I Love this Community but...

You completely missed my point. I am well aware what the MCAT/GPA statistics show. My point is that the best interpretation of these numbers, in light of the corresponding acceptance rates, is that there are serious systemic roadblocks for URM applicants that are not as important for the majority of white/ORM applicants. Note that if you are black and apply to medical school, you have a 36% chance of getting in, compared to 44% and 45% for Asians/whites. If you somehow had the ability to choose your race and you had the goal of getting into med school, your best bet is still to choose white or Asian. Your application as a white/ORM person is not limited by your race whatsoever.

You can explain why URM have lower stats than ORM/whites in 2 ways: either they are somehow inherently inferior or there are environmental factors which are causing the disparity. I think (and I hope you agree) that the first is untenable and so we follow the second one. The best way to ameliorate these factors is by improving health & education. What better way than by training URM physicians?

The AAMC tells us that a 500 on the MCAT means you are academically capable of succeeding as a physician. The URM matriculant average is larger than 500, so it's not like unqualified candidates are getting in. We know that we need more URM doctors -- minority patients report trusting their doctor more when they look like them, URM doctors are more likely to return to their community, which are often underserved, to work.

/r/premed Thread Parent