question about parents on app

[airrick16]

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Why does the Vet school application asks about my parents level of education and career/job? I am a white male so I don't think I gain an edge either way. If I said my father is a medical technician or I said hes an MD, does this make any difference to admissions??
Let's say I want to a state school, which I did, it doesn't look as bad if my parents are poor, right? Anyway just want to hear an honest opinion.

 

[twelvetigers]

I don't think I even answered that section. It's a bit silly since I'm 24 and married, and even more silly for some of the older applicants... I think it's okay if you leave out that section.

However, it will be necessary to have parental information for a certain type of loan available to health majors... but I think you would fill that out separately?

 

[ColoGirl]

I agree! On the VMCAS when I read the question about if your parents were living or not I was really taken aback. If unknown, you must explain. Is it really any of their business? If you do have a deceased parent and want to discuss it, that is one thing.... but come on.....

 

[nyanko]

It might be for residency purposes as well, since it asks for their state of legal residence and the date they began residing there. Yeah, it's maybe silly for people over the age of 24-25 to fill out, but really I don't see the big deal in just filling it out I guess?

edit: oh in another section...

Actually being the first in your family to attend college/grad school is usually looked on as a point of "diversity" in academia, so it probably benefits you more if they aren't MD's or whatever. Again, I don't see the harm in filling it out...

 

[Sharpei5]

I did not have anywhere on my VMCAS that asked about my parents level of education. However I did have a few supplemental that did.

 

[amom427]

I don't think I even answered that section. It's a bit silly since I'm 24 and married, and even more silly for some of the older applicants... I think it's okay if you leave out that section.

I just looked at the application instructions. The parent section is mandatory. I think it is silly when I am married to fill out my parents' info and not enter my spouse's info.

It might be for residency purposes as well, since it asks for their state of legal residence and the date they began residing there.

I seriously doubt I will be considered as a resident in two states because my parents reside in one while I reside in another. So I wouldn't even think it is for residency purposes. (Ummm....maybe I will call and ask! But I don't think it is happening!😛)

 

[airrick16]

Yes the Tufts application asks specifically what ur parents do for a living. So I was trying to figure out the relevance and motivation behind the question. 😳

 

[twelvetigers]

I just looked at the application instructions. The parent section is mandatory. I think it is silly when I am married to fill out my parents' info and not enter my spouse's info.

Really? I guess I blocked it from my memory, becasue I don't remember doing it. Weird.

Wait, I guess I remember asking what town my dad was born in... hah. So lame!

 

[nyanko]

I seriously doubt I will be considered as a resident in two states because my parents reside in one while I reside in another. So I wouldn't even think it is for residency purposes. (Ummm....maybe I will call and ask! But I don't think it is happening!😛)

No, you won't. But a person who is a dependent who puts down their address from school and says they've been living there for 2 years or whatever and claims residency in that state, then writes that their parents live somewhere else - well they're actually a resident of wherever their parents live. Most traditional students are probably not married or over 24, so they are probably dependents still...

 

[HopefulAg]

I'd wager it's for research purposes or something like that. Them trying to correlate degrees of success based on parental education or something.

 

[quantized]

That question irritated me. I'm almost 30 and I haven't lived at home in 12 years. Why should I be required to talk about my parents?

 

[sumstorm]

Actually, the residency question depends on the state. IE Purdue could have considered me a resident because my parents live there and my primary education was there, despite living currently in NC.

If your parents are not college graduates, HS graduates, etc, it is a type of diversity...and it often shows that you have learned to use other resources to learn/function/complete undegrad (since your parents didn't have first hand experience to guide you.) If your parents are in some occupations, it can also give additional information about your experience. I have lots of large animals experience because my parents are farmers, and I have some early small animal clinic experience because my mother worked as a vet tech. It may also explain WHY you worked 40 hours a week at a laundromat throughtout college.

Whether we like it or not, our parents and their lives affect the how/what/when/where/why of our education, to our advantage or disadvantage, especially since the education system in our government considers us financially dependent (and our parents finacially responsible) well past every other benchmark for adulthood (which irks me to no end.)

 

[natalieises]

so if i just changed my residency to a different state but my parents live in another I can technically be considered a resident for the purpose of getting into school??? Or just for tuition once you do get in??