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Say you know someone (like a M.D) who knows someone on an admissions comittee. Is it unethical to have that person put it a good word for you to the adcom member? Thoughts?
connections
- Thread starter chitown
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It's definitely not unethical to insist that the MD does not put in a good word for you. If the Dr. you know really believes you will make a good Dr. and expresses that to the committee member then so be it. Besides, how much does an oral endorsement differ from a written one anyhow? Of course, I come from the school of thought, knowing several committee members personally, that connections are actually inconsequential and can actually backfire. It seems like there's some urban legends about friends of friends of neighbors of MD's who play golf with AD COM members but I know of no real cases that this sort of "connection" actually resulted in an unworthy applicant being selected for admission. An oral endorsement may mean the difference between two equally worthy candidates and it may result in your exclusion if the ad com member is not respected by their peers or wishes to prevent harassment and expectations from similar "connections" in the future.
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i don't think it's unethical. i also don't think it helps much. LORs count. "good words" really don't.
an MD i had collaborated with in the past put in a good word for me with the ad-com of the med school he is affiliated with (he offered to when he heard i applied there - i did not even ask him to). i got my rejection from that school last week. i still thought it was a nice gesture on his part.
i say put any connections you have to work for you. it probably won't make much difference, but it can't hurt to try!
an MD i had collaborated with in the past put in a good word for me with the ad-com of the med school he is affiliated with (he offered to when he heard i applied there - i did not even ask him to). i got my rejection from that school last week. i still thought it was a nice gesture on his part.
i say put any connections you have to work for you. it probably won't make much difference, but it can't hurt to try!
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something like this happened with me, and i agree that while a connection may help a little, it sure won't get an unqualified candidate into medical school.
at the med school in the city where i grew up there are members of my synogogue who are professors at the med school. these people have known me since i was a little kid, and when my file was discussed i'm sure that these people mentioned they knew me and my parents and would have attested that i'm a non-psychopath, and that if i'm qualified academically i should be admitted.
well, that's what happened. i was admitted, but i know it's because i was qualified. did knowing these people help? yeah, of course it did - but the point is that people don't get into medical school with connections.
so to answer the original question, i wouldn't put the MD-friend up to the task because it's rather tacky to ask, but if you could subtlely get the idea across... go for it.
at the med school in the city where i grew up there are members of my synogogue who are professors at the med school. these people have known me since i was a little kid, and when my file was discussed i'm sure that these people mentioned they knew me and my parents and would have attested that i'm a non-psychopath, and that if i'm qualified academically i should be admitted.
well, that's what happened. i was admitted, but i know it's because i was qualified. did knowing these people help? yeah, of course it did - but the point is that people don't get into medical school with connections.
so to answer the original question, i wouldn't put the MD-friend up to the task because it's rather tacky to ask, but if you could subtlely get the idea across... go for it.
F
ForensicPath
It didn't help me
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my dad's friend is on the admissions committee at a school (i won't say where). apparently, she said that if i apply there, she would be sure to at least get me an interview IF MY STATS ARE GOOD. so even though i do have connections, it won't help much if i have a 2.3 GPA, 15 MCAT, etc...
Connections usually are very good for getting interviews. Interviews allow the friend/Dr./neighbor/ to maintain their relationship with you while not affecting the application process since they can pass the blame to the "committee" or some other extraneous variable.
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my uncle is the dean of admissions at Morehouse. he said he would "get me in." Do you think I should still fill out AMCAS? When is the deadline for that, anyway?
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I think i have said this before. Regardless.
My father has a lot of connections and knows a lot of people in the NYC area. He is very very good friends with plenty of adcom people to various schools (i was surprised enough to find out that one of his friends was an adcom member at a UC school).
I told him that if he mentions the fact that i am going through the process to ANY of the people he knows, i will be highly insulted.
I have bused my ass for the past 3.5-4 years. I have worked hard and tried to play the game as good as possible. I got where i am today because of *ME* and not because of *HIM*. Him coming in and using his connections to get me an interview or an acceptance, takes ALL of my hard work away. It puts in a position that my father believes that i am not good enough to get into a US med school on my own.
I have tons of respect for him for not doing that and trusting and believing in me that i am able enough to do everything on my own. I pretty much know he didn't say anything or even if someone saw my name on the file because : my brother (who is going through the admissions process this year) was rejected from Cornell pre-interview. Although he did have the numbers and the ECs.
Using a connection to gain an interview or an acceptance is very unethical. You are "stealing" the spot away from someone who could possibly fit in more at the school or who deserved to be there more than you.
My belief is this. Both for privacy issues and for school acceptance issues if an adcom member sees the name of a person they know they should withdraw from reviewing that person ON THE SPOT.
My father has a lot of connections and knows a lot of people in the NYC area. He is very very good friends with plenty of adcom people to various schools (i was surprised enough to find out that one of his friends was an adcom member at a UC school).
I told him that if he mentions the fact that i am going through the process to ANY of the people he knows, i will be highly insulted.
I have bused my ass for the past 3.5-4 years. I have worked hard and tried to play the game as good as possible. I got where i am today because of *ME* and not because of *HIM*. Him coming in and using his connections to get me an interview or an acceptance, takes ALL of my hard work away. It puts in a position that my father believes that i am not good enough to get into a US med school on my own.
I have tons of respect for him for not doing that and trusting and believing in me that i am able enough to do everything on my own. I pretty much know he didn't say anything or even if someone saw my name on the file because : my brother (who is going through the admissions process this year) was rejected from Cornell pre-interview. Although he did have the numbers and the ECs.
Using a connection to gain an interview or an acceptance is very unethical. You are "stealing" the spot away from someone who could possibly fit in more at the school or who deserved to be there more than you.
My belief is this. Both for privacy issues and for school acceptance issues if an adcom member sees the name of a person they know they should withdraw from reviewing that person ON THE SPOT.
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I dont think it's unethical. Connections make the world go round, medicine is not exempt. It pays to know people. I'm not saying to use this to get everything in life -- but if you have a connection, use it.
Ultimately, it is up to YOU to be successful. Someone might get you an interview, but YOU still have show up at the interview and win the adcom over.
My 2 cents.
bonnie
Ultimately, it is up to YOU to be successful. Someone might get you an interview, but YOU still have show up at the interview and win the adcom over.
My 2 cents.
bonnie
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I agree with bonnie. It gets you an interview, but after that, it'a all you and as was said above, the connection blames it all on the adcom. One extra interview when they do hundreds of them is not hurting anyone in my opinion. Connections exist everywhere...my interviewer at a school even was telling me about connections in the medical world and how helpful they are. They exist, deal with it.
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My cousin, who graduated from a foreign medical school, landed a fellowship in cardiology because he knew the guy who developed the pacemaker. Without him, I seriously doubt he would be becoming a cardiologist.
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ForensicPath
Good advice: It's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know.
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Plus, alumni status is almost exactly the same thing as having a connection. Putting yourself down as being part of an alum family already indicates that you are initiated into the fraternity of those who have connections. If they allow that, then I don't see why using connections is unethical. It just sucks for the rest of us who don't have them.
-Ice
-Ice
WOW!
Your thoughts are impressive. My dad sort of nudged and this area but I told him I want to get in fair and square even if others aren't going to take the moral high ground. I don't think I'm so great for doing this and some may laugh at me but I think what I've done is right.
I'm from Australia and while I didn't think my marks were that great I've been offered a scholarship to one of the most prestigeous universities so I'm proud I've put in the hard work to achieve this.
Cheers
Keen
