How does not having in physicians in my family affect admissions?

[Astra]

Positive or negative.

Curious because it asked in the application

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[Goro]

No.

 

[Glandzburg]

It asks if not having a physician in the family is a positive or negative?

 

[TehTeddy]

It asks if not having a physician in the family is a positive or negative?

I'm pretty sure it asked if he has any physicians in the family, and OP was wondering whether that would be viewed in a positive or negative way.

 

[Astra]

It asks if not having a physician in the family is a positive or negative?

No I mean how do Adcoms view not having physicians in my family?

Is it a positive or negative?

 

[Glandzburg]

No I mean how do Adcoms view not having physicians in my family?

Is it a positive or negative?

It's neither. Many people (myself included) are not related to a physician.

 

[GrapesofRath]

As has been asked in many previous threads and answered by a variety of people involved in admission in someway:

You'll have some who might wonder "Is this person being pressured into medicine". Im not a big fan of just presuming this question/concern but it can occur.

You'll have others who look at it as a priviledge and therefore might have "have higher expectations for such an applicant" per se .

Overall though if you were to list the variables that affect admission merely the answer to the question "do you have a parent who is a physician?" probably would not be in and of itself particularly high on the list.

 

[terra330]

It's mostly asked for demographics purposes I think. It won't be held against you if you don't have physician parents. It didn't really seem to matter that my father is a physician. It did come up in interviews, but mostly they just asked what he specialized in and whether he had any influence on my wanting to be a doctor.

 

[whatever5]

Having a physician in the family has its advantages and disadvantages, as does not having a physician in the family. It basically does not matter.

 

[medic86]

As has been asked in many previous threads and answered by a variety of people involved in admission in someway:

You'll have some who might wonder "Is this person being pressured into medicine". Im not a big fan of just presuming this question/concern but it can occur.

You'll have others who look at it as a priviledge and therefore might have "have higher expectations for such an applicant" per se .

Overall though if you were to list the variables that affect admission merely the answer to the question "do you have a parent who is a physician?" probably would not be in and of itself particularly high on the list.

I had an interviewer ask me directly if my parents influenced my decision to pursue medicine. There isn't a single physician in my entire family (including distant, distant relatives) and my parents are not college graduates.

I think she asked me this question solely based on my appearance (well, it was a blind interview, lol).

 

[mordac21]

• If one of your parents is faculty at the med school you're applying to, you will definitely get a boost.
• If you have physician parents, you will be asked the following question in some form: "are you going into medicine just because your parents are in medicine?" Protip - the answer to this question is always "no."
• You will know more about medicine in general if your parents are physicians. This doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the decisions adcoms make, but you will have an "insiders view" to the profession.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

I had 1/11 places ask me about my dad/uncle being docs and basically just wanted to know if I was being pressured into this.

I said no and that was the end of it.

 

[raiderette]

In almost every interview they do ask about my family, but I haven't specifically been asked if I have a physician in the family. However, a friend that is the daughter of a physician has to talk about it in her interviews. She has a ton of shadowing hours, and she doesn't hide the fact that she was able to explore medicine her entire life.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

They won't care

 

[moisne]

as much as they care about your favorite food and colors

 

[Bergamot]

It just saves you having the whole conversation of 'were you pressured by your physician parents?'. So I would say it's more of a positive because interviewers don't have to waste time discerning whether or not you actually want to be a doctor. Believe it or not, there are kids who don't even want to go to medical school, but they complete the pre-reqs and go through the whole process in order to avoid bringing shame upon their family.

First and second generation Asian-American and African-American (i.e. from Nigeria) parents, for example, put this kind of pressure on their kids. Good friend of mine from high school came to America when she was 9 from Nigeria, and she says that every Nigerian parent she knows tells their kids they will be engineers, doctors, or lawyers. One of her cousins became a nurse and is spoken to as 'almost good enough' at birthday parties and events, as in, she doesn't have a seat at the grown-up table. Crazy right?

For Asian students the pressure is more evident across American campuses with higher than average suicide rates. It's an issue that isn't getting the attention it deserves.

Health expert explains Asian and Asian-American students' unique pressures to succeed

 

[Petrichor1]

It asks if not having a physician in the family is a positive or negative?

a lot of things in life are dependent on how confident you are in showing them in a positive light. If you are negative about it, you're steering the conversation in the wrong direction.

 

[Acoustica]

I dont think it's gonna make or break your application, especially because it's not something you can really control. I would say that no matter what situation you're in, just find the positives and focus on that.

 

[caffeinemia]

Better question is ... what if my dad donated 100million to the medical school... doz dat halp?