Hello,
On my secondary application there is an optional question asking:
Please describe any significant barriers or challenges you may have overcome in the pursuit of your personal/professional goals.
I have had significant barriers that I would like adcoms to know about, but I‘m worried about the sensitivity of describing such topics on an application. I married and had children at a relatively young age. I met my ex-husband while working as an EMT, but after we married, he made me quit my job because he said my presence at the company interfered with his ability to work. I was in paramedic school at the time, which he also didn’t allow me to complete because he said it was selfish, and his certifications were better for the family because he made the money. It was a terrible relationship and I divorced him after 4 years and registered for school at a community college immediately.
I moved into my parents basement with my 3 kids. Two of my siblings were also living with my parents along with their significant others, all of which have substance abuse/ mental health issues. I was robbed multiple times from within my home, had my computer and backpack stolen, etc.
It was also a struggle financially. I had to put my children in day care to attend school. I was approved for a state program that helped with childcare expenses, but had to work full time to cover the balance. Then, in the middle of a semester, that assistance was revoked when a new case worker determined that I needed to be working toward a technical degree with a direct school to job path to qualify; a bachelors degree was not acceptable.
My parents own a business and relied on me heavily to work because my siblings were unreliable, which took away significant time that I should have been using to study for the MCAT. My dad in particular is in poor health, and feeling additional stress from the Covid-19 threat. I took the MCAT last year and didn’t do well because I didn’t have sufficient time to study. I registered for a retake this June, but 3 weeks before my test, the FBI came to my parents house to arrest my sister on drug trafficking charges. My parents were under significant stress already and this made it harder for me to abandon them by taking time off to study. I have another retake in September, but I have already submitted my applications.
I’m not sure if you will need this information, but throughout my undergrad, I managed to maintain an high gpa (3.85 non-science/ 3.67 science—would have been higher but a semester B and B+‘S from paramedic school were factored in). My MCAT scores were 493 and 497.
Any clarity you can provide on if or how I should frame my situation would be greatly appreciated.
