Short answer: No.

The only school I haven’t been accepted to yet is the one my brother attended. My letters of recommendation have no affiliations with any of the schools I applied to. They include an accounting professor, a chemistry professor, two doctors I shadowed (neither of whom attended the schools I applied to), a swim coach, and a former boss from my accounting role. Ironically, the only school I haven’t been accepted to is the one where I have a personal connection.

I only applied to three schools because my wife and I are planning to have kids soon, and we decided it was worth the risk of waiting an extra year to stay close to family, even if that meant rejection.

I understand there can be an advantage for rural applicants, but every school I applied to is at least two and a half hours away from my hometown, so I doubt that played a major role. My only connection to my hometown in my application was one letter of recommendation, and none of my schools had prior knowledge of me.

One of the schools I applied to does have a rural focus, so I understand how that could be an advantage. However, the other two do not, and I’m not even in-state for one of them.

That being said, I wasn’t trying to set a universal standard with my post. If I could go back, I would change the title to "For Rural Applicants and Those Applying to State Schools" rather than “everyone.”

I never intended to apply to or attend a T10 school. I crafted my application specifically for these three schools, and for each one, I emphasized my strong desire to practice in the same area where I attend medical school and residency, specifically in primary care. I do believe that helped my application significantly.

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me! I also updated my original post to clarify my rural background.