Is it bad to be a Democrat (for med school admission)

[DK1]

I saw the thread discussing whether it's okay to talk about universal coverage in interviews and PS, and I panicked because my whole application has stuff like working for the John Kerry campaign and working for a policy institute towards universal care, and being a public health person devoted to cultural sensitivity in medicine, etc, etc, etc....

I'm from the South and applying all over the South. Am I screwed? Do doctors in the Bible Belt have something against people who seem like bleeding heart liberals?

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[WhatUpDoc!]

I saw the thread discussing whether it's okay to talk about universal coverage in interviews and PS, and I panicked because my whole application has stuff like working for the John Kerry campaign and working for a policy institute towards universal care, and being a public health person devoted to cultural sensitivity in medicine, etc, etc, etc....

I'm from the South and applying all over the South. Am I screwed? Do doctors in the Bible Belt have something against people who seem like bleeding heart liberals?

Oh boy... here we go... who wants to be the first to throw out some random statistic about how many democrats vs. republicans get accepted to med school. It's comin... I can almost taste it don't worry dk1... you'll find out your level of screwedness in no time on this forum... wait and see 😉

 

[Psycho Doctor]

yes 😀

 

[WhatUpDoc!]

yes 😀

lol... damn I'm good

 

[newguy357]

I saw the thread discussing whether it's okay to talk about universal coverage in interviews and PS, and I panicked because my whole application has stuff like working for the John Kerry campaign and working for a policy institute towards universal care, and being a public health person devoted to cultural sensitivity in medicine, etc, etc, etc....

I'm from the South and applying all over the South. Am I screwed? Do doctors in the Bible Belt have something against people who seem like bleeding heart liberals?

Don't worry, you're applying to medical SCHOOL not for a job as a physician. If there is any bias in the process at all you'll probably come out ahead. Academia is notorious for its leftist slant, and this includes medical schools for the most part (there are always some exceptions). If you decide private physicians are too conservative you can always be an academic doctor.

 

[DrMike24]

I saw the thread discussing whether it's okay to talk about universal coverage in interviews and PS, and I panicked because my whole application has stuff like working for the John Kerry campaign and working for a policy institute towards universal care, and being a public health person devoted to cultural sensitivity in medicine, etc, etc, etc....

I'm from the South and applying all over the South. Am I screwed? Do doctors in the Bible Belt have something against people who seem like bleeding heart liberals?

I do not have any proof to back me up on this, but I dont think it should be a problem. I may be wrong, but I think that they will be impartial and will see that you are a hard working, caring individual. You should be able to do things that you are passionate about, and what you have done sounds like some awesome things. Keep up the good work. BTW, democrats rock 👍

 

[Law2Doc]

I saw the thread discussing whether it's okay to talk about universal coverage in interviews and PS, and I panicked because my whole application has stuff like working for the John Kerry campaign and working for a policy institute towards universal care, and being a public health person devoted to cultural sensitivity in medicine, etc, etc, etc....

I'm from the South and applying all over the South. Am I screwed? Do doctors in the Bible Belt have something against people who seem like bleeding heart liberals?

If the biggest issue with your med school application is your political affiliation, you are totally set -- congrats. Nobody is going to deny you med school admission because you worked for a political campaign. They might deny you admission if you suggest they have Bible Belt biases though.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

Even if it was, you'd be going down for the cause. Godspeed, soldier!

 

[Psycho Doctor]

lol... damn I'm good

hey i did not throw out some random statistic about how many democrats vs. republicans get accepted to med school. 😀

 

[WhatUpDoc!]

hey i did not throw out some random statistic about how many democrats vs. republicans get accepted to med school. 😀

No, but that doesn't change the fact that... I'm good... damn good

 

[deuist]

You'll be fine. Just look at all of the bleeding hearts over at AMSA.

 

[radioh3ad]

in a word: maybe

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I saw the thread discussing whether it's okay to talk about universal coverage in interviews and PS, and I panicked because my whole application has stuff like working for the John Kerry campaign and working for a policy institute towards universal care, and being a public health person devoted to cultural sensitivity in medicine, etc, etc, etc....

I'm from the South and applying all over the South. Am I screwed? Do doctors in the Bible Belt have something against people who seem like bleeding heart liberals?

I think it's fine. I think your activities show involvement and leadership, and academia is generally left leaning anyway.

😍 John Kerry 😍
My avatar is a pic of me and my daughter standing in line to see John Kerry at a rally. We got picked out of the crowd to go to the VIP section and meet him, pose for photos, etc. I had made her a tiny "Kerry for President" shirt, which he autographed...

 

[tacrum43]

You'll be fine. Just look at all of the bleeding hearts over at AMSA.

Medicine is a pretty conservative profession by nature though. Some medical schools are definitely more or less conservative/liberal than others.

 

[MahlerROCKS]

I saw the thread discussing whether it's okay to talk about universal coverage in interviews and PS, and I panicked because my whole application has stuff like working for the John Kerry campaign and working for a policy institute towards universal care, and being a public health person devoted to cultural sensitivity in medicine, etc, etc, etc....

I'm from the South and applying all over the South. Am I screwed? Do doctors in the Bible Belt have something against people who seem like bleeding heart liberals?

Generally, well educated people have strong liberal tendencies, so I'd assume at top southern schools, Emory, Vandy, WashU, et cetera, it would not be much of an issue.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

Generally, well educated people have strong liberal tendencies

Another provocative and inflammatory "statistic." The flame war begins

 

[MahlerROCKS]

Another provocative and inflammatory "statistic." The flame war begins

It's merely a generalization; I most surely have not forgotten about you neocons

 

[tigress]

OP, my app looks a lot like yours, and I'm not worried. You'll be fine.

(although right now I dislike Kerry a great deal; he's such a political *****...I'm not liking the Democratic party line on Roberts, who, IMO, did an excellent job in his hearings...why not vote for the guy and save your dissent for some truly potentially disasterous candidate for the other slot? it's really bothering me...okay end political rant 😛)

 

[Psycho Doctor]

No, but that doesn't change the fact that... I'm good... damn good

👍 does someone special verify that? 😛

 

[VPDcurt]

Medicine is a pretty conservative profession by nature though.

Medicine is a pretty conservative profession, but medical school, like most other academic institutions, tends to lean to the left.

 

[VPDcurt]

why not vote for the guy and save your dissent for some truly potentially disasterous candidate for the other slot? it's really bothering me...okay end political rant 😛)

He'll get approved today so that'll be over with very soon. It's just standard procedure to make a big deal about things like this. Even Sen. Leahy from Vermont, who is essentially second only to that clown Kennedy from MA, said he is going to vote for Roberts.

 

[tigress]

He'll get approved today so that'll be over with very soon. It's just standard procedure to make a big deal about things like this. Even Sen. Leahy from Vermont, who is essentially second only to that clown Kennedy from MA, said he is going to vote for Roberts.

Yeah, I know. I just get these stupid Kerry emails and he said he's not going to vote for Roberts because he was so evasive. I'm just like WTF? I heard the hearings, and Roberts did a damn good job. Maybe I don't agree with his politics, but he's by far the best justice we can expect in the circumstances. And he seems to be intellectually honest, besides. Unlike Kerry and other such political hacks, who just say whatever they think makes them look good

 

[NPursuit]

Generally, well educated people have strong liberal tendencies, so I'd assume at top southern schools, Emory, Vandy, WashU, et cetera, it would not be much of an issue.

Yes, liberals like to think of themselves as intellectual and superior. The rest of us bow down before them and fart in their general direction.

Have you noticed that St. Louis has somehow joined the south? Hmmm, I guess it's in a fly-over state, so southern-enough, right?

 

[tigress]

Yes, liberals like to think of themselves as intellectual and superior. The rest of us bow down before them and fart in their general direction.

Have you noticed that St. Louis has somehow joined the south? Hmmm, I guessit's in a fly-over state, so southern enough, right?

I certainly know many intellectual and very intelligent conservatives. However, it has been shown again and again that the higher a person's level of education, the more likely he or she is to be politically liberal. Does that mean anything? Maybe not. Conservatives will probably say it's just the influence of the liberal academic institutions. In any case, it is currently a reality, and as a result you are likely to find plenty of liberal professors in a medical school. The trend is probably not as strong in medicine itself, but keep in mind that many interviewers are PhDs, and I have met very few conservative PhDs (I'm sure they're out there, but in a small minority).

edit: It also probably depends quite a bit on the institution. I felt very comfortable talking about single-payer healthcare and politics at my Penn State interviews, because Penn State is dedicated to rural healthcare and seems overall to be a fairly liberal place (at least from the people I met). I probably wouldn't do the same at a different school with a different atmosphere.

 

[sunnyjohn]

Is it bad to be a Democrat?

No.



I've said it in 2003 and I'll ay it again today, JOHN KERRY IS AN IDIOT!

That is all.

 

[VPDcurt]

I certainly know many intellectual and very intelligent conservatives. However, it has been shown again and again that the higher a person's level of education, the more likely he or she is to be politically liberal. Does that mean anything? Maybe not. Conservatives will probably say it's just the influence of the liberal academic institutions. In any case, it is currently a reality, and as a result you are likely to find plenty of liberal professors in a medical school. The trend is probably not as strong in medicine itself, but keep in mind that many interviewers are PhDs, and I have met very few conservative PhDs (I'm sure they're out there, but in a small minority).

edit: It also probably depends quite a bit on the institution. I felt very comfortable talking about single-payer healthcare and politics at my Penn State interviews, because Penn State is dedicated to rural healthcare and seems overall to be a fairly liberal place (at least from the people I met). I probably wouldn't do the same at a different school with a different atmosphere.

Yes this is true, but the liberals also have the most uneducated and the poorest people in the country. The liberals have the extremes here so the data is essentially meaningless. There are too many confounding variables.

 

[tigress]

Yes this is true, but the liberals also have the most uneducated and the poorest people in the country. The liberals have the extremes here so the data is essentially meaningless. There are too many confounding variables.

Well, not really. The data still support my point that there are many liberals among well-educated people, regardless of the reason. And in the context of this discussion, of whether it is appropriate for a liberal person to discuss politics in the course of applying to med school, this is certainly meaningful. I'm not trying to make the point that all liberals are well-educated; far from it.

 

[VPDcurt]

Well, not really. The data still support my point that there are many liberals among well-educated people, regardless of the reason. And in the context of this discussion, of whether it is appropriate for a liberal person to discuss politics in the course of applying to med school, this is certainly meaningful. I'm not trying to make the point that all liberals are well-educated; far from it.

I understand that and agree with you that there are many liberals among well-educated people. To deny the fact that the poor and uneducated liberals outnumber the wealthy and educated liberals is virtually impossible. Just look at the voting maps for almost any election. The large cities all go to the liberals...I need not state the demographics regarding American cities. I agree with you here...I'm just pointing out that there is always a different side of things that some people refuse to look at (and I'm not saying you are one of those people...I meant you in a more collective sense).

 

[tigress]

I understand that and agree with you that there are many liberals among well-educated people. To deny the fact that the poor and uneducated liberals outnumber the wealthy and educated liberals is virtually impossible. Just look at the voting maps for almost any election. The large cities all go to the liberals...I need not state the demographics regarding American cities. I agree with you here...I'm just pointing out that there is always a different side of things that some people refuse to look at (and I'm not saying you are one of those people...I meant you in a more collective sense).

Do you think liberals in general deny that poor and uneducated people make up the vast ranks of our support? I don't think that's the case. I, certainly, and most people I know, recognize and appreciate this. Perhaps the Democratic party as an institution doesn't do enough to recognize this fact, but on a personal level I find that most liberally-oriented people do.

 

[VPDcurt]

Do you think liberals in general deny that poor and uneducated people make up the vast ranks of our support? I don't think that's the case. I, certainly, and most people I know, recognize and appreciate this. Perhaps the Democratic party as an institution doesn't do enough to recognize this fact, but on a personal level I find that most liberally-oriented people do.

I definitely think the Democratic party recognizes this fact...almost too readily if you ask me. The party has taken the minority vote for granted for a long time and luckily it turns out in their favor for the most part. However, I believe that America as a whole needs to take this matter into account (regardless of political party affiliation) especially when it comes to issues like healthcare. I also think that pouring money into a healthcare system to help these people merely masks a deeper problem and is therefore not the most effective means to alleviate this discrepancy. It became exceptionally clear to me after watching Katrina coverage on TV that, not necessarily by their own doing, many of these people are becoming increasingly dependent on the government and that is a scary thing.

 

[63768]

see this is what i'm scared of. i'm conservative yet i don't like to voice that at all. and if i ever get an interview, i hope that i don't have to tell them that i think healthcare is not a right, but a privilege. i have the reasons to back it up but it's still a scary thought to get into a political argument with your interviewer.

 

[richarms]

I saw the thread discussing whether it's okay to talk about universal coverage in interviews and PS, and I panicked because my whole application has stuff like working for the John Kerry campaign and working for a policy institute towards universal care, and being a public health person devoted to cultural sensitivity in medicine, etc, etc, etc....

I'm from the South and applying all over the South. Am I screwed? Do doctors in the Bible Belt have something against people who seem like bleeding heart liberals?

No offense against you or your politics, but that probably wasn't a smart thing to do. In theory, it shouldn't hurt you, but doctors are human and if you come across an admissions committee that is 75% Republican than they're going to shed a negative light on you, consciously or unconsciously. Also, if you come across a committee that's 75% Democrat, it might help you slightly, but not as much as it would hurt you on the other hand. It probably would have been better to discuss less controversial topics in healthcare, and express your passion for medicine in a different way.

The admissions process is no time to jump on a soapbox. You play the game in order to get in. I'm not putting on my applications how abortion is a barbaric procedure that clearly and obviously results in death and how I despise the practice with every cell of my body. Save the activism for after you're established, if at all.

And in med school interviews, I would refrain from mentioning any love for John Edwards, seeing as how he made his millions by being an ambulance-chasing malpractice lawyer.

 

[jamesrd]

Go social Darwinism!

 

[WhatUpDoc!]

No offense against you or your politics, but that probably wasn't a smart thing to do. In theory, it shouldn't hurt you, but doctors are human and if you come across an admissions committee that is 75%Republican than they're going to shed a negative light on you, consciously or unconsciously. Also, if you come across a committee that's 75% Democrat, it might help you slightly, but not as much as it would hurt you on the other hand.

Well... somebody sorta took my bait 😀 (see earlier post)...

 

[richarms]

Well... somebody sorta took my bait 😀 (see earlier post)...

Heh, I guess... In actuality I have no idea how many doctors/med school professors/med students are liberal/conservative. I guess I just assumed that it would be around 50/50, seeing as how they're located in universities (stereotypically liberal) but consist of doctors (stereotypically conservative).

 

[tigress]

No offense against you or your politics, but that probably wasn't a smart thing to do. In theory, it shouldn't hurt you, but doctors are human and if you come across an admissions committee that is 75% Republican than they're going to shed a negative light on you, consciously or unconsciously. Also, if you come across a committee that's 75% Democrat, it might help you slightly, but not as much as it would hurt you on the other hand. It probably would have been better to discuss less controversial topics in healthcare, and express your passion for medicine in a different way.

The admissions process is no time to jump on a soapbox. You play the game in order to get in. I'm not putting on my applications how abortion is a barbaric procedure that clearly and obviously results in death and how I despise the practice with every cell of my body. Save the activism for after you're established, if at all.

And in med school interviews, I would refrain from mentioning any love for John Edwards, seeing as how he made his millions by being an ambulance-chasing malpractice lawyer.

I disagree, actually. I think showing political activism looks good. And it hasn't hurt me yet, as far as I can tell. As long as you are prudent in what you say, both on the application and in your interview, it won't hurt you. And truthfully, maybe I have the luxury of saying this because I think I'm going to get at least one acceptance, but if being politically active is going to hurt me somewhere, I don't really want to go there.

(I'm sort of just re-hashing all the things I said above. But I did want to respond that I disagree with this post.)

 

[richarms]

I disagree, actually. I think showing political activism looks good. And it hasn't hurt me yet, as far as I can tell. As long as you are prudent in what you say, both on the application and in your interview, it won't hurt you. And truthfully, maybe I have the luxury of saying this because I think I'm going to get at least one acceptance, but if being politically active is going to hurt me somewhere, I don't really want to go there.

(I'm sort of just re-hashing all the things I said above. But I did want to respond that I disagree with this post.)

Yes, activism of any kind should look good, because it means that you've been...well... active. A conservative admissions officer would much rather accept someone who worked on the Kerry campaign than someone who sat on his/her butt watching reruns of Three's Company for two years. Like I said, in theory it shouldn't hurt you, but I suppose my view of human nature is more pessimistic than yours because I still think you're taking an unnecessary risk by being TOO vocal about your opinions, well-founded or not. I'm glad you will probably be accepted, you did what worked for you, but like someone said in an above post, the interview is no time to get in a political disagreement with someone. If your single most important goal is getting in, I think it's best to walk the fine line between activism and controversy.

 

[tigress]

Yes, activism of any kind should look good, because it means that you've been...well... active. A conservative admissions officer would much rather accept someone who worked on the Kerry campaign than someone who sat on his/her butt watching reruns of Three's Company for two years. Like I said, in theory it shouldn't hurt you, but I suppose my view of human nature is more pessimistic than yours because I still think you're taking an unnecessary risk by being TOO vocal about your opinions, well-founded or not. I'm glad you will probably be accepted, you did what worked for you, but like someone said in an above post, the interview is no time to get in a political disagreement with someone. If your single most important goal is getting in, I think it's best to walk the fine line between activism and controversy.

Oh, I certainly agree that the interview is no time to get into a political disagreement. That's why I think you have to gauge the interviewer before mentioning your opinion, and start out cautiously before proceeding.

 

[richarms]

Oh, I certainly agree that the interview is no time to get into a political disagreement. That's why I think you have to gauge the interviewer before mentioning your opinion, and start out cautiously before proceeding.

Exactly. But since you can't really "gauge" the admissions committee that reads your application, you may be unneccesarily stepping on thin ice by writing about your opinion on political issues. I don't think, however, that you should sell out on your beliefs; if an interviewer brings up an issue you should be firm yet open-minded with your opinion.

 

[tigress]

Exactly. But since you can't really "gauge" the admissions committee that reads your application, you may be unneccesarily stepping on thin ice by writing about your opinion on political issues. I don't think, however, that you should sell out on your beliefs; if an interviewer brings up an issue you should be firm yet open-minded with your opinion.

This is true. On the other hand, I wouldn't leave off political activities completely for this reason. In my AMCAS I do say that I volunteered on the Kerry campaign. I was, however, vague when it came to my other activities; I said I was involved with political groups that focus on healthcare, and that's it. So I suppose the conclusion from all of this is that there is a happy medium.

 

[DeadorAlive]

To the OP/Original question - If it was "bad", would you withdraw your application or change your political views? I doubt it, so don't worry about it.

Be you. Do what you're interested in. Then talk about it. Things that make you passionate, whether I agree with your passion or not, are much more interesting than hearing a bland description of a typical experience. I optimistically believe that there IS room for the individual in this process... just do what YOU like, not what you THINK an adcom wants to see!