After the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that the practice of affirmative action in considering racial background of college applicants violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, medical schools are scrambling to understand how this decision will affect their admissions processes while potential minority applicants may fear not being accepted.
The Association of American Medical Colleges has reported that three-fourths of medical students come from the top two quintiles — or top two-fifths — of parental income. Minority medical school applicants, particularly those of Black or Hispanic descent, are more likely to have significantly lower levels of parental income. That remains a problem for patients who need doctors who understand poverty, systemic racism and other aspects of their lives that are very different.
Medicine is not out of your reach even if you are not from the top two quintiles.
I worry that after the Supreme Court decision, some aspiring physicians may be hesitant to apply to medical school. My hope is to convince you to apply with even more passion and enthusiasm. You are needed in medicine!
What does it mean that the Supreme Court has decided race can no longer be used in a limited way during the admissions process? If you have a very high MCAT score and GPA, you may not care much about this.
[How High of a College GPA Is Necessary to Get Into Medical School?]
However, it means you have to be creative if your MCAT and GPA are not ideal. You have to tell more of your story.
In a nutshell, this is what the Supreme Court decision states, according to Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion: Nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as the discussion is completely tied to a quality of character, or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university.
Applying to medical school has encouraged students to consider how they will take care of all patients of any race or ethnicity. Even when consideration of race was allowed, I know of multiple students who downplayed any advantage by omitting commentary on that so no one would accuse them of trying to get ahead of others.
The time has come that students must be willing to share their trials and tribulations that they experienced or witnessed. They may also describe how they will be more compassionate and understanding of others, even though they or their families were not treated in that manner. Maybe you will go out of your way as a result to help others less fortunate, or underresourced.
What character strengths have you found as a result of what you have witnessed happening to others? Are you more likely to stand up against bullies or someone trying to take advantage of another’s status, ranking or label? You can do this by giving a detailed description of how you showed courage and compassion, verbalizing for others who couldn’t do that for themselves.
[READ: 5 Key Characteristics of Successful Medical School Applicants.]
Med school admissions officers believe in class diversity for many reasons. So do survey results from students who report that learning from others different from themselves is highly advantageous. Different qualities among students contribute to class discussion and awareness.
If a student came from a family of a lower income level, experienced housing insecurity or food insecurity, or came from an underresourced school that lacked funds for many courses and activities considered normal for other schools, it should be described on the medical school application. Illness in the family, especially if the student took a lot of responsibility for their relative, is another issue that should be described.
Semesters abroad and global health volunteering are out of reach for many applicants. Parental income, education and occupation can also influence the help a student receives in applying to schools, taking test prep courses or getting a tutor.
If you were the first in your family to go to college, your parents may not be sure how to advise you. In depressed and underserved areas, counselors and other school officials may be stretched too thin or not have adequate experience to help you with medical school goals.
Some students have to work to pay some of their nuclear family’s expenses, in addition to their own tuition. I had a student who slept in a pick-up truck at out-of-town construction jobs to support his family because he couldn’t afford an inexpensive hotel room.
[Read: 4 Skills Every Premed Student Should Develop Before Medical School]
Be proud of what your parents, grandparents and others endured to get you to the place where you are today. Show what you learned. Have you had to work hard, too, and are you grateful for how others have encouraged you?
The University of California at Davis School of Medicine has used a socioeconomic disadvantage scale to help select their students and found these students more likely to work in primary care or in locales where doctors are scarce.
Exposure to trauma in childhood can lead to lower flourishing as an adult. Others can push through and become more resilient.
You may feel ashamed or fearful and worried that selection committees will believe that you are damaged. By overcoming that fear, you can become a stronger candidate.
Describe how the adversity or trauma transformed you. Remember that old saying: If something didn’t kill you, it can make you stronger. Just make sure that admissions committees know from your personal statement in the primary application and then your secondary application essays how hot that fire was that you endured. Eleanor Roosevelt quipped that you wouldn’t know how strong a person was until you put them in hot water, just like a teabag. The implication is that going through adversity can lead you to the success you seek.
The bottom line is to show what adversities or mountains you had to climb, and how resilient and grateful you are now. End on an upbeat note. They will want you in their school!
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Overcoming Adversity: How to Stress Your Experiences When Applying to Medical School originally appeared on usnews.com
