"back-door" admissions: Does it occur?

[chef]

In allopathic or residency forums, they always talk about the importance of having "connections" with the faculty/staff at a residency program to get accepted. Ya know, have them make some "phone-calls" and a few days later you are in..

Well, I must wonder if this kinda thing happens in med school admissions at all. Any ideas/stories?

Also, if the residency thing is true, then I must wonder how much ass-ki$$ing occurs at those places, all the way from the director of residency to the 1st year residents by the 3rd or 4th yr students from med schools all over the country..

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[A. Caveman]

"back-door admissions" do occur quite regularly in this country, I presume. However, and when i say this i speak with a substantial amount of authority, sodomy IS illegal in the state of Florida. :wink: tossed-salad anyone?

 

[none]

Yes, people get in for a large variety of reasons. It isn't something to concern yourself with, however.

 

[Jonny-5]

If it can happen at Oxford, it can happen anywhere....

 

[gel1]

I get the sense that before large-scale AA and at a time when med schools actually preferred white men over other students, the connections you had actually could get you into med school (and I am not a white male). In the last few decades up to the present, it is nearly impossible.

I knew of someone with strong ties to the mob who mentioned that he tried to get someone in through connections, but it absolutely could not be done. This was not because the med school faculty member did not try. It was mostly because admissions are not up to single people, but are up to entire committees. One reason to have a committee is to avoid certain biases. Just my opinion.

 

[trout]

I think you should rename this thread "how often does it occur..." One school I applied to has a "special interest pool" and because some factors I was put into this much less competitive pool...which eventually makes up about 25-30% of the class with much lower gpa and mcats.....why do you think they ask if you have an relatives that work at the school or are alumni?

 

[PunkRockDoc]

Having connections probably doesn't hurt. However, if a person isn't up to the school's standards, I doubt that they would accept them based on their knowing somebody at the school or admissions board. If it comes down to two identical applicants, and one of them knows somebody at the school that puts a good word in for them, that student would probably get accepted. I doubt this would happen very often though.

 

[GemPrincess]

i agree w/punk rock doc...i doubt a school would accept an applicant based solely on connections if the GPA/MCAT weren't up to par, for the simple reason that they don't want that student to fail out of school, which makes the med school itself look really bad.

 

[Dr. L]

connections never hurt in life...

 

[THE instiGATOR]

When I interviewed at UF last year, the director told me that somwhere around 16 of his deliveries (as in babies) ended up going to med school at UF. Now the guy is a little on the elderly side, but... <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> That number seems strangely high, don't ya think? You suppose these were locals whose families grew to know him on a personal level? Me thinks so!

 

[HippocratesX]

I know somebody that got into an allopathic medschool in the midwest who had a 2.3 gpa, with a 33 mcat. Not dumb, but terribly lazy. Oh...did I mention he had his acceptance pretty early?...Oh wait..his older brother was on the Surgical faculty of the affiliated hospital too

 

[Vader]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Dr. L:
•connections never hurt in life...•••••As long as they remain positive... there ARE people who can really screw you over if you get on their bad side. Hence the importance of being professional and positive no matter what.