Working for your #1 choice school: Is it cheating the system

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
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My #1 choice school has a MD and a DO school with very similar values. I would be thrilled to go to either one (if I could go to both, I would) :slight_smile: This school is my #1 choice because the mission statement aligns with my personal values as a person and a future clinician, because I have personally worked with many graduates of their program and have been very impressed with their kills and overall approach to medicine and humanities, and have been mentored by a lot of the providers who teach for this school. Several of my LOR will be from graduates of these programs. I could not wait to become a part of the community (I dont apply until this coming cycle, 2021-2022) so I quickly jumped at the opportunity to become a volunteer researcher for the MD school (which I was for 1 year) and have been a paid researcher for the DO school since August of this year (2020). I am still wholeheartedly excited about attending here over all other options… even if Harvard let me in I would still want to come here. Do schools take into account this commitment to their programs ahead of time? Does it look good or bad to want to work for the school ASAP even before applying? I attend many of their educational/seminar activities for their medical students because I am an employee and love to learn. I am a nontraditional student with >7000 clinical hours. (Should anyone be curious, I did not attend this school for undergrad)

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I know its been a couple months since posting this but it is not “cheating the system” by working there. You enjoy what they have to offer and you get along well with the other faculty members by the sounds of it. Don’t over think it (even though it is so easy to do while on this premed path). You got this and keep working hard!

1 Like
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Absolutely yes! Schools love it when someone takes the time to genuinely understand their mission and connect with them in pursuing it.

On the contrary, if you are doing this for the right reasons (it sounds like you are) then I think this will actually help you, not hurt you. (See above question).

Aside from that, I wholeheartedly agree with @AFest, keep up the good work!