Would you put a genetic disorder as a difficult circumstance..or is it a cheap shot?

[PicardAndRoll]

I have a hereditary disorder that affects my cardiovascular and circulatory health ("I got it from my momma", literally).


I get very tired, brain fog, etc. I can't give blood for obvious reasons, I can't do extremely strenuous physical activities (like no marathons), and there's a list of medication and foods that I should avoid. Other than that, my life seems relatively normal.

I did get hospitalized from time to time due to it and required supervision of a hematologist. Last time I had to go get care for it though was 4 years ago because I'm much more cautious about it. The only two times it was fatal was when I was 11 and 13, and my parents had a scare.

I will admit though, sheer curiosity about myself and as a patient REALLY galvanized me around the biological sciences and I wanted to excel in the field. All semester long when I took Genetics last semester, all I did was think about myself and I REALLY wanted to make sure I got Genetics down, and I studied Genetics like it was overkill. It was my second favorite class of all time. Coupled with the fact that I have a pretty unfortunate family in terms of health (mom is one of 7, dad is one of 8, and a lot of them are unhealthy in terms of both lifestyle and natural genetics. Have an aunt with MS, grandpa with severe COPD, a couple of cancers, etc.), and that pursuing medicine would just essentially be an extension of my whole life as being around ill individuals has something I've been dealing with medically, socially, and financially for my life. I honestly cannot see myself doing anything else, because this has literally been my life.

I'm aggressively trying to pursue research in a similar and related field to sort of understand more about me as an individual. However, my disorder and similar phenomena isn't my primary field of interest, nor is it what I'm trying to specialize in or see myself doing (but who knows, I'm still relatively young).

Would you put this on an application or try to mention it in an interview if it arises/related to a question, or does it come off as trying to capitalize off a circumstance that I can't control?

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[CherryRedDracul]

Because it spurred your interest in the biological sciences, I don't see why you shouldn't use it in your application. You could write a good personal statement with your story. I, personally, have amblyopia so I can barely see out of one of my eyes. My situation wasn't as bad as yours, but it sowed the seeds of my interest in biology and the sciences because I wanted to know WHY I was that guy who didn't get 3D movies or stereographic images. Of course, one thing led to another, my interests evolved, and now here I am, just finished with 2nd year and prepping for Step 1.

Just curious, do you have sickle cell anemia?

 

[PicardAndRoll]

Nice, and congratulations on overcoming adversity to reach your goals in medicine. How much was it mentioned in an interview?

Nope, not sickle cell. I do get immunity from malaria and West Nile though that is characteristic of sickle cell.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I wonder how many people will be wary of admitting a student with history of brain fog and inability to do strenuous work. Sure, we have legal "protections" but we know can happen regardless.

 

[moop]

I'd also like to know the answer to this. My condition is much less serious, but it severely limits the kinds of food I can have, and though not insurmountable, it has proven to make college life extremely difficult given the limited options I already have. How "serious" do genetic disorders have to get its mention to not be regarded as annoyance?
@LizzyM @Goro @gyngyn

 

[mrh125]

I wonder how many people will be wary of admitting a student with history of brain fog and inability to do strenuous work. Sure, we have legal "protections" but we know can happen regardless.

if you can do it w/o mentioning that i'm sure this would be fine. I know a student who has cancer who put it on his PS and that was fine. Genetic orders are fine to put on there as long as they are meaningful and demonstrate your passions. Don't focus on the brain fog or focusing issue aspects too much. I have ADHD and that's something that shouldn't be put on the PS. Dont put anything that will compromise or skew the way they view (don't mention your genetic issues in a negative fashion) your application. Any Mental health related issues still have an unfortunate stigma attached to them.

 

[gyngyn]

I'd also like to know the answer to this. My condition is much less serious, but it severely limits the kinds of food I can have, and though not insurmountable, it has proven to make college life extremely difficult given the limited options I already have. How "serious" do genetic disorders have to get its mention to not be regarded as annoyance?
@LizzyM @Goro @gyngyn

The ability to meet technical standards with reasonable accommodation is expected in medical school, nothing more.

 

[Goro]

Concur here. This is part of who you are, and its explanation of your travels on the road to your current destination is valid.

Med schools can NOT discriminate against you because of your health, unless it physically makes you unable to do the technical standards that clinicians require. But mentioning your condition in your app does make it fair game to ask about.

Because it spurred your interest in the biological sciences, I don't see why you shouldn't use it in your application. You could write a good personal statement with your story. I, personally, have amblyopia so I can barely see out of one of my eyes. My situation wasn't as bad as yours, but it sowed the seeds of my interest in biology and the sciences because I wanted to know WHY I was that guy who didn't get 3D movies or stereographic images. Of course, one thing led to another, my interests evolved, and now here I am, just finished with 2nd year and prepping for Step 1.

Just curious, do you have sickle cell anemia?

 

[hellanutella]

N = 1 anecdotal evidence, but my closest friend talked about their thalaessmia in their PS and got very positive responses from interviewers.

I don't think you'd be capitalizing off of your disorder. It's not like you're writing about your mild avocado allergy.

Chronic medical conditions have an incredibly profound effect upon one's life. I'm in the process of writing my PS and originally tried to exclude all mention of my genetic disorder. However, these drafts ended up sounding insincere/forced since I was omitting the very thing that motivated me to pursue medicine. I don't know how well I'll fare this cycle, so please take this with a massive grain of salt, but I feel you'll have a more compelling application if you are forthright with your story.

 

[PicardAndRoll]

I wonder how many people will be wary of admitting a student with history of brain fog and inability to do strenuous work. Sure, we have legal "protections" but we know can happen regardless.

After this semester, I'll probably be looking at a 3.9ish in Biochem and Bioeng, and I'm funded by the US government to do research. I'll be taking 2 graduate classes this fall in technical applications of biology while my peers are in like micro or biostats. My mind is capable. I just have my times where I get headaches and whatnot.

Sorry if I come off as a bit caustic, but as a kid and all the way to my early teens, this issue of "brain fog" was something stressed and I took a lot of offense to it. Some individuals in power at my educational institutions (elementary, middle, HS) tried to imply that this issue would literally affect my cognition. It was a nice way of calling me "stupid" due to medical reasons, which ticked me off as you can imagine. I always had a chip of my shoulder to prove these people wrong.

By strenuous work, I meant like bench pressing massive amounts of weight and running marathons. I volunteer at a hospital, and I discharge patients in wheelchairs all the time. I just meant that I never got to play sports as a kid or HS, or do something very severe. I can't lift massive amounts of weight with my friends when they go lifting, and I always am cautious when playing "friendly" sports like basketball or something (which I rarely do anyway).

The internet is a place that loses tone and nonverbal communication. I'm not upset and I don't mean to come off as a douchebag. This is just informative and clarifying.

 

[Symmetry11]

Concur here. This is part of who you are, and its explanation of your travels on the road to your current destination is valid.

Med schools can NOT discriminate against you because of your health, unless it physically makes you unable to do the technical standards that clinicians require. But mentioning your condition in your app does make it fair game to ask about.

I have schizoaffective disorder and it has influenced my path into medicine, how will this be looked at?

 

[Goro]

With great alarm! Medical school is a furnace.

I have schizoaffective disorder and it has influenced my path into medicine, how will this be looked at?

 

[Symmetry11]

With great alarm! Medical school is a furnace.

Could you elaborate on how it is a furnace?

 

[Mad Jack]

I'd also like to know the answer to this. My condition is much less serious, but it severely limits the kinds of food I can have, and though not insurmountable, it has proven to make college life extremely difficult given the limited options I already have. How "serious" do genetic disorders have to get its mention to not be regarded as annoyance?
@LizzyM @Goro @gyngyn

Don't portray it as a handicap, paint your disease as something that spurred your interest in medicine. And learn to cook your own food, it makes living with Crohn's/IBS/celiac etc much easier and will substantially increase your independence and quality of life.

 

[deleted503015]

The only two times it was fatal was when I was 11 and 13, and my parents had a scare.

?

 

[deleted407021]

I have schizoaffective disorder and it has influenced my path into medicine, how will this be looked at?

It depends greatly on your specific condition and the degree to which it is controlled and manageable under stress conditions.

 

[Symmetry11]

It depends greatly on your specific condition and the degree to which it is controlled and manageable under stress conditions.

I am a high functioning schizophrenic. The only times I've had problems is when I got off my meds. Other than that everything has been fine.

 

[deleted407021]

I am a high functioning schizophrenic. The only times I've had problems is when I got off my meds. Other than that everything has been fine.

I'm not a professional, but it's quite clear that there would be questions concerning your capacity to cope with loss of sleep coupled with consistent exposure to high stress situations. You state that you were diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. There may also be concerns over your decision making abilities during manic/depressive episodes. Certainly. There are ways you can prove that you aren't full blown psychotic. I'm not sure what they are, but a psychologist and yourself could definitely figure something out. It's certainly a barrier to overcome, but as the affected person, you may know best, with help, how to circumvent the problem.

 

[Symmetry11]

I'm not a professional, but it's quite clear that there would be questions concerning your capacity to cope with loss of sleep coupled with consistent exposure to high stress situations. You state that you were diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. There may also be concerns over your decision making abilities during manic/depressive episodes. Certainly. There are ways you can prove that you aren't full blown psychotic. I'm not sure what they are, but a psychologist and yourself could definitely figure something out. It's certainly a barrier to overcome, but as the affected person, you may know best, with help, how to circumvent the problem.

I've actually never had a manic/depressive episode when on medications. It has only occurred when I foolishly got off my meds.

Is it reasonable to assume that high grades on my prereqs and mcat could dispel any doubts in my ability? Also, is there a part in the application process where you have to tell ad coms about a difficult circumstance you were in? I honestly don't know.

 

[Goro]

It's a highly stressful environment. "Drinking from a fire hose" isn't a cliche...we throw all of human knowledge at you, and expect you to know it in a very short period of time. An MD friend of mine once described med school as "taking him to his intellectual limits".

Let's put it another way..during undergrad, if you fail 1-2 courses, nobody cares. Fail 1-2 courses in med school and you can get kicked out of school. Every exam can be a high stakes exam, much less your Board exams, which pretty much determine your fate. So, my mentally healthy students get stressed out...it gives me pause to think of students who have underlying mental disorders. I had a student once who simply stopped taking his anti-psychotic meds. Naturally, he failed out of school. That left a big impression on me.

So, what I'm saying is, do not take this journey lightly.

Could you elaborate on how it is a furnace?

 

[Symmetry11]

It's a highly stressful environment. "Drinking from a fire hose" isn't a cliche...we throw all of human knowledge at you, and expect you to know it in a very short period of time. An MD friend of mine once described med school as "taking him to his intellectual limits".

Let's put it another way..during undergrad, if you fail 1-2 courses, nobody cares. Fail 1-2 courses in med school and you can get kicked out of school. Every exam can be a high stakes exam, much less your Board exams, which pretty much determine your fate. So, my mentally healthy students get stressed out...it gives me pause to think of students who have underlying mental disorders. I had a student once who simply stopped taking his anti-psychotic meds. Naturally, he failed out of school. That left a big impression on me.

So, what I'm saying is, do not take this journey lightly.

So I'm guessing it is disadvantageous to disclose my mental health history? I don't know what I am supposed to do. I have many non academic withdrawals on my transcript that will require an explanation. Should I just avoid the issue all together?

 

[Goro]

If your psychiatrist or therapist feels that you can handle medical school, AND you've been doing well in your courses for the last two years, then mention your mental health history as something you overcame and that you're ready to go.

As you are already aware of, by not disclosing it, you're very likely to be asked "So what's with all the Ws?" I feel it's better to lay your cards on the table a try an app cycle, warts and all.

So I'm guessing it is disadvantageous to disclose my mental health history? I don't know what I am supposed to do. I have many non academic withdrawals on my transcript that will require an explanation. Should I just avoid the issue all together?

 

[deleted407021]

So I'm guessing it is disadvantageous to disclose my mental health history? I don't know what I am supposed to do. I have many non academic withdrawals on my transcript that will require an explanation. Should I just avoid the issue all together?

Do you think that that would be a responsible course of action, considering your own well-being and that of the people you may be treating?

Don't let it define you. Make it known that you can overcome it.

 

[Symmetry11]

Do you think that that would be a responsible course of action, considering your own well-being and that of the people you may be treating?

Don't let it define you. Make it known that you can overcome it.

No. But I can't imagine myself doing anything else with my life. And to have my dreams taken away by something I am effectively treating is very demoralizing.

I've heard stories of people that had a mental illness in medical school, but got off there meds and had a relapse. I have no intentions to get off my meds and I exercise regularly to deal with the stress of school. But, understandably, adcoms might just see a black and white picture and not give me a chance. How can I convince them that this stuff is behind me?

 

[deleted407021]

No. But I can't imagine myself doing anything else with my life. And to have my dreams taken away by something I am effectively treating is very demoralizing.

I've heard stories of people that had a mental illness in medical school, but got off there meds and had a relapse. I have no intentions to get off my meds and I exercise regularly to deal with the stress of school. But, understandably, adcoms might just see a black and white picture and not give me a chance. How can I convince them that this stuff is behind me?

I really couldn't tell you. It's a very complex situation that you need some advisement to work out. This forum isn't the place to do that, unfortunately.

 

[gyngyn]

How can I convince them that this stuff is behind me?

We believe in evidence. You have to show us, not just tell us.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Since it calls into question your ability to perform, id focus on your mothers disease as the motivation personally.

 

[xffan624]

No. But I can't imagine myself doing anything else with my life. And to have my dreams taken away by something I am effectively treating is very demoralizing.

I've heard stories of people that had a mental illness in medical school, but got off there meds and had a relapse. I have no intentions to get off my meds and I exercise regularly to deal with the stress of school. But, understandably, adcoms might just see a black and white picture and not give me a chance. How can I convince them that this stuff is behind me?

How old is your last W? That could help sell the story a little better. If it's recent, you're going to have a tough time demonstrating that things are different now.

 

[Symmetry11]

How old is your last W? That could help sell the story a little better. If it's recent, you're going to have a tough time demonstrating that things are different now.

Well I will make an F this semester for precalculus. And potentially a B in ochem 1 and neuropharm and an A in neurophysiology. But I am taking precal a year of bio, chem, physics and ochem 2 over the summer and fall semesters before I take the mcat in November.

Goro advised me that I should use this opportunity of a year to show that I have "reinvented" myself. I know I have screwed up, and I know my chances of getting into a medical school in the US and Caribbean are slim at best. But I have turned my act around as of late and am doing well.

 

[Symmetry11]

We believe in evidence. You have to show us, not just tell us.

Thank you gyngyn I value your input. But is 80 withdrawal hours (50 non academic and 30 academic) too much to overcome even after a year of presumably acing my prereqs?

 

[gyngyn]

Thank you gyngyn I value your input. But is 80 withdrawal hours (50 non academic and 30 academic) too much to overcome even after a year of presumably acing my prereqs?

A reasonable estimate would be: consistently strong performance for at least as long as the weak performance lasted. This is just a suggestion. I have never actually seen 80 withdrawal hours.

 

[xffan624]

Well I will make an F this semester for precalculus. And potentially a B in ochem 1 and neuropharm and an A in neurophysiology. But I am taking precal a year of bio, chem, physics and ochem 2 over the summer and fall semesters before I take the mcat in November.

Goro advised me that I should use this opportunity of a year to show that I have "reinvented" myself. I know I have screwed up, and I know my chances of getting into a medical school in the US and Caribbean are slim at best. But I have turned my act around as of late and am doing well.

Why rush on applying with a questionable application? Build a solid couple years with perhaps and SMP or MS to demonstrate you have a solid foundation and your illness is under control. You only want to have to apply once. Applying with a weak application that has a slim chance of acceptance does not demonstrate good decision making which is something the ADCOM's will be considering specifically in light of your illness.

 

[Goro]

Also suggest having other career plans. This is a sign of maturity, not defeat.

Well I will make an F this semester for precalculus. And potentially a B in ochem 1 and neuropharm and an A in neurophysiology. But I am taking precal a year of bio, chem, physics and ochem 2 over the summer and fall semesters before I take the mcat in November.

Goro advised me that I should use this opportunity of a year to show that I have "reinvented" myself. I know I have screwed up, and I know my chances of getting into a medical school in the US and Caribbean are slim at best. But I have turned my act around as of late and am doing well.

 

[EngineerPreMD]

if you can do it w/o mentioning that i'm sure this would be fine. I know a student who has cancer who put it on his PS and that was fine. Genetic orders are fine to put on there as long as they are meaningful and demonstrate your passions. Don't focus on the brain fog or focusing issue aspects too much. I have ADHD and that's something that shouldn't be put on the PS. Dont put anything that will compromise or skew the way they view (don't mention your genetic issues in a negative fashion) your application. Any Mental health related issues still have an unfortunate stigma attached to them.

Yeah, ADHD is definitely a no-go. It's not going to garner you any sympathy points, even if it is legitimate since the "everyone has ADHD" mentality is sweeping the nation. Also, they might associate ADHD with someone who has access to ADHD medications, which are known to increase academic performance, and whose effects in someone taking it every day are vastly over-estimated. Some adcoms might even want to put an asterisk next to your GPA.

OP's story seems like a good one. I don't think it's going to blow anyone's mind, but 99% of personal essays apparently end up doing very little for the application, and this will probably be on the better end of that spectrum. Don't play it up too much. It's the same concept as not writing the "my grandma died and my life is so hard" essay. If it affected your life and led to your interest in medicine, it could make for an interesting read, which is as much as anyone can hope for in an essay. If you don't use it tactfully it might seem like you're going for the sympathy vote, which is a really tough sell, and probably hurts more often than it helps.

 

[mrh125]

Yeah, ADHD is definitely a no-go. It's not going to garner you any sympathy points, even if it is legitimate since the "everyone has ADHD" mentality is sweeping the nation. Also, they might associate ADHD with someone who has access to ADHD medications, which are known to increase academic performance, and whose effects in someone taking it every day are vastly over-estimated. Some adcoms might even want to put an asterisk next to your GPA.

OP's story seems like a good one. I don't think it's going to blow anyone's mind, but 99% of personal essays apparently end up doing very little for the application, and this will probably be on the better end of that spectrum. Don't play it up too much. It's the same concept as not writing the "my grandma died and my life is so hard" essay. If it affected your life and led to your interest in medicine, it could make for an interesting read, which is as much as anyone can hope for in an essay. If you don't use it tactfully it might seem like you're going for the sympathy vote, which is a really tough sell, and probably hurts more often than it helps.

wow, great post, thanks for the information. I didn't even think med schools would think of it that way. Putting an asterisk next to my gpa because they falsely assume that being treated for ADHD means easy grades sounds insane. I had to deal with enough of that ridiculous mentality in college because of college kids trying to get access to and abuse people's meds =/. Very good to know. I hoped Doctors would know better though.

 

[EngineerPreMD]

wow, great post, thanks for the information. I didn't even think med schools would think of it that way. Putting an asterisk next to my gpa because they falsely assume that being treated for ADHD means easy grades sounds insane. I had to deal with enough of that ridiculous mentality in college because of college kids trying to get access to and abuse people's meds =/. Very good to know. I hoped Doctors would know better though.

Yup, well adcoms aren't all doctors, and even doctors are subject to that mentality. No one is unbiased, and maybe they had poor experiences themselves competing with people who used those meds (whether legally or not). I've never taken them, but from what I've seen those who take them illegally have a very different experience. I had a roommate who took them every day. He said that after the first month or so he could feel it anymore. He'd know it was working because he could have conversations without people complaining that he wasn't listening. My other roommate would use them only for finals and big exams. He would be totally wired. Sometimes he'd finish his studying and come back and clean the apartment (I wasn't complaining) and do his laundry. Apparently the tolerance factor is huge, and the roommate who used them every day said he did the same kind of things in the very beginning or if he took a summer off or something. So people who use them once think that people using them every day are getting that kind of boost every single day, but I could see the difference between my roommates. It causes some real misunderstanding and prejudice.