Indian student faked being black to get into medical school

[Morphine Prince 109,655]

​It's not affirmative action, per se. There are simply an overabundance of Caucasian, Asian, and Middle Eastern doctors. There are tens of thousands of patients whom are uncomfortable with their doctors because they feel that they don't understand them culturally. Therefore, medical schools accept African-American, Hispanic, and Native American students whose low grades can be attributed to limitations placed on them by society; people from these backgrounds are usually low income and cannot afford textbooks and must work to help at home. Students whom are one of these races but are wealthy are looked at like every other applicant. I am a disadvantaged 'URM' applicant so I've read into this a lot.

Speaking of -- when are you taking your MCAT and applying? If it's next year, I hope we end up in the same school

I've actually changed my route to Dental School and will most likely take the DAT next year. I might have to graduate in 4.5 years due to scheduling issues but I need to get OChem out of the way to take the DAT hopefully next year  I'm a sophomore right now. 

[AyaKara 2,282]

If a white person did poorly compared to his white peers, and a black person did great compared to his black peers, but the white person technically did "better" than the black person, I would choose the black person over the white person. Not because the white person is less qualified, but because the black person obviously overcame something that his peers did not, and the white person obviously didn't overcome something that his peers did.

I don't agree with "quotas" but I also don't agree with looking at just the concrete numbers, because the numbers don't show the whole story.

@AyaKara knows what's up tbh.

​You made my day! Thank you so much I am half-black with a low income background so this topic is a soft spot for me. Vijay ended up failing out, which says a lot about his academic character -- and this is supported by him saying that he was a 'partying frat boy'. Students from these backgrounds don't have low GPAs because they were partying; they have low GPAs because they have other responsibilities and difficult environments. These students succeed in medical school because they are in the school environment, usually with financial assistance and all of the resources that medical schools provide.

I've actually changed my route to Dental School and will most likely take the DAT next year. I might have to graduate in 4.5 years due to scheduling issues but I need to get OChem out of the way to take the DAT hopefully next year  I'm a sophomore right now. 

​Omg really? Congrats! I'll miss you on the MD side. Don't worry about orgo, it's really overrated -- physics is something else (and I'm strong at math!). Do practice problems and make sure you understand the concepts. Also, make sure you have a strong background of chem I & II, they're really helpful. If you ever need help, PM me!

[Morphine Prince 109,655]

​You made my day! Thank you so much I am half-black with a low income background so this topic is a soft spot for me. Vijay ended up failing out, which says a lot about his academic character -- and this is supported by him saying that he was a 'partying frat boy'. Students from these backgrounds don't have low GPAs because they were partying; they have low GPAs because they have other responsibilities and difficult environments. These students succeed in medical school because they are in the school environment, usually with financial assistance and all of the resources that medical schools provide.

​Omg really? Congrats! I'll miss you on the MD side. Don't worry about orgo, it's really overrated -- physics is something else (and I'm strong at math!). Do practice problems and make sure you understand the concepts. Also, make sure you have a strong background of chem I & II, they're really helpful. If you ever need help, PM me!

Yeah, I've heard nightmare stories for Physics from some friends. And thanks! When will you graduate? Or did you already? 

[Whispering 18,865]

I understand wanting diversity to make the institution look better, but disregarding people with higher qualifications in the quest to do so is definitely not okay in my opinion  

It's not just to make the institution look better. We do need more diversity in the medical community, especially in the area of family practice. For many reasons, one being that they can be role models in their communities. 

Traditionally, high schools in poorer neighborhoods, where some of these minority applicants are coming from, are behind academically to high schools in other areas. Colleges and medical programs sometimes take factors, such as these, into account.

They are looking at the big picture. They are trying to give certain minorities a chance to make a difference in their communities, which can have a positive chain reaction.  

[Haroon 49,685]

It's not just to make the institution look better. We do need more diversity in the medical community, especially in the area of family practice. For many reasons, one being that they can be role models in their communities. 

Traditionally, high schools in poorer neighborhoods, where some of these minority applicants are coming from, are behind academically to high schools in other areas. Colleges and medical programs sometimes take factors, such as these, into account.

They are looking at the big picture. They are trying to give certain minorities a chance to make a difference in their communities, which can have a positive chain reaction.  

​Hmm that's a very good point  I don't know, I'm on the side for the minority being picked if the candidates are equal, but otherwise I just find it unfair that race/physical attributes/etc are being used to decide on candidates when one has higher credentials. I just don't like the idea that someone is being let ahead when another may have worked harder and achieved greater for the position  

[Whispering 18,865]

This happened to me when I was applying to university after high school. It wasn't race based but I think it has the same idea. So I applied to the University of Miami. I had a GPA of 3.7 and SAT score of 1790, but I got waitlisted because my SAT scores were just below requirement.  I later ended up getting rejected. To my surprise, one of the football players I studied with, with a GPA of 2.75 and an SAT score of 1540, got in. I was like   They literally took a grade C student over me just because he was an athlete. I get the work hard to be fit and all but I think it's discriminatory how they have loophole for athletes. 

Wait...are you saying that this guy was going to play on the football team at the University of Miami?

[Whispering 18,865]

​Hmm that's a very good point  I don't know, I'm on the side for the minority being picked if the candidates are equal, but otherwise I just find it unfair that race/physical attributes/etc are being used to decide on candidates when one has higher credentials. I just don't like the idea that someone is being let ahead when another may have worked harder and achieved greater for the position  

If you could see some of the situations and high schools these kids come from, you might understand that it wasn't really equal or "fair" to start out with. That's why colleges are impressed with students who do well, despite their less than ideal circumstances. It says something about their character...that they fought to do better than what their environment was dictating. That oftentimes says more about potential and leadership, than simply high creditials. 

[Haroon 49,685]

If you could see some of the situations and high schools these kids come from, you might understand that it wasn't really equal or "fair" to start out with. That's why colleges are impressed with students who do well, despite their less than ideal circumstances. It says something about their character...that they fought to do better than what their environment was dictating. That oftentimes says more about potential and leadership, than simply high creditials. 

​That is very true  I didn't take into account where some of these minority kids came from (in terms of educational background and being able to swim upstream) - thanks for opening my eyes up a bit more about the matter  

[Nick1495 991]

Wait...are you saying that this guy was going to play on the football team at the University of Miami?

Yea. The only reason he went is so that he could have a chance a professional career. They most definitely don't go to get a major education IMO. 

[Whispering 18,865]

Yea. The only reason he went is so that he could have a chance a professional career. They most definitely don't go to get a major education IMO. 

Well, no wonder they accepted him with lower creditials. He was offering them something they wanted, other than his ability to do well in classes. 

College sports is BIG money. 

[AyaKara 2,282]

Yeah, I've heard nightmare stories for Physics from some friends. And thanks! When will you graduate? Or did you already? 

​I finished my bachelor's in Dec. 2013, I'm just finishing pre-med now

Yeah, physics is the hardest pre-req. If you're taking algebra-based physics, try to take calculus beforehand -- calc covers a lot of the fundamentals of physics and will make it easier to understand. Is physics on the DAT too? Very little of it is actually on the MCAT.

[Morphine Prince 109,655]

​I finished my bachelor's in Dec. 2013, I'm just finishing pre-med now

Yeah, physics is the hardest pre-req. If you're taking algebra-based physics, try to take calculus beforehand -- calc covers a lot of the fundamentals of physics and will make it easier to understand. Is physics on the DAT too? Very little of it is actually on the MCAT.

I heard there's little Physics on DAT. And I'm in Calculus 2 currently. 

Oh, it's great you have your Bachelors! Good luck on the MCAT. 

[Woolfsmck 2,763]

Diversity?

Qualified?

Equal Opportunity?

The definition of these terms can be found in dictionaries and are pretty straight forward. 

How they are implimented and interpreted is far different in the real world.

What is fair?

I don't  see any way to be fair to everyone at all times. 

Black people in America often come from underprividleged backgrounds, and have fewer opportunies. 

Does this fact make discrimination against other ethnicities to level things out for the Blacks justified?

I don't know personally but this one the the important questions that race relations faces in a multicutural society like the U.S.

[pink sushi 4,351]

I've actually changed my route to Dental School and will most likely take the DAT next year. I might have to graduate in 4.5 years due to scheduling issues but I need to get OChem out of the way to take the DAT hopefully next year  I'm a sophomore right now. 

​Organic chem is Satan in college class form.  

[AyaKara 2,282]

I heard there's little Physics on DAT. And I'm in Calculus 2 currently. 

Oh, it's great you have your Bachelors! Good luck on the MCAT. 

​Thank you! Good luck on your DAT. You should do fine

​Organic chem is Satan in college class form.  

​I'm destroying orgo, it's so overrated don't let the hype get to you Pink Sushi