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Legacy Admissions
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Why not broaden your question to include legacy graduation?
I agree that Jimmy Choo is ******ed but she gave you a really good advice. Why dont you study for DAT and prepare your PS than thinking about other stuff. Seriously.
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Ask armorshell what he thinks about legacy. Or do a search of the forum, he's probably answered that question 10 times.
I'm going to step in and defend Waitlisted mostly because he proved my point about people being fixated on race based admissions while ignoring other types of discrimination. Thank you. 😀
To answer your question, from what I've heard, some schools care while in others it won't affect their decision at all.
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3 generation family history of NYU dental graduates + reasonably competitive application = didn't even bother sending me a rejection letter
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3 generation family history of NYU dental graduates + reasonably competitive application = didn't even bother sending me a rejection letter
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I think people are more concerned about URM admissions than they are about legacy admissions because more people are affected by URM admissions. My friend applied last year and the school decided to accept a URM with stats way below my friend's and rejected my friend. That happens a lot.
I haven't encountered any legacy kids that were given preference simply because their family has ties with the school. None of my friends have been affected by it either. So it does't bother me as much as preference to URM's.
I haven't encountered any legacy kids that were given preference simply because their family has ties with the school. None of my friends have been affected by it either. So it does't bother me as much as preference to URM's.
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Just out of curiosity, how does your friend know the school took an URM with way lower stats? Did the school tell your friend that? Does your friend know the person who was accepted? I just find it odd is all. The likelihood of a school telling you that or your friend knowing the person is pretty slim I would think. This doesn't mean I agree URM getting in with lower stats over someone who obviously has better credentials... but I guess I really don't see how one could know they were actually rejected because the school decided to take a less-qualified URM. And on another note, it is not always about stats. There are plenty of other things that make an applicant attractive to a school, whether it be jobs, extracurricular activities, community service, letters of recommendation, etc.
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I think legacy is not discussed as much b/c it is much less prevalent. URM openly exists and this pisses some people off. I also agree that legacy admissions are unlikely in this day and age. Of course, it probably happens here and there--but I know someone who has not only a line of dentists in his direct family but also his uncles and some of his aunts are as well. He had to apply 2 years to get in.
I think the idea behind URM admissions is a good one. The idea is that they are underrepresented and they admit them in the hopes that they might go and serve others who are in the same position that they once were. Maybe a sort of "pay it forward" if you will.
Of course, there is no way to regulate or know exactly what one goes on to do after dental school. They could just come out of dental school, medical school, or whatever... and become a money-grubbing professional.
But, as a person who (mostly) believes in the URM purpose, I like to believe that most have it in them to somehow give back to the community they grew up in.
I think the fact that admissions committees are willing to change the URM criteria to reflect whether or not the goal / purpose has been met shows that it is not a non-evolving idea. Asians and Indians used to be URM, now they DEF. are not. It is true that blacks, native americans, and hispanics are underrepresented to this day in health professional fields. Honestly, how many of you plan on working with any 3 of those populations (I'm not talking about 1 or 2 patients coming into your office but living in that community to serve mainly those populations) ? It's interesting to think about, and there are OF COURSE flaws, but overall the purpose, IMO, is a good one.
You can bash me for my thoughts if you want 🙂I just thought I'd throw the other perspective out there.
I think the idea behind URM admissions is a good one. The idea is that they are underrepresented and they admit them in the hopes that they might go and serve others who are in the same position that they once were. Maybe a sort of "pay it forward" if you will.
Of course, there is no way to regulate or know exactly what one goes on to do after dental school. They could just come out of dental school, medical school, or whatever... and become a money-grubbing professional.
But, as a person who (mostly) believes in the URM purpose, I like to believe that most have it in them to somehow give back to the community they grew up in.
I think the fact that admissions committees are willing to change the URM criteria to reflect whether or not the goal / purpose has been met shows that it is not a non-evolving idea. Asians and Indians used to be URM, now they DEF. are not. It is true that blacks, native americans, and hispanics are underrepresented to this day in health professional fields. Honestly, how many of you plan on working with any 3 of those populations (I'm not talking about 1 or 2 patients coming into your office but living in that community to serve mainly those populations) ? It's interesting to think about, and there are OF COURSE flaws, but overall the purpose, IMO, is a good one.
You can bash me for my thoughts if you want 🙂I just thought I'd throw the other perspective out there.
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We all knew each other....went to the same school....had several classes together. That person was definitely not the brightest bulb in the box, didn't even work, and barely shadowed a dentist for a week. I mean, based on all that....I dunno what the school could've found that was so attractive except that the person was an URM.
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It is a good theory, but the funny thing is, that idea of paying it forward is not isolated to race-on-race action. I actually DO want to work with poor people and I stressed this at my interview. But I am a 30-year-old white female, who is not financially privileged (30+ is a group that is under-represented in dental school, too). If I were black or hispanic and had a baby or some other "legitimate" hardship, I would have been accepted this year with the same or lower stats. I can think of people at my school who have taken classes with me and not done as well, who were probably accepted this year, simply because they are an Under-Represented Minority. I guess it is what it is, but "fair," it is not.
And this thread goes to people being more upset about URMs getting admission...........
I think the URM part is exaggerated and people don't like to accept that it's their own fault they didn't get in. The stats difference may be because URMs tend to come from rougher backgrounds and that helps adcoms overlook their stats.
I have two black friends who applied to medical school. One was a Div. I athlete in a very competitive school with a 3.55 GPA and great Extra circ. and MCAT scores. She got in nowhere even though she was a very competitive applicant. I'm glad she didn't because her mom was an administrator at a local college and her dad was a doctor. She went to an exclusive private high school and was by no means disadvantaged. Not a single U.S. medical school took her even though she was an URM.
My second friend grew up in absolute poverty in Africa. She lost her family and became an orphan and had to move to the U.S. as a teenager to relatives she didn't know. She started out in community college and her first year was a mess but she was able to pull herself together enough to be getting straight As by the time she got to the university level. She got into a top 10 medical school.
You have to keep in mind that URMs are more likely to have life experiences that make up for lower stats.
Oh yeah, legacy matters. I know in undergrad it comes into play a lot. Go to a freshman orientation at any Ivy and see how many students had parents who were alums. I'm not sure about dental schools but I'm guessing it's similar.
I think the URM part is exaggerated and people don't like to accept that it's their own fault they didn't get in. The stats difference may be because URMs tend to come from rougher backgrounds and that helps adcoms overlook their stats.
I have two black friends who applied to medical school. One was a Div. I athlete in a very competitive school with a 3.55 GPA and great Extra circ. and MCAT scores. She got in nowhere even though she was a very competitive applicant. I'm glad she didn't because her mom was an administrator at a local college and her dad was a doctor. She went to an exclusive private high school and was by no means disadvantaged. Not a single U.S. medical school took her even though she was an URM.
My second friend grew up in absolute poverty in Africa. She lost her family and became an orphan and had to move to the U.S. as a teenager to relatives she didn't know. She started out in community college and her first year was a mess but she was able to pull herself together enough to be getting straight As by the time she got to the university level. She got into a top 10 medical school.
You have to keep in mind that URMs are more likely to have life experiences that make up for lower stats.
Oh yeah, legacy matters. I know in undergrad it comes into play a lot. Go to a freshman orientation at any Ivy and see how many students had parents who were alums. I'm not sure about dental schools but I'm guessing it's similar.
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Did you have someone give a head-up phone call to the Admissions office regarding your incoming application? Have seen this go on at more than one office of dentists scrambling to get their kids in.
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Yes, but there is also help in place for the financially disadvantaged just as there is for hte URM. A lot of schools / post baccs you can only apply to IF you are in either of those categories. I am in that category as well adn hope to do the same things as you in my career. THey have special help for the financially disadvantaged--simply because we / they are more likely to go back adn work in those areas instead of moving to a big city just to make the big bucks. IF not for our whole lives but at least for a part of it so we can feel like we have given back. That is hwy there are scholarships out there like NHSC that give pref to the financially disadvantaged. They have plans in place for every time of 'minority or disadvantaged' student so they can perhaps help solve the problem of distribution of dentists to some extent.
I think it works to an extent. You always have those who don't follow the path they hope everyone will follow but at least it works part of the time. There are still lots of peopel who have to drive over an hour just to see a dentist.
NYU Dental School sounds more like a business rather than a school... They are probably just running numbers, spreadsheets and probabilities. It serves to reason they would have no special interest in an "NYU legacy."
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This is pure speculation, but I would imagine Legacy students are more likely than Non-Legacy students to give Alumni money and donations back to the school, especially if there is a family history of generous donations of money or buildings. This is likely to be even more true for big name schools, like Harvard or Columbia, and even MORE true for those who didn't have competitive stats to get into the school otherwise - they might feel obligated to give money to the school to repay for allowing them admission. Also, it may be assumed that Legacy students would be pushed harder by their Legacy parents to succeed and complete the degree, and to use the degree to succeed post-graduation. Finally, the school might assume that a Legacy student may follow in the footsteps of a Legacy parent that taught in academia, came up with brilliant research, or led a successful career. Logically, these would be reasons for a school to admit a Legacy student over a statistically more qualified applicant (the most important reason being Alumni money, of course).
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Whether it's URM or legacy, why does it bother you so much? Those applicants (of which I am neither) are born into a situation of which they have no control over. They are just playing the cards they are dealt.
I'm sitting on a bunch of waitlists just like you are, but I'm not blaming the system, the URM's, or legacy kids. Good for them for using their situation to their advantage.
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Well I know USC specifically asks if you have family graduating from their program on their supplemental application. This would probably mean legacy means something.
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