My parents are good friends with someone who is on the admissions board of a medical school and they say they want to talk to me about my application. I'm taking the mcat soon and they said that if I get over a certain threshold that they can basically guarantee my admission. I don't like the way this sounds, and I don't really want to meet them because of that. Am I wrong to think this way? What do you all make of this?
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- Thread starter Coolguy23
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Honestly if it were me, and I could get a guaranteed admission I would at least meet them. Sounds like a good potential connection that many others many not have the chance to make.
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Good luck with that degree of parental pressure
edit: I'm adding to my post because that sounded tactless...
Your parents want to support you, not understanding that there are a lot of differences between college and med school admissions processes.
This isn't the normal procedure for med school admissions, and quite different from college. Most med schools don't even host visits until further in the application process during or after interviews.
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No one has that degree of power and people who think they do often wind up in deep trouble.
See: THE PRUITT LETTER ON BENJAMIN MENDELSOHN’S BEHALF
That one ended with the Dean stepping down and the applicant's father going to prison for unrelated dishonesty related to campaign fundraising.
If you must, be willing to meet with the person for the purpose of getting their advice on what makes a strong application. If the person has any integrity, after meeting you, he will be obligated to recuse himself from any discussion of your application.
See: THE PRUITT LETTER ON BENJAMIN MENDELSOHN’S BEHALF
That one ended with the Dean stepping down and the applicant's father going to prison for unrelated dishonesty related to campaign fundraising.
If you must, be willing to meet with the person for the purpose of getting their advice on what makes a strong application. If the person has any integrity, after meeting you, he will be obligated to recuse himself from any discussion of your application.
I'm afraid that if I meet them I'll end up telling them that I don't want any special treatment and will end up offending them in some way. I wonder if its just smarter to reject the meeting.
Ok, I'll consider meeting with them just to get admission advice.
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Yeah, I wonder if your parents are overselling (or overestimating) the possible role this person can play in your admission chances. I think it would be 100% fine to meet with them to get advice on applying/your application in general. Frame it that way when you plan the meeting and talk with them, ask questions about what makes a strong candidate at their school, pros and cons of the school, and any strengths in your application you should highlight or weaknesses you should address. It sounds like you have a good sense of what is not an appropriate line to cross, and LizzyM is correct that this person would likely recuse themselves from providing any significant input with regards to your application at the school.
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LCME Standard 10.2 Final Authority of Admission Committee
The final responsibility for accepting students to a medical school rests with a formally constituted admission committee. The authority and composition of the committee and the rules for its operation, including voting privileges and the definition of a quorum, are specified in bylaws or other medical school policies. Faculty members constitute the majority of voting members at all meetings. The selection of individual medical students for admission is not influenced by any political or financial factors.
Focus on your MCAT. I don't know who you refer to as "they" above.
MCAT shall be defeated with extreme prejudice
LCME Standard 10.2 Final Authority of Admission Committee
The final responsibility for accepting students to a medical school rests with a formally constituted admission committee. The authority and composition of the committee and the rules for its operation, including voting privileges and the definition of a quorum, are specified in bylaws or other medical school policies. Faculty members constitute the majority of voting members at all meetings. The selection of individual medical students for admission is not influenced by any political or financial factors.
Focus on your MCAT. I don't know who you refer to as "they" above.
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I know a fellow who was the president of a university when my kid was applying to medical school. My kid's stats were competitive with the matriculants at his medical school. My wife had worked with his wife. He and I both love golf, college basketball and reading history. We still exchange Christmas letters. When my kid was applying to med school I ached every time I walked by a phone or looked at my cell phone. I wanted desperately to give him a call to beg for an interview. Fortunately, I resisted the temptation. Years after my kid went to a different med school, we all went out to dinner and I told him about my ordeal. He looked me right in the eye and said, with a smile, if I had called, he would have hung up on me.
If this person on the admissions board is ethical, he or she will not participate in the evaluation of your application. Furthermore, you don't want to get admitted through favoritism. If it ever got "out", you would be a pariah in your class. Read about Ted Kennedy and his "acceptance" at U VA Law school.
Get accepted on your merits. You will have a clear conscience and feel better about yourself knowing that you did the right thing.