Does a Parent being an alumni of a school mean anything?

[deleted244469]

Just curious. I completely forgot my father graduated from NYIT (the engineering program). Does this mean anything at all, or would it just be something I can casually bring up in an interview? Just curious....

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[s5260205]

If your father were an alumnus of the DO program, then that could be a very good answer for the "why NYIT" question. Otherwise, I would only casually mention in the interview. Either way, it is unlikely that family members being alumni could benefit the applicant.

 

[mathnerd88]

Just curious. I completely forgot my father graduated from NYIT (the engineering program). Does this mean anything at all, or would it just be something I can casually bring up in an interview? Just curious....

While it helps, it is only a very little bit. Unless your parents donated a huge sum of money to the school, expect a very little advantage. It won't help you when you have bad stats.

Your dad's experience is not your own, and interviewers don't want to hear about your dad. They want to hear about you.

 

[deleted244469]

That's what I figured. I wasn't going to go on about it or anything. It was more of a question out of curiosity.

You always gotta look for any slight advantage you can get 😉

 

[mathnerd88]

That's what I figured. I wasn't going to go on about it or anything. It was more of a question out of curiosity.

You always gotta look for any slight advantage you can get 😉

You can say that your dad told you he had a great time at NYIT, and that you believe that NYIT can give you the same experience by blah blah blah you know what I mean.

 

[Goro]

It will accomplish nothing for your chances.

Just curious. I completely forgot my father graduated from NYIT (the engineering program). Does this mean anything at all, or would it just be something I can casually bring up in an interview? Just curious....

 

[Monkitty]

You never know how social connections can end up helping you (even if they might not help you in this case). According to my dad, a big reason he got into medical school was because 2 of the adcoms (husband and wife) were god-parents to his DO letter writer.

Sometimes it's a small world and knowing the right person can mean a lot.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Only advantage I see is if you're out of state because then there's a connection to why you'd like to attend.

 

[Grace184]

I Always ask, does he have a wing or library dedicated to him? Does the dean come to your New Year's Eve parties? If not....then no. Sorry.

 

[Stephanopolous]

I wish I had a dean come to my New Year's Eve party. I wish I had New Year's Eve parties lolol

 

[Grace184]

I wish I had a dean come to my New Year's Eve party. I wish I had New Year's Eve parties lolol

My old Deans son owned a bar and he would stop in occasionally and we would have a drink together (my roommate was the bartender and I was always waiting for her to clean up) and talk about football. He's a great guy lol. No New Years parties though lol

 

[ChrisMack390]

If he had gone to the medical school this would be a yes. Otherwise no.

 

[j4pac]

It will help...but not in the way you think it will help.

Get invited to a medical school graduation...any program throughout the country. You will see a common trend...the parking lot lined with BMWs and Mercedes. You will see the majority of students being awarded their diploma from doctor mommy, daddy, aunt, and uncle.

If I went to any newborn nursery and had to predict which babies would become doctors...I would find out which one's moms or dads are doctors...and that is where I would place my bet.

Med schools don't care (so much) about alumni...but children of physicians have a roadmap to medicine...they have the resources to excel.

 

[mathnerd88]

It will help...but not in the way you think it will help.

Get invited to a medical school graduation...any program throughout the country. You will see a common trend...the parking lot lined with BMWs and Mercedes. You will see the majority of students being awarded their diploma from doctor mommy, daddy, aunt, and uncle.

If I went to any newborn nursery and had to predict which babies would become doctors...I would find out which one's moms or dads are doctors...and that is where I would place my bet.

Med schools don't care (so much) about alumni...but children of physicians have a roadmap to medicine...they have the resources to excel.

That's with any profession parents do, not just physicians.

 

[becomingdoctor]

it wont help.that much unless ur dad is a factuly or ur dad donates half million dollar every year

 

[Harker Heights]

It will help...but not in the way you think it will help.

Get invited to a medical school graduation...any program throughout the country. You will see a common trend...the parking lot lined with BMWs and Mercedes. You will see the majority of students being awarded their diploma from doctor mommy, daddy, aunt, and uncle.

If I went to any newborn nursery and had to predict which babies would become doctors...I would find out which one's moms or dads are doctors...and that is where I would place my bet.

Med schools don't care (so much) about alumni...but children of physicians have a roadmap to medicine...they have the resources to excel.

I also believe it is the best single predictor. From people I know who have a physician parent, they had a ton of guidance and insider knowledge early on. They knew what to do to put together a perfect app for med school (MD) very early on and they had plenty of time, resources, and assistance to accomplish that. For instance, they always had first digs at physician shadowing and hospital volunteering, they never had to work and the jobs they had were cushy jobs with good titles or research jobs that made them look good for med school, foreign travel to exotic places for medical missions was easily available, it was very common for them to have private lessons and tutoring to help them excel whether in music, foreign language or science. And of course, they had all the MCAT prep they ever wanted, again very early on. Meanwhile the other aspiring premeds were pretty much clueless, confused, or were too busy working or trying to keep up with their homework, and by the time they realized what they really had to do or should have done, it was too late...

 

[Gandyy]

That's with any profession parents do, not just physicians.

Truth. Also not every doctor owns a bmw or mercedes.... some people started residency really late and arent as wealthy as people would think.

 

[Stephanopolous]

Med schools don't care (so much) about alumni...but children of physicians have a roadmap to medicine...they have the resources to excel.

Disagree. This is a an overgeneralization in my opinion. A roadmap to medicine is gained by experience not by having parents who are doctors. If someone wants this bad enough there are more than enough resources out there to set them up for success. I think it's more a matter of drive and desire than being born into the right family set up.

 

[Gandyy]

Disagree. This is a an overgeneralization in my opinion. A roadmap to medicine is gained by experience not by having parents who are doctors. If someone wants this bad enough there are more than enough resources out there to set them up for success. I think it's more a matter of drive and desire than being born into the right family set up.

Exactly. The only resources that children of physicians have is the same resource any other middle class family would probably provide their children: Finances.

Two working middle class parents can provide the same finances to their children for their children to succeed in college if they wish.

Its really annoying how people think that just because your parent is a physician everything is easy. People will claim that your physician parent will be able to guide you through the app process.

Truth is if you have an immigrant physician parent, they might actually hinder your progress because they assume they know how the application system works in Canada and the USA.

Hell even if you dont have an immigrant physician parent, the application process and competitive atmosphere is a totally different world now.

Of course I will say... that if your parent is a dean or faculty member of a medical school..... that is a pretty significant resource.

 

[j4pac]

Disagree. This is a an overgeneralization in my opinion. A roadmap to medicine is gained by experience not by having parents who are doctors. If someone wants this bad enough there are more than enough resources out there to set them up for success. I think it's more a matter of drive and desire than being born into the right family set up.

And yet the socioeconomical status of your average med student is undeniable. Having work ethic and the right family members obviously can take you a long way. Please don't take this is a slight against the privileged or the poor. The bottom line...just as in any profession in life...if you are poor, you are going to have to work harder and have more initiative to get to the same place as child of a physician. To think otherwise is incredibly naïve and not helpful.

 

[j4pac]

Exactly. The only resources that children of physicians have is the same resource any other middle class family would probably provide their children: Finances.

Two working middle class parents can provide the same finances to their children for their children to succeed in college if they wish.

Its really annoying how people think that just because your parent is a physician everything is easy. People will claim that your physician parent will be able to guide you through the app process.

Truth is if you have an immigrant physician parent, they might actually hinder your progress because they assume they know how the application system works in Canada and the USA.

Hell even if you dont have an immigrant physician parent, the application process and competitive atmosphere is a totally different world now.

Of course I will say... that if your parent is a dean or faculty member of a medical school..... that is a pretty significant resource.

Why is the majority of our country middle class (middle-low class) and yet the majority of medical schools is filled with people from the middle-upper and upper class? The reason is obvious.
You better believe that a child of a physician has an advantage over a child of a farmer.

 

[Gandyy]

Why is the majority of our country middle class (middle-low class) and yet the majority of medical schools is filled with people from the middle-upper and upper class? The reason is obvious.
You better believe that a child of a physician has an advantage over a child of a farmer.

What?! Did you even read the part where I said "two working middle class parents can provide the same finances to their children..."?

A farmer isnt part of the middle class ... USUALLY. Commercial farmers make a buttload of cash. I never made a reference to farmers or the working class?! I never claimed that working class families could easily put their children through college?

I think you chose to selectively read and ignore the part where I was talking about finances. Most middle to upper-middle class families can provide their children with sufficient financial resources, and they don't have

to be physicians to do it. The farmer thing just totally has nothing to do with anything I said.. lol

 

[j4pac]

What?! Did you even read the part where I said "two working middle class parents can provide the same finances to their children..."?

A farmer isnt part of the middle class ... USUALLY. Commercial farmers make a buttload of cash. I never made a reference to farmers or the working class?! I never claimed that working class families could easily put their children through college?

I think you chose to selectively read and ignore the part where I was talking about finances. Most middle to upper-middle class families can provide their children with sufficient financial resources, and they don't have

to be physicians to do it. The farmer thing just totally has nothing to do with anything I said.. lol

Why are med schools filled with children from the middle-upper and upper class? Clearly...children from middle-upper and upper class families have a benefit. Finances is only a small part of the equation (though a significant one). Students who are working through undergrad to make ends meet are at a disadvantage...no question. But that does not even include the roadmap to success that a close mentor can supply.

My advice to anyone who is poor and trying to become a physician is that they are going to have to go above and beyond to get to the same place. It's a cruel reality for many poor premeds...but it's the truth...and something they need to hear. They are going to have to go out of their way to find mentors. They are going to have to go out of their way to find shadowing opportunities. They will have to take SDN and pre-med committees at face value because they have no other choice by to push the "I believe" button. Though they may have moral support...they will be blazing their own trail. They are going to likely have to work through college to make ends meet. They are going to have to be more time efficient and self-directed to be able to assume all of the responsibilities of a premed. They will likely be scraping by to afford travel and applications for medical school. They won't be able to take a gap year to study for the MCAT and recharge their battery before med school. Feeling that medical school was EASIER than undergrad is not uncommon for many premeds coming from poor families. There appears to be a disconnect between what you want to believe...and reality. But that's fine...you're a premed.

 

[Gandyy]

Why are med schools filled with children from the middle-upper and upper class? Clearly...children from middle-upper and upper class families have a benefit. Finances is only a small part of the equation (though a significant one). Students who are working through undergrad to make ends meet are at a disadvantage...no question. But that does not even include the roadmap to success that a close mentor can supply.

My advice to anyone who is poor and trying to become a physician is that they are going to have to go above and beyond to get to the same place. It's a cruel reality for many poor premeds...but it's the truth...and something they need to hear. They are going to have to go out of their way to find mentors. They are going to have to go out of their way to find shadowing opportunities. They will have to take SDN and pre-med committees at face value because they have no other choice by to push the "I believe" button. Though they may have moral support...they will be blazing their own trail. They are going to likely have to work through college to make ends meet. They are going to have to be more time efficient and self-directed to be able to assume all of the responsibilities of a premed. They will likely be scraping by to afford travel and applications for medical school. They won't be able to take a gap year to study for the MCAT and recharge their battery before med school. Feeling that medical school was EASIER than undergrad is not uncommon for many premeds coming from poor families. There appears to be a disconnect between what you want to believe...and reality. But that's fine...you're a premed.

Again, you are shedding light on problems that mostly come from being raised in a poor family. You say finances are a small part of the equation but that giant paragraph that you just typed up has problems mostly associated with finances. What I am saying is that in order to be fully financially supported as a pre-med, your mother or father does not need to be a physician. There are plenty of other careers that allow you to fully financially support your child.

Everyone pretty much has to go out of their way to find shadowing opportunities and mentors. Good mentors dont just walk up to you because your mom or dad is a physician.

It is up to the student to be driven.. and honestly if we are going to talk about motivation... people coming from poor families are often the most motivated ones.

 

[Stephanopolous]

And yet the socioeconomical status of your average med student is undeniable. Having work ethic and the right family members obviously can take you a long way. Please don't take this is a slight against the privileged or the poor. The bottom line...just as in any profession in life...if you are poor, you are going to have to work harder and have more initiative to get to the same place as child of a physician. To think otherwise is incredibly naïve and not helpful.

I wasn't taking it like that. What I am saying is that having doctors as parents doesn't mean the child has some great "roadmap". It's an over generalization. Do they have a great resource for information if they choose to go into medicine? Yes. Your last argument was exactly what I was saying in my own post...

 

[Stephanopolous]

They won't be able to take a gap year to study for the MCAT and recharge their battery before med school. Feeling that medical school was EASIER than undergrad is not uncommon for many premeds coming from poor families. There appears to be a disconnect between what you want to believe...and reality. But that's fine...you're a premed.

I financed my own gap year so that's not always true either.

At the end of the day having parents that are physicians doesn't guarantee anything. It has to come from the applicant's desire to care for people and pursue medicine.

Candidates who float through based on their parents pressure to do so and/or support, rather than their own desire to, are a danger to patients.

 

[Goro]

My learned colleague is on the mark here. At every interview I do, I can count on at least one of our panel being the child of doctors. So, if this holds true for our entire applicant pool, 20% are the progeny of doctors!

And yet the socioeconomical status of your average med student is undeniable. Having work ethic and the right family members obviously can take you a long way. Please don't take this is a slight against the privileged or the poor. The bottom line...just as in any profession in life...if you are poor, you are going to have to work harder and have more initiative to get to the same place as child of a physician. To think otherwise is incredibly naïve and not helpful.

 

[j4pac]

I financed my own gap year so that's not always true either.

At the end of the day having parents that are physicians doesn't guarantee anything. It has to come from the applicant's desire to care for people and pursue medicine.

Candidates who float through based on their parents pressure to do so and/or support, rather than their own desire to, are a danger to patients.

When did I say that kids from rich families can skate by and get into medical school? Obviously...you have to work hard to get into medical school...but sometimes hard work isn't enough. My point is that socioeconomic status and having a physician immediate relative opens doors for you. It's true. One day, if one of my children want to become a physician...I believe the odds are very strong that they will one day be a physician. Doesn't mean that they won't have to put in the work...but there is no chance that their path will be as difficult as mine. But isn't that part of the reason why we do this? I wanted a better life for my family. My wife and I are now in the club...and let our children reap the rewards.

 

[Stephanopolous]

True I agree with you on that. You didn't say they did I was just making a general statement.

 

[TopTomato]

My learned colleague is on the mark here. At every interview I do, I can count on at least one of our panel being the child of doctors. So, if this holds true for our entire applicant pool, 20% are the progeny of doctors!

I wouldn't be surprised if it was more than that. At PCOM they told us for my class 1 out of 6 students are the children of PCOM alumni. That's not including anybody's parents who went to another DO or MD school, which there are a ton of in my class. If I had to guess I would say anywhere from 25-30% of the class has a parent who is a physician.

 

[kenjixshadow]

And yet the socioeconomical status of your average med student is undeniable. Having work ethic and the right family members obviously can take you a long way. Please don't take this is a slight against the privileged or the poor. The bottom line...just as in any profession in life...if you are poor, you are going to have to work harder and have more initiative to get to the same place as child of a physician. To think otherwise is incredibly naïve and not helpful.

Completely agree with this statement.

Edit: x

 

[Monkitty]

ITT: People arguing over the importance of SES. You guys better come to grips with this because it is not only a major factor in who gets where in life, but in how healthy they are. You're gonna run into it all the time in practice.

 

[IslandStyle808]

At my state school, they have a point system for sending interview invitations. Having an alumni that is related to you gives you one point which will go to your score. So it does mean something to certain schools.

 

[Doctor_Strange]

What if your parent is a tenured Professor in the COM at said school? Could that, at least, help not get autoscreened?

 

[SLC]

Disagree. This is a an overgeneralization in my opinion. A roadmap to medicine is gained by experience not by having parents who are doctors. If someone wants this bad enough there are more than enough resources out there to set them up for success. I think it's more a matter of drive and desire than being born into the right family set up.

And yet somehow a very significant portion of my class in Med-School was occupied by children of doctors. This same thing occurs nationwide at nearly every school.

I nearly didn't get in, mostly because I had no guidance on how to actually get into med-school from someone who'd done it. Nobody in my family has ever been a doctor. Yet others in my class had parents or close family members who were in academic medicine and handed them awesome shadowing connections, research opportunities with colleagues, medical volunteering gigs with friends, and all the other fixin's of a great app.

The fact is, physician kids are extremely well represented in medical schools. Who better to have as a mentor to steer you along than one's parent?

 

[SLC]

If your father were an alumnus of the DO program, then that could be a very good answer for the "why NYIT" question. Otherwise, I would only casually mention in the interview. Either way, it is unlikely that family members being alumni could benefit the applicant.

If his father is an alumnus at all that's a great "why NYIT" answer.

Did you not see the final scene in the blindside? "My mom went here, my dad went here, this is where we go to school"!

 

[mathnerd88]

If his father is an alumnus at all that's a great "why NYIT" answer.

Did you not see the final scene in the blindside? "My mom went here, my dad went here, this is where we go to school"!

That's still a pretty weak argument to wanting to go to a school. Compare this answer to someone else who researched the school and talked about the positives of that school.

Saying because my parents went here isn't going to cut it anymore. Unless your parents have strong ties to the adcoms.

 

[mathnerd88]

And yet somehow a very significant portion of my class in Med-School was occupied by children of doctors. This same thing occurs nationwide at nearly every school.

I nearly didn't get in, mostly because I had no guidance on how to actually get into med-school from someone who'd done it. Nobody in my family has ever been a doctor. Yet others in my class had parents or close family members who were in academic medicine and handed them awesome shadowing connections, research opportunities with colleagues, medical volunteering gigs with friends, and all the other fixin's of a great app.

The fact is, physician kids are extremely well represented in medical schools. Who better to have as a mentor to steer you along than one's parent?

You didn't nearly get in probably because you didn't do much EC's and/or your stats weren't good. A simple search on Google, Sdn, or even friends who have gone through the app process wouldve given you tips on how to.

While parents can provide hookups on how to get extracurricular experiences, it won't matter if the kid wasn't motivated enough to be in medicine. Having an easier time getting into things is a plus, but in the end it is all about the applicant. Who do you think is the more successful physician? The one where mommy and daddy pushes or someone who uses his/her own resources to get things done?

 

[costales]

And yet somehow a very significant portion of my class in Med-School was occupied by children of doctors. This same thing occurs nationwide at nearly every school.

I nearly didn't get in, mostly because I had no guidance on how to actually get into med-school from someone who'd done it. Nobody in my family has ever been a doctor. Yet others in my class had parents or close family members who were in academic medicine and handed them awesome shadowing connections, research opportunities with colleagues, medical volunteering gigs with friends, and all the other fixin's of a great app.

The fact is, physician kids are extremely well represented in medical schools. Who better to have as a mentor to steer you along than one's parent?

It helps to have a physician parent or close relative. In fact, it helps a lot. You simply cannot discount the obvious.

 

[costales]

ITT: People arguing over the importance of SES. You guys better come to grips with this because it is not only a major factor in who gets where in life, but in how healthy they are. You're gonna run into it all the time in practice.

This. There is a big difference between a patient who relies on calorie-dense foods and Budweiser, and a patient with perfect teeth who shops at Whole Foods. It doesn't help to be poor, whether you're a patient or a premed.

 

[mathnerd88]

It helps to have a physician parent or close relative. In fact, it helps a lot. You simply cannot discount the obvious.

It helps, but not when you use it to talk about it in an interview that your parents were an alum.

Again, your opportunities would be better than people who don't have easy access, but a resourceful candidate will be able to find anything that a premeds' parents or close relative could and more.

To gain acceptance into a particular medical school, knowing certain people may help you, but all you need is someone who has strong ties to the adcom to that school.

 

[costales]

The mere fact that your mom got her English degree from State University adds nothing to your app to med school at said university, unless your mom is very wealthy or famous.

 

[Promethean]

I think it can be worked into a more full answer to "Why this school?"

"Well, I gave it a look initially because my dad went here for engineering and has said a lot of good things about the institution. Once I did my research, I found that everything he had told me about blah blah blah was on the mark. I'm especially excited about the school's mission to blah blah blah, because that lines up with my own ambition to do the thing that I am really into."

Will it help you get in? Only in that it gives you one more cogent answer to a question. I'd say the more you underplay it the better. If you went in with the attitude that it makes you a legacy, it would be certain to ensure your rejection.

 

[Monkitty]

It helps, but not when you use it to talk about it in an interview that your parents were an alum.

Again, your opportunities would be better than people who don't have easy access, but a resourceful candidate will be able to find anything that a premeds' parents or close relative could and more.

To gain acceptance into a particular medical school, knowing certain people may help you, but all you need is someone who has strong ties to the adcom to that school.

Look up "privilege".

Yes this is America, where a kid from a dirt-poor, single parent, family can claw their way into med school. But for every kid who does that, there are probably 100 that just cant get over those hurdles. Being "resourceful" presupposes there are resources near you to be had, not everyone is in that situation.

 

[SLC]

That's still a pretty weak argument to wanting to go to a school. Compare this answer to someone else who researched the school and talked about the positives of that school.

Saying because my parents went here isn't going to cut it anymore. Unless your parents have strong ties to the adcoms.

Any jackass can read a school's advertising flyer and write a glowing essay about the positives of that school. Hell, I did it for like 8 of them 5 years ago when I applied. ADCOM's know this and that's why they don't read most of those essays and just go off stats and geographical area of the applicant etc. ADCOM's want to fill seats with the best people possible. If an ADCOM at LECOM-E has two more or less equally good applicants, one from California and one from PA, you can bet the one from PA is getting the nod for the interview. Same applies for those two applicants at COMP, only the Cali applicant gets the nod. Both schools know the applicant who lives closer is more likely to choose their school. This same effect can be had with a family history of attending that school.

Only a select few can talk about having parents who went to the university. If I'm an admission committee member, that connection at least piques my interest. It's not going to cover any flaws in their app, but if they are otherwise qualified I'm going to want to interview them.

 

[SLC]

You didn't nearly get in probably because you didn't do much EC's and/or your stats weren't good. A simple search on Google, Sdn, or even friends who have gone through the app process wouldve given you tips on how to.

Oh, you should look me up then. I can assure you my EC's weren't an issue. They were elite, even by today's standards. I'd put them up against the kids getting into Harvard and Hopkins.

My stats weren't great, because I didn't know how to navigate finding a good major, and doing prereq's at the same time. I floundered for a long time because I didn't feel like I had direction or a real plan. I had a goal with no real solid clue how to achieve it. That made focusing really tricky. I felt like my time to apply at med school was constantly just over the horizon.

As for SDN and Google. I used google, but there is a lot of garbage out there and it's tough to know what really matters. I didn't even know SDN existed till about 6 months before I applied. I learned a ton here, but it would have been nice to have it earlier.

While parents can provide hookups on how to get extracurricular experiences, it won't matter if the kid wasn't motivated enough to be in medicine. Having an easier time getting into things is a plus, but in the end it is all about the applicant. Who do you think is the more successful physician? The one where mommy and daddy pushes or someone who uses his/her own resources to get things done?

Nobody is claiming parent physicians are going to get a disinterested kid into medicine automatically. But if you take two equally motivated kids, one who's parent(s) are doctors, and one who's a first generation college student, who do you think is going to come out better on average when it's time to apply?

 

[mathnerd88]

Any jackass can read a school's advertising flyer and write a glowing essay about the positives of that school. Hell, I did it for like 8 of them 5 years ago when I applied. ADCOM's know this and that's why they don't read most of those essays and just go off stats and geographical area of the applicant etc. ADCOM's want to fill seats with the best people possible. If an ADCOM at LECOM-E has two more or less equally good applicants, one from California and one from PA, you can bet the one from PA is getting the nod for the interview. Same applies for those two applicants at COMP, only the Cali applicant gets the nod. Both schools know the applicant who lives closer is more likely to choose their school. This same effect can be had with a family history of attending that school.

Only a select few can talk about having parents who went to the university. If I'm an admission committee member, that connection at least piques my interest. It's not going to cover any flaws in their app, but if they are otherwise qualified I'm going to want to interview them.

I know applicants who got in because of their essays, so I'm not sure that stats is what they only care about, which is what you're implying.

 

[Mad Jack]

If they were a COM alumni it would help, otherwise no.

 

[mathnerd88]

Nobody is claiming parent physicians are going to get a disinterested kid into medicine automatically. But if you take two equally motivated kids, one who's parent(s) are doctors, and one who's a first generation college student, who do you think is going to come out better on average when it's time to apply?

So we are agreeing on the same thing then. I've already talked about this previously. However, I think once you compare someone's parents who are upper middle class vs. someone who had physicians for parents, they're pretty much on an even ball park. With money, opportunities will always arise.

It may be slightly harder for someone to find a physician to shadow or research when they don't have influence, but the resources are still available. There are thousands of them out there. All you need is one to get your foot in through the door.

 

[TopTomato]

So we are agreeing on the same thing then. I've already talked about this previously. However, I think once you compare someone's parents who are upper middle class vs. someone who had physicians for parents, they're pretty much on an even ball park. With money, opportunities will always arise.

It may be slightly harder for someone to find a physician to shadow or research when they don't have influence, but the resources are still available. There are thousands of them out there. All you need is one to get your foot in through the door.

Having a parent who is a physician alumni is like having one foot in the door. If it was insignificant, then why do they even ask the question on every single application? Every app I've come across has always asked if I've had a relative who went to the school.

Look at my previous post in this thread about PCOM. Statistics don't lie, having a parent who is an alum provides a significant advantage.