Challenges and benefits of being an ethnic minority student

My first day of medical school reminded me of the day I arrived as an immigrant to the US. Being one of the first people of my community to enter medical school carried tremendous pressure. Ethnic minority students face several challenges that hinder them from pursuing higher education, such as lack of mentorships and organised educational support, cultural differences, and financial burden. Despite the obstacles, foreign born students provided with the necessary resources can outperform native born students in the academic arena.1

Medical school demands a strong mental preparation in addition to academic excellence. Burn out, distress, and feelings of depression are common among medical students, and they tend to increase with each higher level of education.2 A survey of 3080 students at five US medical schools reported that minority students are at a lower risk of burnout. This observation persists despite the adverse effect of racial discrimination, and different