Adversary Essay ( Only read if you're willing to look at something personal)

[mwsapphire]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi everyone,
I'm gonna talk about something kinda personal on here.

I'm not sure what to put in the personal challenges essay that I know is so common for the med school app.

I know you're not supposed to put academic stuff on there- it's too superficial and can draw attention to negatives in your application.

That just leaves personal things I've experienced. I'm wondering if I'm what I plan on writing is okay to write about- whether it "counts" or is the right amount of personal. I honestly feel like this is easier to talk about in an anonymous forum. I know " personal" is in the nature of the question- but i don't wanna put something off-putting.

Here it goes.

So when I was in elementary school, I was bullied for like 3 whole years. I grew a lot from that experience ( hard to imagine a 9 y/o growing up, but I did). I was never a bully back to the main couple of kids who were mean to me. I feel like this experience gave me a large part of my compassion and non-judgemental attitude, as well as understanding of human nature, instead of turning bitter and cold.

Can I write about it?

 

[sunshinefl]

It’s not off-putting, I just I wouldn’t use it because you were in elementary school (too young/long ago). But others might feel differently, and I hope you get many responses to consider.

 

[mwsapphire]

It’s not off-putting, I just I wouldn’t use it because you were in elementary school (too young/long ago). But others might feel differently, and I hope you get many responses to consider.

Well... I see what you're saying- but I think it demonstrates a long-standing sense of compassion. I mean, I really do feel like I grew up fast. I'm hoping more people can just confirm that it's not a weird or off putting thing for someone in admissions to read about.

 

[guacalot]

First, I am so sorry that this experience hurt your childhood. I'm sure that it had a role in developing positive personality traits. However, the adversity essay should show that you are a competent adult who has experienced some type of failure. They want to make sure that your first life failure won't be medical school. Writing about something that happened 10+ years ago says that you still remember hurtful things from way in the past. Physicians need to have tough skin and I feel that writing about this would demonstrate the opposite.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Can you connect this with something more current? Because if not it might make the message seem a bit dated like others have mentioned. That's of course not to discount it, but rather to make it the most effective thing in a med school application.

 

[Goro]

Hi everyone,
I'm gonna talk about something kinda personal on here.

I'm not sure what to put in the personal challenges essay that I know is so common for the med school app.

I know you're not supposed to put academic stuff on there- it's too superficial and can draw attention to negatives in your application.

That just leaves personal things I've experienced. I'm wondering if I'm what I plan on writing is okay to write about- whether it "counts" or is the right amount of personal. I honestly feel like this is easier to talk about in an anonymous forum. I know " personal" is in the nature of the question- but i don't wanna put something off-putting.

Here it goes.

So when I was in elementary school, I was bullied for like 3 whole years. I grew a lot from that experience ( hard to imagine a 9 y/o growing up, but I did). I was never a bully back to the main couple of kids who were mean to me. I feel like this experience gave me a large part of my compassion and non-judgemental attitude, as well as understanding of human nature, instead of turning bitter and cold.

Can I write about it?

Too long ago.
Introspection is a required trait for a doctor.
You can do better.

 

[mwsapphire]

Too long ago.
Introspection is a required trait for a doctor.
You can do better.

But then it would have to be something academic. Like W'ing and retaking a class. But you're not supposed to do that either.

 

[animalluver101]

There must have been a point in your life where something didn't go the way you wanted it to and you almost gave up. I think the adversity essay asks to talk about moments in your life where you felt like throwing in the towel but you didn't for one reason or another.

 

[965978]

I was bullied at lot in 6th grade and I became a better person for it. It wasn’t until high school/college that I pondered over it and became stronger.

If you like you can PM me and we can bond over our horrible childhoods lol

 

[907914]

But then it would have to be something academic. Like W'ing and retaking a class. But you're not supposed to do that either.

Why did you have to W the class? Was it just too difficult of a class....or did you have a cherished grandma die *wink wink*

 

[ciestar]

My adversity essay was about my childhood. Of course, mine was much harder hitting than the scenario provided in the OP. It was a good “come from behind” story, though.

 

[Goro]

But then it would have to be something academic. Like W'ing and retaking a class. But you're not supposed to do that either.

Nobody leads a charmed life.

 

[mwsapphire]

Nobody leads a charmed life.

So is the W'ing and retake worth talking about? Or no? I mean on one hand it's on my transcript ( I W'd orgo and retook it, no family crisis there) and OTOH, it's a negative maybe I shouldn't draw attention to.

 

[gyngyn]

Adversity need not be external.

 

[Goro]

So is the W'ing and retake worth talking about? Or no? I mean on one hand it's on my transcript ( I W'd orgo and retook it, no family crisis there) and OTOH, it's a negative maybe I shouldn't draw attention to.

You're still not getting it. We want to see that you have a life outside of school.

I repeat again, nobody leads a Charmed Life, and introspection is a required trait for a doctor.

 

[Campana]

There are bullying stories from elementary school and then there are bullying stories from elementary school. Three years is a long time, especially during socially formative years when pervasive abuse can be life altering. You could try to summarize the salient points, capture the depth and breadth, objectively as though it weren't you, then determine if someone else would read it and say "Wow, that's really terrible. I can't imagine. How does such a thing happen?" or "Yep, that sounds like the mean kids in elementary school." I've seen/heard both and sometimes a bullying experience is a critical piece to telling the story of how a person came to be, while sometimes it's just another example of how difficult childhood is by nature.

I can't speak to the adcom perspective, but from what has been said, if your experience is the latter (painful but unfortunately common), then it is probably not a great adversity essay. And, if it is the former, then sharing succinctly from the reflective position of an adult whose compassion and insight is shaped by it could be a reasonable adversity essay.

 

[deleted972488]

I’ve written a couple of these essays and in some of them, I talk about how I was bullied for being LGBT in elementary school through college. If it’s something that affected you for a long period of time and shaped you into a compassionate person, then it might be worth writing about.

 

[mwsapphire]

There are bullying stories from elementary school and then there are bullying stories from elementary school. Three years is a long time, especially during socially formative years when pervasive abuse can be life altering. You could try to summarize the salient points, capture the depth and breadth, objectively as though it weren't you, then determine if someone else would read it and say "Wow, that's really terrible. I can't imagine. How does such a thing happen?" or "Yep, that sounds like the mean kids in elementary school." I've seen/heard both and sometimes a bullying experience is a critical piece to telling the story of how a person came to be, while sometimes it's just another example of how difficult childhood is by nature.

I can't speak to the adcom perspective, but from what has been said, if your experience is the latter (painful but unfortunately common), then it is probably not a great adversity essay. And, if it is the former, then sharing succinctly from the reflective position of an adult whose compassion and insight is shaped by it could be a reasonable adversity essay.

It's the former. That's what I mean. It did mess me up for a long time.