the pre-med curriculum...

I give up. SDN makes me sick. I can't believe I have to deal with you people for the rest of my career.

 

[Alwaysbehopeful]

The ignorance... we really ought to add more non-science classes to the pre-med curriculum...

I give up. SDN makes me sick. I can't believe I have to deal with you people for the rest of my career.

If you can't take the heat then get out of the kitchen!

 

[Tutmos]

...Just sucks that we are minorities but all decided to become engineers, lawyers, and doctors. WHY?????? I think FOR THE MONEY! ...

You forgot dry cleaners, janitors, dishwashers, cooks, police, accountants, physicists, gang bangers, communist spies, slave traders, chemists, copyright infringers, manufacturers of substandard and often poisonous products, governements that murder tens of millions of their own population, gymnasts, baseball players. Hrmm come to think of it just like every other group.

 

[tonguetalker]

Also, did the OP consider that there may have been several Asians applying with his same stats who just happened to have better ECs than he?

 

[CapnCrunch]

The ignorance... we really ought to add more non-science classes to the pre-med curriculum...

I give up. SDN makes me sick. I can't believe I have to deal with you people for the rest of my career.

Care to elaborate?

 

[Alwaysbehopeful]

You forgot dry cleaners, janitors, dishwashers, cooks, police, accountants, physicists, gang bangers, communist spies, slave traders, chemists, copyright infringers, manufacturers of substandard and often poisonous products, governements that murder tens of millions of their own population, gymnasts, baseball players. Hrmm come to think of it just like every other group.

How come the OP gets banned but then you can post stuff like that?

So by what you are saying those jobs/fields Asians are also not URM. Then what exactly are we URM in? <well sports obviously and not ping pong, diving, or badminton, we own those...and golf until Tiger messed it all up!>

It seems that there are too many Asians in every field then...but that sort of disproves this whole URM idea.

Your post doesn't make any sense, sure there are many Asians doing all those kind of jobs but then again a lot of them go to college, go to graduate school, and become lawyers, doctors, and engineers more so than African Americans and Hispanics. So....a different still exists...

 

[TaylorMDhopeful]

Why aren't military vets given URM status in the app process? They are more under-represented than any group in medicine. They face higher rates of drug abuse, violence, homelessness, mental illness/suicide, educational barriers, etc. than any other group out there.

Wouldn't a military vet be able to better understand the struggles of that homeless vietnam vet when they rotate through the VA? Why the double standard in the process? Aren't military vets more likely to serve their population? Haven't military vets struggled in their pursuit to become physicians?

Good point. You can't actually say that there aren't measures in place that would help to benefit military vets that want to become physicians. I would think that they would receive bonus points for life experience with this. If you convey this in your application and bolster it with a reason for medicine I would think you would do relatively well with all other things being average (MCAT, GPA, etc). I think many of the military vets would go to military medicine but its just a guess.

Hi, I'm back for a brief bit, I just wanted to respond to a few of the comments first before disappearing again.

Everyone keeps saying "stop worrying about others, just worry about yourself." Well, I worried about myself plenty, getting good grades, a good MCAT, showing an interest and commitment for medicine, etc. And it still didn't mean anything, because I still got turned down from all of those schools. Everyone keeps saying "you got into 4 schools, just be happy, stop whining." Well, yeah, I'm stoked that I got into 4 schools and that I'm going to be practicing medicine in the future. But you know what, the unfairness of it all still reeks, and knowing that I am held to a different standard from other applicants is extremely frustrating. The four schools I got into are great, but who wouldn't want to get into Harvard or Penn or Yale? Knowing that the bar is set lower for some applicants and higher for others, knowing that my admissions decisions would have likely been very different if I were a different race, that is what is frustrating. And yes, before you all feel the need to remind me, yes, I know the world is not a fair place, but that won't stop me, or anyone else for that matter, from getting ticked off about getting treated unfairly, whether it is in med school admissions or just about any facet of life.

What more do I want? I want a fair shot, that's what I want. I want to be held to the same standards as everyone else, not a higher standard because of my race, or have other applicants with lower standards because of their race. I don't have a problem with getting rejected by Harvard, JHU, etc. Those are ridiculously competitive schools, and I'd be stupid to think of myself as guaranteed a spot at any of those types of institutions. However, what does bother me is that applicants with far lower objective measures are able to get into these schools over me.

You have a fair shot. Asian applicants get in at the second highest clip behind Caucasians. Where is the foul play that Caucasians are taking the seats? Is it because URMs are deemed to be unintelligent and don't have the stats to back up their acceptances. Not all URMs have low stats and many of the ones with lower stats tend to matriculate at the HBCU and PR med schools that many of you stigmatize and don't want to attend anyway. You couldn't tell me for one second that I didn't deserve the acceptances that I have received so far especially since you don't know what I have been through in life and you don't know my motivations or background. I'm sure there are Asian applicants who received acceptances into the schools that you were rejected and waitlisted at with lower stats than yourself. Do you think you deserve their spot? Medical school admissions is less about meritocracy than other countries. I have seen many foreigners come to the US to start the medical process and them or their children don't make it to their top choice and they scream foul play. Admissions in the US is very random and each school is looking for a certain type of applicant. What make work for you at NYU may not work for you at JHU or Harvard. You are not guaranteed anything in this process. Even with the best stats, there are people who don't get into the top 10 schools. For you with your stats, there are at least 100 people who mimick you and many more that are better than you. Just the way life is. If you don't gain admissions to your favorite school it is not the fault of the URM scapegoat.

QFT, And we need a similar program for the NBA. The US population is 60% white and the NBA is only 30%, this is an obvious problem. And the fact that white basketball players don,t do as well in high school and college isnt an accurate indicator of their potential success in the pros. Lets also keep in mind that they cant be expected to do as well in HS or college because there is less cultural emphasis placed on sports in the white culture. And the NBA is about entertainment not social change, and like it or not there are white people who would rather watch white athletes, so we need the percentages in sports to reflect the percentages of our nation.

There are sports where Caucasians dominate, haha. NASCAR, Golf, Hockey. They just aren't as popular in our society.

You have a good point. In the guise of ending discrimination we are actually seeing reverse discrimination against non-URMs.

Look at the stats, read some past LizzyM threads and see if you think that its still reverse discrimination. Ridiculous....

The ignorance... we really ought to add more non-science classes to the pre-med curriculum...

I give up. SDN makes me sick. I can't believe I have to deal with you people for the rest of my career.

+1. I feel your pain.

Also, did the OP consider that there may have been several Asians applying with his same stats who just happened to have better ECs than he?

Definitely could be the case. We don't even know if he had his application sent in on time (early...like June). If he sent his secondaries back within a week's time of getting them. If what he put on his app was up to par (any holes in EC, leadership, research (especially for top schools). What his LORs said about him. What his PS was like. How he came across to the Adcoms at these schools. What his interviews were like, did he make any errors (speaking, confidence, posture, gestures, his interaction with other students/interviewees). There are far too many factors to just say ohhh..I should have gotten in. Its the fault of a [enter group here]

 

[Jolt21]

The only thing I can add to this thread that may help the criticism, is that during the application process, almost all the schools I have come across have delved on "diversity" in some way or another. schools realize that with ~100 kids (some less, some more), they cannot have most of them being the same. If all students matriculating had 4.0's, 40's, worked at a hospital, and volunteered in some 3rd world country, can you imagine how boring that would be? Students would for SURE complain about the admissions dept. ability to accept a diverse student body. I know that in college, I wanted to learn from other students, not just professors. there were so many things in life I was not exposed to, that I know professors would not be able to provide me with, and I was correct. The same applies for medical school. It is the reason some schools like U of Chicago have that course on healthcare disparities among races before the real curriculum even begins. There are just some things you won't learn in the classroom.

Sure the OP's stats were great. I mean, they are freakin outstanding. But there are so many other kids with those same stats that eventually it becomes a wash. Schools then have to look at "can other kids learn something from this student?" Now the OP may say "yes", but unless he/she conveyed that in some sense in their application, how is the school supposed to know? Once the school feels like they have filled a void in their student body, they have to move onto another void. They can't interview every eligible student, there just isn't enough time and resources.

Some schools said they wanted the OP to fill that void for their school, others didn't. That's the game.

 

[zempa]

Good point. You can't actually say that there aren't measures in place that would help to benefit military vets that want to become physicians. I would think that they would receive bonus points for life experience with this. If you convey this in your application and bolster it with a reason for medicine I would think you would do relatively well with all other things being average (MCAT, GPA, etc). I think many of the military vets would go to military medicine but its just a guess.



You have a fair shot. Asian applicants get in at the second highest clip behind Caucasians. Where is the foul play that Caucasians are taking the seats? Is it because URMs are deemed to be unintelligent and don't have the stats to back up their acceptances. Not all URMs have low stats and many of the ones with lower stats tend to matriculate at the HBCU and PR med schools that many of you stigmatize and don't want to attend anyway. You couldn't tell me for one second that I didn't deserve the acceptances that I have received so far especially since you don't know what I have been through in life and you don't know my motivations or background. I'm sure there are Asian applicants who received acceptances into the schools that you were rejected and waitlisted at with lower stats than yourself. Do you think you deserve their spot? Medical school admissions is less about meritocracy than other countries. I have seen many foreigners come to the US to start the medical process and them or their children don't make it to their top choice and they scream foul play. Admissions in the US is very random and each school is looking for a certain type of applicant. What make work for you at NYU may not work for you at JHU or Harvard. You are not guaranteed anything in this process. Even with the best stats, there are people who don't get into the top 10 schools. For you with your stats, there are at least 100 people who mimick you and many more that are better than you. Just the way life is. If you don't gain admissions to your favorite school it is not the fault of the URM scapegoat.




There are sports where Caucasians dominate, haha. NASCAR, Golf, Hockey. They just aren't as popular in our society.



Look at the stats, read some past LizzyM threads and see if you think that its still reverse discrimination. Ridiculous....



+1. I feel your pain.



Definitely could be the case. We don't even know if he had his application sent in on time (early...like June). If he sent his secondaries back within a week's time of getting them. If what he put on his app was up to par (any holes in EC, leadership, research (especially for top schools). What his LORs said about him. What his PS was like. How he came across to the Adcoms at these schools. What his interviews were like, did he make any errors (speaking, confidence, posture, gestures, his interaction with other students/interviewees). There are far too many factors to just say ohhh..I should have gotten in. Its the fault of a [enter group here]

hilarious! Fair shot? Just because they get in at the secondest highest clip doesn't mean they get a fair shot, I bet the rate of those that get accepted vs rejected is actually lower then for URM, and honestly I can't judge you in anyway and I'm really happy that you got the interviews/acceptances that you did but in a way you epitomize what the OP was talking about

 

[zempa]

I'm also getting tired of people saying do you know how many applicants have the same stats as the OP blah blah... You guys realize its probably something around 100 kids - that's it, when you combine it with his undergrad, his excellent E. C.'s i mean we are probably talking about 50 kids at most

it would also be a ridiculous assertion to say that if you were the ADCOM and didn't know the respective elasticities of the applicants you wouldn't pick the OP for at least for an interview

 

[RogueUnicorn]

oh dear..

 

[Jolt21]

I'm also getting tired of people saying do you know how many applicants have the same stats as the OP blah blah... You guys realize its probably something around 100 kids - that's it, when you combine it with his undergrad, his excellent E. C.'s i mean we are probably talking about 50 kids at most

it would also be a ridiculous assertion to say that if you were the ADCOM and didn't know the respective elasticities of the applicants you wouldn't pick the OP for at least for an interview

I mean, c'mon dude, just do some research before your throw #'s around

let's look at facts from 2005-2007 (3 year span)

applicants with a 3.8-4.0 and a 39-45 MCAT: 910
applicants with a 3.8-4.0 and a 36-38 MCAT: 2,444

the OP said it himself...difference b/w a 40 and a 35/36 isn't much. so if you add the two, that's 3,354. Divide that by 3 years, you get 1,118 applicants a year. more than 10x your thought of 100.

Now also take into account that GPA's and MCAT's have only been on the rise. So these numbers have only gone up.

Now take into account that a school like Harvard only interviews ~1,000 total. As I mentioned before, there are voids. So they take a couple hundred from each group. So yea, you do the math. Chances aren't that good. Even for an interview.

source: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm

 

[Dwun]

Oh, boy, this site seems to be a hotbed of controversy as of late. I'll just say this, the OP shouldn't expect ANYTHING in a process where there are so many factors that determine whether an adcom likes you or not.

Yay, second post.

 

[Jolt21]

as we have all figured out in the app cycle, it's so much more than a numbers game.

 

[Tutmos]

How come the OP gets banned but then you can post stuff like that?

So by what you are saying those jobs/fields Asians are also not URM. Then what exactly are we URM in? <well sports obviously and not ping pong, diving, or badminton, we own those...and golf until Tiger messed it all up!>

It seems that there are too many Asians in every field then...but that sort of disproves this whole URM idea.

Your post doesn't make any sense, sure there are many Asians doing all those kind of jobs but then again a lot of them go to college, go to graduate school, and become lawyers, doctors, and engineers more so than African Americans and Hispanics. So....a different still exists...

Wow. I think you might need to read those posts over again a few times.

 

[zempa]

wow.

let's look at facts from 2005-2007 (3 year span)

applicants with a 3.8-4.0 and a 39-45 MCAT: 910
applicants with a 3.8-4.0 and a 36-38 MCAT: 2,444

the OP said it himself...difference b/w a 40 and a 35/36 isn't much. so if you add the two, that's 3,354. Divide that by 3 years, you get 1,118 applicants a year. more than 10x your thought of 100.

Now also take into account that GPA's and MCAT's have only been on the rise. So these numbers have only gone up.

Now take into account that a school like Harvard only interviews ~1,000 total. As I mentioned before, there are voids. So they take a couple hundred from each group. So yea, you do the math. Chances aren't that good. Even for an interview.

source: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm

lol don't lump numbers together first of all lets focus on this line since it shows the OP's range:

applicants with a 3.8-4.0 and a 39-45 MCAT: 910

second OP had a 3.9 + if i remember correctly (I'm sure this would further narrow down the numbers), but regardless since this is a 3 year span its around 300 kids a year. How many of these kids have the same e.c.'s/research as the OP I'd say maybe half to be fair which means around 150 people. Now you said yourself that Harvard interviews around 1000 people and I'm sure the other ivys interview around the same. When you think about it logically chances are that each of those students would get at least 1 interview to some ivy

 

[TaylorMDhopeful]

hilarious! Fair shot? Just because they get in at the secondest highest clip doesn't mean they get a fair shot, I bet the rate of those that get accepted vs rejected is actually lower then for URM, and honestly I can't judge you in anyway and I'm really happy that you got the interviews/acceptances that you did but in a way you epitomize what the OP was talking about

1. URMs get in a few percentage points lower than Caucasians or Asians. LizzyM showed those stats a few threads back. If you want to see where the stat comes from you can look through her posts for it. 2. Like I said before medicine isn't a meritocracy. You aren't guaranteed a spot just because you have high stats. That is why like 10% of those with MCAT scores above 36 don't get an acceptance and it won't be because of the URM taking their spots as there are people of the same ethnicities with lower stats who got their spots too so if you want to scream foul, don't direct it only towards URMs. URMs get into med school at about 2-3 thousand per around 18 thousand acceptances with half going to HBCU, Caribbean and PR schools. I guess because I didn't get a 39 on the MCAT and am Black it was I who stole his Yale interview? Doubtful. They interview who they want. If you don't interview with someone, it doesn't mean that you didn't deserve to go there. Between native and international students there are only so many spots for interviews. That is why you have to cover your bases where you can. Should he have gotten an interview at those places he has mentioned? Probably, but like with me, you don't know the full story. I was raised in some of the worst projects in Brooklyn. I have seen drug dealing, people getting murdered (including one of my best friends) and violence (gang) since I was little. I am the only person I know from my friends growing up who even finished high school. I came from a difficult background and still succeeded, went to a great undergrad, did well in school/on the mcat, published research and have years of service and commitment to giving back to my community and mentoring students from rough backgrounds like my own so that they can succeed. I have worked hard for and earned everything that I have received up until this point. Yea, I don't have a 39 or a 3.9. But so what? It doesn't mean that I won't be a great doctor who is culturally competent, compassionate and knowledgeable. Who knows if this OP even had those stats? or had holes in his application or anything else? This is the internet!

The only thing I can add to this thread that may help the criticism, is that during the application process, almost all the schools I have come across have delved on "diversity" in some way or another. schools realize that with ~100 kids (some less, some more), they cannot have most of them being the same. If all students matriculating had 4.0's, 40's, worked at a hospital, and volunteered in some 3rd world country, can you imagine how boring that would be? Students would for SURE complain about the admissions dept. ability to accept a diverse student body. I know that in college, I wanted to learn from other students, not just professors. there were so many things in life I was not exposed to, that I know professors would not be able to provide me with, and I was correct. The same applies for medical school. It is the reason some schools like U of Chicago have that course on healthcare disparities among races before the real curriculum even begins. There are just some things you won't learn in the classroom.

Sure the OP's stats were great. I mean, they are freakin outstanding. But there are so many other kids with those same stats that eventually it becomes a wash. Schools then have to look at "can other kids learn something from this student?" Now the OP may say "yes", but unless he/she conveyed that in some sense in their application, how is the school supposed to know? Once the school feels like they have filled a void in their student body, they have to move onto another void. They can't interview every eligible student, there just isn't enough time and resources.

Some schools said they wanted the OP to fill that void for their school, others didn't. That's the game.

+1. Well stated Jolt

I'm also getting tired of people saying do you know how many applicants have the same stats as the OP blah blah... You guys realize its probably something around 100 kids - that's it, when you combine it with his undergrad, his excellent E. C.'s i mean we are probably talking about 50 kids at most

it would also be a ridiculous assertion to say that if you were the ADCOM and didn't know the respective elasticities of the applicants you wouldn't pick the OP for at least for an interview

Don't assume you know the OP and everything about his application based on what he says on the internet (especially on SDN) or what Adcoms really look for. He may have not been a good fit for those top schools based on who viewed his profile. Its highly variable.

 

[bamtuba]

Well, I'm an old white guy with a 31 MCAT who got WL at Hopkins.

Medical schools don't just want "people who have cured cancer" or "mapped the genome," whatever that means. Hell, people a LOT smarter than you and me have yet to do such things with their careers after much more time and education.

I think they tend to want people who show an aptitude for doing a lot with a little, showing the capacity to deal with a whole lotta s**t while keeping calm and collected, and being a cool enough person to put up with in tight quarters so that patients can be served by TEAMS of professionals.

At some point in this process almose every applicant is tested for the above, whether it be through past life experience or one's attitude during the interview.

It's OK to have problems with the process, but letting that show through to an adcom (which I think is possible considering the OP's remarks admitting to being bitter and the like) or even worse coming across as entitled (which methinks you might have done at some point to some of those schools) is what they want to weed out.

I can tell you now, if you can't handle the "unfairness" of the medical school admissions process, you are going to have one heck of a time dealing with it as a physician. Especially once you get those little letters at the end of your name so that you feel even MORE entitled.

We need more physicians who are capable of dealing with a system of healthcare that is going to do anything but become more fair. If you can't handle such things now, what will you do when peoples' lives are on the line or your income?

You gotta learn to go with the flow to an extent and not just judge the reasons for your success/failures as being contingent upon the differing status of others. Worry about yourself and just keep on rolling with the punches.