Summer Programs and URM Rant

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Hemorrage

Ambrose
10+ Year Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2011
Messages
1,560
Reaction score
212
Ok im starting to get SICK of this URM bull. Ive been spending a week trying to compile a list of summer research programs i want to apply to and i swear 80% of the time they want URM students. I feel this is completely unfair to the rest of us, im not a URM but i have been disadvantaged financially for a long time, i fixed that issue. Do they really think these URM students are actually going to go back to their communities AFTER they get a nice job as a MD or DO? hah yeah right. Im so sick of this, i work my butt off to pay for college and now i can't apply to prestigious summer programs because they only want black, hispanic or native americans. So much for racism being abolished, its pretty much reverse racism in the U.S.

Sorry for the obnoxiousness in this post, i just felt that i needed to get this off my chest and see if anyone else felt the same way. I am NOT racist, i have many URM friends. The only thing that bothers me is the idea that they get an advantage over me because of their race
 
Last edited:
Why must you apply to 'prestigious summer programs'? What's wrong with you asking a professor at your home institution if he has a position available for the summer? Research is research. Who knows? If you're lucky you may even be able to continue throughout the school year.
 
Why must you apply to 'prestigious summer programs'? What's wrong with you asking a professor at your home institution if he has a position available for the summer? Research is research. Who knows? If you're lucky you may even be able to continue throughout the school year.

this. i (white dude) got 2 pubs this way. work hard wherever you are, and forget about the prestige.
 
Why must you apply to 'prestigious summer programs'? What's wrong with you asking a professor at your home institution if he has a position available for the summer? Research is research. Who knows? If you're lucky you may even be able to continue throughout the school year.

this is exactly what i did albeit a little late.
 
this. i (white dude) got 2 pubs this way. work hard wherever you are, and forget about the prestige.

Same story here - I did a summer program at UT Southwestern for two years and ended up getting a pub.

OP, read The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas. Come back here and let me know what you think about URM programs.
 
Same story here - I did a summer program at UT Southwestern for two years and ended up getting a pub.

OP, read The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas. Come back here and let me know what you think about URM programs.

i didn't know ALL urms were decendents of frederick douglass
 
The only thing that bothers me is the idea that they get an advantage over me because of their race

America...showing race favoritism since 1776.

Would you have rather been born a URM and be on the other side of the fence all of your life up until the summer of your sophmore year where you get apply to research programs with an advantage?

If not, shut up.


















































































1300201218721-dumpfm-conqueror-tumblr_li1bhaAf601qb1a3do1_2502.gif
 
America...showing race favoritism since 1776.

Would you have rather been born a URM and be on the other side of the fence all of your life up until the summer of your sophmore year where you get apply to research programs with an advantage?

If not, shut up.


















































































1300201218721-dumpfm-conqueror-tumblr_li1bhaAf601qb1a3do1_2502.gif

lolololol
 
Why must you apply to 'prestigious summer programs'? What's wrong with you asking a professor at your home institution if he has a position available for the summer? Research is research. Who knows? If you're lucky you may even be able to continue throughout the school year.

Some people go to low-end teaching colleges (i.e. colleges were little research takes place) because they can't afford any better, or because of various other circumstances. Not all of them are URMs.

That said, the NIH has the "Summers of Discovery" program that is open to everyone.
 
Ok im starting to get SICK of this URM bull. Ive been spending a week trying to compile a list of summer research programs i want to apply to and i swear 80% of the time they want URM students. I feel this is completely unfair to the rest of us, im not a URM but i have been disadvantaged financially for a long time, i fixed that issue. Do they really think these URM students are actually going to go back to their communities AFTER they get a nice job as a MD or DO? hah yeah right. Im so sick of this, i work my butt off to pay for college and now i can't apply to prestigious summer programs because they only want black, hispanic or native americans. So much for racism being abolished, its pretty much reverse racism in the U.S.

Sorry for the obnoxiousness in this post, i just felt that i needed to get this off my chest and see if anyone else felt the same way. I am NOT racist, i have many URM friends. The only thing that bothers me is the idea that they get an advantage over me because of their race
Do you really think summer research programs are looking for applicants intending on becoming MD's or DO's? 😛

Yes, some programs are reserved for URM applicants, but this does not mean you can't find a quality research opportunity as an ORM applicant.
That said, the NIH has the "Summers of Discovery" program that is open to everyone.
You mean the NIH SIP? https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip

I've never heard it called Summers of Discovery, but that may be different.
https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip
 
You mean the NIH SIP? https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip

I've never heard it called Summers of Discovery, but that may be different.

Whatever it's called now... I walk by a poster that says "Summers of Discovery" every day when I walk to my office, but it's a pretty old poster.

Now that you mention it, I think it was called the Summer Internship Program when I did it too, so I'm not sure when/if it was named otherwise. Maybe "Summers of Discovery" was that program for teachers to do research in the summer.
 
Whatever it's called now... I walk by a poster that says "Summers of Discovery" every day when I walk to my office, but it's a pretty old poster.

Now that you mention it, I think it was called the Summer Internship Program when I did it too, so I'm not sure when/if it was named otherwise. Maybe "Summers of Discovery" was that program for teachers to do research in the summer.
Either way, it's a good example to bring up. 👍 Their acceptance rate is pretty high as well.
 
Ok im starting to get SICK of this URM bull. Ive been spending a week trying to compile a list of summer research programs i want to apply to and i swear 80% of the time they want URM students. I feel this is completely unfair to the rest of us, im not a URM but i have been disadvantaged financially for a long time, i fixed that issue. Do they really think these URM students are actually going to go back to their communities AFTER they get a nice job as a MD or DO? hah yeah right. Im so sick of this, i work my butt off to pay for college and now i can't apply to prestigious summer programs because they only want black, hispanic or native americans. So much for racism being abolished, its pretty much reverse racism in the U.S.

Sorry for the obnoxiousness in this post, i just felt that i needed to get this off my chest and see if anyone else felt the same way. I am NOT racist, i have many URM friends. The only thing that bothers me is the idea that they get an advantage over me because of their race

According to AMSA, "Black physicians were found to practice in areas where the proportion of Black residents was nearly five times as high as where other physicians practice. Likewise, Hispanic physicians worked in communities with twice the proportion of Hispanic residents when compared to their non-Hispanic colleagues" and "URM physicians are also more likely than their non-minority counterparts to conduct research to help reduce racial disparities in health care."
 
Actually, I have noticed that a lot of the programs that advertise as wanting URM to apply also encourage students who are disadvantaged in other ways to apply.
So, if you're financially disadvantaged, there are programs that will still encourage you to apply.
Good luck on finding a program to fit your needs. I do second the sentiment that more local programs are just as good, though. Keep in mind that if you do this locally, there is more of a chance for you to develop an actual relationship with the person (people) you work with. Relationships=LORs that are strong (if you don't screw up. lol)
 
Ok im starting to get SICK of this URM bull. Ive been spending a week trying to compile a list of summer research programs i want to apply to and i swear 80% of the time they want URM students. I feel this is completely unfair to the rest of us, im not a URM but i have been disadvantaged financially for a long time, i fixed that issue. Do they really think these URM students are actually going to go back to their communities AFTER they get a nice job as a MD or DO? hah yeah right. Im so sick of this, i work my butt off to pay for college and now i can't apply to prestigious summer programs because they only want black, hispanic or native americans. So much for racism being abolished, its pretty much reverse racism in the U.S.

Sorry for the obnoxiousness in this post, i just felt that i needed to get this off my chest and see if anyone else felt the same way. I am NOT racist, i have many URM friends. The only thing that bothers me is the idea that they get an advantage over me because of their race

🙄 I aint doin no trippn
 
I am NOT racist, i have many URM friends. The only thing that bothers me is the idea that they get an advantage over me because of their race

you know who you remind me of?

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQR01qltgo8[/YOUTUBE]


Just so you have a perspective of this supposed "URM advantage" here's a look at our congress.

Racial Composition of the 112th Congress (including Delegates in the House)

White
361 U.S. House
96 U.S. Senate
Black
44 U.S. House
0 U.S. Senate
Hispanic
25 U.S. House
2 U.S. Senate
Asian
7 U.S. House
2 U.S. Senate
American Indian
1 U.S. House
0 U.S. Senate
 
you know who you remind me of?

[YOUTUBE]zQR01qltgo8[/YOUTUBE]


Just so you have a perspective of this supposed "URM advantage" here's a look at our congress.

Racial Composition of the 112th Congress (including Delegates in the House)

White
361 U.S. House
96 U.S. Senate
Black
44 U.S. House
0 U.S. Senate
Hispanic
25 U.S. House
2 U.S. Senate
Asian
7 U.S. House
2 U.S. Senate
American Indian
1 U.S. House
0 U.S. Senate
And congress is only one of the many many many perks to being white in the US. Is it fair? Probably not. Will URMs milk this opportunity? You can bet your sweet ***** we will.😀
 
not sure what the problem was with that ucla girl. it was a legitimate complaint.
 
So much for racism being abolished, it's pretty much reverse racism in the U.S.
Agree with this.

From my experience: I was applying for a postbacc program that targeted economically disadvantaged students (not one race VS. another, or so I thought); also the program offers successful students a direct entry into med school to increase the # of physicians who are more likely to "come back and serve the underserved" [mission].

Truth is, they give huge preference for blacks. (1) Only 3/30 students in the program are non-URM, (2) they accepted URMs who (told the interviewers they) wanted to do surgery/anesthesia VS. me who wanted primary care.

The assumption "Oh you're black so you must have had it worse" or
"You're an URM, so you're 20x more likely to help the underserved" = dead wrong! 👎 👎 👎
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Agree with this.

From my experience: I was applying for a postbacc program that targeted economically disadvantaged students (not one race VS. another, or so I thought); also the program offers successful students a direct entry into med school to increase the # of physicians who are more likely to "come back and serve the underserved" [mission].

Truth is, they give huge preference for blacks. (1) Only 3/30 students in the program are non-URM, (2) they accepted URMs who (told the interviewers they) wanted to do surgery/anesthesia VS. me who wanted primary care.

The assumption "Oh you're black so you must have had it worse" or
"You're an URM, so you're 20x more likely to help the underserved" = dead wrong! 👎 👎 👎

Please take a sociology course which examines oppression and privilege to understand why 'reverse racism' is not as big a problem as racism. Secondly if you're black and you see a black physician or your parent is a physician or any highly educated professional you're probably going to see that it is also possible for you to become a highly educated figure ( See importance of Role Models). And if you're parent is a physician or a highly educated professional be more likely to have a higher quality life and pursue higher education.
Not to mention that you've got a lot more advantages as opposed to most black people if you're white. You're more likely to be hired, you're more likely to be able to afford an sat/mcat prep course, and a whole lot of other privileges.
End rant/
Start flaming.
 
Please take a sociology course which examines oppression and privilege to understand why 'reverse racism' is not as big a problem as racism. Secondly if you're black and you see a black physician or your parent is a physician or any highly educated professional you're probably going to be more likely to have a higher quality life and pursue higher education.
Not to mention that you've got a lot more advantages as opposed to most black people if you're white. You're more likely to be hired, you're more likely to be able to afford an sat/mcat prep course, and a whole lot of other privileges.
End rant/
Start flaming.

Please take a Sociology class to learn why the term "reverse racism" is inherently problematic : )

But I digress. I think it's easy for us to over-simplify the lived experiences of various "racial" groups, and I think it's also problematic to dismiss these concerns too.

I think there are many ways we can improve the manner in which medical school/health graduate programs pursue social justice in our society.

The worst way we can handle this is to call people who aren't as informed with our sad history or people who have legitimate concerns about the process (aspects of which I am sure are unfair to ORMM) ignorant bigots.


BTW, That song is EPIC.
 
It's not that she isn't justified in complaining about people talking in the library, it's her attitude towards race.

Myuu, if it makes you feel better, I'm also Asian. Okay she was pretty condescending and thoughtless. She probably should have gave them a friendly reminder at the library instead of posting a rant on youtube. But I really think people try too hard to be politically correct nowadays and the subsequent reaction to the video by UCLA students was excessive. It's not as if pretending that this kind of attitude doesn't exist will make it disappear. Rush Limbaugh does this kind of thing all the time to an audience of millions.
 
Myuu, if it makes you feel better, I'm also Asian. Okay she was pretty condescending and thoughtless. She probably should have gave them a friendly reminder at the library instead of posting a rant on youtube. But I really think people try too hard to be politically correct nowadays and the subsequent reaction to the video by UCLA students was excessive. It's not as if pretending that this kind of attitude doesn't exist will make it disappear. Rush Limbaugh does this kind of thing all the time to an audience of millions.

This kind of attitude is the worse. Having read your past posts, I can't say you are the most informed on race history or its nuances in this country (no offense). These kinds of over-sweeping generalizations do affect the lived experiences of Asian Americans in this country, adversely of course. It continues to position Asian Americans outside of civic inclusion, over-simplify the rich diversity within the community, etc.

It was shocking how many times I was asked these questions while I was traveling to my interviews:

"No, I mean, where are you from originally?" (<-- Young dude asked me this...)

"Man, you're really big for an Asian, because most Asians are small and skinny, y'know?" (<-- Come over to LA, where my buddies stand 6' 4" sigh*)
I LOL'd.

"Your English is really good. You must have studied really hard in China" (I'm not Chinese).

"Man, you Orientals are ..." (Sorry, I don't ascribe to Oriental. Term is problematic for many reasons).

Won't life, California is paradise. More people should learn about the National Origins legislation and how it continues to inform opinions about certain ethnic and racial groups. Only in California where I can walk the streets and be 100% Asian and 100% American.
 
not sure what the problem was with that ucla girl. it was a legitimate complaint.

There was nothing wrong with her posting a video complaining about asians on their phones talking to their families about the tsunami the day it happened?

That's what I remember as being most insensitive. I feel like everyone seems to forget this aspect of the story.
 
It was shocking how many times I was asked these questions while I was traveling to my interviews:

"No, I mean, where are you from originally?" (<-- Young dude asked me this...)

"Man, you're really big for an Asian, because most Asians are small and skinny, y'know?" (<-- Come over to LA, where my buddies stand 6' 4" sigh*)
I LOL'd.

"Your English is really good. You must have studied really hard in China" (I'm not Chinese).

"Man, you Orientals are ..." (Sorry, I don't ascribe to Oriental. Term is problematic for many reasons).
Wooooooow
 
This kind of attitude is the worse. Having read your past posts, I can't say you are the most informed on race history or its nuances in this country (no offense). These kinds of over-sweeping generalizations do affect the lived experiences of Asian Americans in this country, adversely of course. It continues to position Asian Americans outside of civic inclusion, over-simplify the rich diversity within the community, etc.

It was shocking how many times I was asked these questions while I was traveling to my interviews:

"No, I mean, where are you from originally?" (<-- Young dude asked me this...)
I'm white and this is a question many people ask me as well. I don't get offended.

"Man, you're really big for an Asian, because most Asians are small and skinny, y'know?" (<-- Come over to LA, where my buddies stand 6' 4" sigh*)
I LOL'd.
Alright, this is a pretty unfortunate stereotype.

"Your English is really good. You must have studied really hard in China" (I'm not Chinese).
Please don't generalize.

"Man, you Orientals are ..." (Sorry, I don't ascribe to Oriental. Term is problematic for many reasons).
No comment.

Won't life, California is paradise. More people should learn about the National Origins legislation and how it continues to inform opinions about certain ethnic and racial groups. Only in California where I can walk the streets and be 100% Asian and 100% American.

Excuse me, I'm going to go watch some race riot videos. Because you know... they've never happened in California, the state where everyone is accepted for their race, culture, ethnicity, and now their sexuality.
 
There was nothing wrong with her posting a video complaining about asians on their phones talking to their families about the tsunami the day it happened?

That's what I remember as being most insensitive. I feel like everyone seems to forget this aspect of the story.

This.

I lol'ed at her in disbelief... what a dumb white prostitute.
 
This kind of attitude is the worse. Having read your past posts, I can't say you are the most informed on race history or its nuances in this country (no offense). These kinds of over-sweeping generalizations do affect the lived experiences of Asian Americans in this country, adversely of course. It continues to position Asian Americans outside of civic inclusion, over-simplify the rich diversity within the community, etc.

It was shocking how many times I was asked these questions while I was traveling to my interviews:

"No, I mean, where are you from originally?" (<-- Young dude asked me this...)

"Man, you're really big for an Asian, because most Asians are small and skinny, y'know?" (<-- Come over to LA, where my buddies stand 6' 4" sigh*)
I LOL'd.

"Your English is really good. You must have studied really hard in China" (I'm not Chinese).

"Man, you Orientals are ..." (Sorry, I don't ascribe to Oriental. Term is problematic for many reasons).

Won't life, California is paradise. More people should learn about the National Origins legislation and how it continues to inform opinions about certain ethnic and racial groups. Only in California where I can walk the streets and be 100% Asian and 100% American.

Pharell?
 
This.

I lol'ed at her in disbelief... what a dumb white prostitute.

Seriously. I'm not from NYC, but when 9/11 happened, I was at school. Students and faculty had all sorts of unusual conversations in class, the library, etc, because they were concerned about relatives and other loved ones. Others were compassionate, not annoyed. If youtube had existed back then and someone had had the audacity to post a video complaining about the fallout from a national tragedy, regardless of race, you can bet everyone would have still been up in arms about it.
 
Excuse me, I'm going to go watch some race riot videos. Because you know... they've never happened in California, the state where everyone is accepted for their race, culture, ethnicity, and now their sexuality.

?

California is well known for being a tolerant state, in comparison to many other states. I never said prejudice is non-existent in California--I was implying Californians are generally more open-minded.

I think you are over-analyzing my post. Also, I'm sure you are in the minority of people who are asked the "where are you from originally" question. I was asked purely because of my appearance...there is the context issue, y' know?

:laugh: Anyway, I hope, in regards to the issues brought up in this thread, we are in agreement.

Also, generalize what? I was honestly asked those questions while I was flying...
 
Just so you have a perspective of this supposed "URM advantage" here's a look at our congress.

Racial Composition of the 112th Congress (including Delegates in the House)

White
361 U.S. House
96 U.S. Senate
Black
44 U.S. House
0 U.S. Senate
Hispanic
25 U.S. House
2 U.S. Senate
Asian
7 U.S. House
2 U.S. Senate
American Indian
1 U.S. House
0 U.S. Senate



and 80% of the NBA is black

I, for one, will not stand for this injustice.
 
Redemption tastes good : )
 
Last edited:
Top