Vegan premed?

[darktemplar23]

How do you know someone's vegan?

Don't worry. They'll tell you.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Beekachu]

Hello.
I'm a vegan premed.

I'm wondering about how medical school admission counsels look upon veganism and animal rights avocation in general. I have tried to find information about veganism and the medical field, but it is limited and this makes me feel uneasy.

Premed students are recommended to do activities which they enjoy- and I throughly enjoy advocating for animal rights- and that we should strive to do unique extracurricular activities so as to not be forgettable. I have been considering founding an animal rights club and advocating veganism as one of my extracurriculars.

I am confident that I could sufficiently defend my position and support my beliefs, however, I do not want to hinder my chances of acceptance. I am more than accustomed to the controversial nature of animal rights and the general reluctance of the public to consider/accept the health benefits of veganism. I am terrified that being openly vegan will result in me being past over in favour of a more passive meat eater. I am an average applicant and the last thing that I need is another hurdle! If safer, I am prepared to omit veganism from my application entirely, and take on a EC in an entirely different spectra.

That being said- Does anyone have any information about how medical school admission counsels respond to vegan applicants? What are your opinions on how I should handle the application process and the sensitive issue of animal rights? Do you think it it safe to list "active animals rights advocate" as an extra curricular, or would I be better off to not mention my controversial beliefs?

I am hoping to find first hand information from vegans who have been accepted to medical school, so that I can make a decision about how prominent I want my animal rights beliefs to represented during my application process. Is anyone here at SDN a vegan, or does anyone have any suggestions about who I could contact?

Thank you all in advance.

Since I've never been a part of reviewing applications, I can't say how it was perceived, but it was a part of my application and it didn't stop me from getting many interviews. In fact, volunteering with an animal advocacy group was one of my longest, most extensive volunteer experiences.

My advice: When describing things, just try to ride the middle of the road, so that you don't push people away from strong, opinionated language/viewpoints. I listed the activity as "Animal Advocacy" instead of "Animal Rights Advocacy". And then in the description I used something tame like "volunteering for a non-profit organization that promotes/advocates for the humane treatment of farm animals."

 

[Dave89]

Many thanks for your lifestyle, OP. More meat for us

Seriously, though, nobody cares.

 

[SpecterGT260]

Animal rights? Now you've got some people worried that you are going to be a problem for them with regard to teaching and research that involves animals. You might be best off to keep it to yourself.

This is what I was thinking....

 

[Starlightembers]

Nope. Almost all produce is $1.50/lb or less.

And I can make a burger - whole grain bun, lean ground turkey, provolone cheese, lettuce, pickles, castup - for about a dollar.

Where do you live?

I have never found meat replacement products that were cheaper than their actual, meat equivalent. Note that, when I use the term "meat replacements", I am referring to the variety of [typically] to-fu based fake meats (thus, veggie nuggets vs chicken nuggets).

You also used the term "make a burger." That implies time. You have to prepare it. Contrast that to microwavable foods. To the single parent who works multiple jobs and cares for multiple children, which is more feasible? While actually preparing food is not impossible, it's a heck of a lot harder.

Two major studies recently debunked the "food desert." It turns out areas with a higher concentration of gas stations, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants also have a higher concentration of grocery stores.

It's not that simple.

Though I have an intuition that you are not going to be convinced otherwise, access to food is not just about how many groceries stores there are.

For example, the poor are, typically, less likely to own a vehicle. Have you ever attempted to carry enough groceries to feed a family home on foot? Or even on public transit, assuming someone has access and the ability to consistently pay for public transit? Bags rip. Arms and bodies weaken. Space is limited. It takes quite a bit of time.

Then, when the McDonald's or KFC is right down the street, has tables and chairs, is cheap and light enough to carry, what does one think is going to happen?

And so on.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

You almost had me until i got to that

I agree, I can feel the condescension as I read this thread.

 

[K M R]

Where do you live?

I have never found meat replacement products that were cheaper than their actual, meat equivalent. Note that, when I use the term "meat replacements", I am referring to the variety of [typically] to-fu based fake meats (thus, veggie nuggets vs chicken nuggets).

You also used the term "make a burger." That implies time. You have to prepare it. Contrast that to microwavable foods. To the single parent who works multiple jobs and cares for multiple children, which is more feasible? While actually preparing food is not impossible, it's a heck of a lot harder.



It's not that simple.

Though I have an intuition that you are not going to be convinced otherwise, access to food is not just about how many groceries stores there are.

For example, the poor are, typically, less likely to own a vehicle. Have you ever attempted to carry enough groceries to feed a family home on foot? Or even on public transit, assuming someone has access and the ability to consistently pay for public transit? Bags rip. Arms and bodies weaken. Space is limited. It takes quite a bit of time.

Then, when the McDonald's or KFC is right down the street, has tables and chairs, is cheap and light enough to carry, what does one think is going to happen?

And so on.

First, I was not referring to meat substitutes. A previous poster made the fallacious claim that eating a healthful diet is more expensive than eating junk food, fast food, etc., and I sought to correct that claim. Now you have added, also falsely, that it's more time consuming. Without boring SDN with details, let me provide the following example. I can walk to a fast food restaurant 21 times to acquire sustenance over the course of a week, or I can walk/drive/ride to a grocery store once and acquire supplies for a week. It is temporally and energetically favorable to choose the latter approach. [As an aside, be wary of anyone who say they "don't have time for breakfast," which is why they have to hit up the McDonald's drive-thru on their way to school or work. How is that faster than having hearty bowl of whole-grain cereal with fresh fruit and 0.5% milk?] The latter approach is also cheaper.

Regarding your second point, again note that with regard to time, energy, and money, the weekly shopping trip makes more sense.

 

[Ironmandoc]

The notion of natural rights is entirely queer.

 

[Roughhty]

The point of posting that story is: those are the kinds of people you risk yourself being associated with if you mention animal activism. I agree that avoiding it would be in your best interests.

haha point taken! Thanks for the advice. Sorry you had that uncomfortable experience, I've only ever met a few crazy vegans myself, and they rub me the wrong way too. No one wins with an attitude like that.

Thus, as someone who does consider hirself an at-times passionate animal rights advocate*, but also a human advocate, I tell vegans and those with related diets who want their diets to be more widely accepted -- even if they do not want to force them, per se -- that one of the best ways to do this is to make the aforementioned food more widely available, especially when it concerns quality vegetables and food that is organic, free range, lacks high fructose corn syrup, lacks saturated fats and so forth. Fight for your local farmer's market to take food stamps. Buy, grow or otherwise obtain fresh, healthy food and then either serve them at your local food pantry or deliver them to needy families. Bus families to grocery stores. This is the best way to advocate for vegan-ism, in my opinion, and I say this as a vegetarian who wants to go vegan. But only once you have done these things do I think one can talk about how people should become vegan.

I really appreciate you sharing this, I think this is a wonderful outlook. I have been thinking heavily about becoming involved in a soup kitchen sort of manner, and I think I will go through with that. I always see a healthy vegan diet (fresh vegetables and produce, not packaged instant food) as a less expensive option that a well rounded omnivore diet- but I recognize that for those who struggle to have food in general, the least expensive option is bad fast food, and its a terribly unfair reality. Keep spreading your message!

I'm vegan too! Just be sure you focus on the positive whatever you say, you definitely don't want to make the reader uncomfortable by sounding accusatory at all... Shouldn't be a problem though if you focus on the positive, good luck!

Same situation. I'm applying this cycle and described animal rights activism I've been involved in in detail in my work and activities. I'll let you know how that goes in a few months

Glad to know that there are others! Yes, comrade, please keep me posted, and congrats on applying! Good luck

It probably depends a lot on the school. In general, Loma Linda should be in favor of your vegetarianism. At Stanford, one of the most famous professors who has been on most the short list of predictions for a nobel prize in recent years (co-inventor of microarrays) has been a vegan, and is now dedicating his research into meat substitutes.

That's so cool, thanks for the link! I'll do some research into other schools which might look well upon it, thank you for the input.

No one cares dude, just don't pull the missionary card on the interviewer. You also don't want body odor during the interview, so make sure to use vegan deodorant that hasn't been animal tested.

hahaha Thanks so much for worrying, but don't fear, I never smell because I always wear vegan deodorant that hasn't been animal tested.

Honestly guys: The average person thinks of vegans as pushy self righteous people, and although I recognize that some are- That street still goes both ways! I get trolled on a regular basis when I'm foolish enough to admit I'm vegan. If a large percentage of vegans are a** holes, in my experience, that same percentage of regular people are a** holes too, and they love to push their meat diet on me as much as some vegans like to push their beliefs on others. Just my two cents, but I'm sure some of you will violently disagree.

I suggest talking to a PhD at your school who conducts animal research so that they can explain to you exactly the regulatory processes regarding animal research and approval for such. Try to get your information from the source rather than relying on fancy-looking websites. The internet is crazy.

Thank you. I'll do that.

You almost had me until i got to that

Let me rephrase, by "passive meat eater", I meant "regular person" as opposed to the "angry vegan" I am worried about being seen as.

Will they fit in? (but putting aside prejudices and bigotry)

Someone who acts like a jerk about their dietary habits and preferences, philosophical beliefs, religious (or atheistic) zealotry, and so forth, can get rejected on the basis of that last question.

That entirely makes sense, thank you. I am not planning on acting like a jerk, but I'm afraid they'll assume I'm a jerk if I mention the v word.

Probably going to get someone else's blood in your mouth at some point during your training.

Are you sure you want to be a doctor?

Yes.

Beans = cheap, easy to prepare, and protein rich. Vitamin B12 from cereals, soy milk, nutritional yeast, or a multivitamin. Don't buy all organic produce, just avoid the dirty dozen. Iron from cream of wheat or black strap molasses.

I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, but they aren't inherently expensive diets to follow.

This.

There is a difference btw animal rights and animal welfare. You may turn some people off if they believe you know the difference and continue to label yourself an animal rights activist. Just a thought.

hahah yes, I think you are right. This is a double edged sword for me though, because as soon as I change "rights" to "welfarist" all the other vegans will think I'm with PETA and they won't play with me anymore.*

If I do include any animal defence activities, I'll be extremely careful to portray it all in the right light. I don't want to be seen as a terrorist.

*I'm joking.

Since I've never been a part of reviewing applications, I can't say how it was perceived, but it was a part of my application and it didn't stop me from getting many interviews. In fact, volunteering with an animal advocacy group was one of my longest, most extensive volunteer experiences.

My advice: When describing things, just try to ride the middle of the road, so that you don't push people away from strong, opinionated language/viewpoints. I listed the activity as "Animal Advocacy" instead of "Animal Rights Advocacy". And then in the description I used something tame like "volunteering for a non-profit organization that promotes/advocates for the humane treatment of farm animals."

Thank you! That's exactly what I was thinking. I'm happy to hear there are others going through this! Good luck, and thank you, I'll keep that in mind.

 

[Yonko Shanks]

I was raised vegan and my family only ate vegan foods. In highschool my parents told me try meat sort of like how the Amish do their rumspringa. I had bacon and never looked back.

Much to my family's displeasure I bring over KFC for Christmas.

haha, you cracked me up with that. Bacon+Beer= only two things a guy needs beside women

 

[Yonko Shanks]

 

[lobo.solo]

haha, you cracked me up with that. Bacon+beer= only two things a guy needs beside women

+1