Pretending to be a URM to get in to medical school

[The Dragon Slayer]

Many of you have probably heard about an infamous case of an Indian applicant (link below) who successfully reapplied pretending to be black in his second cycle. However, I am sure this is not the first time something like this has happened. For instance, many people with an unusually sounding last name could probably also succeed doing this (i.e. claiming to be hispanic). Not to mention nearly anyone can claim to be Native American nowadays (*cough Elizabeth Warren *cough) What is the general consensus of the moral acceptability about doing something like this? Since "affirmative action" based on race is inherently unfair for numerous reasons, is it really so disingenuous to play the system in this way? I read the book written by this individual and it makes a lot of sense in exposing the hypocrisy and reverse-discimination endemic in medical school admissions. For that reason, I personally do not believe one should condemn this guy's actions. Would be highly interested to hear what others think about this.

Almost Black - The True Story Of An Indian American Who Got Into Medical School Pretending To Be An African American
https://nypost.com/2015/04/12/mindy-kalings-brother-explains-why-he-pretended-to-be-black/

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Coltuna]

I can't think of any situation where this sort of thing would be morally acceptable lol.

 

[HomeSkool]

 

[onyxbell]

Is there any stat of those who claim to be URMs but are in fact not to gain an advantage and subsequently disqualified/rejected after being discovered? This is the inherent fault of reporting bias. For every successful case, there is probably more failed cases that went unreported. So if you want to gamble on the chance, nobody's stopping you.

Also, is your pride so low that you want to resort to underhanded methods?

 

[anonybear]

What is the general consensus of the moral acceptability about doing something like this?

You already know the answer to this... The "general consensus" on whether it's morally acceptable to do this isn't a mystery. Maybe you've had two unsuccessful application cycles because you come off like the type of person who thinks that this type of deception is OK.

 

[Swan Ronson]

i would not have believed this post if you told me about it.

 

[gyngyn]

This has been discussed (many times).

 

[Winged Scapula]

This has been discussed (many times).

Exactly.

It never ends well. I will move it to TIH for discussion.

 

[Osminog]

OP, you seem specialize in two kinds of activities: 1. Giving low-quality advice, e.g., discouraging a 31-year-old from pursuing medical school purely on the basis of age, and telling people to never mention family illness in personal statements; and 2. Trying to rile people up with posts about: how crying is sign of "mental instability and weakness," how occasional acts of academic dishonesty are morally permissible, and how pretending to be a URM on applications is praise-worthy.

If I had to guess, I'd say you're probably embittered by your unsuccessful application cycle. I hope your next application cycle turns out better, but I also hope you're able to shift your attitude a bit.

 

[The Dragon Slayer]

OP, you seem specialize in two kinds of activities: 1. Giving low-quality advice, e.g., discouraging a 31-year-old from pursuing medical school purely on the basis of age, and telling people to never mention family illness in personal statements; and 2. Trying to rile people up with posts about: how crying is sign of "mental instability and weakness," how occasional acts of academic dishonesty are morally permissible, and how pretending to be a URM on applications is praise-worthy.

If I had to guess, I'd say you're probably embittered by your unsuccessful application cycle. I hope your next application cycle turns out better, but I also hope you're able to shift your attitude a bit.

In my own defense to the points you made 1) These are my actual stances. Whether or not they are are poor advice is subjective and depends on who is reading it. 2) I have never posted anything with a focus on upsetting anyone. The point of this thread is to have a candid discussion about a topic that most people seem too timid to approach. Most URM threads seem to have been closed prematurely on this forum and I feel that this prevents a free exchange of ideas on an issue that is unfairly favoring thousands of medical school matriculants each year. I have also openly acknowledged being bitter about this past application cycle in numerous other posts so this should not be anything new .