How much information is too much information?

[whittyo678]

Good Morning everyone! I might be the only one awake at this time of the morning, but I figured I'd jump on here to get some information. I understand that in order for me to get the information I need I have to put myself "out there" a bit so to speak...

So, I won't call myself a "unique" non-traditional (I learned that from a previous thread hahahah); however, I will say that I have had a few life (and otherwise) experience since graduating from undergrad in 2010. I am a Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholar... While some of you may be familiar with the fact that this scholarships pays for the cost of a Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate, the short side is that it does not cover professional school of any kind. Needless to say, I felt that I wasn't ready for medical at the time of graduation, so I opted to go another route at the time.... Perhaps everything happens for a reason because immediately after graduation from undergrad my younger brother was sent to prison for 18 years. The heart wrenching part is that he had just had a newborn son. His girlfriend at the time could not care for the child because she was still in high school and had no job. My mother was also unable to care for the because she was (at the time) struggling with her own issues of drug and alcohol abuse. Needless to say, I was "up to bat" so to speak. I would like to speak about my experiences as a "surrogate parent" in my ps, but I'm not sure if it would be appropriate. I would like to speak about my gain in level of maturity since undergrad as well as my desire to finally fulfill my true goals now that I am no longer the sole provider of my nephew. I work as an Assistant Director of Admissions and an Adjunct at two institutions in Atlanta and I warn my students about over sharing in their personal statement. For those of us with personal triumphs to speak about in our ps, how do we know where and when to leave things out?

In case it helps in digesting some of the above information here is a bit more background information about me... Im 26 years old, Bachelors in Bio, Masters in Higher Education, and Doctorate (as of May 2015) in Educational Leadership- Higher and Postsecondary Education track. I am published and have had several different leadership experiences during and since undergrad. I've also completed the Summer Medical and Dental Education program (SMDEP) through Duke University and Volunteered as a Sickle Cell tester and Educator through Morehouse School of Medicine. I would also like to maximize my experiences as best as I can in my ps. I plan to do a bit more shadowing as that is the area where I am lacking the most. I think I have a bit of time as long as I can get it done by the first part of next year... I plan to apply next round.

So, with all of that being said, should I include the originally questioned information in my ps OR should I keep it simple and focus on my professional and extracurricular accomplishments within my ps? Special thanks to everyone that took the time to read this long winded entry. I truly appreciate it

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[kraskadva]

The most general rule of thumb is that if some experience helps you answer the question "why medicine?" then it's fine to put in a PS.
So if caring for your nephew was what made you want to be a doctor, then you may have a good story to run with there.

However, if caring for your nephew was not the impetus to go into medicine, then I wouldn't make it the centerpiece of the PS.
Which is not to say you can't mention it- as a non-trad you also need to say "why now and not before", and this would fit in nicely to help explain that. But you really need to focus most on answering "why medicine" for the bulk of your PS.

Also, as for what is "too much"- if you can't discuss it face to face with a stranger in an interview (if it would make you so uncomfortable that you'd break down crying or something) then don't include it, because everything in your app is fair game in the interview. But this is almost always something that circles back to you. There are very, very few topics that would be "too much" for adcoms to handle.

 

[whittyo678]

If you are comfortable talking about it and answering questions, I think that it would be helpful to discuss it in your application. As @kraskadva said, it answers the question of "why now, and not before?" It makes it clear that you wanted to pursue medicine but your family obligation made it financially unfeasible and prevented you from having the time. Now you have the time and do not have the financial burden, so you are ready to go forward.

I'm not sure how I'd approach where to put it. You might find that it fits better as one of your activities (marked as "most important") or it might fit into your PS, depending on how you write it. I'd consider if you can write a coherent PS without mentioning it, that still makes it clear why you want to be a physician.

Thank you so much for your reply! Question, is there a section on this forum that details how the application is set up? Specifically the questions used to direct the ps?

 

[Goro]

Concur! I also view the PS as an answer to "Who am I?" If caring for your nephew is typical of who you are (with evidences of the other things given), then it's OK to mention. Just be concise....it's a short jump from "compelling story" to "soap opera".

The most general rule of thumb is that if some experience helps you answer the question "why medicine?" then it's fine to put in a PS.
So if caring for your nephew was what made you want to be a doctor, then you may have a good story to run with there.

However, if caring for your nephew was not the impetus to go into medicine, then I wouldn't make it the centerpiece of the PS.
Which is not to say you can't mention it- as a non-trad you also need to say "why now and not before", and this would fit in nicely to help explain that. But you really need to focus most on answering "why medicine" for the bulk of your PS.

Also, as for what is "too much"- if you can't discuss it face to face with a stranger in an interview (if it would make you so uncomfortable that you'd break down crying or something) then don't include it, because everything in your app is fair game in the interview. But this is almost always something that circles back to you. There are very, very few topics that would be "too much" for adcoms to handle.

 

[kraskadva]

Thank you so much for your reply! Question, is there a section on this forum that details how the application is set up? Specifically the questions used to direct the ps?

There are tons of threads on here or in pre-allo that talk about the different sections and the app as a whole in excruciating detail. Try out the search function or google to pull these up. Not a separate forum, but all the pre-med forums are geared toward sharing exactly this type of info.

Also, the AAMC website has beaucoup info that you should read through (especially since it's from the horse's mouth, as it were). You can also open a 2015 app (definitely up until Oct 15, not sure about after that) and screenshot the prompts to guide you through pre-writing and prep for the next cycle.

 

[EMDO2018]

too much info