To what extent did your parents participate in the application process?

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Anonymouse321

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Hello,

For those of you who have applied to med schools, how much did your parents assist you with the AMCAS process? How exactly did they help you?

I'm trying to get an idea of how much parents should be helping with AMCAS, and at what point is it considered "too much".

Thank you in advance.
 
A lot in my school list, at least. Otherwise, funding.
 
Mine, moral support
My wife’s family, money to apply and attend interviews
 
Unless they are physicians and are familiar with the process, they shouldn't be helping you with your application at all..

Maybe proofreading essays for grammar, but that's it
 
Don’t expect the people how bad help to come on this page and admit it lol.
 
None. I highly recommend not having your parents help you, besides the moral support previously mentioned. They are too biased, and even if they are physicians they likely have NO idea how the process of getting in has changed.
 
0% here.

Unless your parents have actually participated in med school admissions, they probably won't have very informed advice.
 
Anonymouse321 said:
Hello,

For those of you who have applied to med schools, how much did your parents assist you with the AMCAS process? How exactly did they help you?

I'm trying to get an idea of how much parents should be helping with AMCAS, and at what point is it considered "too much".

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...

Everyone is going to have a different level of involvement. But here is a good list of guidelines. Your parents should only offer their opinion if asked by you. You want this to be your process and your decisions. Feel free to ask them about your school list IF they have a reason to be knowledgable about this topic, check your essays for grammar (NOT rewriting them), or assisting with traveling expenses.

Most parents are well intentioned, but know very little about the medical admissions process. Even the doctors I spoke to from an older generation of admissions didn't have a good idea of what needs to happen these days unless they sat on the admissions committee.

So comes the question - who should you turn to for advice?
  • Prehealth advisors - Generally, only use them for the bare necessities. Getting your committee letter uploaded. They don't tend to know much else.
  • Read the AMCAS applicant guide
  • Read school specific websites
  • Listen to things on SDN from reputable people (Goro, gonnif, LizzyM, etc). They know.
 
My parents were very involved in the entire process in terms of knowing when I submitted, where I got interviews etc. But in terms of actually helping, they proofread some of my essays and helped with some of the expenses. I don't think they're many ways they can help besides that, unless I'm being naive.
 
They helped me with some travel expenses and maybe the expense of a single secondary. That’s all they helped with through the entire application/interview season.
 
I guess I’ll be the outlier. I researched medical school admission process on SDN before my daughter even knew the process. I learned so much over the past 1.5 years, it’s eye opening really. But I’m glad I did. No regrets.
 
My parents are physicians and even then, they were barely able to help with the application process since they were educated so long ago. The MCAT didn't even exist then. My mom got her residency as her wedding gift just to show you how different things were lol.

What my parents COULD help me with - my mother is a hospital administrator and she told me key things that she looks for when hiring doctors and other employees. Things that make them stand out. Things that would make ANYONE stand out. If your parents can help you do that, effectively, why not?
 
Anonymouse321 said:
how much did your parents assist you with the AMCAS process? How exactly did they help you?
Click to expand...
Parents didn't really help me with AMCAS at all. A sibling read my personal statement while I was editing. Parents occasionally read secondary essays if I asked. They also helped me to get to 2 interviews. Nothing decision wise at any point.

Anonymouse321 said:
at what point is it considered "too much".
Click to expand...
At ANY point in which you feel like it is too much. My guess is if you are asking this question, it is already past that. This is your life. Your parents cannot make decisions for you, especially ones this big and long lasting (let's say at least another 7 years of education and many more of debt).
 
My folks put me in touch with some former? adcoms they knew so I could get some feedback on my PS. They also helped finance a couple of my secondaries towards the end.
 
My mom is super uninvolved, but my dad (who is a physician) looked at my school list a little bit and recommended a few schools for me to add or look at in addition to the list I had come up with.
I don't have my parents read or edit essays and personally I plan to keep them out of the loop on my interviews/secondaries progress aside from what is absolutely necessary. They know I'll be writing secondaries all July (hopefully😉 but there's not really a point to have them be super involved in the process for me
 
My mom doesn’t speak a word in English, step father basically contributes 0 to the family.
However my younger sister who’s in high school helped me a lot, she gave a lot of moral support and some insights to becoming a better PERSON. I am very thankful to have her on my side, ofc I’m happy to have my parents in life, but honestly my mother is somewhat against me going into medicine.
Good luck to everyone this cycle
 
Alright, thank you all very much for your replies. My parents insisted on being very involved in my application last year. They are beginning to pressure me into being involved this year as well... I'll make it very clear that I am doing it on my own this cycle. It was too overwhelming in the past!
 
Anonymouse321 said:
Alright, thank you all very much for your replies. My parents insisted on being very involved in my application last year. They are beginning to pressure me into being involved this year as well... I'll make it very clear that I am doing it on my own this cycle. It was too overwhelming in the past!
Click to expand...
Hope you get a happy ending this cycle😉
 
Don’t ever rely on your parents for help. I applied to Stanford for undergrad and got admitted but didn’t attend. My dad said that I will have a higher chance at Stanford medical school because they will “pull up records from my undergrad application”.
 
LoveBeingHuman:) said:
Don’t ever rely on your parents for help. I applied to Stanford for undergrad and got admitted but didn’t attend. My dad said that I will have a higher chance at Stanford medical school because they will “pull up records from my undergrad application”.
Click to expand...

My parents had a similar thought....I don't know where that comes from.
 
"Haven't heard from you the last couple of months, what have you been up to?"
"Applying to medical school."
"Isn't that expensive? Here's $500 to pay for the application fee."

A year later...

"So how are things going?"
"Not much preparing to move to X for medical school."
"You got in? Congratulations! Here's $500 to help with the move."
 
smukke said:
"Haven't heard from you the last couple of months, what have you been up to?"
"Applying to medical school."
"Isn't that expensive? Here's $500 to pay for the application fee."

A year later...

"So how are things going?"
"Not much preparing to move to X for medical school."
"You got in? Congratulations! Here's $500 to help with the move."
Click to expand...

haha have you told them you're a resident yet?
 
ShyGuy0082 said:
I guess I’ll be the outlier. I researched medical school admission process on SDN before my daughter even knew the process. I learned so much over the past 1.5 years, it’s eye opening really. But I’m glad I did. No regrets.
Click to expand...

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

Is that the sound that spinning blades make?
 
Apart from the occasional "how are things going" and "what do you mean you have more writing to do," pretty much none.

But to be fair, my parents learned to get out of my hair ever since I moved out for college. They realized that other than moral support and large-scale financial assistance, they couldn't do anything that I hadn't already figured out how to do either myself or with others.
 
Correction, my parents did provide me their 1040s which allowed me to apply for FAP. But, they’re so blinded by all of this medicine stuff. I constantly hear about how smart and wonderful I am. Everyone is smart in med school, I am not special lol
 
My dad helped me with some extra money to apply to two more schools than I could initially afford and helped a tiny bit with deciding where to apply (pretty much by telling to apply wherever I want lol). My mom gets surprised every time I tell her I'm still working on essays and then wishes me the best 😕
 
Zero. They even tried to meddle and I promptly told them to **** off, this is my application, this is how I’m going to do it, this is what SDN/advisors have told me how to do it, you’ve never applied to med school so stop treating this like a job application.
 
Anonymouse321 said:
Hello,

For those of you who have applied to med schools, how much did your parents assist you with the AMCAS process? How exactly did they help you?

I'm trying to get an idea of how much parents should be helping with AMCAS, and at what point is it considered "too much".

Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...

I didn't apply through amcas directly from middle school, so they didn't help at all.
 
Moral support. My mom proofread my secondaries for grammar and word choice. Financially all they covered was the cost of my white coat.
 
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