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If you have a couple of relatives who are/were assistant professors at certain med schools, can they hook you up (boost your application)?
does it help if your relative is/was an assistant professor at the med school?
- Thread starter AlanAlanine
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If you have a low gpa I doubt it would make a difference, however you have a very high gpa and MCAT and again that wouldn't matter for you as your numbers would definitely get you into most if not all schools you apply too. Assistant professor is a good title but its not like the person is Dean of admissions so I would say no.
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unfortunately I would disagree...with the person who replied before me.
I am sad to say that I think it would help. I say I am sad because I think this represents the unofficial caste system we in all aspects of America are getting ourselves into.
Example: Paris Hilton, George Bush, Mccain (from a family of war vets), The Mannings, Waltons. Dynastic giving of both financial, social and professional sorts should not be tolerated. (my own personal beliefs) If someone is going to get into medical school they should do it because they want to not because they are following in someones footsteps, they should get their own good grades and make their own connections at hospitals...
The OP will be fine without drawing on the family connections He/she has obviously worked hard and will be a success.
I am sad to say that I think it would help. I say I am sad because I think this represents the unofficial caste system we in all aspects of America are getting ourselves into.
Example: Paris Hilton, George Bush, Mccain (from a family of war vets), The Mannings, Waltons. Dynastic giving of both financial, social and professional sorts should not be tolerated. (my own personal beliefs) If someone is going to get into medical school they should do it because they want to not because they are following in someones footsteps, they should get their own good grades and make their own connections at hospitals...
The OP will be fine without drawing on the family connections He/she has obviously worked hard and will be a success.
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I agree with certain parts of your statement, however I don't think it would matter who you knew if your GPA and MCAT were very low, but I'm from Canada so who knows how different the States is. In the OP's case, they have very high numbers so I don't know why it would even be something to worry about.
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Only your relative can answer that question. The situations are too unique to give general advice. I think everything can be summarized into three general categories where it can help you: 1. you have a regular application and your relative personally knows someone in the admissions and they are close friends (or legacy). 2. You use a big name person who knows something very special about you, like an important research achievement, and has the authority in that subject area to explain the significance of it to the admissions. 3. Someone responsible for donating large sums of money to the school or someone in a powerful position (such as a politician). Even if your application is mediocre or worse, you will definitely benefit, if not gain admittance.
Some explanation for the reasoning:
If you're a regular applicant and your relative only briefly knows someone in the admissions, then it doesn't matter much. If you're a regular applicant and you use a big name who writes an empty letter for you since there is nothing special about you, again it doesn't matter much. If your uncle is a senator, then you're in luck, just make sure he's not Ted Stevens.
In the end, it's all up to you.
Some explanation for the reasoning:
If you're a regular applicant and your relative only briefly knows someone in the admissions, then it doesn't matter much. If you're a regular applicant and you use a big name who writes an empty letter for you since there is nothing special about you, again it doesn't matter much. If your uncle is a senator, then you're in luck, just make sure he's not Ted Stevens.
In the end, it's all up to you.
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A conversation recently had with an acquaintance of mine I ran into at the library the other day:
Me: Did you end up taking your MCAT in May?
Him: Ya... it didn't go so well though.
Me: Oh ya? How bad?
Him: 22 bad...
Me: Ouch. What are you gonna do this year? You've already applied?
Him: Oh, my dad's a professor (at X med school). They've already told me I'm in, but I had to take the MCAT because everyone needs a score.
And this happens alllll the time guys.
Me: Did you end up taking your MCAT in May?
Him: Ya... it didn't go so well though.
Me: Oh ya? How bad?
Him: 22 bad...
Me: Ouch. What are you gonna do this year? You've already applied?
Him: Oh, my dad's a professor (at X med school). They've already told me I'm in, but I had to take the MCAT because everyone needs a score.
And this happens alllll the time guys.
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202781
Warning Rant Follows:
This is exactly the reason I am bitter toward people who have had an "in" their whole life. I come from a small town with less than 20 doctors serving our entire COUNTY. No physicians ever offered to come in to talk at my high school, no shadowing programs, very little access to AP or 2nd year science courses. I am literally the first person in my family to be interested in science as well as aspire to become a physician (extended family included).
Example of how I get **** upon because I dont have a connection:
I recently applied to a hospital aide position at my small county hospital (after graduating magna cum laude from microbiology, volunteering at the hospital the summer before, shadowing numerous physicians, telling the HR department that I want to gain experience in the medical field...)
A few days later I get a message that a "more qualified candidate" had been hired (this is for escorting patients and running urine samples to the lab)... It turns out that the person they hired a local nurses daughter. Her "qualifications" were 1 year of state college (majoring in fashion design). She did not want to work in the medical industry for a career, she was just working as a summer job. (I know all this because I went to a small school and knew her growing up and saw her around town)
She had applied to the position just after I did... I didnt even get a F****** interview.
My original intention for this post was to say how bitter I am toward people who just live off of their connections their whole life.
In my personal opinion (Which matters very little) I think it is entirely pathetic that someone would want to do the same thing that their daddy or mommy did. Find your own interests. Do what you want to do. Don't do something just to live up to your parents.
Lame
thats my rant...again I am not directing this toward anyone in particular, I'm just pissed.
This is exactly the reason I am bitter toward people who have had an "in" their whole life. I come from a small town with less than 20 doctors serving our entire COUNTY. No physicians ever offered to come in to talk at my high school, no shadowing programs, very little access to AP or 2nd year science courses. I am literally the first person in my family to be interested in science as well as aspire to become a physician (extended family included).
Example of how I get **** upon because I dont have a connection:
I recently applied to a hospital aide position at my small county hospital (after graduating magna cum laude from microbiology, volunteering at the hospital the summer before, shadowing numerous physicians, telling the HR department that I want to gain experience in the medical field...)
A few days later I get a message that a "more qualified candidate" had been hired (this is for escorting patients and running urine samples to the lab)... It turns out that the person they hired a local nurses daughter. Her "qualifications" were 1 year of state college (majoring in fashion design). She did not want to work in the medical industry for a career, she was just working as a summer job. (I know all this because I went to a small school and knew her growing up and saw her around town)
She had applied to the position just after I did... I didnt even get a F****** interview.
My original intention for this post was to say how bitter I am toward people who just live off of their connections their whole life.
In my personal opinion (Which matters very little) I think it is entirely pathetic that someone would want to do the same thing that their daddy or mommy did. Find your own interests. Do what you want to do. Don't do something just to live up to your parents.
Lame
thats my rant...again I am not directing this toward anyone in particular, I'm just pissed.
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was it a good (U.S.) med school? that's jacked up. If I had scored a 0 on PS my score would still beat his...
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Hey now, that's not entirely fair either. My parents are both doctors and I would gladly run in the other direction (I tried) except that I LOVE medicine. I do definitely disgrre with the notion of legacy and this nepotis-type stuff, but it's not wrong for someone to follow in their parents' footsteps.
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Well I think it is a little sad to follow in the footsteps of daddy. BUT, if you can honestly say that you were neither pushed nor influenced by daddy to get into medicine...I have nothing to "bash" on.
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Daddy? Really?
Is it fair to think that people are NOT influenced by their parents at all? I can honestly say that medicine is most definitely the profession I want to go into, but I cannot say that my parents haven't influenced me. No, they did not push me to go into medicine (in fact, they don't really want me to because they personally think the profession has changed for the worse). Still, they've influenced me in a number of other ways...I already know what to expect from being a doctor, for instance; I've seen them do it for my entire life. I've grown up with knowledge of what the cons are about the profession. I can keep going. The point I'm trying to make is, anyone who is at least moderately close to his or her parents will undoubtedly be influenced by them in some way, whether it is through endowment of a work ethic, certain principles, or anything else.
Is it fair to think that people are NOT influenced by their parents at all? I can honestly say that medicine is most definitely the profession I want to go into, but I cannot say that my parents haven't influenced me. No, they did not push me to go into medicine (in fact, they don't really want me to because they personally think the profession has changed for the worse). Still, they've influenced me in a number of other ways...I already know what to expect from being a doctor, for instance; I've seen them do it for my entire life. I've grown up with knowledge of what the cons are about the profession. I can keep going. The point I'm trying to make is, anyone who is at least moderately close to his or her parents will undoubtedly be influenced by them in some way, whether it is through endowment of a work ethic, certain principles, or anything else.
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You're mighty angry. I think you'd save yourself a lot of stress and frustration if you just accept that much of the world depends upon who you know. It's not confined to getting into medical school either. Maybe you'll meet someone influential during medical school who can get you into your #1 residency...are you not going to use that connection? If a person has his/her own merits but happens to know someone who can recommend them for admissions, that's fair game.
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Consider this applicant: Age 21, father the chair of biochemistry at a well-known medical school; uGPA 3.90 (double major in econ and biology from a well-known private college); MCAT 42; applied to two schools (his father's and the other medical school that was in the same small city). Didn't get accepted to either school (not much in terms of extracurriculars but still excellent LORs).
Went into the Peace Corps and spent three years working overseas. Came back; and accepted into one medical school (a state school in another state). Did his father being a full professor and department chair help the above person? Apparently not much, other than making sure that his son had enough finances to afford to do Peace Corps and get some maturity. (Did I mention that at age 21, he was something of a jerk which probably came through on the interviews but who knows for sure). Anyway, he's now a practicing anesthesiologist and no at all a jerk.
Went into the Peace Corps and spent three years working overseas. Came back; and accepted into one medical school (a state school in another state). Did his father being a full professor and department chair help the above person? Apparently not much, other than making sure that his son had enough finances to afford to do Peace Corps and get some maturity. (Did I mention that at age 21, he was something of a jerk which probably came through on the interviews but who knows for sure). Anyway, he's now a practicing anesthesiologist and no at all a jerk.
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202781
the only people I am "bashing on" are the people who would have 0 chance of acceptance otherwise. Obviously both of you have a chance without any other "connections"
I realize that the world runs on connections...but until you have been on the outside trying to claw your way into this field, you will have no idea the amount of frustration that goes into it.
All of the people who have posted on this site would have no trouble (with or without connections) getting into med school.
I realize that the world runs on connections...but until you have been on the outside trying to claw your way into this field, you will have no idea the amount of frustration that goes into it.
All of the people who have posted on this site would have no trouble (with or without connections) getting into med school.
I had a friend whos parents both worked in research at a medical school... and he got ~33 on his MCAT, but did not get in anywhere due to "low" gpa (3.5 or something) and applying late. I think this all depends on the school, the time of application, the stats, etc.... I do know that if a parent works at certain schools, you may get discounted tuition (which would be sweet! I'm jealous) I think overall, if you are otherwise not qualified for the study of medicine, you will not get in, regardless of who you know.... But if on the borderline, it can only help to know someone I suppose.. Wish I knew someone 🙂
wow, that sucks that you didn't even get a consideration for that job 🙁 But hey, I would say F#$% it, you don't want to work for people like that anyways, as they don't even care about skill level. I find that this stuff is often worse in smaller areas where everyone "knows each other."
There is no doubt that in life, knowing someone can be beneficial... But if you are persistent and try to stay positive, you'll be ok even if you know no one. I know that sounds like the advice train s##t, but honestly your view of the situation is the only thing that you have control over.
In the end, if you dwell on this stuff (even if it IS ****ty, but it is what it is) it will only affect you, and negatively at that. If you are positive and keep truckin', who knows, maybe you will even "make some connections." I feel ya, I am in a similar situation... and good luck with everything! I think that you will be that much more proud of yourself knowing what you have sacraficed to get where you want to be... But don't assume that other people who did have connections did not make just as many sacrafices.. you don't know their stories
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