Why are schools not accepting urm's in the 2024 msar data?

[Mayajae]

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I have been trying to build my school list but it's so hard to do so when you look at the demographics data on msar there are multiple schools that went from having 10-25 black and 10-25 hispanics in 2023 to only having 1-8 blacks and hispanics accepted in 2024. Does anyone know the reason for this? I posted an example of one of the schools doing this.

 

[Lifeblood_20]

There’s been massive cuts to DEI programs across the nation in the past year. I assume that has to do with it.

 

[polymerization]

Haven't you heard? Intelligence doesn't come in those ethnicities. They're doing all kinds of scientific research about it in the name of "thought diversity" to prove it. They're bringing back merit... get on board!

I'm really looking forward to this cycle as a gay Afro-Latino. Every time I open my email (which is exactly 86 times daily), I look a little like this:

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Posting for later
Changing Missions of Medical Schools and Trends in Medical Student Diversity Changing Missions of Medical Schools and Trends in Medical Student Diversity

 

[Faha]

It is because of the Supreme Court decision 2 years ago in which they ruled that race cannot be considered a factor in admissions decisions. The number of Black matriculates in 2021 was 2,124 and in 2024 it was 1,627. For Hispanic it declined from 1,575 to 1,357. Some of those may have gone to DO schools instead.

 

[Hollow Knight]

I care a LOT about this issue and I don’t want to seem like an old man yelling at clouds OK. However-

I don’t think people on admissions committees are looking at URM applicants and saying “oh, we don’t want that person because they’re not white” (although honestly nothing surprises me these days and that might be happening)

However (and there’s AAMC data on this I believe), URM applicants typically have worse stats than the stereotypical (please forgive me) “rich white kids.” IMO that’s due to the fact that URM applicants in America tend to be from less wealthy families and therefore it’s more challenging to do the things required to get wildly high test scores. It’s a lot harder to Ace the MCAT if you graduated from an underachieving high school and had to work 40+ hours a week to pay your bills in college.

Recently to the above points we’ve seen a rolling back of programs to support these applicants. Also this is why I personally don’t really care about a student’s MCAT score past a certain threshold. But most adcoms seemingly don’t really care about that and just take the shiniest applicants regardless of background. So you wind up getting a bunch of rich kids who happen to be not URM.

Feel free to DM me regardless if I can help you guys in any way. But unfortunately the deck is stacked. Most people on adcoms aren’t like me (many are, and many of them are on this forum)

 

[saltykiosk]

I care a LOT about this issue and I don’t want to seem like an old man yelling at clouds OK. However-

I don’t think people on admissions committees are looking at URM applicants and saying “oh, we don’t want that person because they’re not white” (although honestly nothing surprises me these days and that might be happening)

However (and there’s AAMC data on this I believe), URM applicants typically have worse stats than the stereotypical (please forgive me) “rich white kids.” IMO that’s due to the fact that URM applicants in America tend to be from less wealthy families and therefore it’s more challenging to do the things required to get wildly high test scores. It’s a lot harder to Ace the MCAT if you graduated from an underachieving high school and had to work 40+ hours a week to pay your bills in college.

Recently to the above points we’ve seen a rolling back of programs to support these applicants. Also this is why I personally don’t really care about a student’s MCAT score past a certain threshold. But most adcoms seemingly don’t really care about that and just take the shiniest applicants regardless of background. So you wind up getting a bunch of rich kids who happen to be not URM.

Feel free to DM me regardless if I can help you guys in any way. But unfortunately the deck is stacked. Most people on adcoms aren’t like me (many are, and many of them are on this forum)

IDK how true it is, but I heard from another ADCOM that while being URM by itself won't automatically give you an admission boost anymore, a strong service narrative toward their underserved community will still be heavily considered.

 

[PickaGodnPray]

I care a LOT about this issue and I don’t want to seem like an old man yelling at clouds OK. However-

I don’t think people on admissions committees are looking at URM applicants and saying “oh, we don’t want that person because they’re not white” (although honestly nothing surprises me these days and that might be happening)

However (and there’s AAMC data on this I believe), URM applicants typically have worse stats than the stereotypical (please forgive me) “rich white kids.” IMO that’s due to the fact that URM applicants in America tend to be from less wealthy families and therefore it’s more challenging to do the things required to get wildly high test scores. It’s a lot harder to Ace the MCAT if you graduated from an underachieving high school and had to work 40+ hours a week to pay your bills in college.

Recently to the above points we’ve seen a rolling back of programs to support these applicants. Also this is why I personally don’t really care about a student’s MCAT score past a certain threshold. But most adcoms seemingly don’t really care about that and just take the shiniest applicants regardless of background. So you wind up getting a bunch of rich kids who happen to be not URM.

Feel free to DM me regardless if I can help you guys in any way. But unfortunately the deck is stacked. Most people on adcoms aren’t like me (many are, and many of them are on this forum)

DEI has been broken from the start. Like you said, the biggest predictor of high stats is money. Anyone can hit a 515+ on the MCAT if they’ve got endless tutoring, don’t have to work to survive, and can spend their time shadowing and doing research instead of juggling jobs or family responsibilities.
If we actually want DEI to work, the focus needs to shift to supporting low-SES students. Because let’s be real, due to systemic racism, a huge portion of the underrepresented groups DEI claims to help also come from lower-income backgrounds. Better funding for inner-city schools, scholarships for kids from those communities, and admissions that consider what someone had access to instead of just raw scores, that’s how you level the field.
Also, and this is personal for me, DEI almost never includes disability. Neurodevelopmental disability especially gets ignored, even though this group is one of the most underserved in both education and healthcare. It feels like schools only lean into DEI when it looks good on a brochure. They cherry-pick what they want to highlight, slap it on promotional material, and call it a mission.
There are adcoms out there who get it, who actually care. But I’ve talked to plenty who don’t. Worse, some don’t even believe systemic barriers exist. That’s what we’re up against.

 

[FairEver]

DEI has been broken from the start. Like you said, the biggest predictor of high stats is money. Anyone can hit a 515+ on the MCAT if they’ve got endless tutoring, don’t have to work to survive, and can spend their time shadowing and doing research instead of juggling jobs or family responsibilities.
If we actually want DEI to work, the focus needs to shift to supporting low-SES students. Because let’s be real, due to systemic racism, a huge portion of the underrepresented groups DEI claims to help also come from lower-income backgrounds. Better funding for inner-city schools, scholarships for kids from those communities, and admissions that consider what someone had access to instead of just raw scores, that’s how you level the field.
Also, and this is personal for me, DEI almost never includes disability. Neurodevelopmental disability especially gets ignored, even though this group is one of the most underserved in both education and healthcare. It feels like schools only lean into DEI when it looks good on a brochure. They cherry-pick what they want to highlight, slap it on promotional material, and call it a mission.
There are adcoms out there who get it, who actually care. But I’ve talked to plenty who don’t. Worse, some don’t even believe systemic barriers exist. That’s what we’re up against.

What do we need to score a 528? Honestly, Kaplan books which you can get from eBay for $25. Khan academy 300 page document which is free. Khan academy passages (free), Jack Westin passages , practice tests and books (free), AAMC bundle $300 ( free for low income). Uworld question pack ($200), plenty of very high quality free YouTube channels like yousuf hasan, science simplified, AK lectures etc. Princeton review, Kaplan, exam Kracker, blueprint, Altius etc offering free practice tests . So, you don’t have to spend more than $500. An iPhone costs over $1000. Please post a thread on r/mcat and request people to post their family income who scored 520+. If you have to work to support yourself, work for 6 months, stay with your parents for 6 months and prepare for MCAT.

I really wish some responsible and honest people interview the children of the poorest Asian American restaurant workers, get their input on how they overcome systemic racism and poverty and yet outperform all others, share it with everyone. It will help everyone more.

The most expensive mcat course is $2000 and no one who took any of those courses scored above 515, to my knowledge. Everyone who took those courses discourages others taking those courses. Just saying.

I am requesting the moderators to lock this thread.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Because gender, race, sexuality, ethnicity, or skin color shouldn’t be a criteria for acceptance. A person should be judged on the merits.

 

[MTG0521]

I have been trying to build my school list but it's so hard to do so when you look at the demographics data on msar there are multiple schools that went from having 10-25 black and 10-25 hispanics in 2023 to only having 1-8 blacks and hispanics accepted in 2024. Does anyone know the reason for this? I posted an example of one of the schools doing this.View attachment 407079

What are your stats and have you gone to admit.org & calculated your admit score?

 

[PickaGodnPray]

What do we need to score a 528? Honestly, Kaplan books which you can get from eBay for $25. Khan academy 300 page document which is free. Khan academy passages (free), Jack Westin passages , practice tests and books (free), AAMC bundle $300 ( free for low income). Uworld question pack ($200), plenty of very high quality free YouTube channels like yousuf hasan, science simplified, AK lectures etc. Princeton review, Kaplan, exam Kracker, blueprint, Altius etc offering free practice tests . So, you don’t have to spend more than $500. An iPhone costs over $1000. Please post a thread on r/mcat and request people to post their family income who scored 520+. If you have to work to support yourself, work for 6 months, stay with your parents for 6 months and prepare for MCAT.

I really wish some responsible and honest people interview the children of the poorest Asian American restaurant workers, get their input on how they overcome systemic racism and poverty and yet outperform all others, share it with everyone. It will help everyone more.

The most expensive mcat course is $2000 and no one who took any of those courses scored above 515, to my knowledge. Everyone who took those courses discourages others taking those courses. Just saying.

I am requesting the moderators to lock this thread.

This is an incredibly tone deaf take and also just flat-out wrong. A quick internet search shows that multiple MCAT tutors and courses cost more than 2000. Saying people can just move back in with their parents or work for 6 months to study assumes everyone has that kind of support, which is classist as hell.
Yeah, there are free and cheap resources out there, but not everyone has equal access to even those. Having time, a quiet place to study, stable internet, or someone to guide you through the material isn’t a given. Everyone would benefit from those free resources and from paid tutoring if they could afford it. It’s still pay to win.
Also, trying to turn this into a competition about who faces more racism is completely missing the point. Asian Americans absolutely face systemic racism, but it’s a different kind than what Black and Latino communities have faced. Redlining, generational wealth gaps, school underfunding; these are massive, ongoing structural barriers that Asian communities haven’t had to face in the same way.
Everyone deserves a real shot. That means acknowledging where people are starting from and actually leveling the field, not pretending this process is some equal opportunity.
Also begging for the thread to be closed when hit with a point you disagree with is just sad.
*Edit just because I’m so peeved, but when was the last time an Asian community was poisoned with lead in the water and covered up by the government for years?

 

[Kobeleo62]

This is an incredibly tone deaf take and also just flat-out wrong. A quick internet search shows that multiple MCAT tutors and courses cost more than 2000. Saying people can just move back in with their parents or work for 6 months to study assumes everyone has that kind of support, which is classist as hell.
Yeah, there are free and cheap resources out there, but not everyone has equal access to even those. Having time, a quiet place to study, stable internet, or someone to guide you through the material isn’t a given. Everyone would benefit from those free resources and from paid tutoring if they could afford it. It’s still pay to win.
Also, trying to turn this into a competition about who faces more racism is completely missing the point. Asian Americans absolutely face systemic racism, but it’s a different kind than what Black and Latino communities have faced. Redlining, generational wealth gaps, school underfunding; these are massive, ongoing structural barriers that Asian communities haven’t had to face in the same way.
Everyone deserves a real shot. That means acknowledging where people are starting from and actually leveling the field, not pretending this process is some equal opportunity.
Also begging for the thread to be closed when hit with a point you disagree with is just sad.
*Edit just because I’m so peeved, but when was the last time an Asian community was poisoned with lead in the water and covered up by the government for years?

Very well said, its like that dude didn't even take the MCAT. The p/s section was literally filled with this topic

 

[FairEver]

Because gender, race, sexuality, ethnicity, or skin color shouldn’t be a criteria for acceptance. A person should be judged on the merits.

I second that

 

[FairEver]

This is an incredibly tone deaf take and also just flat-out wrong. A quick internet search shows that multiple MCAT tutors and courses cost more than 2000. Saying people can just move back in with their parents or work for 6 months to study assumes everyone has that kind of support, which is classist as hell.
Yeah, there are free and cheap resources out there, but not everyone has equal access to even those. Having time, a quiet place to study, stable internet, or someone to guide you through the material isn’t a given. Everyone would benefit from those free resources and from paid tutoring if they could afford it. It’s still pay to win.
Also, trying to turn this into a competition about who faces more racism is completely missing the point. Asian Americans absolutely face systemic racism, but it’s a different kind than what Black and Latino communities have faced. Redlining, generational wealth gaps, school underfunding; these are massive, ongoing structural barriers that Asian communities haven’t had to face in the same way.
Everyone deserves a real shot. That means acknowledging where people are starting from and actually leveling the field, not pretending this process is some equal opportunity.
Also begging for the thread to be closed when hit with a point you disagree with is just sad.
*Edit just because I’m so peeved, but when was the last time an Asian community was poisoned with lead in the water and covered up by the government for years?

Nigerian Americans are performing better than Whites and even Asian Americans, in every aspect of life. Just saying.

 

[PickaGodnPray]

Nigerian Americans are performing better than Whites and even Asian Americans, in every aspect of life. Just saying.

Nigerian Americans are not proof that systemic racism doesn’t exist. They’re proof that when people immigrate here with college degrees, speak English, and are often selected through high-skill visa programs, they do well. That doesn’t erase the impact of generational poverty, redlining, or centuries of institutional racism faced by Black Americans descended from slavery.
Trying to collapse all ‘Black success’ into a single group while ignoring massive disparities within the community is dishonest. And comparing immigrant success stories to historically marginalized populations is incredibly manipulative.
Also at any point please actually try to address a single point I made above or in my last posts. Your generational privilege is showing, but somehow still can’t save you from this generational belt to ass.

 

[saltykiosk]

What do we need to score a 528? Honestly, Kaplan books which you can get from eBay for $25. Khan academy 300 page document which is free. Khan academy passages (free), Jack Westin passages , practice tests and books (free), AAMC bundle $300 ( free for low income). Uworld question pack ($200), plenty of very high quality free YouTube channels like yousuf hasan, science simplified, AK lectures etc. Princeton review, Kaplan, exam Kracker, blueprint, Altius etc offering free practice tests . So, you don’t have to spend more than $500. An iPhone costs over $1000. Please post a thread on r/mcat and request people to post their family income who scored 520+. If you have to work to support yourself, work for 6 months, stay with your parents for 6 months and prepare for MCAT.

I really wish some responsible and honest people interview the children of the poorest Asian American restaurant workers, get their input on how they overcome systemic racism and poverty and yet outperform all others, share it with everyone. It will help everyone more.

The most expensive mcat course is $2000 and no one who took any of those courses scored above 515, to my knowledge. Everyone who took those courses discourages others taking those courses. Just saying.

I am requesting the moderators to lock this thread.

I can share some personal ancedote as data here

While working 60 hours per week, I had to breath and live MCAT for 6 months. I didn't have time for "study session" in the library and most of content studying was through listening to KA videos while driving, showering, gym, etc. I saved money for 5 months to afford 3 weeks off (still worked the weekends). In those 15 days, finally being able to study full time, my score went from avg 510 FL 1-3, to 520 on the test.
N=1, 1 point increase for every 1.5 days. Now imagine the difference 6 months of full-time studying would make. Meanwhile, some of my friends had their parents rent a house for 6 months so they could study without distractions.

I currently tutor MCAT to low-income students and these are things that every one of them deals with. Some would probably need 8 months of content studying to make up for their weak content background. And from discussing with my URM students, this deficiency goes a long way back to high school that still affects them. I could go on forever for different variables in play here. This is not an equal playground


As far as why it even matters, it's been long proven that underserved communities have better outcomes when doctors from their own backgrounds are involved. It goes beyond academic inclusion; we simply need more URM doctors