Following the Supreme Court's decision to ban race as a factor in college admissions, medical schools are exploring alternative approaches to maintain diversity. One such method gaining traction is the consideration of an applicant's adversity. This has sparked a national conversation, with proponents arguing it levels the playing field and opponents expressing concerns about fairness and potential misuse.

President Biden suggested evaluating the challenges a student has overcome when assessing qualified applicants. This echoes the sentiment expressed by Chief Justice John Roberts, who emphasized that applicants should be evaluated based on individual experiences, not race.

Medical schools are striving to create a student body that reflects the diversity of the communities they serve. (iStock)

UC Davis: A Case Study in Diversity

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) medical school has drawn attention for its diverse student population, even after California banned affirmative action in 1996. The school's history with affirmative action dates back to a 1978 Supreme Court ruling against its quota system. While the court deemed quotas unconstitutional, it allowed race to be considered as one factor among many in admissions decisions.

The Supreme Court's stance on affirmative action has evolved over time. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The current UC Davis medical class is remarkably diverse, with a significant percentage of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This has led to increased interest in their admissions process.

The Socioeconomic Disadvantage Scale (S.E.D.)

UC Davis employs a socioeconomic disadvantage scale (S.E.D.) to evaluate applicants. This scale assigns a score based on socioeconomic factors, but admissions decisions consider the complete application alongside this “race-neutral” score.

Holistic admissions processes aim to assess the entire applicant. (Cyberguy.com)

While some view this as a way to promote diversity without explicitly considering race, critics argue that reducing life experiences to a single score is overly simplistic and potentially biased.

The effectiveness of adversity scores in predicting physician performance is debated. (iStock)

The College Board's attempt to implement an adversity score for the SAT faced significant criticism and was ultimately abandoned. Despite this, medical schools continue to seek ways to enhance diversity within their ranks, as disparities remain between the physician workforce and the general population.

Concerns About Adversity Scoring

Some argue that adversity scores are not an appropriate metric for selecting future physicians. The focus, they contend, should be on competence and qualifications, not solely on overcoming hardship.

The primary goal of medical education is to train skilled physicians. (iStock)

Despite the controversy, some legal experts believe adversity scores are permissible under the Supreme Court ruling, as long as they don't explicitly consider race.