Personal Statement Advice, Controversial Topic

[Kered]

Hi,

I am getting around to writing my personal statement, and really want to talk about some events that pushed me towards medicine but I am unsure if they will hurt my chances at being accepted. When I was a Freshman in college, one of my closest friends tried to kill himself because his parents hated him for being gay. It was one of the most devastating moments in my life, and I got to see firsthand, some of the instances that LGBT care is lacking in the medical field. These were especially troubling, as I too am a gay man. It led me to become much more involved in suicide prevention campaigns and LGBT awareness on campus. I worry, however that some admissions committees may be a bit more conservative and look unfavorably on some of these issues. On one hand these issues are very important to why I want to become a physician, but I don't want them to be the reason I may or may not get accepted. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Lucky Louie]

Here's a thought: just write about your friend. Write about some issues you hadn't even thought about before his issues came to light. You don't need to talk about your own sexual orientation. In fact, if you reread your post and skip this sentence, These were especially troubling, as I too am a gay man. you wrote about your personal statement without it being controversial. Personally, I think this whole topic will not be a concern, but you are right to be conservative since you don't know who'd reading your essay.

 

[Donald Juan]

My personal feeling is that I like the topic and the passion. Of course, I'm not an adcomm.

My thoughts on people getting worried about what to say in PS's or interviews is always this: it's better to get rejected because you presented your true self and who you are than to get rejected because you tried to be something fake. Make sure you present the best you have to offer and don't sell yourself short because you are trying to be "conservative."

 

[LizzyM]

Would you be surprised to know that there are lesbians and gay physicians reading applications and conducting interviews? They might not be "out" to applicants on interview day but they are serving on the adcom.

 

[chillaxbro]

-snip-

 

[Ismet]

My personal feeling is that I like the topic and the passion. Of course, I'm not an adcomm.

My thoughts on people getting worried about what to say in PS's or interviews is always this: it's better to get rejected because you presented your true self and who you are than to get rejected because you tried to be something fake. Make sure you present the best you have to offer and don't sell yourself short because you are trying to be "conservative."

This.

If the admissions committee is going to reject you for what you write about being gay or working on LGBT awareness, then maybe that's not a school you want to attend, even though I highly doubt that would be the reason for rejection at any school. You might encounter a couple very conservative interviewers on your trail, but for the most part I don't think you'll find any trouble.

 

[Ismet]

Why do gay men/women need special medical care?

...It's not a matter of "special" medical care. It's more like deserving medical care free of judgment and discrimination, awareness of diseases that commonly affect LGBT people, etc. A lot of LGBT people avoid medical care entirely or do not disclose their sexual orientation out of fear of judgment, which can hinder medical care.

 

[Epinephreus]

This topic can be a very good one as long as you don't get carried away. By that I mean, keep the PS about you, and relate the experiences of your friend to what YOU learned and how it can make YOU a better physician. Try to make it more about simply relating to the person because they were gay, but make it a lesson of perspective.

I included a related experience in my secondary (diversity themed) Essays, and received positive feedback. Good luck.

 

[BABSstudent]

Just be yourself. If the school won't admit you because of your sexual orientation you reveal in the PS, do you really want to spend four years there hiding it?

I think if you know what kind of patient population you want to help, feel free to put it down. For you, this sounds like the LGBTQ population which is underserved and could use more physicians. I truly believe that adcoms are aware of these problems and actively look for candidates to fulfill these shortages.

 

[amygdala2]

My personal feeling is that I like the topic and the passion. Of course, I'm not an adcomm.

My thoughts on people getting worried about what to say in PS's or interviews is always this: it's better to get rejected because you presented your true self and who you are than to get rejected because you tried to be something fake. Make sure you present the best you have to offer and don't sell yourself short because you are trying to be "conservative."

completely agree with this!

 

[akademiks1989]

I am a gay man myself, and I did not mention my severe situation to the admission committees.

I really sympathize with you and your friend, as I contemplated suicide since I came out in 2008 as a 19 year old Iraqi man.

I think you should bring up your friend and say how it has touched you so much that you became an advocate for the gay community. I think it will work nicely if you leave your own sexual orientation out of it, because it will make you appear to be compassionate, open-minded, and willing to help other people of disenfranchised minority groups.

As mentioned, do not be afraid to be yourself at any step of the process. If you have passion in what you do to help the community as well as confidence and pride in who you are, your work will speak for itself. You will not be rejected for being gay. These are educational institutions that have many people involved in admissions.

You can be rejected for having experiences in your life that seem to interfere with your life, such as depression and maybe a lack of confidence.

By the way, many practicing physicians are LGBTQ and treat patients that would hate them in the street. This, my friend, is power.

 

[GatsbyK]

I think this is a nice topic and since you have a passion about it, it would make a good topic. I don't think you have to put your own sexual orientation but do mention about how your friend has impacted your decision to make a choice for advocating for the LGBT community.