Hollywood actress Mindy Kaling's brother, Vijay Chokal-Ingam, once revealed a controversial secret: he falsified his medical school application, claiming to be Black instead of Indian American to benefit from affirmative action. In 2016, he published a book titled 'Almost Black: The True Story of How I Got Into Medical School by Pretending to Be Black'. On his blog, he wrote, "I got into medical school because I said I was black. The funny thing is I'm not."
The Motivation Behind the Deception
During his junior year at college, Ingam realized that his grades and test scores were insufficient to get into medical school as an Indian American. He stated, "Still, I was determined to become a doctor, and I knew that admission standards for certain minorities under affirmative action were, let's say … less stringent?" To execute his plan, he shaved his head, trimmed his "long Indian eyelashes," and applied to medical school as a Black man. He joined an organization for Black students and used his middle name, Jojo, on applications. According to Ingam, the strategy paid off.
Academic Background and Outcomes
Ingam had a 3.1 college grade-point average while pursuing a BA in Economics at the University of Chicago and a score of 31 on the Medical College Admission Test. Despite these modest credentials, he interviewed at top medical schools such as Harvard and Columbia. He applied to over 20 schools and was rejected by all except being waitlisted at the University of Pennsylvania and Mt. Sinai. Ultimately, he enrolled at St. Louis University Medical School but dropped out two years later. He posted documents on his website to support his claims, including a letter from a dean at Emory University School of Medicine congratulating him on his "excellent scores" on the MCAT.
Drawbacks of the Deception
Ingam also experienced negative consequences. He wrote, "Cops harassed me. Store clerks accused me of shoplifting. Women were either scared of me or couldn't keep their hands off me. What started as a devious ploy to gain admission to medical school turned into a twisted social experiment."
Understanding Affirmative Action
Ingam is the elder brother of Mindy Kaling, known for her role as Kelly in 'The Office'. They were born to Hindu Tamil parents Avudaiappan Chokalingam and Swati Roysircar, who migrated from Nigeria to the US. Ingam believes his story demonstrates how affirmative action "destroys the dreams of millions of Indian-American, Asian American and other applicants for employment and higher education." Affirmative action in the US aims to improve opportunities for minority groups and women, originating from President Lyndon Johnson's administration to address discrimination against African Americans. However, in June 2023, the Supreme Court ruled to end race-based affirmative action in college and university admissions.
Reactions to the Supreme Court Ruling
Following the decision, Ingam noted that colleges and universities had mixed reactions, from reluctant acceptance to outright defiance. He pointed out that over 100 institutions, including the entire Ivy League, filed amicus briefs backing Harvard and the University of North Carolina's admission practices, which the court deemed discriminatory. He added, "These schools have collected tens of billions in taxpayer dollars and sent millions of rejection letters to applicants whose only fault may have been their race." Previously, he told the New York Post, "What do you call it when you segregate applicants based on race? It's a form of legalised racism. It's the ultimate form of discrimination to assume that one is disadvantaged just because he's black, Hispanic or Native American."
Current Career
Today, Ingam works as a professional resume writer, interview coach, and graduate school application consultant. He is the founder of Interview SOS and LA Resume Service, career consulting companies based in Los Angeles.
