The LGBTQ Applicant Thread!

[Goro]

Don't know the post, but Northwestern does: Prospective Students: Diversity and Inclusion: Feinberg School of Medicine: Northwestern University

The Association of American Medical Colleges “AAMC” defines underrepresented in medicine (URM) as “racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population”. Feinberg is unique in their broad definition of URM, which includes not only students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, but also other racial and ethnic, religious, gender, and sexual identities; people with disabilities, and socioeconomic diversity.

Very good!
But this wasn't the school I saw in post...I'll have to dive deep into my post history. Stay tuned!

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[Goro]

Found it! MCW is the school.

Check out post #6.
Am I URM for this one school?

 

[TabbyTuxy]

Hey, reviving this for this cycle!

I have a question I am really struggling with, with regards to secondaries. I grew up gay in a rural, unaccepting community. When I came out, my family immediately rejected it and I had to see an anti-gay therapist and subsequently struggled a lot with my mental health. I have since come a long way in perspective and self-love and became a very optimistic and patient person because of this. I also became more appreciative of others’ differences and identities and passionate about emotional wellbeing. I’m worried about using this as an overcoming adversity essay mainly due to mental health stigma. I don’t want to be seen as weak or unable to cope with med school. I hope to pitch this from a positive perspective about how much I gained and how important that was to making me who I am, but not if it is too controversial.

Either way I’m out in my applications. The LGBTQ community is one I am very passionate about serving, so the gay issue isn’t as much as a problem for me here.

 

[Keladry]

Hey, reviving this for this cycle!

I have a question I am really struggling with, with regards to secondaries. I grew up gay in a rural, unaccepting community. When I came out, my family immediately rejected it and I had to see an anti-gay therapist and subsequently struggled a lot with my mental health. I have since come a long way in perspective and self-love and became a very optimistic and patient person because of this. I also became more appreciative of others’ differences and identities and passionate about emotional wellbeing. I’m worried about using this as an overcoming adversity essay mainly due to mental health stigma. I don’t want to be seen as weak or unable to cope with med school. I hope to pitch this from a positive perspective about how much I gained and how important that was to making me who I am, but not if it is too controversial.

Either way I’m out in my applications. The LGBTQ community is one I am very passionate about serving, so the gay issue isn’t as much as a problem for me here.

I'd say go for it - be sure to demonstrate how you've grown, your coping mechanisms, etc. so that you're not leaving admissions committees with doubts about your ability to handle med school, but if you can show that you've been through tough things and have developed skills to deal with future tough situations, I think that'd be a plus.

 

[MomJeansandDadJorts]

Hey, reviving this for this cycle!

I have a question I am really struggling with, with regards to secondaries. I grew up gay in a rural, unaccepting community. When I came out, my family immediately rejected it and I had to see an anti-gay therapist and subsequently struggled a lot with my mental health. I have since come a long way in perspective and self-love and became a very optimistic and patient person because of this. I also became more appreciative of others’ differences and identities and passionate about emotional wellbeing. I’m worried about using this as an overcoming adversity essay mainly due to mental health stigma. I don’t want to be seen as weak or unable to cope with med school. I hope to pitch this from a positive perspective about how much I gained and how important that was to making me who I am, but not if it is too controversial.

Either way I’m out in my applications. The LGBTQ community is one I am very passionate about serving, so the gay issue isn’t as much as a problem for me here.

I would say it depends on the school. I think its fine for adversity. I am doing something similar but I have this all mentioned in my diversity essay so I have a different adversity for those schools just so it wouldnt sound too repetitive. Highlighting the growth and what you learned from it is key.

EDIT: I think a good thing to talk about is how you have learned to deal with people who have a different opinion than your own. You will have a lot of that when working in teams. And def showcase having a deeper understanding of the internal struggles found in everybody even if they arent present on the exterior.

 

[Goro]

Hey, reviving this for this cycle!

I have a question I am really struggling with, with regards to secondaries. I grew up gay in a rural, unaccepting community. When I came out, my family immediately rejected it and I had to see an anti-gay therapist and subsequently struggled a lot with my mental health. I have since come a long way in perspective and self-love and became a very optimistic and patient person because of this. I also became more appreciative of others’ differences and identities and passionate about emotional wellbeing. I’m worried about using this as an overcoming adversity essay mainly due to mental health stigma. I don’t want to be seen as weak or unable to cope with med school. I hope to pitch this from a positive perspective about how much I gained and how important that was to making me who I am, but not if it is too controversial.

Either way I’m out in my applications. The LGBTQ community is one I am very passionate about serving, so the gay issue isn’t as much as a problem for me here.

This is NOT the typical mental health stigma issue that people worry about.

The key things you want to show are resilience and coping skills. Let your transcript show that you can handle rigorous academics (which I assume you've already done).

EDOT: Keladry beat me to it!!!

 

[Walter Raleigh]

The medical community does not look kindly upon conversion therapy. This is more "parents forced you to attend brainwashing "therapy" sessions" and less "mental illness".

 

[TabbyTuxy]

This is NOT the typical mental health stigma issue that people worry about.

The key things you want to show are resilience and coping skills. Let your transcript show that you can handle rigorous academics (which I assume you've already done).

EDOT: Keladry beat me to it!!!

Awesome, thank you!

 

[Engineeringaway]

Hi everyone! I was out on my application last cycle and received several acceptances. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. I start M1 year in just a few weeks!!

 

[Goro]

Hi everyone! I was out on my application last cycle and received several acceptances. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. I start M1 year in just a few weeks!!

Read this!
Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2017 edition)