Using my recent marriage as a non-academic accomplishment in secondary essay?

[wanderingorion]

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[To be MD]

I'm not sure what you mean.

Would you like to say, "my greatest non-academic accomplishment is creating a family over the last [x] years with my spouse"? If so, I think that's awesome.

That's a mature, real answer in my opinion.

*edit: Turns out I have no clue what I'm talking about.

 

[wanderingorion]

Thanks for the input. I've heard that some med schools are wary of new marriages, so I just wanted to bounce the idea off the forum.

 

[gyngyn]

Don't do it.

 

[wanderingorion]

Don't do it.

I'm glad I asked.
Why do you not recommend it?

 

[gyngyn]

I'm glad I asked.
Why do you not recommend it?

Many folks see an accomplishment as something done admirably or something that has contributed to the greater good.
The wedding itself was an accomplishment for those who planned and executed it, but whether the marriage will be a contribution is still far from clear.
In any case, the prompt is an opportunity to show the committee something that everyone agrees is valuable. There is a place in the primary where you can list dependents and many opportunities to discuss loved ones. I am suggesting that you not use this prompt for that purpose.

 

[wanderingorion]

Many folks see an accomplishment as something done admirably or something that has contributed to the greater good.
The wedding itself was an accomplishment for those who planned and executed it, but whether the marriage will be a contribution is still far from clear.
In any case, the prompt is an opportunity to show the committee something that everyone agrees is valuable. There is a place in the primary where you can list dependents and many opportunities to discuss loved ones. I am suggesting that you not use this prompt for that purpose.

That makes sense. Thanks for the information!

 

[Goro]

I'm going to be more blunt than my learned colleague. Saying your greatest nonacademic accomplishment is getting married is like saying breathing it your greatest accomplishment.

Many folks see an accomplishment as something done admirably or something that has contributed to the greater good.
The wedding itself was an accomplishment for those who planned and executed it, but whether the marriage will be a contribution is still far from clear.
In any case, the prompt is an opportunity to show the committee something that everyone agrees is valuable. There is a place in the primary where you can list dependents and many opportunities to discuss loved ones. I am suggesting that you not use this prompt for that purpose.

 

[Shirafune]

Does the non-academic experience need to have some award/recognition backing it up? Or even something that shows bravery, social justice, sticking to your morals, etc?

I feel like I have personal achievements within hobbies that mean a lot to me, but there aren't really clear milestones for me to talk about. And they haven't really enacted any great change in somebody's life...

 

[freak7]

I'm going to be more blunt than my learned colleague. Saying your greatest nonacademic accomplishment is getting married is like saying breathing it your greatest accomplishment.

Yeah but you haven't seen my ugly mug! One look at me and you'll know why I listed it as an achievement!

 

[Crayola227]

Does the non-academic experience need to have some award/recognition backing it up? Or even something that shows bravery, social justice, sticking to your morals, etc?

I feel like I have personal achievements within hobbies that mean a lot to me, but there aren't really clear milestones for me to talk about. And they haven't really enacted any great change in somebody's life...

No, it doesn't have to be something that has some objective stamp of approval on it, like an aware or recognition.

The point of these prompts are typically so you can highlight an achievement that doesn't neccessarily fall into cateogries where it would have come up in another part of your app, and also, because it can allow adcom to know a little bit more about you personally and how you tick.