URM Boost??

[whatintheworld]

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I was speaking with a therapist regarding PT and she told me that I get a boost for being an AA. Is this true? I only heard of such thing for people applying to Law school but I never knew that this would be the same for people applying to become a PT, OT or SLP. Can someone please shed some light for me on this topic.

 

[fejin757]

I was under the impression that it doesn't matter. I think schools are more concerned with their students completing the program as you the school is counting on you, financially, to finish the program. Maybe it does, but I think you should put in the same amount of effort for applications regardless. You'll probably be disappointed by your application results if you bank on being an URM.

Btw OP, I'm considered an 'URM' also.

 

[whatintheworld]

Sorry If I gave the impression that I was hoping to rely on my "URM" status to gain admission into a DPT program. That most certainly was not my intention. I just wanted to know if it was a plus. I live in NY and I have a strong desire to work in EI. I don't want to take out 10's of thousands of dollars in loans to do it. So I want to be a competitive candidate for schools like Stony Brook or Downstate since that is what I can only afford.

So no I am not lazy (which may not be what you meant but didn't want the fact that I asked this question to be implied as so) . I am like many other AA and other minority groups who are first generation American and who worked their way through undergrad and managed to graduate with no debt because of that. And working in some of the top law firms in NYC as a paralegal working many hours in preparation for trial and outshining my caucasian counterparts at the same time within the last ten years.

So if anyone could possibly give me an answer to my question that would be great.

 

[whatintheworld]

I was under the impression that it doesn't matter. I think schools are more concerned with their students completing the program as you the school is counting on you, financially, to finish the program. Maybe it does, but I think you should put in the same amount of effort for applications regardless. You'll probably be disappointed by your application results if you bank on being an URM.

Btw OP, I'm considered an 'URM' also.

What about my question made you think that I was banking on my "URM" status to get me into the door anyway? Don't you think that along with having stellar numbers and a high gre score, being an URM be beneficial for my app as well? And if so why wouldn't I want to use this to my advantage when applying? When I show up to class on the first day and go to work as a DPT, that will be the first thing they see so would I hide it or not use it as a strength on my apps?

Are you one of those AA's who thinks that not speaking or talking about race would make you less noticeable in a professional setting and thererfore get accolades based solely on your accomplishments and intellect? You may very well get the accolades but you will be that smart/hardworking BLACK man/woman that is on top of their game. Don't ever forget that.... even in the application process.

 

[fejin757]

Hey,

Sorry if I came off like I was attacking you. I called a PT and a PA program previously and they told me that gender/race did not matter. If you look on Duke's website, they mention gender/race. But I'm sure each school has it's differences in the selection process. But, I'm starting to think that some schools are looking for diversity and there definitely aren't many AA's practicing as PT's. In fact, I got into an OT school this year and it was a huge advantage being a male since it is such a female dominated profession.

To be honest, I'm half AA and half asian and I would probably list in my application that I was an AA because it could help and definitely wouldn't hurt your chances. I can't really know for sure because I haven't applied yet. I think if you have stellar numbers and a high gre score, you should be able to get into a lot of schools regardless of color.

Lastly, I have absolutely no problem discussing race and I don't ever forget that I'm a minority. Why would I want to be less noticeable? I want to have every kind of advantage but I rather my upbringing and culture add to my uniqueness during the application process. For example, you mention that you 'outshone' your caucasian counterparts..I could care less what color my competition is, as long as I'm doing the best I can do. We have different views on this, but again, sorry if I offended you.