So I’m currently in the middle of hearing back from medical schools (in fact, I hear back from a couple in the next week or so), and while browsing through student doctor network (yes, I use sdn, and go fuck yourself if you laugh at that because that shit is helpful), I keep running into similar posts all addressing “why does race matter in admissions?” That got me thinking about the role of race in medicine and affirmative action in general, so I thought I’d spill some thoughts.
In terms of medical school admissions, yes, it is true that underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans) accepted into medical schools (let alone the likes of Harvard) have lower numbers than non underrepresented minorities. I mean just compare these charts: https://www.aamc.org/download/157594/data/table25-b-mcatgpa-grid-black-0810.pdf.pdf and https://www.aamc.org/download/157450/data/table24-mcatgpagridall2008-10.pdf.pdf
So, yes, I think it’s pointless to argue that there is equal treatment when it comes to the application process. But, now, the question arises: should affirmative action hold place in medical school admissions? Being an Indian American male (basically the shittiest possible scenario for a med school applicant), I was at first skeptical of this notion, but then I thought about it and have to agree that yes, in fact, it should, and here’s why:
1) Race does matter to many patients. Many minority patients do feel more comfortable and have a better connection with a physician of the same ethnicity as they do (whether it be due to cultural values or simply because they feel that the physician can empathize with them a lot better). Like damn, I’d be more comfortable with an Indian physician--especially an Indian physician that grew up in the states. I feel like he’d understand my problems much better (not just biological, but also social and mental, as healthcare should try to alleviate problems of mind, body, and soul). And yes, there are a shit-ton of black and hispanic patients, and not a shit-ton of black and hispanic physicians--maybe we should get on that....
2) Pictures motivate. Think about all those flyers you got when applying to college for a lot of those top ivy league-ish schools. You have the few white kids, the asian kids, and then black and hispanic kids all happy and smiling together like they’re all one big family. The truth is, whether or not that shit actually happens in college (some colleges are mad segregated), the black kid who gets that flyer from Harvard is gonna think, “hmm I see another black kid that’s at Harvard, maybe I can get in too?” In essence, it’s a way of motivating URM’s to strive for higher education. Think about how many black kids think they have a chance of being president after Obama won?
3) There are simply less of them. If you have a smaller number of applicants that must be distributed across a number of schools, then you simply will have a few students at top universities who numerically are less than the average accepted student. And honestly, only about 10-20% of a student body is composed of URM’s, so if anyone’s “stealing” your seat, it’s non URM’s that take multiple years off to do amazing shit and really beef up their resume.
4) An argument is often made that affirmative action should be based on those applicants who have been socio-economically disadvantaged, and I whole-heartedly agree. However, it is also true that being a URM and being economically disadvantaged is correlated, and many of them actually are. And even if they aren’t economically, many URM families for the most part have been disadvantaged socially at some point in the past (for example, first generation college students are often URM’s).
5) Diversity is important. Honestly, I don't wanna go to a school (let alone the most important school in my educational saga) with only one or two types of ethnicities and cultural backgrounds--been there, done that in high school, and that shit was wack. Having this type of diversity makes one learn about not only different cultures and viewpoints on different matters, but also allows you to learn more about yourself and your own viewpoints. Also, it allows you to relate to a wider variety of people.
Is it a perfect system? Absolutely not, and it does get abused often every year. However, I do think that it is a step in the right direction to “fairness.”
I think Chris Rock says it the best here: http://www.guavaleaf.com/video/4666/Chris-Rock--Never-Scared-Affirmative-Action He accurately says, "I don't think I should get accepted to a school over a white person if I get a lower mark on a test. But if there's a tie? Fuck him! Shit, you had a 400-year head start, motherfucker!"
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