Offices of Minority Affairs

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DrPavoreal

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I've been hearing that I should contact the Office of Minority Affairs for the SOMs that I am interested in during the application process. What purpose does this serve? What questions should I pose for them? :sleep:

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contacting the office of minority affairs/multicultural affairs (or whatever else they may go by) can't be a bad thing. if nothing else, it will allow you to start practicing your "why i want to come to your school" routine. it may also help you to figure out why you want to go there, or why you may want to stay away.

at best, it may help you to gain an advocate when your application comes up for review at committee. if the office gets to know you, perhaps they can steer you towards what to say or not to say on your application. perhaps they can help arrange students for you to meet during your interview, or a place to stay when you interview. at some schools, there may be a dean that is in and/or runs the office of minority affairs. having him/her familiar with your name when your file comes up in front of all the deans when deciding whether to admit or deny a candidate can be a good thing.


so, yes, you need to contact the office of minority affairs for the school's you're applying to.
 
contacting the office of minority affairs/multicultural affairs (or whatever else they may go by) can't be a bad thing. if nothing else, it will allow you to start practicing your "why i want to come to your school" routine. it may also help you to figure out why you want to go there, or why you may want to stay away.

at best, it may help you to gain an advocate when your application comes up for review at committee. if the office gets to know you, perhaps they can steer you towards what to say or not to say on your application. perhaps they can help arrange students for you to meet during your interview, or a place to stay when you interview. at some schools, there may be a dean that is in and/or runs the office of minority affairs. having him/her familiar with your name when your file comes up in front of all the deans when deciding whether to admit or deny a candidate can be a good thing.


so, yes, you need to contact the office of minority affairs for the school's you're applying to.


A couple of the schools I applied told me to contact their office of minority affairs/multicultural affairs shortly after being offered an interview. The aformentioned reasons for doing so are true.
 
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What type of questions should someone ask when they contact their office od minority affairs?
 
Keep the good advice comin', folks! :D
 
What type of questions should someone ask when they contact their office od minority affairs?

questions to which the answers are of interest to you would seem best. what may be important to you, may not be important to another applicant.

if you're hispanic, perhaps the number of hispanics in the current classes is important to you. if you're african-american, perhaps the number of african-americans in the current classes is important to you. or, maybe it isn't.

matriculation rates and graduation rates come to mind. after all, not everyone that enters medical school graduates.

financial aid awards/scholarship availability.

availability of current students to talk/e-mail/text message/meet when you interview.

minority faculty. their availability to students.

minority residents. their availability to students.

residency programs- where are the minority medical students matching?

what's the institutions history with minority students? do they have a long standing history of supporting minority medical students, or is this some new phenomenon within the particular institution.

that's just a start. i'm sure others can come up with more questions.
 
^Awesome. :)

Do ya'll recommend waiting until one receives an interview invite before contacting the Office of Minority Affairs?
 
^Awesome. :)

Do ya'll recommend waiting until one receives an interview invite before contacting the Office of Minority Affairs?

You can contact them from even before the application cycle. At one of the schools I applied to specifically told me at the interview that I should have talked to them beforehand. So I recommend you getting in contact with them ASAP. They can probably spend more time analyzing your application and may even get an interview invite out of it. Good luck!
 
questions to which the answers are of interest to you would seem best. what may be important to you, may not be important to another applicant.

if you're hispanic, perhaps the number of hispanics in the current classes is important to you. if you're african-american, perhaps the number of african-americans in the current classes is important to you. or, maybe it isn't.

matriculation rates and graduation rates come to mind. after all, not everyone that enters medical school graduates.

financial aid awards/scholarship availability.

availability of current students to talk/e-mail/text message/meet when you interview.

minority faculty. their availability to students.

minority residents. their availability to students.

residency programs- where are the minority medical students matching?

what's the institutions history with minority students? do they have a long standing history of supporting minority medical students, or is this some new phenomenon within the particular institution.

that's just a start. i'm sure others can come up with more questions.

I agree. That is a great list/resource and I wish I would have had this list at any time during these 2 app cycles. :thumbup:
 
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