Do Medical Schools Consider legacies?

Question

Would it be advantageous for me to apply to medical school where I would be considered a legacy?

How much of an edge (if any) would it give my application?

Answer 1

YES, many medical schools do consider legacies. The only exceptions I know of personally are all the University of California schools.

But yes, more often than not, the applications I filled out have asked "Has anybody in your family grduated from [our] program?" Then they give you a pull-down menu and a list of relatives: father, mother, aunt, uncle, sibling...

The next question (and yes, it is a separate question) asks whether any of your family members serve on the faculty. Sometimes they ask if anyone in your family is on the staff, but this is rarer.

Do I happen to agree with legacy admissions? Not particularly. I'm just speaking from my experiences with medical school applications.

Answer 2

Depending on the school, it may give you an edge on someone who is otherwise you equal as far as GPA, test scores and extracurriculars. But I wouldn't expect it to be enough for them to choose you over someone with better grades, more community involvement and better test scores. Unless your relative alumni was an exceptional student and famous in the field, it just won't be enough for you to float through life based on their name. I'd say the biggest advantage you can get out of this situation is that you can get advise on what you could do to get into the school, what they look for in a student and what it would be like if you do get in from this person. Good luck.

Answer 3

You need to give more info. Probably not