Bilingual?

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dustinspeer

Who's your daddy?
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Anyone else here bilingual/Spanish? How much can I expect this to help my application? It's actually my major.

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It's not major, on the level of MCATs and GPAs, but it'll help a bit. The main thing is that you need to be applying to a place where it matters, i.e. not Iowa. Yes, I know that you could practice anywhere, but really places like the UCs will be much more appreciative. And since it is your major, make especially sure you have very good grades in your science courses and high MCAT science scores.
 
Given that the other parts of your application are good (MCAT, GPA, recs., etc.)then being able to speak two languages, especially spanish is a great help. I am bilingual, spanish was my first language, and I can't tell you how many times when I was volunteering in the ER that a doctor who could barely say taco or burrito was trying to tell a family what was wrong with their loved one and if they would be okay. And this was in the whole ER, many times not one doc. there would be able to speak spanish. There are interpreters but many people would feel better hearing it directly from the doctor. I agree there are some states where there are not many hispanics but for the most part schools in big cities have to serve a diverse population so your talents will definitely help you out. Make sure you mention this as a selling point during your interviews. I don't think it is enough to get you in on your own, but it is definitely a strength and will allow you to serve a greater variety of people.
 
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Man, let me tell you, bilingual deutsch doesn't help a damn bit!
 
I'm bilingual-Yoruba and I know that most people have never heard of this language and probably never will. It aint gonna help me one bit in this process. I cant even remember if I mentioned it anywhere in my applications.
 
I think you should! To me, bilingual ability seems like a good thing, whether it is a widely used language or not.
 
I couldn't agree more. However in my case its useful for me as a person, but not really useful for others around me.
 
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