Areas of Improvement

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This is definitely a "weakness" essay, and even if you take both readings, the weakness essay is far more relevant and helpful to the role of a physician. It explicitly excludes the "acquisition of new knowledge" such as how a car works. You should be wary of unintentionally humblebragging about being confident or outspoken, and instead reflect on settings in which these normally good qualities may come in your way - for instance, if interviewing a particularly shy or reticent patient.
 
There is an ancient piece of advice that you should never write about what your actual weaknesses are in an essay about your weaknesses. I wouldn't say either of these essay topics is necessarily an immediate red flag, but you should be careful not to put any doubts in the adcom's mind about whether you can handle the stresses of medical school or the responsibilities of being a physician. An essay about poor study and sleep habits, overeating or conversely forgetting to eat when under pressure, or never exercising and being in poor physical shape (and believe me, there are a lot of medical students I know who check all these boxes) is likely to raise red flags, even if you say this is something you want to work on. Similarly, if you write about having trouble prioritizing people who are important to you, it may come across that you would have difficulty giving time and empathy to your patients when you have a multitude of other responsibilities. It all comes down to how you write it, but I think your original idea of talking about being too outspoken and possibly eclipsing others is superior to either of these
 
There is an ancient piece of advice that you should never write about what your actual weaknesses are in an essay about your weaknesses. I wouldn't say either of these essay topics is necessarily an immediate red flag, but you should be careful not to put any doubts in the adcom's mind about whether you can handle the stresses of medical school or the responsibilities of being a physician. An essay about poor study and sleep habits, overeating or conversely forgetting to eat when under pressure, or never exercising and being in poor physical shape (and believe me, there are a lot of medical students I know who check all these boxes) is likely to raise red flags, even if you say this is something you want to work on. Similarly, if you write about having trouble prioritizing people who are important to you, it may come across that you would have difficulty giving time and empathy to your patients when you have a multitude of other responsibilities. It all comes down to how you write it, but I think your original idea of talking about being too outspoken and possibly eclipsing others is superior to either of these
Thank you! Very good advice
 
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