URM Experiences at Rural Medical schools

[ALLMIGHT_SMASH]

Hello All,

Was wondering if anyone could share some experiences as a URM at a rural medical school. I am an incoming MS1 and I am Mexican American, father recieved citizenship via Reagans amnesty. I am just a little nervous that with a political climate being the way it is I may feel isolated since the school from what I understand has a very small percentage of latino students and latino population. All thoughts are welcome and thank you.

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[libertyyne]

Even orms like Asian populations are minorities in rural schools /areas. Have you lived anywhere where you are a minority? Some logistical things.
1. They may not have a specialty food store near by.
2. People tend to be nice and polite.
3. Dating can be an issue if you don't date other ethnicities.
4. You might have to deal with a racist remark once in a while.
5. Kids tend to stare at you trying to figure out why you seem different.
6. If it is a large college town you shouldn't really feel that different compared to a large metro.

 

[ALLMIGHT_SMASH]

Even orms like Asian populations are minorities in rural schools /areas. Have you lived anywhere where you are a minority? Some logistical things.
1. They may not have a specialty food store near by.
2. People tend to be nice and polite.
3. Dating can be an issue if you don't date other ethnicities.
4. You might have to deal with a racist remark once in a while.
5. Kids tend to stare at you trying to figure out why you seem different.
6. If it is a large college town you shouldn't really feel that different compared to a large metro.

Well, I am from a town that is >50% latino but it is surrounded by affluent predominately white suburbs. I also went to college in a suburb in a big metropolitan area so it was fairly diverse. I have never lived or spent a signifcant amount of time in a rural area or college town so I am not sure what to expect. Yeah what I meant by URM i guess is more like minorities in general. It seems as though I have let myself be spooked by the media's portrayel of rural America.

 

[libertyyne]

Well, I am from a town that is >50% latino but it is surrounded by affluent predominately white suburbs. I also went to college in a suburb in a big metropolitan area so it was fairly diverse. I have never lived or spent a signifcant amount of time in a rural area or college town so I am not sure what to expect. Yeah what I meant by URM i guess is more like minorities in general. It seems as though I have let myself be spooked by the media's portrayel of rural America.

How large is the college town ?

 

[ALLMIGHT_SMASH]

How large is the college town ?

26,000 ish people with about 17K coming from the school. However, I will say that I only spend one year in the college town then do three years at a mid size city ~100 K people but known to be not very diverse.

 

[Chelsea FC]

Hello All,

Was wondering if anyone could share some experiences as a URM at a rural medical school. I am an incoming MS1 and I am Mexican American, father recieved citizenship via Reagans amnesty. I am just a little nervous that with a political climate being the way it is I may feel isolated since the school from what I understand has a very small percentage of latino students and latino population. All thoughts are welcome and thank you.

Make friends with the non Latinos at your school despite what u see on TV most people arent as big of d*cks just those are the ones that shout the loudest. A small percentage of people will have negative stereotypes about you but after getting to know you will see how stupid those were. Then you will have a few racist idiots but you cant do much about that other than being the best person you can be and slowly push back against the negative stereotypes.

3. Dating can be an issue if you don't date other ethnicities.

Dating might be a big problem because even though alot of classmates and the surrounding population might not have a problem with you as a person they still will choose not to date outside their race so even if OP is open to the idea his options will be limited. One of the biggest shocks I got when I came to this country is how people would openly say I dont date X or Y race. I get you having a preference and noticing patterns in your dating but to just completely shut out a race always seemed strange to me but its non of my business so I dont really give it much thought .

 

[Chelsea FC]

I never had a problem being the only URM in school or in a community especially as a immigrant I always used these situations as a motivator to perform my best as a way to leave a good representation of my people. You will find out that majority of the time NO ONE CARES

 

[Frogger27]

Well, I am from a town that is >50% latino but it is surrounded by affluent predominately white suburbs. I also went to college in a suburb in a big metropolitan area so it was fairly diverse. I have never lived or spent a signifcant amount of time in a rural area or college town so I am not sure what to expect. Yeah what I meant by URM i guess is more like minorities in general. It seems as though I have let myself be spooked by the media's portrayel of rural America.

Don't be "spooked by the media's portrayal of rural America". I am a latino who grew up in rural America and I have rarely ever seen the type of stuff that gets put out there. 99.99% of people are good people. Just understand that they come from a completely different background as you and therefore there experiences are much different. Have a thick skin and do not get easily offended unless someone is overtly being racist.

Example:
When I would talk about some of my favorite latino foods from my culture, people would be like "but I thought you only ate burritos and tacos??" or "Is that the same thing as Mexican"? Could I easily become offended by this if I wanted to? Sure. But I always just laugh it off and explain the differences from my culture and their perceived notion. It's always fun to teach people about your culture because a lot of the people from these areas literally have no idea anything about where you are from. Keep in open mind, be kind and you'll notice that a lot of these people enjoy learning about your culture too.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

I think the media can really demonize people in small town America sometimes. As a minority from CA who moved to the midwest, I never experienced racism here.

If anything, I've experienced more racism in north cal, in one of the most liberal enclave of America, with people shouting racial slur as they drive by.

I find Berkeley to be far more racist than my current town in the midwest personally. For the record, I am a minority.

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

Fairly certain I know what school you are attending because I was accepted there then got off the WL elsewhere. I wouldn't worry too much about it, you'll be busy studying and then like you said you'll be moving to a bigger city. Though you're URM you shouldn't have a hard time in that city, take it from a Mexican American who grew up in a rural farm city in the Midwest. Take this time in this new environment to grow, to learn, don't be afraid of change. You'll be fine!

 

[ALLMIGHT_SMASH]

Fairly certain I know what school you are attending because I was accepted there then got off the WL elsewhere. I wouldn't worry too much about it, you'll be busy studying and then like you said you'll be moving to a bigger city. Though you're URM you shouldn't have a hard time in that city, take it from a Mexican American who grew up in a rural farm city in the Midwest. Take this time in this new environment to grow, to learn, don't be afraid of change. You'll be fine!

Thanks I appreciate it! Yeah, I figured I might give away the school with the last post ha.

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

Thanks I appreciate it! Yeah, I figured I might give away the school with the last post ha.

Plus like I said, being from a rural farm city in the Midwest, where you'll be at for a year shouldn't be a problem. Remember it's a college town, lots of educated people living out there even though it's a "rural" area. So you aren't in the typical rural environment if that makes sense, just be you and blast banda. It's what I did growing up

 

[vernhart]

Even orms like Asian populations are minorities in rural schools /areas. Have you lived anywhere where you are a minority? Some logistical things.
1. They may not have a specialty food store near by.
2. People tend to be nice and polite.
3. Dating can be an issue if you don't date other ethnicities.
4. You might have to deal with a racist remark once in a while.
5. Kids tend to stare at you trying to figure out why you seem different.
6. If it is a large college town you shouldn't really feel that different compared to a large metro.

lol...

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

lol...

Why is that funny? He's 100% correct lol

 

[cbrons]

It seems as though I have let myself be spooked by the media's portrayel of rural America.

This is called bigotry. It is no different than a white person thinking all blacks are violent/dangerous because the media overemphasizes poverty and violence in black communities. Everytime you turn on the news in a medium or large-sized city there'll be a story of a black person doing something bad to someone, and rarely if ever do they report on the good things that happen in black america.

Most of the people running the media are ultra-rich left-wing white people (limousine leftists) who think they're better than everyone else, including and especially "red necks." Their biases come through very strongly in the garbage they produce, so I can't really blame you for your prejudices.

In general, rural midwestern or southern people are more friendly and hospitable than their urban-dwelling white counterparts. If you are a physician, you will be worshipped by the people in these towns.

 

[ALLMIGHT_SMASH]

This is called bigotry. It is no different than a white person thinking all blacks are violent/dangerous because the media overemphasizes poverty and violence in black communities. Everytime you turn on the news in a medium or large-sized city there'll be a story of a black person doing something bad to someone, and rarely if ever do they report on the good things that happen in black america.

Most of the people running the media are ultra-rich left-wing white people (limousine leftists) who think they're better than everyone else, including and especially "red necks." Their biases come through very strongly in the garbage they produce, so I can't really blame you for your prejudices.

In general, rural midwestern or southern people are more friendly and hospitable than their urban-dwelling white counterparts. If you are a physician, you will be worshipped by the people in these towns.

Yeah I agree, I am not proud that I have let the media dictate what I think about a group of people. As my family has been discriminated against because of it. I will keep on open mind and treat everyone with the same respect as I would want to be treated. Thank you for calling it out as you see it.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

As a rural white midwestern person, I really think you're taking this a step too far. Yes, the media SOMETIMES shows us as uneducated rednecks. But your stereotypes in your last two sentences are not any more accurate. People are generally much more friendly and hospitable, yes, but there are also some major issues with racism and other forms of bigotry. Every LGBT person I know from my hometown moved away ASAP because they didn't feel accepted. One of my relatives threw a fit when he was quite literally on his deathbed because his roommate in the hospital was black. People 100% believe that all Muslim people are in some way complicit with terrorism (including several people I went to high school with who repeatedly post about it on Facebook). And there are plenty of folks who think doctors are elitist money grubbers who don't care about their patients.

Now of course not everybody is like this - most probably aren't - and I'm not saying that a rural area is more likely to have these kinds of problems than anywhere else. There are plenty of genuinely good folks who are welcoming to people of all backgrounds and willing to at least give somebody who's different from them half a chance. And the place I grew up is super small/rural (1500 people) compared to what OP is describing as a college town. But the idea that we're all good, salt of the earth people who are just misrepresented by the liberal media is just as inaccurate as the idea that we're all bigots. OP isn't wrong to be concerned about racism, no matter where s/he ends up.

The stuff you described isn't unique to the midwest or small town. Funny that you bring up the LGBT issue, because tags like "No chinks" is a huge issue in SF's gay dating scene. True, it's easier to be LGBT in a larger, more liberal area, but the challenge doesn't go away.

Personally, I rather have racism out in the open then hiding behind the facade of liberalism. OP may find his new home refreshing like I have.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

Quick refresher from my last post: "Now of course not everybody is like this - most probably aren't - and I'm not saying that a rural area is more likely to have these kinds of problems than anywhere else." You're arguing against a claim I never made.

Literally all I'm saying is that it's not accurate to say that rural people are 100% wonderful folks who are just painted as being racist by the media. It seems you agree with me on this point.

I think we agree on the message, just different delivery.

 

[cbrons]

As a rural white midwestern person, I really think you're taking this a step too far. Yes, the media SOMETIMES shows us as uneducated rednecks. But your stereotypes in your last two sentences are not any more accurate. People are generally much more friendly and hospitable, yes, but there are also some major issues with racism and other forms of bigotry. Every LGBT person I know from my hometown moved away ASAP because they didn't feel accepted. One of my relatives threw a fit when he was quite literally on his deathbed because his roommate in the hospital was black. People 100% believe that all Muslim people are in some way complicit with terrorism (including several people I went to high school with who repeatedly post about it on Facebook). And there are plenty of folks who think doctors are elitist money grubbers who don't care about their patients.

Now of course not everybody is like this - most probably aren't - and I'm not saying that a rural area is more likely to have these kinds of problems than anywhere else. There are plenty of genuinely good folks who are welcoming to people of all backgrounds and willing to at least give somebody who's different from them half a chance. And the place I grew up is super small/rural (1500 people) compared to what OP is describing as a college town. But the idea that we're all good, salt of the earth people who are just misrepresented by the liberal media is just as inaccurate as the idea that we're all bigots. OP isn't wrong to be concerned about racism, no matter where s/he ends up.

All examples of the people you describe can be found by the boat loads in suburban and urban areas as well.

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[cbrons]

Let's try for a third time:

You are arguing against a claim I did not make. Again, I'm just saying it's not accurate to say that rural people are 100% wonderful folks who are just painted as being racist by the media, which is what you seemed to imply in your post.

I said "In general" [...] so obviously I wasn't implying 100% of rural people

 

[raiderette]

I grew up in a rural state, and have seen incidents of racial hatred on a regular basis. That said. I went to a school in a small town and my friends were watched as they walked in stores, stopped by the police while driving nice cars, etc. Being in a college town helps most things.

 

[Chelsea FC]

I said "In general" [...] so obviously I wasn't implying 100% of rural people

Her point is that u quoted her as if u were refuting her comments but you are arguing a claim she didnt make.

 

[cbrons]

Sure, but you certainly implied that it was rare enough to accuse OP of bigotry for being concerned that they might possibly encounter racism and/or feel isolated from their community.

I didnt accuse, I said it is bigoted.

OP's "community" is now other medical students and physicians. Welcome to the family.

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[vernhart]

Why is that funny? He's 100% correct lol

Thought it was funny bc people refusing to date outside their own race is itself racist to me....followed by a comment on hearing racist comments. Sure there are cultural considerations; for example someone may be cast out from their family...however, this is not typically so in Mexican culture like can be in Indian/East Asian. Aside from those exceptions, where someone just doesn't want to lose everyone they care about for the chance of dating someone of another race (who may or may not work out), I think someone who is truly accepting of other races would have no problem dating them.

 

[libertyyne]

Thought it was funny bc people refusing to date outside their own race is itself racist to me....followed by a comment on hearing racist comments. Sure there are cultural considerations; for example someone may be cast out from their family...however, this is not typically so in Mexican culture like can be in Indian/East Asian. Aside from those exceptions, where someone just doesn't want to lose everyone they care about for the chance of dating someone of another race (who may or may not work out), I think someone who is truly accepting of other races would have no problem dating them.

I understand the juxtaposition might be jarring. However, the items on list do not rely upon each other to be correct. OP could be racist and still experience racism. That being said, I dont think not dating a person of particular ethnicity is not inherently racist either, people like to date the same ethnicity for a plethora of non racist issues like cultural differences , different expectations of what home life is like, and basic attraction which is based on cultural norms and personal experiences.

 

[vernhart]

I understand the juxtaposition might be jarring. However, the items on list do not rely upon each other to be correct. OP could be racist and still experience racism. That being said, I dont think not dating a person of particular ethnicity is not inherently racist either, people like to date the same ethnicity for a plethora of non racist issues like cultural differences , different expectations of what home life is like, and basic attraction which is based on cultural norms and personal experiences.

I wasn't saying the whole list was moot. I agree with it as far as accuracy goes. Even the items I highlighted are true...and I did throw in the qualifier of cultural beliefs (though I only believe this should apply if there is a significant problem), but agree to disagree on whether or not some of the rest is racist...

 

[Chelsea FC]

I understand the juxtaposition might be jarring. However, the items on list do not rely upon each other to be correct. OP could be racist and still experience racism. That being said, I dont think not dating a person of particular ethnicity is not inherently racist either, people like to date the same ethnicity for a plethora of non racist issues like cultural differences , different expectations of what home life is like, and basic attraction which is based on cultural norms and personal experiences.

I wasn't saying the whole list was moot. I agree with it as far as accuracy goes. Even the items I highlighted are true...and I did throw in the qualifier of cultural beliefs (though I only believe this should apply if there is a significant problem), but agree to disagree on whether or not some of the rest is racist...

Culture is not confined to a set races so to openly say you won't date X or Y race and using culture as the reason I find it hard to understand. Even saying beauty standards is the reason that people do that is kinda confusing to me as well because excluding a race is assuming you know the physical features of every person of that race which comes with alot of different features etc. I understand that the likelihood of finding what you want might be more prevalent in certain races hence I understand why people would have preferences but to shut out a race is just strange to me and to publicly display it as I see my peers do is even more head scratching

 

[vernhart]

Culture is not confined to a set races so to openly say you won't date X or Y race and using culture as the reason I find it hard to understand. Even saying beauty standards is the reason that people do that is kinda confusing to me as well because excluding a race is assuming you know the physical features of every person of that race which comes with a lot of different features etc. I understand that the likelihood of finding what you want might be more prevalent in certain races hence I understand why people would have preferences but to shut out a race is just strange to me and to publicly display it as I see my peers do is even more head scratching

I agree with everything you said. For the record I am saying *IF there is a strong cultural reason, not that race and culture are inherently attached. I'm with you, no way someone is attracted to one race naturally without exclusion without having some bigoted views of other races imo

 

[libertyyne]

Lol. Don't matter to me I freely dated between races and ethnicities

I agree with everything you said. For the record I am saying *IF there is a strong cultural reason, not that race and culture are inherently attached. I'm with you, no way someone is attracted to one race naturally without exclusion without having some bigoted views of other races imo

That's interesting. So if a person is attracted to blondes this would make them bigoted?

 

[DrfluffyMD]

People can date whoever they want. It's when they started to exclude people who aren't their race, then you walk down the slippery slope of racism.

For example, an Indian man refuse to date anyone besides a woman from his own culture: probably just a preference for his culture.

An Asian man raised in a predominantly Asian enclave in the west coast refuse to date another Asian man because "he looks too much like my brother" and has exclusively dated white: probably racism/brainwashed by Hollywood.

The keyword is exclusive. If a black man dated white and hispanic women all his life because he was surrounded by them yet he is married to a black woman, I don't think his dating choice would reflect inner racism.

 

[ALLMIGHT_SMASH]

Regarding the choice of dating options. I currently have an SO I intend on marrying so for now that consideration is not important. Either way I have dated multiple races (asian, white, hispanic). I never had a preference or anything of that sort. However, my parents had mentioned in the past that I should marry a Latina woman. Their reasoning for it was mostly cultural, although I am sure there may be a hint of prejudice against other races as I have heard them say some awful things about others in the past. The reason why I agreed with the bigotry statement is because I believe that just because someone is a minority and may experience these things more often that their majority counterparts it does not mean that they are not guilty of these sort of thoughts themselves. I am glad that it was pointed out I was heading towards the same line of thought that leads to becoming a Bigot. To be clear that does not mean that I feel guilty for having some concern about it. I think to some degree, while the media may be exaggerated at times, the fact that a man I feel has vilified people that look like me is now president because of people from rural counties voted for him does make me feel justified in my worry. Even though this is the case I will do my best to ensure that I do not prejudge anyone based on their political beliefs, race, etc. I disliked seeing it even within my own community so I will do my best to try to change that.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

Regarding the choice of dating options. I currently have an SO I intend on marrying so for now that consideration is not important. Either way I have dated multiple races (asian, white, hispanic). I never had a preference or anything of that sort. However, my parents had mentioned in the past that I should marry a Latina woman. Their reasoning for it was mostly cultural, although I am sure there may be a hint of prejudice against other races as I have heard them say some awful things about others in the past. The reason why I agreed with the bigotry statement is because I believe that just because someone is a minority and may experience these things more often that their majority counterparts it does not mean that they are not guilty of these sort of thoughts themselves. I am glad that it was pointed out I was heading towards the same line of thought that leads to becoming a Bigot. To be clear that does not mean that I feel guilty for having some concern about it. I think to some degree, while the media may be exaggerated at times, the fact that a man I feel has vilified people that look like me is now president because of people from rural counties voted for him does make me feel justified in my worry. Even though this is the case I will do my best to ensure that I do not prejudge anyone based on their political beliefs, race, etc. I disliked seeing it even within my own community so I will do my best to try to change that.

Being in the midwest, I work with a lot of folks who voted for Trump.

I think a non-significant minority (if not the majority) of them didn't vote trump in order to personally spit on people like you and me. Rather, they percieved economic devastation to their community and Trump promised a way out.

I don't support Trump, but being away from the CA bubble made me really appreciate a different mode of thoughts.

Again, don't always believe in the media. I still remember driving across rural Penn state and ONLY seeing Trump signs before the election and being confused, or stopping by a small, decaying town, and talk to a gas station lady who reminded me of the infamous "mother of the great depression" photo.

People are really hurting outside of the coast. You will gain an appreciation of that when you leave the bubble.

 

[vernhart]

Lol. Don't matter to me I freely dated between races and ethnicities

That's interesting. So if a person is attracted to blondes this would make them bigoted?

false equivalency, which you tend to keep doing might I add...
never met a person who said "I ONLY date blondes." (You did read me say "without exclusion" right?). If a guy did say that, I bet he'd change his mind real quick if Emily Ratakowski walked up. Race and hair color discrimination do not have the same passion behind them and are not comparable. But yeah to play into your game...if someone would only date blondes despite them being busted but refused to date an attractive brunette, guess I'd have to question whether or not they are secretly hailing hitler and praising the aryan race (my point is... that is ridiculous).

 

[libertyyne]

false equivalency, which you tend to keep doing might I add...
never met a person who said "I ONLY date blondes." (You did read me say "without exclusion" right?). If a guy did say that, I bet he'd change his mind real quick if Emily Ratakowski walked up. Race and hair color discrimination do not have the same passion behind them and are not comparable. But yeah to play into your game...if someone would only date blondes despite them being busted but refused to date an attractive brunette, guess I'd have to question whether or not they are secretly hailing hitler and praising the aryan race (my point is... that is ridiculous).

Giving preference to blondes makes one biggoted ? What about. Brunettes ? What about southern twangs ? You could be from South Africa and give preference to both black and white south Africans. Is that biggoted ?

 

[DrfluffyMD]

Having lived

Giving preference to blondes makes one biggoted ? What about. Brunettes ? What about southern twangs ? You could be from South Africa and give preference to both black and white south Africans. Is that biggoted ?

Preference isn't racism. Exclusive preference or putting one race on a pedastal in the dating market is.

 

[vernhart]

Giving preference to blondes makes one biggoted ? What about. Brunettes ? What about southern twangs ? You could be from South Africa and give preference to both black and white south Africans. Is that biggoted ?

I'm really at an impasse. Don't know how else to communicate that a preference toward something is not the same thing as exclusivity. Lemme try one more time: I can prefer apples without refusing to eat any fruit that isn't an apple...

it's like we keep talking about race...and you keep talking about everything else (must be choosing to ignore the whole bit on false equivalency...)