Bad Idea to Put Health Struggles in PS?

clindor · May 3, 2006

Hey everyone,
Last year (my junior year) I ended up having four major operations as a result of my diagnosis with a genetic cancer disorder (total colectomy was two operations, total thyroidectomy, and bowel obstruction). My thyroidectomy happened the week before classes started and my bowel obstruction occurred in the middle of the semester. Since it was a big part of my life and a big reason my grades suffered a bit that year, I was urged by my pre-health committee to include it in my PS. Today someone told me the reason I haven't been accepted yet could be that schools were turned off by this either because they thought it was a sympathy play or because they though my health problems might hinder my performance in medical school. I made my PS very positive and about excelling in the face of trials, and I emphasized that I am absolutely fine now, but I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on this. Thanks for reading, I know it's a long post.

TracksuitsRock · May 3, 2006

clindor said:
Hey everyone,
Last year (my junior year) I ended up having four major operations as a result of my diagnosis with a genetic cancer disorder (total colectomy was two operations, total thyroidectomy, and bowel obstruction). My thyroidectomy happened the week before classes started and my bowel obstruction occurred in the middle of the semester. Since it was a big part of my life and a big reason my grades suffered a bit that year, I was urged by my pre-health committee to include it in my PS. Today someone told me the reason I haven't been accepted yet could be that schools were turned off by this either because they thought it was a sympathy play or because they though my health problems might hinder my performance in medical school. I made my PS very positive and about excelling in the face of trials, and I emphasized that I am absolutely fine now, but I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on this. Thanks for reading, I know it's a long post.

I have noticed that lots of people with significant health problems that affected their schoolwork go the route of having their premed advisor write about it in the committee letter. That way it gets seriously noticed but doesn't have to be the focus of a PS.

That said, your PS sounds like it was framed nicely but maybe it lacked a connection to your demonstrated interest in medicine?

Sounds like you made it through a lot of tough times! Glad you are past it and I'm sure you will be a better physician for it.

EndSong · May 3, 2006

I would definitely include it. I think you just need somone to read over your PS and tell you if you've done it well. No one likes a whiner and this is even more true among MDs than most any other profession. It's hard to tell without reading your PS so I'm not sure what camp you fall in. But its really important to put things in like this to explain poor academic performance... otherwise how do they know you weren't just goofing off.

I think the best way to include this would be to say something about how your experience hardened your resolve to become a physician and why you wanted to be like one of the great doctors that helped you out. Basically, your intro could be something along the lines of "Ironically, I first decided to become a physician when I became a patient." That way its included and you don't really need to say too much about academic performance suffering since they'd know you were already having health problems.

clindor · May 3, 2006

That makes sense, except this was a year ago when I was already a determined pre-med. I made sure to explain how the experience changed my outlook on medicine and what makes a great doctor etc. I had my pre-health advisor edit it for me and everything as well. I think I'll probably leave it out this time around if I have to reapply through AMCAS (which I am hoping I won't have to since I have 5 waitlists and 1 undecided).

Sanctuary · May 3, 2006

I would definitely mention surgeries in your PS but in a way that doesn't use a laundry list to display your ailments; rather, how they have made you desire medicine. Also, I would NOT specify what they are. In fact, I think there is a rule about mentioning your colon three times in the same essay. Save that for the interview. 🙂

clindor · May 3, 2006

oops... 😱 😛 That may be the problem, but it is a story and is much easier told when I can specify...hmmmm Either way I will not be focusing on it as much this time around if I decide to even mention it.

dilated · May 3, 2006

in my opinion. I did a little bit of the ol' scientific method and tried mentioning a serious semi-chronic illness I'd had in a few of my secondaries to see what the result would be. the result was 0 interviews at any of those schools compared to a 40+% interview rate at other, higher and lower ranked schools. it's hardly conclusive, but I suspect they're tired of hearing about it and I really think they hold it against you HEAVILY if they think there's any chance it could impact your future performance.

Flopotomist · May 3, 2006

I would NOT include it in your PS. The harsh truth is that somebody reading it will have one of two reactions:

1. Oh wow - look at what this person has overcome
2. Yikes, what if this person has more medical problems and can't finish school?

Since you have no way of knowing which reaction the reader will have, spend the PS focusing on something else. Let your letter writers include some language about overcoming personal adversities in the LORs if they like. Discuss it at the interview if you like. But, get your foot in the door by GETTING an interview by leaving it out.

This of course is just one possible strategy, but it is the one that I would go with. Good luck, and congrats on being healthy now!

nimotsu · May 3, 2006

To be blunt, not many people care about your health problems nor want to hear about them... especially when a thousand applicants like to broach the subject.

The PS should answer why you want to become a doctor and how to you test your desire.

Nearly everyone has health problems. These problems could be used as an essay topic ranging from med school to I want to be Ph.D in organic chemistry to develop drugs to help my condition.

USArmyDoc · May 3, 2006

nimotsu said:
To be blunt, not many people care about your health problems nor want to hear about them... especially when a thousand applicants like to broach the subject.

The PS should answer why you want to become a doctor and how to you test your desire.

Nearly everyone has health problems. These problems could be used as an essay topic ranging from med school to I want to be Ph.D in organic chemistry to develop drugs to help my condition.

Wow....you are a real nasty SOB. The person has been through MUCH more than the average person and it has affected him on a personal and scholastic level. Why shouldn't it be mentioned?

I do agree with Flop regarding their possible reactions. I won't touch this topic anymore. I just couldn't believe how insensitive one can be. 😡

nimotsu.....name me one time you went through something like the OP? And if you did, then you deserve commendation as well.

Flopotomist · May 3, 2006

USArmyDoc said:
Wow....you are a real nasty SOB. The person has been through MUCH more than the average person and it has affected him on a personal and scholastic level. Why shouldn't it be mentioned?

I do agree with Flop regarding their possible reactions. I won't touch this topic anymore. I just couldn't believe how insensitive one can be. 😡

nimotsu.....name me one time you went through something like the OP? And if you did, then you deserve commendation as well.

I think that nimotsu is right though. As harsh as it sounds, the OP asked for an honest opinion, and nimotsu gave him one. I don't think it is insensitive to be honest - particularly when the OP invited an honest answer. Of course the OPs experience affected him on a personal and scholastic level. Of course the OP has been through WAY more than the average person. However, will writing about it help him or hurt him? The opinion that a few of us have is that it will HURT him.

He should use the PS as an opportunity to sell himself, not as an opportunity to justify sub-par previous performance. The PS is your chance to say "why you should let me in" not a chance to confide your personal life obstacles and challenges.

If you were hiring somebody to work for you, would you hire somebody that sent you a letter telling you what they could do for you, or would you hire somebody that sent you a letter rationalizing why they didn't do something for somebody else in the past?

The harsh reality is that getting into medical school is competitive - anyways, those are just a few of my thoughts.

To the OP - I certainly do not want anything that I have said to suggest that I don't have tremendous respect for what you have endured.

mustangsally65 · May 3, 2006

I didn't think nimotsu was being mean. 😕 It seemed like he was just being honest.

Definitely be careful with what you mention about your health. There is a fine line between whining and showing how the experience affected you, and unfortunately (like a previous poster said) you can't know how the reader will interpret your story.

It's hard, because health problems can have a big impact on the decision to pursue medicine. I know in my case my experiences in hospitals have helped me become more familiar with the medical environment and realize that medicine fascinates me and I can't get enough of it. But I didn't put in anything in my PS last year except something vague like "Like most pre-meds, my own experiences with health problems have strengthened my interest in medicine."

Glad you're doing better and good luck! There is a thread in the stickies at the top of the page for people to critique your personal statement, so if you do have to apply again you might get some useful input.

abby66 · May 3, 2006

nimotsu said:
To be blunt, not many people care about your health problems nor want to hear about them... especially when a thousand applicants like to broach the subject.

The PS should answer why you want to become a doctor and how to you test your desire.

Nearly everyone has health problems. These problems could be used as an essay topic ranging from med school to I want to be Ph.D in organic chemistry to develop drugs to help my condition.

I would not listen to this person. I also have a chronic illness that I have to manage on a daily basis. My illness is a major motivating factor behind my choice to persue medicine, so I absolutely included it in my PS. Any school that would descriminate against me for something that A) I can't control and B) clearly has not compromised my ablity to succeed (32 MCAT and 3.8+ GPA), is not a place I would want to be anyway. You are wrong nimotsu. Not everyone has REAL health problems (unless you count a hang nail), and you really should work on your compassion if you want to be a physician. This person has obviously overcome a major obstacle, so why shouldn't he include it in his PS? Maybe if you knew what it was like to really be a patient, you would not be so rude and callous.

clindor · May 3, 2006

That was kind of harsh nimotsu. I would defend the reasoning for me putting it in my PS to the ground. I don't think it was wrong or inappropriate. My rough draft for the PS didn't discuss it at all, but my advisor told me that I should. I do think that it could have been possible for me to have been discriminated as a result of my putting it in my PS. Thanks for the support USarmy Doc. I'm really not looking for sympathy though, just an honest opinion, so thank you to nimotsu as well. By the way, I'm a female! 😛

Flopotomist · May 3, 2006

abby66 said:
I would not listen to this person. I also have a chronic illness that I have to manage on a daily basis. My illness is a major motivating factor behind my choice to persue medicine, so I absolutely included it in my PS. Any school that would descriminate against me for something that A) I can't control and B) clearly has not compromised my ablity to succeed (32 MCAT and 3.8+ GPA), is not a place I would want to be anyway. You are wrong nimotsu. Not everyone has REAL health problems (unless you count a hang nail), and you really should work on your compassion if you want to be a physician. This person has obviously overcome a major obstacle, so why shouldn't he include it in his PS? Maybe if you knew what it was like to really be a patient, you would not be so rude and callous.

I don't think nimotsu is wrong, and I also don't think that you are wrong. These are just two different strategies to consider. The harsh reality is that there IS prejudice against people with physical and mental illnesses, and that in a field as competitive as the pre-med field, it is worth considering NOT including anything that could harm you. Again.. just one opinion.

abby66 · May 3, 2006

clindor said:
That was kind of harsh nimotsu. I would defend the reasoning for me putting it in my PS to the ground. I don't think it was wrong or inappropriate. My rough draft for the PS didn't discuss it at all, but my advisor told me that I should. I do think that it could have been possible for me to have been discriminated as a result of my putting it in my PS. Thanks for the support USarmy Doc. I'm really not looking for sympathy though, just an honest opinion, so thank you to nimotsu as well. By the way, I'm a female! 😛

SORRY. I called you "HE." Congrats on overcoming what you have

abby66 · May 3, 2006

Flopotomist said:
I don't think nimotsu is wrong, and I also don't think that you are wrong. These are just two different strategies to consider. The harsh reality is that there IS prejudice against people with physical and mental illnesses, and that in a field as competitive as the pre-med field, it is worth considering NOT including anything that could harm you. Again.. just one opinion.

Yeah...well for your info, overcoming adversity can also help you stand out in the crowd. And I think it is important to be honest about your experiences and your motivations. Like I said, in many ways, talking about your health struggles (in a positive context of course) shows that you are genuine, and have true insight into the field of medicine (I hate to break it to you, but this insight is something that can't be gained by pushing a gourney around or following a doctor for a few hours a week). Any school that descriminates....screw em! Their Loss!!!

USArmyDoc · May 3, 2006

Anytime Clindor. I know you arn't looking for SYMPATHY. You are looking for EMPATHY.

Flop...I am not totally disagreeing with you. I just feel that it could of been said better. I think its great you are trying to give honest answers. I will tell you from my perspective having had a problem that affected me it helped at some schools hurt at others. I understand the importance of treading that thin line. With that being said, I think it is important to recognize someone when they have been able to succeed despite severe health problems.

Clindor, I hope something pulls through for you because you deserve it a lot more than some who have already gotten it.

USArmyDoc · May 3, 2006

🙂 Flops the man...take it easy on him!

Flopotomist · May 3, 2006

abby66 said:
Yeah...well for your info, overcoming adversity can also help you stand out in the crowd. And I think it is important to be honest about your experiences and your motivations. Like I said, in many ways, talking about your health struggles (in a positive context of course) shows that you are genuine, and have true insight into the field of medicine (I hate to break it to you, but this insight is something that can't be gained by pushing a gourney around or following a doctor for a few hours a week). Any school that descriminates....screw em! Their Loss!!!

Unfortunately, the "any school that descriminates [sic] ...screw 'em" attitude doesn't get you into medical school. It also represents a Pollyanna-esque view of the world. Discussing opinions about matters like this can be done without such immature phrases as "yeah.. well for your info" and platitudes like the one mentioned at the end of this post.

The OP did not ask for us to rally around and support her, she asked for suggestions on how to handle the PS in her situation. We have all given our opinions, and now the OP must decide.

dilated · May 3, 2006

Flopotomist said:
Unfortunately, the "any school that descriminates [sic] ...screw 'em" attitude doesn't get you into medical school. It also represents a Pollyanna-esque view of the world. Discussing opinions about matters like this can be done without such immature phrases as "yeah.. well for your info" and platitudes like the one mentioned at the end of this post.

The OP did not ask for us to rally around and support her, she asked for suggestions on how to handle the PS in her situation. We have all given our opinions, and now the OP must decide.

Yeah. I would get it mentioned briefly in the committee letter if it can be made clear that it won't impact your performance in med school. That's the biggest threat - I doubt they'll ever admit it, but if they think there's the smallest chance you might drop out midway through MS1 because of a chronic illness they're going to toss your app in the garbage.

abby66 · May 3, 2006

Flopotomist said:
Unfortunately, the "any school that descriminates [sic] ...screw 'em" attitude doesn't get you into medical school. It also represents a Pollyanna-esque view of the world. Discussing opinions about matters like this can be done without such immature phrases as "yeah.. well for your info" and platitudes like the one mentioned at the end of this post.

The OP did not ask for us to rally around and support her, she asked for suggestions on how to handle the PS in her situation. We have all given our opinions, and now the OP must decide.

You try living with a chronic, life threatening illness, and then you can give advice. And by the way, why would I want to train at a medical school that discriminates against people with illnesses? I want to be a compassionate, competant doctor, so I still say, screw any school that would hold my illness against me. I have proven myself to be capable of competing on the highest level, why should I want to be around a faculty that would look at my illness as a point against me?

dilated · May 3, 2006

abby66 said:
You try living with a chronic, life threatening illness, and then you can give advice. And by the way, why would I want to train at a medical school that discriminates against people with illnesses? I want to be a compassionate, competant doctor, so I still say, screw any school that would hold my illness against me. I have proven myself to be capable of competing on the highest level, why should I want to be around a faculty that would look at my illness as a point against me?

Enjoy the Caribbean then, because I really doubt there is a single US allo school that won't consider a "chronic life threatening illness" as a major negative when considering whether to admit you. I would strongly advise at least talking to some kind of admissions counselor before applying if you're going to do this.

clindor · May 3, 2006

Have I mentioned that I am perfectly healthy now, just missing a few organs? I just need to have check ups every few years. This is not something that would hinder my performance in med school. They can actually detect if I have thyroid cancer again by doing a simple blood test for natural thyroid hormone since I had radioactive iodine therapy to eliminate all thyroid cells. Pretty cool huh?

USArmyDoc · May 3, 2006

dilated said:
Enjoy the Caribbean then, because I really doubt there is a single US allo school that won't consider a "chronic life threatening illness" as a major negative when considering whether to admit you. I would strongly advise at least talking to some kind of admissions counselor before applying if you're going to do this.

I disagree with this, but I'll let you know soon if this is true in my case, although I don't have a life threatening chronic illness per say. It could become life threatening.

abby66 · May 3, 2006

dilated said:
Enjoy the Caribbean then, because I really doubt there is a single US allo school that won't consider a "chronic life threatening illness" as a major negative when considering whether to admit you. I would strongly advise at least talking to some kind of admissions counselor before applying if you're going to do this.

Hey jerk, I have already been accepted to a high quality allo school in the US, and I am on several other waiting lists at top tier schools, so shows how much you know. My illness is chronic, and can be life threatening if not managed properly. I have done an amazing job taking care of myself, so I am in fine health. If you get into medical school, you will (hopefully) learn something about my disease.

GujjuNo1 · May 3, 2006

clindor said:
Hey everyone,
Last year (my junior year) I ended up having four major operations as a result of my diagnosis with a genetic cancer disorder (total colectomy was two operations, total thyroidectomy, and bowel obstruction). My thyroidectomy happened the week before classes started and my bowel obstruction occurred in the middle of the semester. Since it was a big part of my life and a big reason my grades suffered a bit that year, I was urged by my pre-health committee to include it in my PS. Today someone told me the reason I haven't been accepted yet could be that schools were turned off by this either because they thought it was a sympathy play or because they though my health problems might hinder my performance in medical school. I made my PS very positive and about excelling in the face of trials, and I emphasized that I am absolutely fine now, but I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on this. Thanks for reading, I know it's a long post.

I would not include it. Schools will never accept you out of sympathy. If u r trying to show how you overcame health problems...I would write, at most, a sentance about health problems during college and follow that up with how you bounced back. (two sentances most)

Your essay has to be positive. Doctors in general struggle a lot to get to where they are.

Rafa · May 3, 2006

Abby, you might want to take a chill pill or two before matriculating. Just a bit of advice. 🙂

Flopotomist · May 3, 2006

abby66 said:
You try living with a chronic, life threatening illness, and then you can give advice.

First of all, don't make the error of assuming that you know everything about random strangers on here. You may find yourself embarrassed by your assumptions. Second it is not required that a person experience exactly what the OP has experienced in order to offer advice on a strategy to get into a medical school. Again, medical schools are not going to discriminate against a person because they are "not compassionate" or are "terrible places that you don't want to be a part of." They MAY discriminate because they have a mission of preparing the next generation of health care providers, and are concerned that a certain applicant may not be able to fulfill the obligations of a health care provider.

I think that this concern is best addressed by an OUTSIDER (eg the person writing a LOR). In this manner, the issue of the noble accomplishment of dealing with illness is addressed, an outside evaluation of the applicant's likelihood for success is included in this letter, and the PS can be spent in a more memorable fashion.

I think if you talk to people on adcoms, they will tell you that the most common PS topics are:
1. personal illness 2. EMS story 3. personal family illness 4. confessions or excuses for poor performance.

If you want a stand out essay that is memorable, I would suggest avoiding any of the above.

abby66 · May 3, 2006

USArmyDoc said:
I disagree with this, but I'll let you know soon if this is true in my case, although I don't have a life threatening chronic illness per say. It could become life threatening.

Yeah, this guy dilated is just a total a$$. I wish you the best of luck. I came out fine in the end, and I talked about my illness, so I say go for it (as long as you stay positive and emphasize that you are doing fine)

abby66 · May 3, 2006

Rafa said:
Abby, you might want to take a chill pill or two before matriculating. Just a bit of advice. 🙂

Hey buddy, I'm done! I'm in! I don't need your advice on what to say in my PS

USArmyDoc · May 3, 2006

Flopotomist said:
First of all, don't make the error of assuming that you know everything about random strangers on here. You may find yourself embarrassed by your assumptions. Second it is not required that a person experience exactly what the OP has experienced in order to offer advice on a strategy to get into a medical school. Again, medical schools are not going to discriminate against a person because they are "not compassionate" or are "terrible places that you don't want to study." They MAY discriminate because they have a mission of preparing the next generation of health care providers, and are concerned that a certain applicant may not be able to fulfill the obligations of a health care provider.

I think that this concern is best addressed by an OUTSIDER (eg the person writing a LOR). In this manner, the issue of the noble accomplishment of dealing with illness is addressed, an outside evaluation of the applicant's likelihood for success is included in this letter, and the PS can be spent in a more memorable fashion.

I think if you talk to people on adcoms, they will tell you that the most common PS topics are:
1. personal illness 2. EMS story 3. personal family illness 4. confessions or excuses for poor performance.

If you want a stand out essay that is memorable, I would suggest avoiding any of the above.

Flop...You definitely bring up some good points.

Abby....relax....you are starting to argue on a pure emotional level and while that is not necessarily a bad thing it won't help prove your point. I would include it but include it in a positive manner. Good lucl clindor.

Psycho Doctor · May 3, 2006

abby66 said:
I would not listen to this person. I also have a chronic illness that I have to manage on a daily basis. My illness is a major motivating factor behind my choice to persue medicine, so I absolutely included it in my PS. Any school that would descriminate against me for something that A) I can't control and B) clearly has not compromised my ablity to succeed (32 MCAT and 3.8+ GPA), is not a place I would want to be anyway. You are wrong nimotsu. Not everyone has REAL health problems (unless you count a hang nail), and you really should work on your compassion if you want to be a physician. This person has obviously overcome a major obstacle, so why shouldn't he include it in his PS? Maybe if you knew what it was like to really be a patient, you would not be so rude and callous.

USArmyDoc · May 3, 2006

Flopotomist said:
First of all, don't make the error of assuming that you know everything about random strangers on here. You may find yourself embarrassed by your assumptions. Second it is not required that a person experience exactly what the OP has experienced in order to offer advice on a strategy to get into a medical school. Again, medical schools are not going to discriminate against a person because they are "not compassionate" or are "terrible places that you don't want to study." They MAY discriminate because they have a mission of preparing the next generation of health care providers, and are concerned that a certain applicant may not be able to fulfill the obligations of a health care provider.

I think that this concern is best addressed by an OUTSIDER (eg the person writing a LOR). In this manner, the issue of the noble accomplishment of dealing with illness is addressed, an outside evaluation of the applicant's likelihood for success is included in this letter, and the PS can be spent in a more memorable fashion.

I think if you talk to people on adcoms, they will tell you that the most common PS topics are:
1. personal illness 2. EMS story 3. personal family illness 4. confessions or excuses for poor performance.

If you want a stand out essay that is memorable, I would suggest avoiding any of the above.

Flop...You definitely bring up some good points.

Abby....relax....you are starting to argue on a pure emotional level and while that is not necessarily a bad thing it won't help prove your point. I would include it but include it in a positive manner. Good luck clindor.

Flopotomist · May 3, 2006

On a side note, and not to totally hijack the thread, but Abby - I hope that you learn to communicate with people with differing opinions in a more mature fashion. Your responses have all been either borderline or overtly hostile. Realize that disagreement is not the same as disrespect. There are more than 2 ways to skin a cat, and there are more than 2 ways to write a PS. We appreciate that your way worked for you, but there is also anecdotal evidence to support the opposite view.

Rafa · May 3, 2006

abby66 said:
Hey buddy, I'm done! I'm in! I don't need your advice on what to say in my PS

I'm not advising you on what to put in your PS. I'm advising you to stop treating everyone who disagrees with you as a person unworthy of courtesy.

abby66 · May 3, 2006

Flopotomist said:
First of all, don't make the error of assuming that you know everything about random strangers on here. You may find yourself embarrassed by your assumptions. Second it is not required that a person experience exactly what the OP has experienced in order to offer advice on a strategy to get into a medical school. Again, medical schools are not going to discriminate against a person because they are "not compassionate" or are "terrible places that you don't want to be a part of." They MAY discriminate because they have a mission of preparing the next generation of health care providers, and are concerned that a certain applicant may not be able to fulfill the obligations of a health care provider.

I think that this concern is best addressed by an OUTSIDER (eg the person writing a LOR). In this manner, the issue of the noble accomplishment of dealing with illness is addressed, an outside evaluation of the applicant's likelihood for success is included in this letter, and the PS can be spent in a more memorable fashion.

I think if you talk to people on adcoms, they will tell you that the most common PS topics are:
1. personal illness 2. EMS story 3. personal family illness 4. confessions or excuses for poor performance.

If you want a stand out essay that is memorable, I would suggest avoiding any of the above.

what did you talk about in your PS, since I am sure you think it is so original? Let me tell you, everyone thinks that THEY have the most unique, amazing PS of all. News flash...everyone writes the same thing.

abby66 · May 3, 2006

Rafa said:
I'm not advising you on what to put in your PS. I'm advising you to stop treating everyone who disagrees with you as a person unworthy of courtesy.

I am just trying to prevent you from giving BAD advice to a person when you have no direct experience with the issue at hand.

Flopotomist · May 3, 2006

abby66 said:
what did you talk about in your PS, since I am sure you think it is so original? Let me tell you, everyone thinks that THEY have the most unique, amazing PS of all. News flash...everyone writes the same thing.

Abby, do you talk to people like this in real life, or is the anonymity of the internet allowing you to be so rude? You have called people jerk, a$$hole, used phrases like "for your info" and "news flash" and others. Regardless of the opinions of people on here regarding the OP's situation, I think that you will find near unanimous agreement that your overall tone and approach is immature, rude, unprofessional, and not the type of behavior that people would desire in their physician. Please grow up and learn how to have a disagreement without disrespecting the people with whom you disagree.

Psycho Doctor · May 3, 2006

abby66 said:
Hey buddy, I'm done! I'm in! I don't need your advice on what to say in my PS

Abby, don't take these comments to heart. People around here like to put down the compassionate people. Glad to hear you are managing your disease and you sound like you'll make a really compassionate doctor. Stay just as you are. All the best...

Rafa · May 3, 2006

abby66 said:
I am just trying to prevent you from giving BAD advice to a person when you have no direct experience with the issue at hand.

With your logic, only depressed people would be allowed to be psychiatrists. Only people needing heart transplants would match into cardiology. The world doesn't work that way. That's sort of the point of med school: you learn about different ways to help people with different disorders, without actually contracting/suffering from those disorders yourself. If you think you need to suffer from X disease to understand it, the only kind of patients you'll be fit to treat will be those who went through *every* experience you did. You might want to consider the fact that if nearly *everyone* is disagreeing with you on this issue, maybe not *everyone* is wrong.

Psycho Doctor · May 3, 2006

Flopotomist said:
Abby, do you talk to people like this in real life, or is the anonymity of the internet allowing you to be so rude? You have called people jerk, a$$hole, used phrases like "for your info" and "news flash" and others. Regardless of the opinions of people on here regarding the OP's situation, I think that you will find near unanimous agreement that your overall tone and approach is immature, rude, unprofessional, and not the type of behavior that people would desire in their physician. Please grow up and learn how to have a disagreement without disrespecting the people with whom you disagree.

um...don't you think people were disrespectful to her???? 😕

Rafa · May 3, 2006

Psycho Doctor said:
um...don't you think people were disrespectful to her???? 😕

Um...read the thread again. She's pretty much the only character directly insulting other posters. Separate her illness from her behavior on the thread. No matter what a person goes through, being rude is being rude.

Flopotomist · May 3, 2006

Psycho Doctor said:
Abby, don't take these comments to heart. People around here like to put down the compassionate people. Glad to hear you are managing your disease and you sound like you'll make a really compassionate doctor. Stay just as you are. All the best...

Psycho - NOBODY on here is putting down compassionate people. Nobody. We are giving opinions about whether or not to include the past serious illness of an applicant on a personal statement.

Let us not frame this discussion with emotionally charged language such as "the compassionate" people say to include it, and the "people oppressing the compassionate" people say to leave it out.

Again... the discussion is about a strategy for gaining acceptance at a medical school. Let us stay on topic.

dachsigrl · May 3, 2006

I think abby is just very passionate about this issue. You might want to tone it down a little, but I think psycho doc is right. Congrats on your success. You show em....

Flopotomist · May 3, 2006

Psycho Doctor said:
um...don't you think people were disrespectful to her???? 😕

Perhaps you have read something that I missed. I saw that people disagreed with her, however I didn't see anything directly disrespectful. So to answer your question - no. I did however see much language from her that was disrespectful.

Psycho Doctor · May 3, 2006

Rafa said:
With your logic, only depressed people would be allowed to be psychiatrists. Only people needing heart transplants would match into cardiology. The world doesn't work that way. That's sort of the point of med school: you learn about different ways to help people with different disorders, without actually contracting/suffering from those disorders yourself. If you think you need to suffer from X disease to understand it, the only kind of patients you'll be fit to treat will be those who went through *every* experience you did. You might want to consider the fact that if nearly *everyone* is disagreeing with you on this issue, maybe not *everyone* is wrong.

perhaps she means that you need to understand what it like to be a patient so you can be compassionate, something that many of you obviously are not. That's something that people often need to gain insight and maturity to appreciate.

dachsigrl · May 3, 2006

Psycho Doctor said:
perhaps she means that you need to understand what it like to be a patient so you can be compassionate, something that many of you obviously are not. That's something that people often need to gain insight and maturity to appreciate.

Here Here! Cheers!!!

Rafa · May 3, 2006

Psycho Doctor said:
perhaps she means that you need to understand what it like to be a patient so you can be compassionate, something that many of you obviously are not. That's something that people often need to gain insight and maturity to appreciate.

You're getting personal again. I'm not going to argue this with you on an emotional level. And I'm not going to turn this into a "I suffered from this so I can talk down to you with my sufferinglyness" contest. Before you go around prattling about insight and compassion and maturity, you might want to step back and review the progress of this thread. That's all I'll say about this. 🙂

Flopotomist · May 3, 2006

Psycho Doctor said:
perhaps she means that you need to understand what it like to be a patient so you can be compassionate, something that many of you obviously are not. That's something that people often need to gain insight and maturity to appreciate.

Can you please show me where anybody here as demonstrated that they are "obviously not compassionate?" I think maturity would be demonstrated by refraining from debating in a style most often heard in the hallways of junior highschools as Abby has done.

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