As a minority applicant, a wide range of resources exist to help you through all of the stages involved in getting into graduate or medical school, including: making the initial decision to pursue an advanced degree; preparing for the graduate school curriculum; choosing the schools you want to apply to; and finally, applying to those schools you have selected. The resources available throughout these early stages are continued once you have matriculated with on-campus resources for students and also, after you graduate with access to alumni or other networking groups. To take advantage of these resources, however, you have to know where to look.

Who is a URM?
Ethnic groups commonly associated with the term underrepresented minority applicant, (URM), include Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and other Latin Americans; African Americans; and Native Americans (a group which includes Native Alaskans as well as US Pacific and Virgin Islanders). The US Bureau of the Census estimates that by 2050, Hispanic Americans will represent 22.5% of the US population, and African-Americans will represent 14.4%. The Native American population is also expected to grow by 20% compared to 1995 figures.

Asian students are usually included in statistics regarding diversity on campus, yet Asians are not always considered an underrepresented ethnic group in the judgment of some admissions offices. Women as a gender are often considered to be minorities, and members of gay/lesbian/transgender groups also feel entitled to all considerations that may come with a minority status, too.

But the existence of any special consideration, based on race or any other criteria, continues to be hotly debated on constitutional grounds. Many schools, careful not to open themselves up to such lawsuits, no longer ask for your ethnicity on the application. California, in particular, distinguished itself with the passing of Proposition 209 in 1996, a controversial piece of legislation that many Asians argue has not increased their representation as advocates of the bill claim.

Regardless, educational institutions and other entities are making concerted efforts to attract, teach and hire individuals who will reflect the society as a whole. Your job as a prospective applicant is to make yourself known to these institutions.

Take Advantage of Early Opportunities
Outreach programs can help you prepare to be a better candidate as well as assess your interest in pursuing a career in medicine. High school and college students should consider programs such as the Minority Medical Summer School Programs offered by Black Excel and open to African American students.

Other programs, such as the McNair Scholars Program, offer underrepresented minority students a range of resources to help them attain their goal of earning a Ph.D. Interested individuals must seek out opportunities like these and investigate which programs are available to those in their situation. Programs like these are fantastic opportunities to begin building a lasting support network early on.

Research Support & Networking Organizations Available on Campus
The quality of academic and extra-curricular opportunities for minority culture, networking and outreach on campus can be decisive in many applicants' choice of schools. Events such as open house weekends and minority receptions allow you to meet students, teachers, and fellow prospective applicants as well as observe the programs and clubs at various campuses that can support you throughout your graduate years and beyond. Looking for event listings on university websites and take advantage of all minority prospective student weekends and other outreach events happening near your home.

Much of the burden will be on you, as an applicant, to look up organizations at the schools you are targeting. Contact the student presidents through their websites. Many minority students are focused on getting more people to come to their school and are willing to point you in the right direction and introduce you to other people you should talk to. Do not be nervous or shy.

In addition to taking advantage of special outreach opportunities, do your own research into school demographics. Use tools such as the Advanced Grad School Search to identify schools with high percentages of women, ethnic groups, and international students, yielding a great starting point for research. Even better, the results will take you right to statistical profiles about each school and links to the schools' own websites. Often, you can jump right to a school's online application as well.

Medical students have access to similar statistical profiles with information on student body demographics, but currently the Medical School Search does not allow users to filter their search results by diversity numbers.

Membership at PrincetonReview.com can help get you on the radar screens of schools that may start actively recruiting you. Schools often ask you at the start of their online applications if you want to enable the admissions offices to contact you before you submit your application. If you agree, you are giving yourself a better chance to become an active part of their recruitment process. The earlier you start your applications, the more likely it is that you will be invited to specialized recruiting events. Another way to let schools know you are interested is simply to tell them by sending them a request for more information. To cut down on the time this can take, use the Send an Email button on most school profile pages to request information without having to look up individual school email addresses.

Some programs work with specific institutions, allowing you to apply to multiple schools with one application. Project 1000 is an example of such a national program, working with over 70 member institutions to assist underrepresented students applying to graduate school.

Don't Lose Steam on Your Application
Your primary mission on the application is to do a great job presenting your story as that of a worthy candidate. The degree to which your ethnic identity plays into that story is up to you, and can be different for each person. Supplemental statements, which can be made for almost any aspect of your application that you feel deserves explanation, can also be an opportunity to paint a clearer picture of your unique character and background, ethnic and otherwise. As with the essays, use your best judgment and that of other proofreaders to decide how much detail is enough.

Do not, however, fail to tell your story sufficiently or without passion. It's not enough just to have an interesting story. To make yourself stand out, you need to make your case that you are a qualified applicant with an interesting story to each program. Don't neglect your work experience, educational background and GRE or MCAT score.

Devote as much preparation to the required standardized test as possible. This is especially true of the MCAT. If you don't feel up to the challenge of preparing on your own, consider investing in a course. Applicants to medical school must have a competitive MCAT score to be successful. Depending on the grad program you plan to apply to, the GRE may or may not be required, but if it is, don't neglect it. A classroom course may be the way to go, but other preparation options exist such as self-study guides, online prep courses and private tutors. The most important thing to remember is to prepare fully in the way that works best for you.

Educate Yourself about Financial Aid Resources
Preparing for, applying to and getting into a great graduate program is only part of the equation. You also need to determine a financial aid strategy. Graduate school is expensive, especially if you plan to attend a full-time program. If you are pursuing your M.D. or Ph.D., plan your strategy to cover the entire duration of your program. There is financial assistance available to qualified minority applicants and students; however, in order to benefit you have to know where to look.

To afford the costs of attending school, you have options ranging from free federal aid to specialized merit- and need-based scholarships, fellowships and grants designed to empower the minority applicant. Many deadlines for these opportunities fall before the day you have to decide to attend. In addition, to qualify for federal government loans, you will need to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). January 1 in the year you plan to attend is the first day you can, and should, fill out this form.

Start your financial aid research by investigating the fellowships and scholarships available at individual schools; often, many of them will target a specific group of prospective applicants. Graduate and medical schools typically publish a list of these financial aid resources in their print material or on their websites.

But don't just limit yourself to school-specific sources of financial assistance; expand your research to national organizations. Organizations such as the Ford Foundation provide grants, with most doing so through individual schools. Support for graduate fellowships is generally provided through grants to universities and other organizations, which are responsible for the selection of recipients.

If you are unsuccessful in your quest for a fellowship or scholarship, don't overlook government and private loans. Many of the loans are need-based and offer favorable interest rates and repayment schedules. When investigating loan options remember that you want to balance your potential debt burden with your future salary expectations. You can opt in to contact by select lenders by filling out your Financial Aid Profile on this website. Loan opportunities will be sent to you based on your specific needs.

Once on Campus, Get Involved
Every campus has individual groups that coordinate with regional and national organizations to strengthen the networks among various ethnic minority groups. Check for presence of such organizations such as the Association of Black and Latino Graduate Students, (ABLGS), which fosters academic and social exchange among graduate students of color.

There are many people and resources available to help to prepare for and succeed in graduate school, but it's up to you to take the initiative and to devote time you need to maximize these opportunities. So get started, and good luck!

The links below suggest some other places to continue your research in all stages of the process.

Additional Resources

General
Alliance for Equity in Higher Education
African American Summer Internships
American Indian Graduate Center
HispanicOnline Guide to Grad Schools
The Leadership Alliance

Medicine
American Association of Medical Colleges
American Medical Students Association
Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association
Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS)
Minority Medical Education Program (MMEP)
Student National Medical Association: offers Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS), Leaders Achieving Notable Education (LANE) Society, Youth Science Enrichment Program (YSEP)

Political Science
American Political Science Minority Identification Program
Asian-American Politics

Psychology
Minority Resources and Programs

Science
Minority Scientist Network

Funding Resources
Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral, Dissertation, and Postdoctoral Fellowships for Minorities
Mellon Minority Undergraduates Fellowship Program (MMUF)
National Research Council
National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellowships
ORISE (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education) Graduation Programs