What is your opinion on bilingual applicants? Is it an extra boost?

[BABSstudent]

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I should say that probably the only reason why I got into UWash is that I speak Spanish. They are big into serving the underserved and I made speaking Spanish a big part of my application.

 

[Camy99]

I speak 5 languages and nobody really gave a sht. I mean, yeah they were like "wow, that's great" but that's about it. Not this big ERMAGERD YOU CAN SPEAK TO ALLLLL DA PATIENTS like you'd expect. 🙄

 

[Ansar]

Seems like it's only interesting if you're a white kid who can speak Spanish well...

 

[KnuxNole]

Seems like it's only interesting if you're a white kid who can speak Spanish well...

Until you hit the wards, and having a Spanish sounding last name rewards you with being the team translator 😱

 

[The Buff OP]

I speak 5 languages and nobody really gave a sht. I mean, yeah they were like "wow, that's great" but that's about it. Not this big ERMAGERD YOU CAN SPEAK TO ALLLLL DA PATIENTS like you'd expect. 🙄

What languages do you speak?

 

[Lexipi]

Anybody else have any opinions? 👍

BUFF OP, do you think that my low verbal score (6) can be somewhat forgiven if all my life I grew up in a Spanish only speaking home? English had never been a strength of mine, especially when it comes with timed reading exams like the verbal section on MCAT.
My other scores were 11(PS) and 10(bio)..GPA is good (3.94) + solid ECs, very economically disadvantaged.

I keep reading about how there's a cutoff for MD schools (7 verbal) so this worries me. I am afraid I won't get into any schools...

 

[medception]

Edit.

 

[The Buff OP]

BUFF OP, do you think that my low verbal score (6) can be somewhat forgiven if all my life I grew up in a Spanish only speaking home? English had never been a strength of mine, especially when it comes with timed reading exams like the verbal section on MCAT.
My other scores were 11(PS) and 10(bio)..GPA is good (3.94) + solid ECs, very economically disadvantaged.

I keep reading about how there's a cutoff for MD schools (7 verbal) so this worries me. I am afraid I won't get into any schools...

I'm not really well informed in that topic, but my guess you should be fine. I have met doctors who I can barely understand.

 

[armybound]

I think it does help, especially at schools with a population that speaks that language.

I really wish I spoke Spanish. It would have helped so much

 

[BABSstudent]

BUFF OP, do you think that my low verbal score (6) can be somewhat forgiven if all my life I grew up in a Spanish only speaking home? English had never been a strength of mine, especially when it comes with timed reading exams like the verbal section on MCAT.
My other scores were 11(PS) and 10(bio)..GPA is good (3.94) + solid ECs, very economically disadvantaged.

I keep reading about how there's a cutoff for MD schools (7 verbal) so this worries me. I am afraid I won't get into any schools...

The 7 limit is not a thing at all medical schools, but it is true at many of them. A computer automatically rejects everyone below a set point. A 6 is not going to get you by the computer at those schools.

I would retake.

 

[nemo123]

I think people have said that UCLA looks favorably on people who speak Spanish.

 

[Camy99]

What languages do you speak?

French, English, Basaa (a dialect), Spanish, German in that order of ability. I tried to learn Japanese but meh.

 

[deleted407021]

How about German? It is widely spoken in some areas. I developed different ways of thinking from learning that language. Maybe that could help.

 

[docksan]

I speak English, Spanish, and some Russian. As long as you don't make it seem as though you're awesome it can only be a good thing.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[45408]

I don't know if it'll help an application or not but as a volunteer in the surgery wing, the nurses think I'm a God-send. I only volunteer on Fridays and have had to translate Spanish and Mandarin a few times. I'm the only volunteer walking around with one of those in-hopistal phones with an extension so they can call me. It makes me feel so bad ass compared to the other pre-meds I see a lot. I am in Florida so it might be more beneficial by state.

At my hospital, they would not allow us to use a random volunteer to translate. You can either speak the language yourself with the patient, or you have to use a formal translator.

 

[anegron519]

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