US Medical Schools "Extra Points for Overcoming Adversity"... Bold New Approach to Selecting Freshmen

Emerging Alternatives After Ending Minority Preference Policies
Additional Points for Household Income, Low Parental Education, and Underserved Areas
UC Davis Takes a Stand Against 'Inheritance of Academic Background and Wealth'

As the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the 'affirmative action' policy unconstitutional, attention is drawn to a prestigious medical school's introduction of an 'Adversity Score.'

[Image source=Pixabay]

On the 2nd (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported that many schools are focusing on the University of California, Davis campus (UC Davis) in the educational city of Davis, California, following the Supreme Court ruling. They see the groundbreaking experiment of converting applicants' socio-economic disadvantages into a score to grant additional points as a new alternative.

The UC Davis School of Medicine's freshman selection process includes general grades and interviews, and reportedly has a separate scoring category called the 'Adversity Score.' This is the Socioeconomic Disadvantage (SED) score developed and implemented by the school itself in 2012. It ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 99 points, and this category can play a decisive role in admissions decisions.

The evaluation criteria for the SED include the applicant's △household income △region of origin △family support responsibilities △parents' college attendance status. This means that applicants from poor families and marginalized regions have an advantage. Notably, while most U.S. universities operate a 'legacy' system favoring children of alumni, children of alumni medical professionals at UC Davis receive a '0' score.

Need for Diversity in the Medical Profession and Healthcare Provision

[Image source=Pixabay]

The purpose of this system is to secure diversity within the medical profession.

According to a survey by the Association of American Medical Colleges, more than half of medical students come from households in the top 20% income bracket, while only 4% come from the bottom 20%. Children of doctors are 24 times more likely to become doctors than their peers. This reflects the inheritance of occupation and wealth.

Statistical racial disparities are also evident. Only about 6% of practicing physicians in the U.S. are Black, which is less than half the proportion of Black people in the U.S. population (13.6%). Hispanic (Latino) physicians make up about 7%. The NYT predicted that "the number will decrease further as affirmative action policies are abolished following the Supreme Court's unconstitutional ruling."

However, the medical community points out the need for personnel from diverse backgrounds and origins in terms of healthcare service provision. Jess Ehrenfeld, president of the American Medical Association, noted, "Patients were more satisfied and their conditions improved when treated by doctors with similar backgrounds."

Another major goal of UC Davis School of Medicine is to train doctors who will return to their communities. Eleanor Adams, a student from the Choctaw tribe of Native Americans, told the media, "Medical school was never an option for me as I received almost no support (from family, etc.)," and added, "I will become a doctor for the Indian Health Service after graduation."

Calls to Abolish Legacy Admissions and Focus on SED

Harvard University protest against the ruling that affirmative action for minority admissions is unconstitutional.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

UC Davis has secured the greatest diversity among U.S. medical schools through the Adversity Score system. Among last year's 133 freshmen, 14% were Black and 33% Hispanic, higher than the national medical student proportions of 10% and 12%, respectively.

Other universities are also paying attention to the SED as an alternative to affirmative action policies. After the Supreme Court ruling, more than 20 universities reportedly requested information about the Adversity Score from UC Davis.

Meanwhile, the U.S. nonprofit organization 'Lawyers for Civil Rights' has demanded that Harvard University abolish its legacy admissions policy favoring children of alumni on behalf of Black and Hispanic groups. They argue that legacy admissions are more discriminatory than affirmative action for minorities.

Additionally, recent research shows that 18.5% of U.S. physicians are married to other physicians, representing the highest rate of intra-professional marriage. Professors follow, with 13.9% of professors married to other professors, indicating a high rate of intra-professional marriage among highly educated individuals.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.