Maybe. It depends on how it is presented. Will you automatically get “bonus points” just for being low SES? Likely not. Do you have a genuine and meaningful desire and intent to bring medical care to your community, especially those of low SES, as a result of healthcare interactions or lack of access you may have experienced as a person of low SES? Could be seen positively in a residency app personal statement by some IM PDs. Some are likely not to care much. At the residency level, for top programs, there is much more focus on the strongest candidates overall and the best fit. If it’s a core part of how you see yourself as a physician that is helpful in general for your own self, so you can keep your focus in what can only be described as the drudgery of residency. But it’s not going to outweigh residency app red flags like low grades or board scores for top programs.
