Allusion to abortion in personal statement?

[burlypie]

I don't want to start a debate or light a fire but...

Part of my volunteer Health Educator position at a free women's clinic is doing preganacy options counseling, where part of giving a positive pregnancy test is presenting ALL the availbale options to the woman and answering any question they might have, from abortion techniques to resources for prenatal care.

Anyway, this can be satisfying especially when I feel I've really empowered a woman make the right decision for herself, through the unbiased education I've given. Recently I had an experience with this that really reaffirmed my desire to be a physician and I would LOVE to write about it in the PS...but is it going to be too controversial even alluding to abotion even if the closest I get to the word is "options" and the phrase "deciding to parent or not"?

I know it's be fine for california (no loma linda though) and new york, but how would schools in more conservative areas react? Does anyone have any experience with anything like this?

again, I'm not looking to start an abortion debate, we all have our own valid opinions and they aren't likely to be changed by reading an internet board...thanks for any real input anyone can give!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Joe Joe on da Radio]

g-town is a no-no as well. they don't perform abortions at their main hospital.

if it's important to you, i would write about it, but be *fully* prepared to discuss this issue at interviews then.

 

[lola]

i don't know about other parts of the country as i'm from cali as well 🙂, but you probably would not want to write that if you're applying to jesuit schools (loyola, gtown, slu). but then, do you really want to go to those schools anyway? they *say* they respect others' beliefs (and they probably do), but the person who reads your app might not appreciate your experiences if he/she has strong anti-abortion views. this could probably be said about any school, though. sorry, that's not much help but thought i'd point that out.

 

[Mutterkuchen]

If it were me I would not focus on anything overly controversial in the PS. You could discuss what you do at the clinic and how it has impacted your decision to attend medical school, but if there is a specific incident that will generate concern, I would not put it in there.

If the story is valuable to you, you can talk about it in your interviews, where you can gauge the situation and the interviewer beforehand.

That's what I would do from conservative St. Louis.

 

[Cookie Monster]

I think you would be just fine including that into your personal statement, especially since it is a big part of your desire to become a doctor. I personally am against abortion, but I know that it is legal and a part of healthcare for women, so if I read that in your statement I would not be offended. I think any medical school that you would like to be a part of would also take that stand, no matter how they feel about the issue.

 

[conure]

Originally posted by burlypie

Part of my volunteer Health Educator position at a free women's clinic is .............

Anyway, this can be satisfying especially when I feel I've really empowered a woman make the right decision for herself, through the unbiased education I've given.

This is tough because you are obviously moved by your interactions in this clinic and that is a very important thing to convey to the Ad Comm. On the other hand the issue may simply be to touchy for some people on the Committee.

Ultimately I think you need to stay away from stating that you counseled specifically on abortion. Even stating something like "to parent or not" is too risky. Like you said it was only part of your job, so there must be many things about the clinic that are staisfying. I think you could capture that satisfaction without the specifics or through other examples.

 

[wexy]

talk about it. its important to you, just dont send it to religious schools.
i was pretty risque in my essay, and i got into as many schools as if i had a boring essay. But I am from NY, and all these schools are very liberal anyway.

good luck,
-wexy

 

[irlandesa]

I think I would mention it using generalities such as, "helping women with a wide range of reproductive health issues and problems", "working to insure that women who can not afford reproductive health services receive the care they need", etc., etc.. even "counseling for women in a crisis pregnancy situation" is not too bad because it does not allude that you advised anyone to terminate a pregnancy. I agree with others that if you write about it, be prepared to talk about it. One girl in my class worked for a year at Planned Parenthood before med school and I am almost certain that she put it in her application b/c she is quite open about it. If an interviewer seems to be conservative and gets argumentative or uncomfortable with your work, you might want to tell them about a time that a woman decided to keep her baby or give it up for adoption after a counseling session with you (without breaking patient confidentiality), if such a scenario exists.

 

[Desdemona]

I don't think it's a good idea to generalize even about NY or California, because plenty of conservative people live there. For example, at one of my interviews in NYC, I was interviewing with this older doctor, and I mentioned that I thought our healthcare system should be more like Canada's....and he just looked at me in amazement or horror and left me kind of feeling awkward. I'm expecting to be rejected at that school because I haven't gotten an acceptance and they are definitely rolling....so be careful, you never know who will read your essay.

I think you should stay away from anything controversial in your personal statement. That will go to all the schools you apply to through AMCAS , and sometimes your letter of rec. writers ask to read it before they write your letter. Maybe instead talk about your motivation to be a doctor and say that some of your experiences have reinforced it, but I would leave that one out--at least in your personal statement. When you get secondaries, you may very well have an opportunity to address this topic, and you can gauge whether or not it would be appropriate--ie. don't write about it if you apply to a religious-affiliated school. Even so, it's still risky, and if I were you, I would leave it out and talk about it in your interviews, where you can decide how it may be received.

 

[Nanon]

I also think you should include it. First of all, it's seems so integral to both your desire to become a physician and your belief system, that to not include it would probably leave an enormous gap of unanswered questions for an interviewer. You do intend to put your position on your application, right? To not mention it (especially if you've been there a while) would seem somewhat... disingenuous, if I were reviewing your application as a whole. Like you were trying to hide who you actually are. Or that you just did the volunteering to fill a line in your application.

I also do some, let's say, "controversial" volunteering. I head up one of the only anonymous HIV test sites in San Francisco, at a needle exchange. Lots and lots of people disagree with this - both needle exchange and anonymous testing. For instance, UCSF is really proving itself to be anti-anonymous testing, and you should hear the nasty comments I get when I wear my needle exchange hoodie (although, lots of people ask if they can buy it, too ). But I digress...

I fully intend to write about it, because a) it's a position of leadership, and b) it pretty accurately reflects the kinds of work I'll be interested in as a physician. If an adcom member or a school has an issue with it, and rejects me because of it, they've done me a favor.

Just my spare change,

Nanon

 

[Joe Joe on da Radio]

Originally posted by Nanon
I also think you should include it. First of all, it's seems so integral to both your desire to become a physician and your belief system, that to not include it would probably leave an enormous gap of unanswered questions for an interviewer. You do intend to put your position on your application, right? To not mention it (especially if you've been there a while) would seem somewhat... disingenuous, if I were reviewing your application as a whole. Like you were trying to hide who you actually are. Or that you just did the volunteering to fill a line in your application.

I also do some, let's say, "controversial" volunteering. I head up one of the only anonymous HIV test sites in San Francisco, at a needle exchange. Lots and lots of people disagree with this - both needle exchange and anonymous testing. For instance, UCSF is really proving itself to be anti-anonymous testing, and you should hear the nasty comments I get when I wear my needle exchange hoodie (although, lots of people ask if they can buy it, too ). But I digress...

I fully intend to write about it, because a) it's a position of leadership, and b) it pretty accurately reflects the kinds of work I'll be interested in as a physician. If an adcom member or a school has an issue with it, and rejects me because of it, they've done me a favor.

Just my spare change,

Nanon

RIGHT ON NANON! 😉

 

[Nanon]

Thanks, Joe Joe! 😀

 

[Mistress S]

Burlypie,
I also think you should include it if it was important to you (which it sounds like it was), but I am certainly not an unbiased source. I have worked at a women's health clinic for almost 5 years, and abortion services are definitely a part of what we do. I have counseled hundreds of women through unwanted pregnancies, and participated directly in providing abortion care to patients (setting up appointments for this, explaining the procedure to them, etc). I'm proud of what I do, and the years I have spent at the clinic have been integral to my motivation to become a physician, so I wouldn't even consider leaving it out. While abortion services have not provided me with any stories I feel compelled to talk about specifically, if they had I wouldn't hesitate to include it in my PS. It's 2003, any school that is so backwards in its thinking that it wouldn't consider a student who assisted with providing--or even talking about--a legal service that is a vital part of women's health care is not somewhere I would want to go.

Of course, I understand your concern too; it's one that has crossed my mind, although in my case it would be impossible to leave out my experiences in this area without lying about a large portion of my life (my place of employment for the last 5 years), while in your case it does seem like you have a choice. Adcoms can be conservative, and it is up to you to decide how important the abortion aspect is to your particular experience and how necessary it would be to include that. Wording is key, I would think you should be able to present the situation you dealt with without disclosing your own views on abortion if you don't want to, and I would also think that the ability to provide care to patients in a non-judgemental fashion would be something adcoms would admire and not look down on you for. Another reason I don't think you should worry too much is because several people I have worked with over the years at this clinic have been accepted to medical school (including one at the University of Utah), none of whom tried to hide where they worked from adcoms and several of whom I know for a fact used their experiences from the clinic in essays and/or interviews. It didn't hurt them, and I doubt it would hurt you.

 

[ScreamingTreesRule]

Be true to yourself. If this is what is inspiring you to become a physician, then do NOT hold back. Like the others said, you don't want to go to a school that doesn't agree with the fundamental reason why you want to become a physician.

Others may disagree, but if you follow their advice, then you will be selling yourself out.

Originally posted by burlypie
I don't want to start a debate or light a fire but...

Part of my volunteer Health Educator position at a free women's clinic is doing preganacy options counseling, where part of giving a positive pregnancy test is presenting ALL the availbale options to the woman and answering any question they might have, from abortion techniques to resources for prenatal care.

Anyway, this can be satisfying especially when I feel I've really empowered a woman make the right decision for herself, through the unbiased education I've given. Recently I had an experience with this that really reaffirmed my desire to be a physician and I would LOVE to write about it in the PS...but is it going to be too controversial even alluding to abotion even if the closest I get to the word is "options" and the phrase "deciding to parent or not"?

I know it's be fine for california (no loma linda though) and new york, but how would schools in more conservative areas react? Does anyone have any experience with anything like this?

again, I'm not looking to start an abortion debate, we all have our own valid opinions and they aren't likely to be changed by reading an internet board...thanks for any real input anyone can give!

 

[manicmaven]

Burlypie,

Most of my volunteer work has been with planned parenthood. I mentioned my role as an abortion advocate in my essay, and one of my recommenders discussed it at length. I did not apply to Loma Linda, but I did get interviews to Georgetown and St. Louis University and have been accepted at SLU (highly select pool at georgetown).

Write a great essay and be proud of what you've done. It shouldn't hinder your success. Good luck.

 

[UCLA2000]

Originally posted by burlypie
I don't want to start a debate or light a fire but...

Part of my volunteer Health Educator position at a free women's clinic is doing preganacy options counseling, where part of giving a positive pregnancy test is presenting ALL the availbale options to the woman and answering any question they might have, from abortion techniques to resources for prenatal care.

Anyway, this can be satisfying especially when I feel I've really empowered a woman make the right decision for herself, through the unbiased education I've given. Recently I had an experience with this that really reaffirmed my desire to be a physician and I would LOVE to write about it in the PS...but is it going to be too controversial even alluding to abotion even if the closest I get to the word is "options" and the phrase "deciding to parent or not"?

I know it's be fine for california (no loma linda though) and new york, but how would schools in more conservative areas react? Does anyone have any experience with anything like this?

again, I'm not looking to start an abortion debate, we all have our own valid opinions and they aren't likely to be changed by reading an internet board...thanks for any real input anyone can give!

Basically you're wondering if you should write something that could potentially harm your application (and has no hope of helping it?)

I wouldn't. I'd just say that I worked at a family planning clinic and leave it at that. If you're asked about it during interviews then you can get into it.

 

[republicandr]

Burlypie,
Do not include this in your personal statement. Many doctors are conservative and many of them are on admissions committies. I feel strongly that abortion is murder. If I were on the admissions committee and saw your application and that of someone else, and your credentials were basically the same and it came down to a vote, my bias would be to the person who had not mentioned in their personal statement that they had counseled someone to have an abortion.

I stayed away from controversial issues on my personal statement. I had over twenty people read my personal statement, both liberal and conservative and I removed offensive items. You will be able to explain your perspective on controversial issues when you are interviewed. I argued politely with a few of my interviewers on a few controversial issues, and it did not affect me negatively.

We all know there are liberal and conservative views, but there is a right time for them, and it is not on the personal statement.

 

[manicmaven]

🙄 🙄 🙄

It sounds like this experience has really shaped your desire to become a physician. You can talk about this in a non-threatening way and avoid inflammatory statements, making it a powerful part of your essay. I would dwell on how ALL of your experiences (other ECs, undergrad exp, personal background) have helped you to reach this point in your life. I've had absolutely no problem getting tons of interviews with this being a part of my application. Have it proof-read by a variety of people and make sure your desire to be a doc comes through.

Even if you don't include this in your main AMCAS essay, you will no doubt want to include this experience in your short essays about ECs. If it's a clinic that works with reproductive services, you can bet one of your interviewers will ask you about what exactly you did. There is no reason to avoid the subject or lie about your job. If the interviewer feels like you are being honest about your experiences, it's always a good thing. You might end up with a super conservative interviewer...so be it. If s/he rejects you for involving youself in something you're passionate about, you might not want to be at that school in the first place.

If every conservative doc on an adcom tossed an app because of Women's Clinic, AIDS, or clean needle project work, a good number of med students out there would have never matriculated.

 

[applegirl]

I would be increadibly careful with this. You never know who you might encounter even in the most liberal school. I am Catholic and I would not be that impressed with your EC. I am not on any Adcom but you might encounter someone that is Catholic and on a commitee. So be careful with what you say. Perhaps you can focus more on the adoption or women who keep their babies . I don't know. This is completely my view and you should do what you feel is right. You can include it, and think, if people don't like it, I don't want to go to their school anyway. Or you can be safe, and not include it. Watch out for the Catholic schools though, like Creighton, they will not like it at all. Trust me.

 

[gower]

The right to abortion is supported by a sizeable majority in this country, including Catholics. In general, medical school faculty tend to be accepting of other people's personal viewpoints on a wide variety of "controversial" topics. If you wish to include your views on almost anything, do so. BUT:

Do not let your view on one topic take over the statement; keep it short and concise. The personal statement is there to learn more about you as an individual. It is not there to repeat items that bear simply listing on the application and which may be expanded on if an interviewer asks. The space is to be used wisely, to be written in good, literate English, to convey a sense of you as a PERSON, not just a grade getter, nor to explain why not if that applies, nor to explain your views on one topic. If you write about experiences, limit the number but write about the meaning to you of those few: lessons learned, insights, reflections on the experience. Keep the descriptions of other people to the minimum needed to set a scene. The statement is about YOU, not them. If you learned any lessons, describe what you learned, don't write in broad generalities.

I would like to believe that there are other people like me out there: I support abortion but I accept the right of others to disagree. If I were an interviewer I would not reject anyone, otherwise well qualified, only on the ground of their objection to abortion. (I would if they denied the legal right to abortion, by torching, shooting at or killing physicians/clinics who legally provide abortions and abortion information).

 

[burlypie]

Thanks everyone

I'm still in the process of writing (and need to get a draft out soon before a former prof goes on sabatical!) and will be taking your thoughts into account. While it's true that I've had a lot of other great health education experiences, I've found this particular one more alalogous to the difficult situations a doctor might find him or herself in when trying to help a patient decide on a course of treatment.

(By the way, I want to make it clear that I have NEVER counseled a woman to have an abortion. That's certainly not my decision to make. She does what she wants to, I simply answer her questions.)


BTW...I also work in the neonatal ICU at UCSF. Would that maybe act as enough of a balance to show that I'm not a monster who hates babies? i guess it's all how I present it... argh, I hate writing about myself like this. 🙁

 

[faerichilde]

I write as a current medical student. First of all, the majority of the medical community feels that it is not controversial, but incredibly important to provide patients with all of their options regarding their health. This includes women's reproductive health. I would not consider such an essay to be controversial, but an insight into your ability to be an open minded physician. The only advice I can offer (to anyone who is applying for medical school) is DO NOT write a boring, generic personal statement if there is any way you can avoid it. For your particular statement, there is a possibility that schools that are, as an institution, pro-life, may not approve of your activities, but if you have an interest in reproductive health issues, you should probably avoid attending these schools, where you would not have the opportunity to receive training in all aspects of reproductive health.