I was just wondering how legacy works exactly and had a few questions. My uncle went to WVCOM and is now an anesthesiologist. My questions are: Would the fact that he went there improve my chances at all if I applied there? Does legacy significantly improve admission? And what relationship to family members count as legacy (does uncle count or is it just mother/father type thing?)
Legacy question?
- Thread starter KO_TV
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I just have a question.
Why does this matter anyways? Just apply and see. It doesn't give you an excuse to slack off because your uncle went to a DO school.
Btw, uncles don't count. It has to be a direct family member, like your parents or your siblings.
Why does this matter anyways? Just apply and see. It doesn't give you an excuse to slack off because your uncle went to a DO school.
Btw, uncles don't count. It has to be a direct family member, like your parents or your siblings.
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..Errm. Why shouldn't uncles "count"? Several schools asked on their secondaries if you had any family members who are osteopathic physicians. While I'm sure having an uncle who is a DO who went to WVSOM won't automatically get them bumped to the top of the admit list, it can certainly help to display a true interest in osteopathic medicine and in that particular school.
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Sure, but the OP made it sound like having a relative who is in DO would make it easy for him to get in, which is not the case.
I know colleges don't care unless you have a direct family member or your parents went to their school as legacy. Why should professional schools count them?
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Of course, ties like these won't get you accepted to DO school (or undergrad schools, as you've stated), but I don't necessarily think that it doesn't help your chances at all, either. All I'm saying is that DO schools are interested to know if you have relatives who are DOs.
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Yes that's true, but the OP is insinuating something else. His question is worded in such that having a relative who is an alumni from a school would help him get in. He used the words "significantly improve."
Still, why that question? It just reeks of entitlement.
Sure it will help. Can it help someone with bad stats? No. They may pick you over someone with the same exact stats as you.
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Sorry I didn't mean for it to sound like an entitlement, I don't believe at all that I am entitled to anything or should have to work less. I was just genuinely interested because I wanted to know if that question on the applications meant anything towards the application. I didn't mean to offend you or anyone else in anyway, my apologies
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Here's how it usually works, at least at my school:
Your uncle has to know someone at the school.
He calls his contact and asks that his fine nephew/niece KO be given an interview.
Admissions Dean slips you into the interview queue.
Your have a polite interview, followed by a polite wait list....which, by the end of the app cycle, turns into a polite rejection.
If your uncle were the dean,or donated a large chunk of cash, that would go a long way to an accept.
Legacies don't necessarily have to be relatives. gyngyn has written about the governor of CA intervening on a applicants behalf.
Your uncle has to know someone at the school.
He calls his contact and asks that his fine nephew/niece KO be given an interview.
Admissions Dean slips you into the interview queue.
Your have a polite interview, followed by a polite wait list....which, by the end of the app cycle, turns into a polite rejection.
If your uncle were the dean,or donated a large chunk of cash, that would go a long way to an accept.
Legacies don't necessarily have to be relatives. gyngyn has written about the governor of CA intervening on a applicants behalf.
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It does beg the question as to why they ask for family members who are doctors (simple demographic reporting?). I forget if it was AACOMAS or TMDSAS but one of them wanted to know the actual date of graduation. That seemed a little much.
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AACOMAS asks for year of graduation and if your relative was MD or DO...
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Ya that's what I'm saying. I'm wondering if it's simply for demographics or what. If it's only demographics the year of graduation seems a bit much to ask for. But I suppose if they just ask "is a family member a physician" they might think people will interpret it as a legacy type question and perhaps lie, skewing the statistics. Graduation date and school is an easy fix for that I suppose.
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I think legacy matters more for the Ivies wanting to say that families have sent their kids there for six generations. I think that having a relative who's a DO might make your application slightly more interesting, but wouldn't "significantly improve" your chances.
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Legacies can be helpful because if your mother/grandfather/three uncles went to a particular school you're probably more likely to follow in their footsteps. Adcoms don't want to waste an acceptance, if they think you have a high chance on matriculation they can be a little easier on your application. This is where legacy status comes into play. That being said, I don't think an uncle is going to be a huge boost to your app, (unless he is connected).
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No offense, but that still probably sounds uninticing to adcoms. Unless she's really friendly with the admissions boards and speaks highly of you and you live up to those standards
