MCAT = "in the classroom"?

[MedPR]

Currently working on this prompt:

7. What is your most significant achievement outside the classroom? (750 characters)

I feel like preparing and doing well on the MCAT with all my other real life stuff going is pretty significant, but I'm not sure if MCAT is technically considered an "in the classroom" type of thing.. Any advice?

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[cabinbuilder]

Currently working on this prompt:



I feel like preparing and doing well on the MCAT with all my other real life stuff going is pretty significant, but I'm not sure if MCAT is technically considered an "in the classroom" type of thing.. Any advice?

Seriously? Do NOT answer this question by commenting on your MCAT studies. Your paperwork will go in the trash. That question is about you and your personal achievements. What are you most proud of in your life? Did you run a marathon and place better than you thought? Olympic trials? Personal fulfillment being a counselor at a camp for sickly kids? Hiking by yourself in the Grand Canyon? Getting a pilot's license? Overcoming homelessness? Did a parent die and you had to take over the burden of paying the bills?

Nobody has a perfect life. It's about being able to convey your struggles and overcoming them to achieve your goals.

 

[DrBowtie]

Seriously? Do NOT answer this question by commenting on your MCAT studies. Your paperwork will go in the trash. That question is about you and your personal achievements. What are you most proud of in your life? Did you run a marathon and place better than you thought? Olympic trials? Personal fulfillment being a counselor at a camp for sickly kids? Hiking by yourself in the Grand Canyon? Getting a pilot's license? Overcoming homelessness? Did a parent die and you had to take over the burden of paying the bills?

Nobody has a perfect life. It's about being able to convey your struggles and overcoming them to achieve your goals.

Agree. This is a great chance to show them you aren't one dimensional.

Now is the time to talk about anything outside of academics.

 

[MedPR]

Ok, thank you for the input!

 

[naixin]

Feel the same way.

there is one prompt ask you to d.escribe a situation in which you were really stressed.


I am thinking of writing about taking mcat and handling new job with long commute at the same time. Is that not good too?
.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Feel the same way.

there is one prompt ask you to d.escribe a situation in which you were really stressed.


I am thinking of writing about taking mcat and handling new job with long commute at the same time. Is that not good too?
.

You guys aren't getting it. Every pre-med student has to take the MCAT, we all have jobs. This question is about your character and your ability to handle stressful situations and your ability to keep cool under stress. What are you going to do when you are in ICU and you have a hysterical family yelling at you to do something as their 100 year old family member is coding and they can't let go? It's a screening question to see if you have the personality to be the one in charge without flipping out.

The MCAT my seem like the biggest test of your life right now. It is not. What happens when you are studying for Step I, Step II, Step II PE, and Step III of the boards while taking a full medical school course load? What about the Board Certification exam after residency? It never stops. Talk about yourself, not your stress about taking tests.

 

[LingoLaine]

Agree with the above. "Outside the classroom" means non-academic, i.e. definitely NOT studying for the MCAT. It should be overcoming some kind of challenge.

 

[dmf2682]

After reading some of the questions here I had top scroll up to check and make sure I was in the nontrad forum!

Seriously guys, this is your time to shine. My mouth is watering at that prompt and I'm not even applying this year!

 

[WTEngel]

Your MCAT scores are clearly written on paper and speak for themselves. What if someone reads this answer to your secondary and then looks at your MCAT score and says, "This is not significant."

As others have said, studying and performing well on the MCAT is a general expectation that medical schools have for applicants. Many have studied and done well before you, and many will study and do well after you...and <gasp> some even had jobs, family troubles, high course loads, etc.

Listing a general requirement for medical school (i.e. studying and doing well on the MCAT) as one of your most significant achievements is not advisable, in my opinion.

When you are finishing MS4 and about to begin residency, odds are you won't even remember what your MCAT score was...

 

[QofQuimica]

Not to beat the dead horse here, but discussing the MCAT on your app at all can only make you look ridiculous at best. If taking the MCAT is truly the biggest stress of your life, then you're beyond lucky. And I for one would like to exchange lives with you. If taking the MCAT is truly the most significant achievement of your life, then I feel very sad for you. I came darn close to acing the MCAT, and I never regarded that as the most significant achievement of my life.

Like cabin and DrB have said, forget about the MCAT. Forget about any academic anything. What *personal* challenges have you overcome? What *personal* goals have you achieved? If you're 30ish years old, there should be multiple life events you could discuss in response to those questions. When I think of life's challenges, I'm thinking of real challenges. Death of a loved one. Loss of a job. Divorce. Raising children. Being kicked out of your house at age 16. Serving in the military. When I think of significant achievements, I'm thinking of real achievements. Sports accomplishments. Charity work. Civic or church activities. Accomplishing a goal in the workplace. Helping others reach their goals, especially children. Meeting a personal milestone.

You know what I wrote about in response to questions like these? Co-founding the MCAT subforum for SDN. It was a labor of love that still results in random people PMing me every now and then to let me know how much it helped them, even though I mostly stopped giving MCAT advice 5+ years ago. It also led to challenges such as helping to formulate SDN's exam discussion policies in response to AAMC actions against our members, and being involved in the tough decision to let one of my junior mods go. SDN is a microcosm of many of life's challenges and achievements. In one capacity or another, I probably discussed my experiences with volunteering for this site on every secondary from every medical school where I applied.

 

[MedPR]

Not to beat the dead horse here, but discussing the MCAT on your app at all can only make you look ridiculous at best. If taking the MCAT is truly the biggest stress of your life, then you're beyond lucky. And I for one would like to exchange lives with you. If taking the MCAT is truly the most significant achievement of your life, then I feel very sad for you. I came darn close to acing the MCAT, and I never regarded that as the most significant achievement of my life.

Like cabin and DrB have said, forget about the MCAT. Forget about any academic anything. What *personal* challenges have you overcome? What *personal* goals have you achieved? If you're 30ish years old, there should be multiple life events you could discuss in response to those questions. When I think of life's challenges, I'm thinking of real challenges. Death of a loved one. Loss of a job. Divorce. Raising children. Being kicked out of your house at age 16. Serving in the military. When I think of significant achievements, I'm thinking of real achievements. Sports accomplishments. Charity work. Civic or church activities. Accomplishing a goal in the workplace. Helping others reach their goals, especially children. Meeting a personal milestone.

You know what I wrote about in response to questions like these? Co-founding the MCAT subforum for SDN. It was a labor of love that still results in random people PMing me every now and then to let me know how much it helped them, even though I mostly stopped giving MCAT advice 5+ years ago. It also led to challenges such as helping to formulate SDN's exam discussion policies in response to AAMC actions against our members, and being involved in the tough decision to let one of my junior mods go. SDN is a microcosm of many of life's challenges and achievements. In one capacity or another, I probably discussed my experiences with volunteering for this site on every secondary from every medical school where I applied.

It's not that the MCAT is the most significant achievement.. I feel like other stuff going on in my life not significant to my application. It's significant in every other way, but I didn't know it mattered to ADCOMs. No offense to anyone, but when I write/talk about obstacles I've faced or challenges I've overcome, I feel like I'm whining about how hard I've had it even though I know other people have it way worse. I have a hard time talking about my accomplishments and also about the difficulties I've faced along the way not because I don't want to share, but because I feel like a douche when I do.

PS. Since my last reply I've avoided coming into this thread (out of embarrassment), but I saw that you replied and knew your reply was one I wanted to read.

 

[QofQuimica]

It's not that the MCAT is the most significant achievement.. I feel like other stuff going on in my life not significant to my application. It's significant in every other way, but I didn't know it mattered to ADCOMs.

Well, think about it this way: why is the adcom asking you this question? What are they trying to get at? Do they really want a blow-by-blow discussion of the hardships you overcame to take the MCAT? Of course not. They want to know what *you* think is significant, and get a sense of what *you* value. Maybe it's taking care of your family. Maybe it's setting your own goals and accomplishing them. Maybe it's helping other people set goals and accomplish them. Maybe it's being part of a team. Maybe it's finding work/life balance. Maybe it's as simple as doing what you say you'll do even when it would be easier to renege. Don't you think those are all good attributes for a physician to have?

For the record, you shouldn't be embarrassed about posting this thread. You aren't the only one to misinterpret that question, but you are the one who had the courage to put it out there.

 

[cabinbuilder]

It's not that the MCAT is the most significant achievement.. I feel like other stuff going on in my life not significant to my application. It's significant in every other way, but I didn't know it mattered to ADCOMs. No offense to anyone, but when I write/talk about obstacles I've faced or challenges I've overcome, I feel like I'm whining about how hard I've had it even though I know other people have it way worse. I have a hard time talking about my accomplishments and also about the difficulties I've faced along the way not because I don't want to share, but because I feel like a douche when I do.PS. Since my last reply I've avoided coming into this thread (out of embarrassment), but I saw that you replied and knew your reply was one I wanted to read.

You should never feel ashamed about talking about your hardships and/or accomplishments. It only shows that you have become a stronger, better person because of what happened to you. You need to learn to twist the negative event into a positive.

For example: I was homeless at one time even though I was going to college and was working two jobs. My husband spent all of our savings buying a piece of land without my knowledge. With that money spent we had no choice but to live on that land - an we did for 8 months in a shack on the tundra with an outhouse until the snow fell and it was too cold to stay there and be safe. I remember crying every day about our situation and I had to get food from my neighbor and steal food from my job because I just couldn't afford to buy anything. It is what it is and things got better eventually. The facts are there but I don't dwell on it. It made be stronger and appreciate the value of a dollar.

So instead of dwelling on that I am able to empathize with patients now who have to make a choice between buying medicine or food. How they have to stretch their prescriptions to make them last longer. How they have to make a choice between feeding their kids and buying insulin to control their diabetes. I vividly remember that daily struggle and try my best to give samples where I can and get the drug reps to keep supplies up.

Hope that helps. Never be embarrassed about your personal hardships. We have all had them. It's about how you turned those events around into a positive and how you grew from that experience and how that will convey towards helping future patients when you are making six figures and no longer have to struggle. How are you going to maintain your humanity when you no longer have to worry about money?

 

[rguil15]

After reading some of the questions here I had top scroll up to check and make sure I was in the nontrad forum!

Seriously guys, this is your time to shine. My mouth is watering at that prompt and I'm not even applying this year!

This.

 

[MedPR]

Well, think about it this way: why is the adcom asking you this question? What are they trying to get at? Do they really want a blow-by-blow discussion of the hardships you overcame to take the MCAT? Of course not. They want to know what *you* think is significant, and get a sense of what *you* value. Maybe it's taking care of your family. Maybe it's setting your own goals and accomplishing them. Maybe it's helping other people set goals and accomplish them. Maybe it's being part of a team. Maybe it's finding work/life balance. Maybe it's as simple as doing what you say you'll do even when it would be easier to renege. Don't you think those are all good attributes for a physician to have?

For the record, you shouldn't be embarrassed about posting this thread. You aren't the only one to misinterpret that question, but you are the one who had the courage to put it out there.

Thank you. I hadn't thought of it that way and I think I'll be able to approach it much better now.

You should never feel ashamed about talking about your hardships and/or accomplishments. It only shows that you have become a stronger, better person because of what happened to you. You need to learn to twist the negative event into a positive.

For example: I was homeless at one time even though I was going to college and was working two jobs. My husband spent all of our savings buying a piece of land without my knowledge. With that money spent we had no choice but to live on that land - an we did for 8 months in a shack on the tundra with an outhouse until the snow fell and it was too cold to stay there and be safe. I remember crying every day about our situation and I had to get food from my neighbor and steal food from my job because I just couldn't afford to buy anything. It is what it is and things got better eventually. The facts are there but I don't dwell on it. It made be stronger and appreciate the value of a dollar.

So instead of dwelling on that I am able to empathize with patients now who have to make a choice between buying medicine or food. How they have to stretch their prescriptions to make them last longer. How they have to make a choice between feeding their kids and buying insulin to control their diabetes. I vividly remember that daily struggle and try my best to give samples where I can and get the drug reps to keep supplies up.

Hope that helps. Never be embarrassed about your personal hardships. We have all had them. It's about how you turned those events around into a positive and how you grew from that experience and how that will convey towards helping future patients when you are making six figures and no longer have to struggle. How are you going to maintain your humanity when you no longer have to worry about money?

That's an amazing story, thank you for your input. I've been in a similar, but not quite so extreme, situation and I think that's what I'll write about. When other people share their hardships I never feel like they're complaining about it. It's just hard for me to do the same without thinking to myself "nobody cares about your problems when they have their own to deal with."

 

[wholeheartedly]

For the record, you shouldn't be embarrassed about posting this thread. You aren't the only one to misinterpret that question, but you are the one who had the courage to put it out there.

This.

I don't know that I would have interpreted the prompt like you did, but I value your question because I can definitely relate to having trouble figuring out how to talk about difficult experiences without feeling like I'm expecting pity, and yet some of those experiences were major things that shaped my world view, my desire to be a physician, and my ability to empathize. I ask myself how I'd word it, how much information to give if any, do I pick something else, if I picked something else would it sound hollow?

Same goes for accomplishments. I think it's ok to worry about sounding like a douche when talking about yourself, show's you're a bit humble to even think about it. That's not a bad thing. I'm sure there are plenty of people that do come across that way. But that's what you have trusted friends and personal statement reviewers and stuff for, to double check you on that stuff and make sure you're coming across like you want.

 

[naixin]

Thanks for all the reponses. Now I am thinking about use the material on some of the challenge prompts for the stress prompt. I had problem when breastfeeding my second baby (plugged milk duct and mastitis) for half a year, during those times, I had to work hard in the lab because the paper was in revision. I often went back home to solve the problem in the middle of an experiment and then rushed back to the lab to wrap up the experiment. It was very hard. Everyone suggested me to quit, but I did not give up. I could not sleep at night, while had to work during the day. I always felt asleep when I was pumping because I was too tired. I did not think use of this because I felt that was not quite a "stress" but really something difficult situation. Do you guys think that would be a stressful situation?

 

[MedPR]

I appreciate all the opinions and positive input. There was a prompt that asked about a "personal or academic" struggle/difficulty. I think I'll be better off using something personal rather than academic for that one too.

Best of luck to you all!

 

[MsPlasmodesmata]

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[augeremt]

Agree. This is a great chance to show them you aren't one dimensional.

Now is the time to talk about anything outside of academics.

Would you suggest avoiding any talk of academics with challenge questions as well? I've had a pretty challenge-free life and the greatest obstacle to applying to medical school has been overcoming my undergrad grades and attitude about school at the time.

I mean, I do have some "I put myself in a sticky situation and had to figure out a way to get through it" experiences, but they have nothing to do with my path towards medical school. They were just adventures that went awry. I don't want to come off as someone who brags about the random things I've done in my life, since part of my angle is showing that I'm not an adventure junkie anymore.

I completely agree with your point of putting something else in secondaries that can't be inferred from grades and scores, but what if there really is nothing else that fits in the prompt?

 

[cabinbuilder]

I mean, I do have some "I put myself in a sticky situation and had to figure out a way to get through it" experiences, but they have nothing to do with my path towards medical school. They were just adventures that went awry. I don't want to come off as someone who brags about the random things I've done in my life, since part of my angle is showing that I'm not an adventure junkie anymore.

?

That's the WHOLE POINT of these questions. TO learn something else about you apart from academics. The opportunity to show how you are different from the other students and have a depth about you that will help create a well-rounded class.

 

[COMedic2Doc]

MedPR, never ever feel ashamed about where you have come from. It is what makes you, you. Not to mention when you are working with patients in the future, it will make you a more personable physician. You know some of my story and it is one that I feel humbled by. However, I believe that even if I am an Anesthesiologist or another "detached" physician, my empathy for a patient's situation will come through. Personally, I hope to turn my experiences around to continue encouraging others toward their dreams and successes as a physician. Our generation of physicians must become more empathetic, truly compassionate individuals in medicine or we will never change anything in healthcare.

 

[kayleel0ve]

Damn. I can't believe some of these people on here. The people on the admissions committees are REAL PEOPLE!! Yes you have great grades and MCAT scores. Yes you have research and clinical experience. Yes you have non-medical related volunteering and leadership roles. Yes you worked hard like the rest of us to even get to the point of applying but they already know that! You wouldn't spend thousands on apps if you weren't confident about your scores and your background. They want to know who you are besides being a medical school applicant because it really shouldn't be your entire life!

 

[QofQuimica]

Damn. I can't believe some of these people on here. The people on the admissions committees are REAL PEOPLE!! Yes you have great grades and MCAT scores. Yes you have research and clinical experience. Yes you have non-medical related volunteering and leadership roles. Yes you worked hard like the rest of us to even get to the point of applying but they already know that! You wouldn't spend thousands on apps if you weren't confident about your scores and your background. They want to know who you are besides being a medical school applicant because it really shouldn't be your entire life!

Not sure if you realize that you just responded to a two year old thread, but fwiw, I think most of us agreed with your position. Particularly those of us with adcom experience.

 

[sapphire86]

It's not that the MCAT is the most significant achievement.. I feel like other stuff going on in my life not significant to my application. It's significant in every other way, but I didn't know it mattered to ADCOMs. No offense to anyone, but when I write/talk about obstacles I've faced or challenges I've overcome, I feel like I'm whining about how hard I've had it even though I know other people have it way worse. I have a hard time talking about my accomplishments and also about the difficulties I've faced along the way not because I don't want to share, but because I feel like a douche when I do.

PS. Since my last reply I've avoided coming into this thread (out of embarrassment), but I saw that you replied and knew your reply was one I wanted to