How much impact does one adcom make?

[Endoxifen]

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I have a very good relationship with an adcom at my top choice school. We meet during an internship there this past summer and they offered to help me write my PS and form my application. I've made a point of keeping in contact and I've continued asking for their advice, to which they answer quite quickly. My question is, if this adcom is interested in me for their school, how much of an impact would they make?

Obviously they can in no way guarantee admission and I would be very concerned if they could, but I'm sure they can make some kind of impact on an individual level. If it helps, this person has a chair position on the committee. @Goro and @LizzyM, what do you both think?

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[cactusman]

No idea, but just would like to mention that technically AdCom = Admissions Committee, so... a single adcom definitely has a big impact on the decision. I think Admissions Counselor/Officer (depending on the school) is the title you're looking for.

 

[Endoxifen]

No idea, but just would like to mention that technically AdCom = Admissions Committee, so... a single adcom definitely has a big impact on the decision. I think Admissions Counselor/Officer (depending on the school) is the title you're looking for.

Sorry, I typed it pretty quickly.

 

[LizzyM]

If a member of the adcom is helping you, that member should recuse themself when your application comes up for review and your name comes up for discussion.

So, the adcom member might help you tailor your application to what that school tends to look for but you won't have an special pull in the committee when it comes to making decisions.

 

[Endoxifen]

If a member of the adcom is helping you, that member should recuse themself when your application comes up for review and your name comes up for discussion.

So, the adcom member might help you tailor your application to what that school tends to look for but you won't have an special pull in the committee when it comes to making decisions.

Could they ethically endorse me prior to recusing themselves?

 

[Goro]

I've seen people on my committee do this. I've had to recuse myself when some of my MS students were being considered. Still, my take is at that a member vouching for a candidate will pull some serious weight.

Could they ethically endorse me prior to recusing themselves?

 

[gyngyn]

Could they ethically endorse me prior to recusing themselves?

Absolutely not.
The LCME accreditors have strong opinions about this.

 

[Endoxifen]

Thank you all for your responses. I have absolutely no expectations for how my application there will turn out and I'm glad to know where I stand.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Absolutely not.
The LCME accreditors have strong opinions about this.

Don't take this the wrong way but why does LCME have jurisdiction over how a medical school selects its class? I thought it's purpose was to accredit a school and evaluate the validity of the education it offers its students. What that has to do with the way a school selects its candidates is something I don't really understand. Don't get me wrong, I think it's good that it has this power so that decisions can be made more fairly.

 

[efle]

Don't take this the wrong way but why does LCME have jurisdiction over how a medical school selects its class? I thought it's purpose was to accredit a school and evaluate the validity of the education it offers its students. What that has to do with the way a school selects its candidates is something I don't really understand. Don't get me wrong, I think it's good that it has this power so that decisions can be made more fairly.

Pretty sure they have rules limiting the ways selection can be done. They want to see some certain level of diversity/representation, it has to be done via committee vote rather than ever being decided by one person/dean, you can't have conflicts of interests because someone knows the applicant outside the admissions process, that kind of thing.

 

[gyngyn]

Don't take this the wrong way but why does LCME have jurisdiction over how a medical school selects its class? I thought it's purpose was to accredit a school and evaluate the validity of the education it offers its students. What that has to do with the way a school selects its candidates is something I don't really understand. Don't get me wrong, I think it's good that it has this power so that decisions can be made more fairly.

The LCME has no say in a school's mission.
It is, however, the organization that assures a fair evaluation of its candidates.
For this reason, the admissions committee is the only one whose decisions cannot be under the authority of the Dean.

 

[gyngyn]

Just to point out the LCME's mission (first excerpt below) and the very first sentence of its very first standard that a school have a clearly defined mission. Other than a school's mission statement exceeding or outside the mission statement of the LCME, the LCME has no say in it.

http://lcme.org/wp-content/uploads/...17-18_Functions-and-Structure_2016-09-20.docx

"To achieve and maintain accreditation, a medical education program leading to the MD degree in the U.S. must meet the standards and elements contained in this document. The accreditation process requires a medical education program to provide assurances that its graduates exhibit general professional competencies that are appropriate for entry to the next stage of their training and that serve as the foundation for lifelong learning and proficient medical care."


Standard 1: Mission, Planning, Organization, and Integrity
A medical school has a written statement of mission and goals for the medical education program,

That's right. They don't tell us what our mission should be, but we do have to have one!

 

[SouthernDoc2Be]

Looking for some opinions here --

I work at my dream school's teaching hospital and work with several of the doctors on the adcom. The adcom list is also easily accessible on the school's website. A doctor that I work with is aware of my interest in medical school and introduced me to an adcom member via e-mail. Since this doctor made the introduction, I felt obliged to follow up and reach out to the adcom and pretty much just restated my interest in the school and gave a brief overview of my application. This adcom member called me/left voicemail and told me to contact the dean of admissions if I have any questions or concerns about my application.

The voicemail came off a bit stern and harsh -- but I'm also a very anxious applicant so I could be reading too much into this. Is there a possibility that I could've violated some policy about not contacting adcom?