In terms of handing out II's and acceptances, how important is location (Hometown and alma mater)?

[Anova05]

For example, a lifelong LA native who attended UCLA applying to a midwest/east coast program. Or a lifelong NYC native who attended Columbia and never left applying to the midwest/west coast. Or a lifelong midwestern state native who attended the University of (homestate) and is applying to either coast.

How does living in your hometown/state for 20+ years look to programs in different geographic regions?

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[Reckoner]

midwestern state native. You couldn't think of a single midwestern state or city name?

But anyway it could make schools think are applying as a backup and won't come if accepted. Pretend you're in charge of admissions at Medical College of Wisconsin. You have two equally qualified applicants. One has never left LA while the other grew up in Madison and went to Marquette. Who would you assume is more likely to attend?

It's definitely not an insurmountable barrier though. There are several people in my class (school on the east coast) who spent their entire pre-med school lives in California.

 

[Anova05]

midwestern state native. You couldn't think of a single midwestern state or city name?

But anyway it could make schools think are applying as a backup and won't come if accepted. Pretend you're in charge of admissions at Medical College of Wisconsin. You have two equally qualified applicants. One has never left LA while the other grew up in Madison and went to Marquette. Who would you assume is more likely to attend?

It's definitely not an insurmountable barrier though. There are several people in my class (school on the east coast) who spent their entire pre-med school lives in California.

haha I was lazy. If I knew that when I was 17/18 years old, I would have totally moved around a little for school to market myself for programs across the US!

 

[maroonspinstress]

It's important insofar as many interviewers will ask you "I see you grew up in [hometown] and went to college nearby in [alma mater city]. Why [our city] for medical school?" And you can bet that a weak answer to that question will not reflect well on you!

But, it's certainly not insurmountable. Make sure you research the school ahead of time and make a list of things you like about this location. I'm a CA native who went to school on the east coast, and my acceptances are all over the place--1 CA, 1 east coast, and 2 midwest.

 

[Anova05]

It's important insofar as many interviewers will ask you "I see you grew up in [hometown] and went to college nearby in [alma mater city]. Why [our city] for medical school?" And you can bet that a weak answer to that question will not reflect well on you!

But, it's certainly not insurmountable. Make sure you research the school ahead of time and make a list of things you like about this location. I'm a CA native who went to school on the east coast, and my acceptances are all over the place--1 CA, 1 east coast, and 2 midwest.

While I was fortunate enough to get accepted to my top choice, every time I was asked that question led to a post-interview rejection/waitlist. Being a city boy is tough, despite my best efforts I guess it is hard to convince these guys I am sincere for living elsewhere.

 

[maroonspinstress]

haha I was lazy. If I knew that when I was 17/18 years old, I would have totally moved around a little for school to market myself for programs across the US!

It's not too late. Plenty of people stay close to home for college. It's not that big of a deal, just make sure you know why you like the locations of the schools you've applied to. Don't make it seem like you'll be a fish out of water or will have trouble adapting to the new environment. Talk about aspects of these locations that you didn't have in your hometown and why you wish you could experience these aspects.

 

[maroonspinstress]

While I was fortunate enough to get accepted to my top choice, every time I was asked that question led to a post-interview rejection/waitlist. Being a city boy is tough, despite my best efforts I guess it is hard to convince these guys I am sincere for living elsewhere.

Maybe they were just not convinced by your explanations? Clearly, people go all over for med school so it's certainly possible.

 

[Anova05]

Maybe they were just not convinced by your explanations? Clearly, people go all over for med school so it's certainly possible.

Too bad they don;t ask that question on secondaries. It would certainly save me lots of money

 

[gyngyn]

For example, a lifelong LA native who attended UCLA applying to a midwest/east coast program. Or a lifelong NYC native who attended Columbia and never left applying to the midwest/west coast. Or a lifelong midwestern state native who attended the University of (homestate) and is applying to either coast.

How does living in your hometown/state for 20+ years look to programs in different geographic regions?

The schools that accept OOS applicants know that most Californians have to leave to go to medical school (1528 go OOS, 910 IS). It is not a choice to stay for the large majority of them.
They are going to identify the ones most most likely to matriculate from their pool of CA applicants.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

Big Ten Graduate, interviewed mostly at Big Ten Schools. There is some regional bias, but as you go up the food chain (toward the top 10 schools), I think that there is less regional bias, but more "prestige" bias. Just my humble opinion.

 

[gyngyn]

Too bad they don;t ask that question on secondaries. It would certainly save me lots of money

Everybody swears they will leave CA. Everybody knows that they will only leave if they don't get in IS (or for $).

 

[DokterMom]

East and West coasts both assume anybody would want to be there.
Everyone knows California applicants have to leave.

For schools in the South and non-Chicago Midwest, be able to articulate a reason why you'd want to live there.

 

[Mansamusa]

I went to college far from home and I still had one interviewer (from a private school) give me trouble about why I would want to live in their city since it's so far from my family...the school was only 5hrs from my house too, haha.

I'm from the northeast, went to school in the midwest, and now will go to the deep south for med school. I made sure to attend a school that sends people to residencies all around the country, so I could hopefully end up in a new region when I graduate. Lots of diversity in the US and its fun to see it all

 

[bananafish94]

I imagine it makes a bigger difference for schools that are very focused on the health of their local community. For example, I'm an Illinois resident, but I'm pretty sure one of the big reasons I got an interview at Western Michigan is that my grandma used to live in that area, and I've spent a lot of time in that community. This is not necessarily the case for somebody with the same application from New York or Oregon.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

I imagine it makes a bigger difference for schools that are very focused on the health of their local community. For example, I'm an Illinois resident, but I'm pretty sure one of the big reasons I got an interview at Western Michigan is that my grandma used to live in that area, and I've spent a lot of time in that community. This is not necessarily the case for somebody with the same application from New York or Oregon.

Western actually takes quite a few Utah and California students. I interviewed there, and have never been to W. Michigan. Private schools are not as regionally bound and public schools.