I agree with the last post about not hijacking this thread, but I just wanted to "briefly" add my two cents to this.
For starters, my apologies to Gulch for one of my previous comments. My intention was not to make you feel like you don't deserve an interview w/ UCSF. I think you do.
But, to continue where the last post left off, I think this subject is hard to deal with. I would agree that there is a kind of reverse discrimination by making race part of the selection process. But, without at least of tinge of that, what will happen is what happens often: minorities will continue to be under-represented. What happened in the past is in the past, yes. It's old news. It certainly seems like we're beating a dead horse with a sledge hammer.
But, that past racism that existed (and still exists , although nothing like before) and the discrimination is still lingering. How you ask? Is it any of this generation's fault? What have we to do with what happened decades before? Nothing. But, it happened. And because of it, those who were the majority at the time ,and who still are, have a foothold and a very firm foundation that is unshakeable. It's still a power play. It is still here. Now, what do minorities do? They will always be at a disadvantage.
These selection policies are just an attempt to take a stab at making sure that minorities have a fighting chance. It's not an end all be all solution. It might not even be ethical considering how much we as Americans fight for equality. It certainly doesn't sound like equality to allow minorities (in this case, qualified minorities) to have a certain percentage of seats as a standard. But, what else is there? What if there were only 1% of minorities per school as a result of unmonitored acceptances? Would you actually want to go to a school like that? I personally prefer a diverse student body even if that diversity was forced. (I'm probably not representing what I want to say here, but I'm giving it a shot. I'm not so eloquent at saying what I mean so don't kill me with words If I sound like a *****
)
And anyway, it's not like minorities are just given a free pass in without regarding their records. I'm sure that if a minority student's GPA and DAT scores do not measure up, that person will not be considered.
I, too, am learning more by discussing these things. I'm not white, so I cannot sum up what it is to be white. I can only say what it's like to be a male hispanic. I'm happy to be me, but I can't say life's a peice of cake. Where I was born, what my parents were, how long they've lived here in this country, and the schools I was able to attend all influence my chances for success. Now, rising up out of difficult circumstances is all on me, and I have risen to the occassion. But, for some (not all) there is no struggle. Just a walk in the park. Waltz right through high school and college because there is nothing to deal with other than making friends , making the grade, and choosing a career. As opposed to juggling school, work, friends, helping parents financially, helping with the family business (as a
necessity, not just because they wanted me to learn something). There are a plethora of non-minorities who go through the same thing, but it just isn't an equal world like we'd like to think. There are economic disadvantages of being a minority. After all, that is what the word implies. Minor versus Major.
I'm open to seeing the other side of the coin. I don't think my opinion is fact, but just what it is. What I see and feel. An opinion. (And I said I'd be "brief"
sorry OP.
to blame someone else for one's own shortcomings. Dental school isn't something you can waltz into just because you like a billion other candidates have 3.5GPAs. It takes alot more than a number. It hurts the ego to look in the mirror. 
