Am I A Minority?

[premedmind]

I am 50% Puerto Rican, 1st gen.....the other half of me is Persian. I kno the Persian side doesn't count.

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[surfstarj]

I am 50% Puerto Rican, 1st gen.....the other half of me is Persian. I kno the Persian side doesn't count.

I'd say you are, but I'm not an expert in these things. Do you have a hispanic name? It might be more "believable" if you do. If you identify with the culture, then go with it, otherwise, it's not worth seeming like you're just using it to get in with ADCOMs.

 

[EM84]

even better would be if you actually spoke spanish, or you could mix what spanish you know and fill it with whatever farsi you know, and maybe just maybe the ADCOMs won't be able to tell the difference. It's risky if there's actually spanish speakers or spanish majors in the ADCOM.

However, I also have a friend who's going to med school in Puerto Rico. From my understanding the biggest hurdle in getting into them is actually being Puerto Rican, which I feel makes you qualified.

 

[Phoenix.]

Moving this thread to the Underrepresented in Healthcare forum where I think the OP will get more advice.

OP, you might want to take a look through this forum - there's some good information here on URM status and other's opinions.

 

[efex101]

I was interviewed in Spanish just fyi.....if you claim Hispanic all if fair...

 

[QofQuimica]

I was interviewed in Spanish just fyi.....if you claim Hispanic all if fair...

Heh. Interestingly, I was interviewed in Spanish too at a couple of schools after mentioning on my app that I spoke Spanish. It's definitely *not* a good idea to lie about whether you speak another language, regardless of what background you hail from!

 

[GoHop]

I was interviewed in Spanish just fyi.....if you claim Hispanic all if fair...

Did u put down on your app that your were fluent in spanish?

 

[DoctaJay]

Simply be honest when applying in terms of what your race is like :Black, White, Caucasian, Asian, etc. But if you claim hispanic, be ready to speak spanish. And if you can't speak it, for whatever reason, it might not "look" right to the interviewer and it could cause problems. So if you are barely Hispanic, especially in your immersion in the culture (meaning that you can't speak it) then don't do it, because it could set you back.

 

[Dr Who]

I would say that the OP is definately hispanic. One of his parents is of hispanic origin, and the OP stated that he is 1st gen, so yes, he is. Even if he knew no spanish the OP should state his true origin. Contrary to what many people here say, not knowing spanish does not make him any less hispanic. I know many, many people of hispanic origin that dont speak or barely understand spanish, but wherever they go they are are viewed as and identify themselves as hispanic. So no, language alone does not determine your ethnicity.

If the OP doesnt speak spanish, then there is no reason to state he does on the app, but to NOT put hispanic on his app when he clearly is of puertorrican origin is doing him/ herself a disservice. As long as one of his parents are of puertorrican decent the OP can consider him/ herself an URM. No reason to make it more complicated that it should be.

 

[efex101]

No, I did not put on my medical school application that I was "fluent"...but some of the adcoms will "assume" (right or not that is another thread) that you if you claim to be Hispanic you "should" know Spanish....this holds more so true for those interviewers that are themselves Hispanics....

 

[Dr Who]

No, I did not put on my medical school application that I was "fluent"...but some of the adcoms will "assume" (right or not that is another thread) that you if you claim to be Hispanic you "should" know Spanish....this holds more so true for those interviewers that are themselves Hispanics....

I dont think that addcoms "assume" that because someone says he or she is hispanic they should automatically speak spanish. To do so would only demonstrate ignorance about the social realities affecting that group on the part of the addcom. To be honest, knowing how to speak spanish is not really the issue here. The important thing is if the applicant is an URM or not, that is what they look for. Knowing spanish is a huge plus, for anyone going into medicine, but they shouldnt hold it against the applicant is he doesnt know how to speak the language.
Remember, the important thing is that you can demonstrate that you are of hispanic origin and an URM. If you can demosntrate that you are, then knowing spanish or not is not a deal breaker.

 

[efex101]

Well, right or wrong ...I applied to over 30 schools and interviewed at 11..."most" assumed that I did indeed speak Spanish (again this is not saying *fluent* Spanish) based on my Hispanic heritage....I agree that speaking Spanish will not make anyone Hispanic or not but again, there are some assumptions there. of course this is all based on MY experience. Maybe other Hispanic medical students that have gone through the process can also comment.

 

[Dr Who]

Well, right or wrong ...I applied to over 30 schools and interviewed at 11..."most" assumed that I did indeed speak Spanish (again this is not saying *fluent* Spanish) based on my Hispanic heritage....I agree that speaking Spanish will not make anyone Hispanic or not but again, there are some assumptions there. of course this is all based on MY experience. Maybe other Hispanic medical students that have gone through the process can also comment.

The fact that they "Assume" that you speak spanish based solely on your ethnic backround says a lot more about them than it does about you, doesn't it?

 

[ATP Synthase]

I was interviewed in Spanish just fyi.....if you claim Hispanic all if fair...

Just because your Hispanic does not mean that you have to speak spanish...I know plenty that don't.

 

[efex101]

Hey guys, I am NOT saying you have to talk any language to be Hispanic...I am just giving you MY experience on interview trail.

 

[QofQuimica]

It's an interesting discussion though; it would not have occurred to me to assume that someone spoke Spanish unless the student indicated on their app that they spoke Spanish. I can see an interviewer asking a student of Hispanic ethnicity whether s/he speaks Spanish and then "testing" the student if s/he says yes. For certain if you say that you speak Spanish, you sure well better be ready to speak it!

 

[mtromer]

I am 50% Puerto Rican, 1st gen.....the other half of me is Persian. I kno the Persian side doesn't count.

if the puerto rican side is rich and white, then u r half white

don't be taking away opportunities from our people, some of us really need it unless u plan to come back and work in the community

if u plan to make money in a rich neighborhood, then just put other and don't step on us to get where u want

aiight

 

[MaddieMay]

By "our people" mtromer means his people, and by "his people" I mean trolls. So yes, please don't take spots in med school away from trolls. How dare you, sir.

 

[njbmd]

I am 50% Puerto Rican, 1st gen.....the other half of me is Persian. I kno the Persian side doesn't count.

The question that you are really asking is "If I am half Puerto Rican, does that confer any advantage in terms of admission to medical school?" The short answer is probably if you are otherwise a very well qualified applicant.

You can list any ethnicity that you identify with on your medical school application. Ethnicity is self-determined and self-reported. As others have indicated, if you list things like "fluent in Spanish" then you need to be prepared to demonstrate your fluency. This would be the same for French or any other language and should not be a problem if you are fluent.

There have been loads of Asian and South American children who have been adopted by white American parents. If you look at these children, they likely demonstrate geno-typical features of their countries/continents of origin yet their ethnicity is going to be American (white american). Regardless of how one "looks" ethnicity is how one self-identifies. There are loads of children of African immigrants who have grown up in the United Kingdom. Their ethnicity is definitely British though they have African features.

To answer the question of the OP (in this old thread), you can identify yourself as anything that you desire. How this plays out in terms of your competitiveness to medical school is largely dependent on what you bring to the table in terms of academics and other application materials.

 

[premedmind]

Thanks for the replies. I am not fluent in spanish, and wasn't planning on putting that on my app. What I was asking was if I could check of "Hispanic" on the ethnicity part of the app.

Form what I am reading here, seems like I should have no problem in doing that. Because I am not "white," that's for sure. I am a first generation Persian and Puerto Rican (meaning, my parents moved here from their countries to start a life, and had me).

 

[scarletgirl777]

The question that you are really asking is "If I am half Puerto Rican, does that confer any advantage in terms of admission to medical school?" The short answer is probably if you are otherwise a very well qualified applicant.

You can list any ethnicity that you identify with on your medical school application. Ethnicity is self-determined and self-reported. As others have indicated, if you list things like "fluent in Spanish" then you need to be prepared to demonstrate your fluency. This would be the same for French or any other language and should not be a problem if you are fluent.

There have been loads of Asian and South American children who have been adopted by white American parents. If you look at these children, they likely demonstrate geno-typical features of their countries/continents of origin yet their ethnicity is going to be American (white american). Regardless of how one "looks" ethnicity is how one self-identifies. There are loads of children of African immigrants who have grown up in the United Kingdom. Their ethnicity is definitely British though they have African features.

To answer the question of the OP (in this old thread), you can identify yourself as anything that you desire. How this plays out in terms of your competitiveness to medical school is largely dependent on what you bring to the table in terms of academics and other application materials.

I could not disagree with this statement more. Especially in Europe, they are still recognized as African. In fact, now being born in the UK does not automatically confer citizenship. Talking about race, ethnicity, and the relation to how you actually look like is a touchy subject, but we should all be able to agree that if you look unambiguously Black, people will probably still treat you like you're Black no matter what kind of accent you have. So you can still check that box.

And of course, the OP is Hispanic. If you're not Hispanic, I don't know who is! (keep in mind that these designations are only used for affirmative action for citizens and green card holders, so it's not like they are only looking for people who immigrated straight from Mexico)

 

[slstudent]

-

 

[mtromer]

By "our people" mtromer means his people, and by "his people" I mean trolls. So yes, please don't take spots in med school away from trolls. How dare you, sir.

bitch, suck my dick...you probably a mutha****in cracka, cause only a ****in cracka would say that...all the top universities are infested by ppl like you, one day we will rise up and burn down your cracker neighborhoods, then we will rejoice as we put on you a giant sea vessel toward africa....that'll be payback for the middle passage....

 

[scarletgirl777]

does anyone know if being sri lankan is considered a URM??

NO. There is a very helpful sticky at the top of this forum entitled "definition of URM" or something along those lines. People should probably read it.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

Simply be honest when applying in terms of what your race is like :Black, White, Caucasian, Asian, etc. ...

I have an interesting case:

EDIT: i got it all figured out

 

[blondie1987]

I am not sure what to do either:
I am 25% Hispanic 75% Caucasian. I look completely white- blonde hair, blue eyes. I have learned a pretty decent amount about the Mexican culture (mainly because I'm just interested in that) and am probably at an elem-int level in Spanish (didn't have time to continue learning... pre-med classes :-(

Any thoughts? What should I do?

 

[TamarMD]

I think the question should be why do you want to put URM down? I don't think med schools really break it down to "oh well she's only 25% hispanic so she doesn't count." Why is it important to you that you get classified as a URM? Do you want to serve in an underrepresented area? Simply knowing about a culture doesn't make you a URM. I'm not saying that because you are 75% white then it means that you aren't a URM. What I'm asking is what's your purpose for putting it down?

 

[blondie1987]

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sound argumentative, but what do you mean why? I would be classified as "URM" because I am part hispanic. I am not "white," according to their definition.

Just to rant a bit (as I have essentially had an identity crisis my entire life - I can't tell you how many people have seen my name on paper, then met me, and said "wow, you're not who I expected" ) I define myself as a living being – nothing more, nothing less. Having black, white, pick, or purple skin is just a different characteristic, like having light or dark hair. And that’s just on the superficial level. Can anyone really define what it means to be “Hispanic” or “African American” or “Native American?” What is that one “special” characteristic one must possess to be a part of the Hispanic “race”? I have met people of all races, visited their homes, met their families – and, even within their “races,” every single one of them was different. And each had many similarities and differences from my own way life.

And now I'm scared that because I don't match the stereotypical "Hispanic" (which really doesn't exhist) ie, I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and don't speak Spanish, my validity is going to be questioned by interviewers. And I have no clue what to do

 

[TamarMD]

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sound argumentative, but what do you mean why? I would be classified as "URM" because I am part hispanic. I am not "white," according to their definition.

Just to rant a bit (as I have essentially had an identity crisis my entire life - I can't tell you how many people have seen my name on paper, then met me, and said "wow, you're not who I expected" ) I define myself as a living being – nothing more, nothing less. Having black, white, pick, or purple skin is just a different characteristic, like having light or dark hair. And that’s just on the superficial level. Can anyone really define what it means to be “Hispanic” or “African American” or “Native American?” What is that one “special” characteristic one must possess to be a part of the Hispanic “race”? I have met people of all races, visited their homes, met their families – and, even within their “races,” every single one of them was different. And each had many similarities and differences from my own way life.

And now I'm scared that because I don't match the stereotypical "Hispanic" (which really doesn't exhist) ie, I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and don't speak Spanish, my validity is going to be questioned by interviewers. And I have no clue what to do

Okay so if you already know that you are classified as a URM then why ask if you're a minority. Med schools aren't allowed to tell you that you don't "look" hispanic. That would be ignorant. I'm sorry about your identity issues but it comes with living in a country full of ignorant thinking (I am not condoning their thinking but it is something that I have learned to deal with). I have had the same problems you have with others. My name is Tamar so people automatically assume that I'm Jewish or Armenian when they hear my name. It doesn't help that I sound "like a white girl". So when I walk into interviews the interviewer always pauses and goes "oh so you're Tamar". What were they expecting someone else? You know who you are so don't need anyone who doesn't know you to validate who you are.

 

[frikarika]

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sound argumentative, but what do you mean why? I would be classified as "URM" because I am part hispanic. I am not "white," according to their definition.

Just to rant a bit (as I have essentially had an identity crisis my entire life - I can't tell you how many people have seen my name on paper, then met me, and said "wow, you're not who I expected" ) I define myself as a living being – nothing more, nothing less. Having black, white, pick, or purple skin is just a different characteristic, like having light or dark hair. And that’s just on the superficial level. Can anyone really define what it means to be “Hispanic” or “African American” or “Native American?” What is that one “special” characteristic one must possess to be a part of the Hispanic “race”? I have met people of all races, visited their homes, met their families – and, even within their “races,” every single one of them was different. And each had many similarities and differences from my own way life.

And now I'm scared that because I don't match the stereotypical "Hispanic" (which really doesn't exhist) ie, I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and don't speak Spanish, my validity is going to be questioned by interviewers. And I have no clue what to do

These threads are just ridiculous, if you seriously have to ask "whether I'm a URM", you are probably not one. You know "what" you are more than anybody else, and if you've identified with a certain culture your whole life that is essentially what you are. You are being foolish if you think you can just claim Hispanic, even though you've identified as white your whole life, and don't speak a lick of Spanish.

I am Hispanic, and it completely defines who I am as a person, and of course I speak Spanish. Language is the essence of culture. The topic of my culture and how it relates to my goals came up at EVERY interview I had. So if you are not legitimately in tune with your culture you are going to come off as being disingenuous.

 

[blondie1987]

So what would you define as "white"? I'm legitimatley trying to figure out what to do, so I don't think these threads are ridiculous.

 

[frikarika]

I have no idea what I would define as white.....look it up at Wikipedia. I guess I'm "white" (light olive skin, green eyes, dark hair), but I'm also Hispanic. I marked down white, as my race and Hispanic as my ethnicity. I grew up speaking Spanish in my household my entire life, and my entire extended family continues to live in South America. I am also going into medicine with the intention of giving back to the hispanic community and spending time working in underserved communities.

It obvious you just want to get a perceived "leg up" by marking down hispanic. So go ahead, and make of fool of yourself at the interview when you can't speak Spanish or can site examples of your involvement in the hispanic community.

 

[blondie1987]

Thank you so much for your replies. You have really helped foster the educational community of this website.

I'm leaving it all blank, if that's an option. What's ridiculous is that I've only confronted hate and awkwardness when I've tried to bring up the subject. It's not worth it.

 

[TamarMD]

Thank you so much for your replies. You have really helped foster the educational community of this website.

I'm leaving it all blank, if that's an option. What's ridiculous is that I've only confronted hate and awkwardness when I've tried to bring up the subject. It's not worth it.

blondie seeing as to you have only 9 posts then I'm guessing this is the first time you've ever encountered an AA or URM thread. The problem is the majority of people who DO ask if they qualify as a URM are looking for a "leg up". It's nothing against you personally because we don't know you. However when you've been on this site long enough you realize that people are really touchy about the whole URM status. Have you ever checked a MDApp website and seen the hateful comments that others leave on there for URM candidates? Things like "everyone knows URMs make horrible doctors" and "you know the only reason you had that interview is because you're black" or my personal favorite "I would never trust a URM doctor to perform any type of treatment on me because I would wonder how he got to medical school". Trust me you got it easy in this forum. If you had posted this question in pre-allo you would've been torn a new one.