What Race to Mark?

[astrife]

My dad is an immigrant from Palestine, and my mom is your standard caucasian with Western European ancestry. Palestine is technically in Asia, but calling myself Asian seems really inaccurate. As well I think I might actually hurt myself by marking Asian because there is already such a high proportion in medical school anyway.

What do you guys think?

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[ar2388]

middle eastern?
or you can just be caucasian.. i am russian which is in asia but i just say white.

 

[lovemesomeTJ]

If you feel Asian, mark Asian. If you feel White, mark White. If you're really torn, can't you decline to state this? I don't even remember what's on that dang app.

 

[caseofthemndays]

You are non-hispanic white, or you can decline to state.

 

[red10]

other

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Check off other and write human in the available space.

 

[HAART]

Pretty sure this makes you 100% caucasian

 

[GoLytely]

I also don't think it matters with regard to the competitiveness of your application. Frankly, of those nationalities which may help you, "Asian" isn't really one of them.

 

[LebLlama]

Im in the same exact position, only my dad is from lebanon. Was wondering if I should choose asian as well. I think we'd be considered white though.

 

[mouthwash4hobo]

Can you only mark one race?

 

[jckut10]

.

 

[JenniferRU]

When you look at most applications it says White (includes middle eastern)
Thats like me saying I'm African American because my mom was born in Morocco.

 

[GH253]

"I choose not to respond"

 

[deleted316655]

Pretty sure this makes you 100% caucasian

Yea I'm definitely sure you should mark Caucasian.

 

[MDDM]

Tough question. Scientifically speaking, human beings were divided by Coon into Caucasoids, Congoids, Capoids, Mongoloids, and Australoids (although some question his classification). While "white" has been synonymous with "caucasian" in recent usage, the way races were classified was not based on skin color as much as it was based on the shape of the bones of the skull. In this classification, Middle Easterners were placed in the Caucasoid category.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I'd say that daddy is actually from the Egypt and immigrated to Palestine in the 70s and make a claim to being African =p.

 

[Batzmarucy831]

My sister saw a TV commercial on an Asian channel: A bunch of students said "Next time on your application, check the 'other' box and write 'Taiwanese' next to it..." For any Asians who want to distinguish themselves by using that ambiguous 'other' box. And maybe set off another political debate and ticking off the Chinese.

 

[astrife]

That's actually kinda funny because my dad did immigrate to Egypt for medical school before he came to the US.

 

[bannie22]

mark ALL.

 

[LizzyM]

Many folks like the OP check "other "or the "prefer not to answer" option.

 

[magicmage88]

I'm of Palestinian and Lebanese descent and any country in the Middle East is considered Caucasian.. so, I assume you would mark that as your race. That's what I did, anyway.

 

[JoshUNCW]

I'm of Palestinian and Lebanese descent and any country in the Middle East is considered Caucasian.. so, I assume you would mark that as your race. That's what I did, anyway.

that

 

[Dial71]

It tickles me that diversity is codified in a checklist.

 

[Quester]

Are there any adv/disadv. to checking off "prefer not to state" if you're Caucasian or Asian?

 

[LizzyM]

Are there any adv/disadv. to checking off "prefer not to state" if you're Caucasian or Asian?

No advantage, nor any disadvantage.

 

[bannie22]

But statistically its harder for Asians to get into med school. (Harder in terms of the average Asian has an extra MCAT pt).

 

[LizzyM]

But statistically its harder for Asians to get into med school. (Harder in terms of the average Asian has an extra MCAT pt).

Is that because of their race or does race track with some other characteristic that adcoms find undesirable? Off the top of my head I can think of two things, I'm sure there are more. For example, are Asian applicants more likely than applicants of other races (or those who check "prefer not to answer") to appear to be bowing to parental pressure to enter the medical field? May it be that some Asians are immigrants with skills in spoken English that make it less likely for them to gain admission in comparision with a non-Asian person who has similar stats?

 

[alibai3ah]

Is that because of their race or does race track with some other characteristic that adcoms find undesirable? Off the top of my head I can think of two things, I'm sure there are more. For example, are Asian applicants more likely than applicants of other races (or those who check "prefer not to answer") to appear to be bowing to parental pressure to enter the medical field? May it be that some Asians are immigrants with skills in spoken English that make it less likely for them to gain admission in comparision with a non-Asian person who has similar stats?

I think bannie's assumption is that most Asian people tend to have the higher numbers. Therefore, an asian would have to have higher numbers than another race to be competitive. I assume that's what she was trying to say.

On a side note, I'm not saying I believe this, but I think that's what she meant.

 

[Batzmarucy831]

My old doctor also said it's harder for Asians to get in, b/c they tend to score high and do well in school. You either play the piano or violin, and you'd be a failure if you don't get perfect scores... You're trained since you were born to choose among the following for your future: doctor, lawyer, business executive (anyone recall the Family Guy episode- Are you doctor yet? )...

Anywho, even if you do check "other," when you walk into that interview, the staff and interviewers do get to see you and unquestionably know what you are. Don't think it really matters what you do.

 

[lovemesomeTJ]

My old doctor also said it's harder for Asians to get in, b/c they tend to score high and do well in school. You either play the piano or violin, and you'd be a failure if you don't get perfect scores... You're trained since you were born to choose among the following for your future: doctor, lawyer, business executive (anyone recall the Family Guy episode- Are you doctor yet? )...

Anywho, even if you do check "other," when you walk into that interview, the staff and interviewers do get to see you and unquestionably know what you are. Don't think it really matters what you do.

That's speculation. And even if they do it, it shouldn't factor because sometimes it's hard to tell what a person is, and rude to assume they are something they are not. I myself have met many a person whose ethnicity I could not pinpoint. I don't even try anymore.

 

[Musclemass]

My old doctor also said it's harder for Asians to get in, b/c they tend to score high and do well in school. You either play the piano or violin, and you'd be a failure if you don't get perfect scores... You're trained since you were born to choose among the following for your future: doctor, lawyer, business executive (anyone recall the Family Guy episode- Are you doctor yet? )...

Your old doctor sounds like an old fool. A racist one.

 

[teenmachinery1]

Is that because of their race or does race track with some other characteristic that adcoms find undesirable? Off the top of my head I can think of two things, I'm sure there are more. For example, are Asian applicants more likely than applicants of other races (or those who check "prefer not to answer") to appear to be bowing to parental pressure to enter the medical field? May it be that some Asians are immigrants with skills in spoken English that make it less likely for them to gain admission in comparision with a non-Asian person who has similar stats?

I'm definitely vibrating with this post here.

Not to mention their driving either... (I kid, I kid)

 

[Ischemic]

I'm definitely vibrating with this post here.

Not to mention their driving either... (I kid, I kid)

I'm vibrating with this post?? What are you using to vibrate with the post?

Race is too sensitive a topic to get all bent out of shape about. People should learn to have thicker skin.

 

[LizzyM]

But statistically its harder for Asians to get into med school. (Harder in terms of the average Asian has an extra MCAT pt).

Just taking one subgroup of med school applicants. Data is from AMCAS:

MCAT between 30 and 32, gpa between 3.60-3.79
White applicants = 4,193 and 3,286 accepted = 78.4%
Asian applicants = 1,431 and 1,103 accepted = 77.1%

Now, if Asian applicants with those stats were accepted at the same rate as whites with those stats an additional 19 Asian applicants would be admitted. I contend that there could be issues that would account for for that 1.3% difference in admission (motivation for medicine, interview skills, etc).

 

[sewcurious]

I'm vibrating with this post?? What are you using to vibrate with the post?

Race is too sensitive a topic to get all bent out of shape about. People should learn to have thicker skin.

Umm I'm not sure how you make that conclusion based on the fact that race in sensitive. I could just as easily say (and do believe) that race is a sensitive topic so everyone should really consider how their words affect others. I though empathy was an imp part of med school.

As to the OP, there is a debate about this going on about the census right now. You are the example of how race is a socially constructed idea. The lines of race are constantly shifting because more than anything it evolved as a power system that we constantly justify to ourselves and each other.

So mark what you want, don't let other people decide for you.