How many people do you think get into med school because of "connections"?

[camstah]

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I was talking to someone who's knowledgable about UCLA's admissions, and they said there are a lot of people who get in there just becaues of connections. How true do you think this is for any school that you know of?

 

[Jalby]

I knew of quite a few people who got into UCLA on connections. One of them was the biggest idiot ever.

 

[camstah]

yeah, i've heard quite a few people who really shouldn't be in med school got into ucla through connections.....but if you had connections, wouldn't you use them? or would you not on principle? and is this why UCLA doesn't really release their class profiles?

 

[SouthernGirl]

Didn't we just have a thread on this like two weeks ago?

 

[camstah]

search function doesn't work....i tried to find the thread 🙁

 

[Doctor Wyldstyle]

Very true. I know especially for the private schools. In particular, if you are a) relative of an alumni b) relative of faculty c) from that region or city. I have many classmates, probably numbering a little over 10 at least out of 150 who fit into the above categories. Many of them are fit if not more than qualified to attend any other medical school, but for admissions, that little bit of affiliation helped at this Jesuit medical school. - wyldstyle

 

[dynx]

Connections are a part of life. It does not necessarily make what those connections say any less true. So just accept it, get a personality, and make connections of your own. I hate when people complain that I get "good words" put in for me when people I happen to meet in influential positions happen to like me and want to help me out. It's the exact same thing as a GREAT letter of Rec. The person just happens to be in a more influential positions. Learn to live with it...it's the way the world works.

 

[camstah]

um, well, that's great for you, but that's not really what i meant. you're describing something more along the lines of networking, which would be more like an informal interview. i meant when someone has totally low scores, and gets into a great school just because his uncle's best friend happens to be married to someone on the admissions committee...or something like that. 🙄

 

[poloace]

people with connections get in. that's just how it works.

p