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1) Can you give me a different ending? Focus on what you learned about yourself as a caregiver and effective head-of-household taking care of your sibling rather than the repercussions of you withdrawing from classes and losing your scholarship.

2) Can you give me more details about your struggles living in a Southern rural town? How did you deal with it or cope?

Make sure you answer the prompts. It's not clear to me that you have thought about how you will end your essays.
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
1) Can you give me a different ending? Focus on what you learned about yourself as a caregiver and effective head-of-household taking care of your sibling rather than the repercussions of you withdrawing from classes and losing your scholarship.

2) Can you give me more details about your struggles living in a Southern rural town? How did you deal with it or cope?

Make sure you answer the prompts. It's not clear to me that you have thought about how you will end your essays.
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That's true, thanks for the redirection. I'll do some more reflection, but for now here is a brain dump:

1. Prior to that experience, I'd only ever really needed to manage one "role"--that of a student. The additional responsibility (cook, disciplinarian, emotional support, etc.) during an already difficult time was overwhelming and I felt immense self-imposed pressure to succeed in all areas, but eventually I realized the importance of managing priorities to avoid spreading myself thin and ensure the best possible outcome for everyone involved (not just myself), particularly my brother. As a result I am currently much better equipped to manage the multiple roles and responsibilities I will have in med school and my medical career.

2. I was the only Asian kid in my school, and faced a lot of bullying. In the most egregious case, some boys backed me against a wall and prodded at my eyes while calling me slurs. This behavior was not appropriately managed by school administration. My teacher mocked the snacks I would bring into class, which was the green light for my classmates to do the same. Any academic success was attributed to my identity and not my character. With encouragement from my parents, I actually coped by diving more into my culture and family history and as a result gained a lot of pride in my background. I even ended up organizing a small program on our school news broadcast educating/celebrating Lunar New Year, and now I view education as critical in combatting ignorance.

Would 2 work for a diversity essay? My other option for diversity was my original intention to pursue education. I switched mid-way through college but I did work extensively in education (particularly Americorps) during my first two years.
 
I understand you're trying to write ideas for one essay, so you need to answer each prompt. #1, #3, and #4 ask about guidance, support, or resources (which you haven't mentioned). #3 asks for coping skills. Also, pay close attention to what each prompt asks and what it might NOT ask. Writing about the relevance to your future career is not the same as your new approach asking for help. Then you must navigate word limits.

I need your diversity prompt to comment on #2. Some prompts specifically ask for experiencing or witnessing harassment or discrimination while others ask about the value you bring to a program's diversity. These are different facets of the same concept.
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
I understand you're trying to write ideas for one essay, so you need to answer each prompt. #1, #3, and #4 ask about guidance, support, or resources (which you haven't mentioned). #3 asks for coping skills. Also, pay close attention to what each prompt asks and what it might NOT ask. Writing about the relevance to your future career is not the same as your new approach asking for help. Then you must navigate word limits.

I need your diversity prompt to comment on #2. Some prompts specifically ask for experiencing or witnessing harassment or discrimination while others ask about the value you bring to a program's diversity. These are different facets of the same concept.
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Got it, I'll keep that in mind. Of the two, which do you think is the best jumping-off point that I'll then tailor to each specific prompt?

These prompts seem like it combines diversity and adversity:

10. What makes you a unique individual? What challenges have you faced? What have you learned from your experiences? (750 characters)

Tell us about something that is integral to understanding who you are as a person that we would not automatically know from reading your application. These may be things like qualities, characteristics, or events you feel are unique to your life experience. You could address personally important and/or challenging experiences in your background that have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine and service to others. These may include experiences such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, cultural background, or other significant events or circumstances that you feel have shaped your character and defined you as an individual. (Limit 4000 characters)

though the challenges with my cultural/ethnic background are hardly "unique"
 
Alright, thanks! For the adversity prompts above, which of my two topics do you think is a better starting point? I'm leaning towards 1, but should I be worried about repeating the same experience when discussing my three W's? @Mr.Smile12
 
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