Would you use every advantage?

[Okemu]

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Would you use every advantage you had to get into vet school?

I am from a multiracial, minority family with a lot of cultural pride. When I applied to undergrad, I decided not to declare my ethnicity (against my family's wishes), and got into all the schools I applied too. Still, there were many classmates from high school who made mean and hurtful comments that I only got into [Ivy League School] because of my race. Now I am applying to vet schools and my family is once again encouraging me to list my minority status, claiming that I should be proud of my race and the fact that my grandparents worked so hard to break past racial barriers so I could have opportunities like this - i.e. going to college and becoming a doctor (a first in my family). I understand their point, but I also want to be able to tell people that I know that I achieved my goals through hard work, not because of my genetics.

We all know that affirmative action, although discouraged in some states, is a factor in vet school admissions. Penn (I believe) even makes a statement that they factor diversity (racial, gender, geographical, area of interest, etc.) into their admissions process.

So, I ask, would you feel it was okay to use every advantage you had in your application? Whether it's declaring your race or writing an essay about how you have a unique interest?

I haven't decided what I will do yet, but I'd love to hear opinions.

 

[silverelf]

personally, i would prefer it there was no race category on the application. A) its been shown that the "race" is in fact a myth, and B) the students that need the affirmative action never get it. Instead, the upper-class minorities reap the benefits because of their skin color....while the poor black kid in new york city and the poor white kid in arkansas don't get what they need. at least, that's been my experience at an ivy league.

but at any rate, i think its up to you. Yes, declaring your minority status will most likely be the extra notch that bumps you into the acceptance range, but personally i'd want to know that i got it because of my accomplishments and what i did rather than what my skin color is. so i guess its really how bad do you want it?

however, my guess is that if you got into an ivy league on academic merits alone, you'll be fine either way 🙂

 

[Moonpaw]

Okemu, you certainly have the right to "use" your race to get into vet school. That's why these affirmative action laws were created.

That said, you really seem to have pride in your own abilities and the right to say that you achieved what you have based on what you DID, not who you are/where you or your ancestors come from. If you think your application is strong enough, then it seems that it is not worth it to sacrifice your own sense of pride. However, as we all know, adcoms can always be weird and not pick people who appear to be good applicants.

Besides, it's not like your advantage is something really low, like having a connection on the adcom when you otherwise wouldn't be good enough. It's completely legit to list your race on your app, so don't feel bad for doing so. The people who made those stupid comments to you in high school were probably just pissed off that they didn't get in and needed someplace to vent their frustration, even though it made them sound even more ignorant.

 

[k9 <3er]

Hey Okemu,

I too am part of a multi-racial family. I included this fact on my app not because I thought it would give me an advantage but because it is a trait that has significantly shaped who i am and how i see the world. it seems like you're in the same boat so don't feel bad about listing who and what you are. everyone has unique qualities that set them apart from other people and while ethnicity isn't your only interesting quality, it probably is a big part of your identity. just make sure this isn't a central theme to your app because i'm sure some people try and play the race card to get in. (although with your qualifications i know you won't do that) 🙂

 

[dvm'08]

In all honesty, if i were you, I'd use your minority status. Admissions to vet school is a crap shoot - as you said in the title of this thread - use every advantage you can, and if that means identifying yourself as a minority, then so be it. If someone has the balls to question how you got into vet school you can tell them to shove it because, quite frankly, its none of their business.

For the record - i'm not a minority.

 

[Taenia]

I personally do not believe the term 'minority' to be of any use in our society anymore. Everyone can claim minority status if they look hard enough for reasons to be one. I do believe, however, that culture is powerful. If it truly is a meaningful and dominating force in your own day to day lifestyle, talk about it! Speak to the advantages of experiencing your family history rather than the disadvantages. I think the adcoms can easily differentiate those applicants who celebrate their culture and accompanying diversity rather than others who purely "use" it.

That's my opinion, anyways. 🙄

 

[philomycus]

This white female in the majority says do it! It's not like you are lying on an app or like another said, having connections to an adcom member. Being proud without gloating is a trait that is becoming less common. If this is your passion, your dream, fill out your app as best as you can and put down your race.

You never know, not mentioning your race may give the adcoms to think "why didn't he/she" declare it??

 

[UpstateNY27]

Hi Okemu. You raise some interesting questions with your post.

In my opinion the answer to your question is going to have to be answered by only you. What do I mean? I mean that if you know that you are a competitive applicant, and you meet the criteria to be a successful veterinary student, then you know that it was your abilities, and not necessarily your race or ethnicity, which is most directly responsible for your ability to get into vet school.

If you browse through these forums you'll find that there are several minority students that were very competitive (high GRE and GPA scores, plus experience) that did NOT gain admission to vet school initially. Thus, just being a member of a minority group does not automatically give you a "wild-card" to walk into vet school. At the same time, veterinary medicine is one of the most segregated clinical fields. It has one of the lowest representations of the American non-white populations. Veterinary schools know that the ethnic and racial composition of our country is, and will continue to change dramatically in the future. Successful veterinarians (of any race) will learn how to effectively communicate with this diverse population. We, non-white veterinarians, will be a crucial link between our white peers and this diverse American population of clients. We'll also bring novel ways of analyzing problems, and hopefully solutions to these problems.

So, should you list your race in the application? That is up to you. However, if you do decide to list your race, and get into vet school, don't waste time reflecting back in time, attempting to determine if it was your academic aptitude, or your "genes" that got you accepted. Move on, and become the best veterinarian you can be! 🙂

Julian

 

[Taenia]

This white female in the majority says do it! It's not like you are lying on an app or like another said, having connections to an adcom member. Being proud without gloating is a trait that is becoming less common. If this is your passion, your dream, fill out your app as best as you can and put down your race.

You never know, not mentioning your race may give the adcoms to think "why didn't he/she" declare it??

It's also best to remember that sometimes a perceived minority characteristic is not one after a little investigation. I am a Caucasian at a predominantly (79% to be exact) African-American university. Would adcoms evaluate my situation differently than, say, a normally perceived "minority" student such as a Pacific Islander who lives in Hawaii? These are just examples. Like I said before, use this as a celebration of who you are, not an excuse to whine your way into vet school or a reason you are "owed" a spot. (Not that I'm saying you are, by the way.) Just trying to add some perspective.

 

[KittenKiller]

Okemu,

You are crazy (albeit noble) not to indicate your racial status on your applications. First off, veterinary school acceptance rates are far lower than most Ivy League school acceptance rates, if I have the numbers straight in my head. Secondly, your integrity is admirable, but if you think most of your competitors have any such moral scruples when it comes to pulling strings to get in, think again. Whether its pulling personal connections at the school or stretching the truth a bit in an essay, many applicants will use every advantage. One of the hard facts I learned in college is that things like who you know, who your parents are, and how much money you have, matter a lot, not just how smart you are and how hard you worked. How would you feel if you got rejected knowing many of the acceptees were not accepted on merit alone?

Finally, the universities themselves decide to make race a factor in their decisions. If you disagree with affirmative action, I don't think an application is the right forum to voice your opinion on this matter. No one will ever know - not even the admissions officers (since they won't know your race) - your stance on this issue. As you said, even when you did elect not to declare your race on your college applications, people in your high school still looked at you disparagingly and assumed you had.

Jessica

 

[fargeese]

Unless you are also deleting the age and sex portions of the application, I would say you might as well fill in race too. You will be judged on all of these arbitrary factors, none of which you had any control over. I agree that it's not right, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

 

[Okemu]

Thanks for all your responses! I have to admit I'm a little surprised at what people had to say.

I definitely agree with all of you. The real reason I didn't declare my race in high school had a lot less to do with my own morality and more to do with identity issues I was facing. I was multiracial, a minority among minorities in a high school that was 98% white or Asian. Since coming to college, I have really begun to feel a lot more comfortable with my racial status and my ethnicity, and I don't usually feel the need to hide or show off any certain race. (For example, in high school, I felt like I had to act "blacker" just because I was part-black, and sometimes I worried that I was being too "white" even though I'm part Caucasian as well.) Still, as I was getting ready to fill out applications again, the old feelings from high school came back, and I began to briefly worry about stupid things, like that the interviewers wouldn't think I was "black" enough to check off the box next to African-American when I showed up to my interview wearing J. Crew and straightened hair.

All your responses really helped me see past those stupid ideas again. I honestly thought that I was past all that, but I guess things like this will always affect me in a small way. Thanks again!

 

[Azawakh]

Okemu. I am a minority who attended a top 10 liberal arts college. You will not get into any veterinary school despite your race if you are not qualified. I was rejected twice from veterinary schools before being accepted. Veterinary school is uniquely challenging and accepting someone who is not qualified regardless of their race who will end up flunking out is not in the best interest of the school or the profession.

Indicating your race on an application is optional and a personal choice I would imagine. You should not feel compelled not to indicate your race because of how you feel others may perceive you. People who will judge you based on your race will not care whether or not you indicated it on your application.

 

[lifeblimes]

wow, this will be my first post, but in case you still wanted more opinions after the ones already offered, I think you totally should because the others are doing it, and you can always hone your integrity and honesty AFTER you have gained more power and leverage to do so and actually change something, say, after you become a respected veterinarian and is involved in school admissions.

Secondly, I will mention that I am Asian and although this means I am a racial minority, it's commonly known that Asians are not proportionally represented in higher education. So, did this mean that putting down Asian actually lowered my acceptability? Well, I didn't think much of that because I am who I am and it was up to them to judge whether or not they want me in their school. On the other hand, I'd imagine Asians in veterinary school is probably a minority, so does this mean this time, it'd benefit me? Furthermore, as someone else mentioned, gender is also factored in, as males are underrepresented in veterinary schools, and then so is geographical location a factor. Bottomline is, just be honest as to who you are and present it to them and see what happens.

 

[Aninha]

I am an international student...I'm not even considered out-of-state/in-state anywhere. I am aware of how hard it is to get into vet school for americans, and it is even harder for non-americans. So if being a "minority" will help me I'd write it down in my application, simply because I know how hard I've worked, how many barriers, challenges, and changes I had to face to be here in the US and to be a competitive applicant. In addition, I want them to know who I really am. I am proud of my culture, where I'm from, and I believe everything I went through only made me a better person. If it's part of who you are, don't hide it. I don't care what people say because I know in my heart that I deserve all good things that happened or may happen...
but people have different opinions and that's ok, right...🙂

 

[kate_g]

I began to briefly worry about stupid things, like that the interviewers wouldn't think I was "black" enough to check off the box next to African-American when I showed up to my interview wearing J. Crew and straightened hair.

It's a shame that the application wasn't designed so that the part on race/ethnicity isn't a "check all that apply" style question. 🙂

 

[cyrille104]

Still, as I was getting ready to fill out applications again, the old feelings from high school came back, and I began to briefly worry about stupid things, like that the interviewers wouldn't think I was "black" enough to check off the box next to African-American when I showed up to my interview wearing J. Crew and straightened hair.

Now I KNOW you'll be dressed better than J. Crew.