languages & acceptances into med schools

[saffronrain]

hey i was curious as to whether or not the language(s) that you studied in high school/college would affect your admission(s) into med schools?

any ideas on this?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[biendesalud]

I was asked questions in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese during my interview at the University of Oklahoma. Both are second languages for me. It probably didn't hurt that I could answer them. Most places did not 'test' me, but I think that any second language helps.

 

[emusibay]

I indicated on my application that I speak Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Italian and no one asked me a single question in any language other than English. The exception, of course, was in Puerto Rico, where interviews were conducted in English and Spanish.

 

[LizzyM]

If you studied a language to the point of fluency that is spoken frequently by non-English speaking people in the medical school's catchment area (where the patients in its affiliated hospitals come from) and if you point out in the secondary application that you are particularly interested in serving people in the _____ community, then in might bump you up a fraction of an inch above someone with the exact same stats who studied art history (for example, as another humanity) rather than a language. It is just one more thing that can put you in a favorable light. It isn't going to make one bit of difference if the basics (good gpa, good MCAT, good rationale for chosing medicine, some clinical and /or research experience and/or community service) aren't there.

 

[saffronrain]

well.. i took french & not spanish...so i didn't know if med schools like students who take spanish more than students who take other languages.

 

[marilyn]

everyone was intrigued by the fact that i'm a chinese girl who speaks spanish, so for me, spanish and mandarin helped a lot

 

[waterlily]

I was asked questions in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese during my interview at the University of Oklahoma. Both are second languages for me. It probably didn't hurt that I could answer them. Most places did not 'test' me, but I think that any second language helps.

what? That's lame. Not that I'm already nervous enough, but then they throw out foreign languages to me and expect me to think in a different language at that time! I don't see the point in testing you on your fluency. Does it really matter?...do they just want to make sure you're not BSing about knowing a different language?

 

[LadyBulldog]

i learned french for like 7 years, but that was middle school/high school and i ended up with a 3 on the AP French exam, and remember very little at this point--should i include it or not?.... i'm now studying hindi, and am fairly advanced so i'm def including that, but i was worried that an interviewer is more likely to know french and may test me.....what do u guys think?

 

[Mutt]

I've heard of people that put down being fluent in Spanish and then end up getting someone that asks them some questions in Spanish requiring detailed answers - so be careful or you'll look like a fool....

I've also heard of someone being called up at home from a med school and spoke to in Italian but Spanish is much more popular and everyone thinks that they're fluent.

 

[doc05]

what you've studied isn't important at all. What you speak is. if you are truly fluent, include it on your application. (hint: most people really aren't fluent in spanish even though they might say they are.)

 

[saffronrain]

i know spanish is most commonly known, but b/c i don't know it, would it decrease the chances of getting accepted to med schools?

thanks for all your input guys!

 

[musiclink213]

What's considered fluent? Being able to talk about nuclear quantum physics in another language? I'm debating whether or not I should include French on my app. I studied it since junior high, and I spent some time studying in Paris which really helped my French. More so than any class I could haev taken in the US. So while I'm fairlly competent I think, I probably won't be able to discuss any philosophical issues about the psyche or whatever in French. I'd have a hard enough time talking about it in English.

 

[Geronimo]

I wasn't tested anywhere but they could see my transcripts and see that I made "A"s in 15th century Spanish Lit, and Advanced French Conversation and Grammar. That probably quited any concerns they might have had as to the truthfulness of my application.

 

[wetlightning]

i speak german, passable hindi, malayalam (a south indian language)

i'm picking up some spanish senior year, especially since many of my top choices are texas schools

 

[LatinaDoc]

I am fluent in spanish and portuguese and was asked about it on some of the interviews...

 

[biendesalud]

i know spanish is most commonly known, but b/c i don't know it, would it decrease the chances of getting accepted to med schools?

nope

what? That's lame. Not that I'm already nervous enough, but then they throw out foreign languages to me and expect me to think in a different language at that time! I don't see the point in testing you on your fluency. Does it really matter?...do they just want to make sure you're not BSing about knowing a different language?

It’s not that bad, but if you put it on your app, it is fair game. I think they only want to test as much as you claim. I lived in Central America for almost three years, so they probably had some expectations. They asked what I looked for in a medical school, and I gave a fairly thorough response. However, I only lived in China for five months with no schooling before or after (and did *not* indicate that I spoke Chinese on my app), so when my response was, “I speak a little Chinese, but I have forgotten most of it” (with decent tones, so that they could understand me) everybody chuckled and was fine with that.

What's considered fluent? Being able to talk about nuclear quantum physics in another language?

My wife, who speaks Mandarin as a second language, and I both like to use the term 'fluid' in lieu of 'fluent' since being 'fluent' does imply talking about anything you know in your first language the second language as well. Vocabulary, more than anything, is the limiting factor. I can have a very comfortable conversation about building rainwater catchment systems in Spanish - I would say that I am 'fluent' in that arena. However, my medical Spanish could use some work. My Spanish still ‘flows’ well here, but I am often talking around words that I may not know. Thus, overall, I am ‘fluid’ in Spanish. The only truly bi-lingual people I know were raised in two different cultures. One friend who was born in the US, spoke Spanish at home, English at school, but then went to high school in Mexico, and college/graduate school in the US, can speak about most anything in either language.

 

[OSUdoc08]

hey i was curious as to whether or not the language(s) that you studied in high school/college would affect your admission(s) into med schools?

any ideas on this?

No, it doesn't matter.

You don't even have to take a foreign language to get into medical school.

English, on the other hand, is required.

 

[saffronrain]

wonderful! thanks guys!

 

[Mutt]

I am fluent in spanish and portuguese and was asked about it on some of the interviews...

What does "asked about it" mean?
To what extent?

Answering questions in Spanish?

 

[DianaLynne]

What does "asked about it" mean?
To what extent?

Answering questions in Spanish?

I hear it happens pretty frequently. I was intimidated enough that I didn't include it as a fluency, though I can hold some intermediate level coversations in Spanish. I'm the unofficial Spanish interpreter at the ICU when the interpreter's office is closed. It's pretty scary cuz I'm certainly not fluent, but it sure has improved my confidence.

My advice: be really honest with yourself on your ability and know that it could come down to an interview in that language. My guess is that they do want to trip you up!

 

[waterlily]

I'm not fluent in any foreign languages but out of curiousity, you guys say that adcoms don't test you unless you indicate that you're fluent in that language. But where on the amcas app would you even list that? They don't ask specifically to list your fluent languages

 

[LadyBulldog]

yeah, i was wondering the same thing......