Please Help!!!!

[Ryu]

this is my big question. I have interviewed at Meharry, and I worry so much about not being able to match at the California program if I graduate from Meharry. Because my both parents are very old, and I must come back to them after med school, so I must come back to CA to do my residency.
1st question: Will I have a chance to come back to CA even if I have good board scores at Meharry? One thing: I am not african-american, but that's not my concern at all. My only concern is how does the residency director look at the non-blacks graduated from Meharry?
2nd question: How much does residency director look at the name of the school when selecting resident if two people have almost the same credentials?
3rd question: I know for the fact that if you have been admitted for medical school the first time, but you declined it, and then reapply, most admission committee will not like it very much. So, if the chance of matching CA program is very slim if I graduate from Meharry, I won't go there even if they accept me, and I will reapply again this summer. But I don't want to reapply and have to explain why I didn't go to Meharry. So is it wise to withdraw my application to Meharry before they accept me?
Finally, I personally like the environment of Meharry Medical College, but I just worry about my parents too much after I figured out they won't move to Tennessee with me.
So please help me with the experiences you have in the matching process. I truly appreciate them, and I am sorry if I have offended anybody by this post.
(What is a AOA-type medical school grade?)

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[Neurogirl]

To some extent it depends on the specialty you choose, however if you have excellant grades, letters and board scores, you WILL be able to match in CA. Acceptance to medical school is far too difficult to throw away ANY offer. If you get an offer from Meharry, you should take the bird in the hand and be happy, maybe you can eventually convince your parents to move.

To answer your specific questions:

1. You can go back to CA. I'm not sure about how non-blacks from Meharry are viewed, but I doubt it would be a real problem.

2. Depends on the individual director, but I'd say most would be less interested in the med school (remember that most of your competition will NOT be ivy-league) and more interested in choosing the person they liked best. Keep in mind that residency interviews are not like med school interviews...they're much more like employment interviews (directors are choosing their future collegues (sp?)). However, specialty demand will play a major role in the process. If your specialty is competitive you will be in the position of having to sell yourself to programs. On the other hand, if you end up choosing a specialty that's not competitive, you will be courted by programs and will have your choice of spots.

3. DO NOT withdraw your application...it'll look weird.

GOOD LUCK!




[This message has been edited by Neurogirl (edited 01-21-2001).]