biggest challenge essay

[nabilesmail]

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Its all over my fb (scrolled back 3 years 😛)! It screwed my prom, grad night, and summer + SOME freshman year college!

I called up my date (who I really wanted to go with) and was like, dude I don't think I can go to prom with you unless I put on a dress!

Worse day ever!

 

[nabilesmail]

bump lol... anyone?

 

[GoPelicans]

Bump. I know it might be early to start thinking about secondaries, but we go hard at the SDN.

For the challenge essay, I was thinking to write about how I work with a lot of foreigners, and they are sometimes difficult to communicate with. I developed better communication/listening skills to make it work.

Does this sound like a legit essay? Everything I read says the actual challenge matters less than what you learned from it.

 

[Narmerguy]

Bump. I know it might be early to start thinking about secondaries, but we go hard at the SDN.

For the challenge essay, I was thinking to write about how I work with a lot of foreigners, and they are sometimes difficult to communicate with. I developed better communication/listening skills to make it work.

Does this sound like a legit essay? Everything I read says the actual challenge matters less than what you learned from it.

Is this really what you consider your greatest challenge, or simply a great challenge?

 

[GoPelicans]

Is this really what you consider your greatest challenge, or simply a great challenge?

Err that was in response to:
Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it

Didn't realize the thread title was GREATEST challenge.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

I will probably use Everest. Or my solo trek from Denali NP to the Grand Canyon.

Or maybe I'll just write "women."

 

[LizzyM]

maybe I'll just write "women."

 

[ram1senk]

One time, at band camp..

 

[Quizlet04]

I'm guessing that writing about my wife's MS is a no-no because it implies that I might not be able to handle school if she has an attack. Welp, it's a good thing that my family had a spate of deaths last year (5? 6? in total), plus mom had cancer, so I have plenty of things that were challenging.

I'm also guessing that "learning to schmooze in front of an open casket" isn't really a great skill to speak of. Italian funerals make for some seriously weird social interactions that you need to learn to handle. Making small talk next to a corpse is one of them!

 

[Pacna]

I've heard that this question is also a question of maturity. If your biggest challenge in life was a tough class in college, it shows that you haven't faced adult problems. If you can't think of anything, I think it's okay to admit that you haven't faced anything monstrous yet, but when I do I will do x y and z to deal with it. That will come off better than saying how you studied really hard to get that A.

Just a thought.

 

[steelersfan92]

I have a possible topic for a challenge essay that I am unsure if I should write about. I have epilepsy that I inherited genetically from my father. It is a very mild form and I've only had one major seizure. I was diagnosed in high school but since that time I learned a lot about relaxation techniques and went on to practice yoga and other related things that I do constantly now. I never would have taken up that path had it not been for this adversity. I even took on independent research projects in epilepsy throughout college.

Will adcoms view this negatively by any chance as I could get a seizure in medicine school, residency, etc.? If I wrote about this as my challenge would they be hesitant to accept me as I would be a "risky" investment?

 

[TheBossDoctor]

What if my greatest challenge was trying to walk back to my apartment after taking 21 shots on my 21st birthday? And trying to avoid throwing up

 

[deleted303591]

I have a possible topic for a challenge essay that I am unsure if I should write about. I have epilepsy that I inherited genetically from my father. It is a very mild form and I've only had one major seizure. I was diagnosed in high school but since that time I learned a lot about relaxation techniques and went on to practice yoga and other related things that I do constantly now. I never would have taken up that path had it not been for this adversity. I even took on independent research projects in epilepsy throughout college.

Will adcoms view this negatively by any chance as I could get a seizure in medicine school, residency, etc.? If I wrote about this as my challenge would they be hesitant to accept me as I would be a "risky" investment?

Absolutely yes, as epilepsy is exacerbated by a lack of sleep and stress, which you will face in medical school. This is a chronic condition, that is not going away, and tells them that you have problems. Therefore, you would be a risky investment. I suggest you read this website that is extremely useful about disclosing disability. http://alis.alberta.ca/ep/eps/tips/tips.html?EK=163

If your condition was not chronic, I would be giving different advice.

For any challenge essay, I would focus on what you DID, such as outreach or remedying the situation (but, for example, avoiding dramatic details) for whatever challenge you faced. That keeps the essay objective and eliminates problems.

 

[premed2000]

Can I talk about one of my grandparent's sudden passing last year + how I coped with it? Will this be something that I can write about for a "challenge" essay?

 

[GoPelicans]

Can I talk about one of my grandparent's sudden passing last year + how I coped with it? Will this be something that I can write about for a "challenge" essay?

I think this is weak... everybody experiences a loved one dying. TL DR; life sucks for a few days/weeks, but you suck up and move on because you have to. I think the only compelling situation for death is when a parent dies early in one's life and there is a limited support network to pick up the slack. Or you become Batman.

 

[Amba]

I think this is weak... everybody experiences a loved one dying. TL DR; life sucks for a few days/weeks, but you suck up and move on because you have to. I think the only compelling situation for death is when a parent dies early in one's life and there is a limited support network to pick up the slack. Or you become Batman.

I wrote about my best friend's suicide for my biggest challenge essay.

Overall, I think it's more about what you take from the situation than the actual challenge itself.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I think this is weak... everybody experiences a loved one dying. TL DR; life sucks for a few days/weeks, but you suck up and move on because you have to. I think the only compelling situation for death is when a parent dies early in one's life and there is a limited support network to pick up the slack. Or you become Batman.

No. This essay isn't a pissing contest about who's had a harder life. It's about showing how you cope with difficulty in life. As you may or may not be aware, medical school is often considered to be stressful. Adcoms want to make sure you can deal with the stress and won't drop out/fail out/kill yourself. Writing an essay about something that happened in childhood isn't a good idea because it's too far removed from your current coping mechanisms and support structure. It's an even worse idea to write about a situation in which you had a limited support network; one of the things the essay is supposed to show is that you do have a good support network.

 

[CnsCrit]

tl;dr mental illness is the third rail. Avoid touching it at all cost.

What exactly do you mean by this? That talking about your own mental illness is bad? What about a loved one that suffers from mental illness?

 

[LizzyM]

No. This essay isn't a pissing contest about who's had a harder life. It's about showing how you cope with difficulty in life. As you may or may not be aware, medical school is often considered to be stressful. Adcoms want to make sure you can deal with the stress and won't drop out/fail out/kill yourself. Writing an essay about something that happened in childhood isn't a good idea because it's too far removed from your current coping mechanisms and support structure. It's an even worse idea to write about a situation in which you had a limited support network; one of the things the essay is supposed to show is that you do have a good support network.

+1

What exactly do you mean by this? That talking about your own mental illness is bad? What about a loved one that suffers from mental illness?

Your own mental illness. Sibs and parents, not so bad as a topic but be sure to focus on OCDOCDOCD's comments quoted above.

 

[hmockingbird]

To echo what's already been said, I think the hardest thing for me when I started writing these essays was to realize it's not about the story. You could have this really dramatic sob story from your past but the story itself doesn't show your character. If you spend the whole essay going into the details of your story, the adcoms might think that you have an interesting life, or feel bad for you, but they don't really learn anything *about* you, just something that happened to you. Instead, you have to be specific about your coping skills/support system. This is what truly shows your character and personality to the adcom and gives them a better understanding of whether you'd be able to "survive" medical school. I like writing fiction, so it was natural for me to focus more on the plot of my "challenge" on the first write-through, and make it really exciting... until I realized I wasn't really answering the question. They're not judging you on your ability to write a good story per se, more of your ability to identify how you were able to work through that experience. Maybe that will help give a different perspective on this question.

 

[premed2000]

X

 

[I Love Cats]

How would an essay on overcoming and adapting to an injury that completely changed one's life\lifestyle be perceived? The essay would obviously be very introspective, but evidence-based nonetheless.

 

[rosaceae]

I have two possible challenges that I am considering writing about. I read through this thread and know that the point of this essay is to show how you cope with a problem/what type of support you have rather than trying to have a huge depressing story.. so here it goes.

1) My weight has always been a challenge.. more so during college. I have been on the journey to getting back to a healthy weight and so I feel like this essay could showcase my coping skills.

2) Dealing with a disgruntled team member while I was the leader of an organization. Again, I could talk about how I handled it professionally by meeting with him privately to talk about it and how I maturely handled his unwillingness to listen to me. (p.s. if you'd like to know.. he was disgruntled out of jealousy that I got a position he wanted)

Both situations emphasize my coping skills but I am a bit considered that they don't showcase my reliance on a support system (though the weight thing definitely has that too). What do you guys think?

 

[deleted303591]

How would an essay on overcoming and adapting to an injury that completely changed one's life\lifestyle be perceived? The essay would obviously be very introspective, but evidence-based nonetheless.

I would not recommend an introspective approach, as there is no benefit in reflecting on an injury. We all know that an injury puts a huge dent on your quality of life and causes limitations. We do not need to know what you think about the injury, or how you contemplate handling the situation with anybody, including medical professionals.

I would focus on what you DID to deal with the issues that came about from your "challenge".

You do not even have to focus on coping mechanisms, which tends to coexist with long-term problems. You have to show and demonstrate how you deal with problems, in a positive way.

That can be outreach, going to support groups, meeting with individuals, creating or working in teams, etc.

I would not focus on anything that is passive, such as an injury, or anything that could make you look like a recluse. I am sure the best essays are issues that happen on a spur of a moment, that have to be resolved quickly, and where you have to deal with people. But, they can be the most difficult issues to think of in the first place with a challenge essay.

From Wikipedia:

In psychology, coping is expending conscious effort to solve personal and interpersonal problems, and seeking to master, minimize or tolerate stress or conflict.

 

[deleted303591]

I have two possible challenges that I am considering writing about. I read through this thread and know that the point of this essay is to show how you cope with a problem/what type of support you have rather than trying to have a huge depressing story.. so here it goes.

1) My weight has always been a challenge.. more so during college. I have been on the journey to getting back to a healthy weight and so I feel like this essay could showcase my coping skills.

2) Dealing with a disgruntled team member while I was the leader of an organization. Again, I could talk about how I handled it professionally by meeting with him privately to talk about it and how I maturely handled his unwillingness to listen to me. (p.s. if you'd like to know.. he was disgruntled out of jealousy that I got a position he wanted)

Both situations emphasize my coping skills but I am a bit considered that they don't showcase my reliance on a support system (though the weight thing definitely has that too). What do you guys think?

2, for sure. But do not make the story sound like some sort of a supervisor should have confronted your team member - and that you were inappropriate in any way. (Don't mention jealousy)

You can even be creative with it and make it in to a short story with dialogue or a dear diary, instead of making a short essay. I have done this before for college admissions essays and this was worth my time, for grabbing the readers' attention.

 

[rosaceae]

Thanks for your input! Yeah there wasn't a supervisor to help with this situation anyway as this was purely a student-run organization haha.

 

[JustAnotherCoolDude]

Coping skills, people!

Think short term challenges or difficulties.

Have you ever had your mode of transportation (car, bike, knees) break down and need to scramble to do get things fixed and get around to places you needed to be?

Have you been the object of a pickpocket and need to replace all your ID's? How did you prioritize and get through it. Double points if it happened in a country where you don't speak the language. 😉

Ever have a very difficult roommate situation? (I knew someone when I was in school who had a roommate who insisted on sleeping with all the lights on!)

Ever have a friend who needed but refused to seek care for a physical or psychiatric problem? What coping skills did you use to deal with the situation?

Ever get a phone call that a loved one was in the ICU? What coping skills did you use to get through the next few days/weeks?

So transportation difficulties is really fair game for a personal challenge essay? I had a subway breakdown lead to a missed flight, followed by a delay in the air to miss my layover. Had to sleep at an airport without any of my belongings as they were in closed baggage claim. Arrived at final destination the next day with my bag lost. Arrived at my car in the parking lot to realize my car and housekeys were in the bag.

Now this was an absolute crapshoot of a situation and I suppose I had to cope and work hard to ensure my experiments didn't die at work while I was away but aren't these types of essays more of a "this happened to me and I survived" situation?

@LizzyM sorry to bother, could you confirm?

 

[SoonToBeDrG]

So transportation difficulties is really fair game for a personal challenge essay? I had a subway breakdown lead to a missed flight, followed by a delay in the air to miss my layover. Had to sleep at an airport without any of my belongings as they were in closed baggage claim. Arrived at final destination the next day with my bag lost. Arrived at my car in the parking lot to realize my car and housekeys were in the bag.

Now this was an absolute crapshoot of a situation and I suppose I had to cope and work hard to ensure my experiments didn't die at work while I was away but aren't these types of essays more of a "this happened to me and I survived" situation?

Way to dig up an old thread. Looking over the other responses it sounds like your situation is a reasonable challenge to go with, though it wouldn't be my particular first choice.

 

[hexane19]

death of a grandparent who was like a parent to help raise me? How would that sound?

 

[pre med 2014]

Absolutely yes, as epilepsy is exacerbated by a lack of sleep and stress, which you will face in medical school. This is a chronic condition, that is not going away, and tells them that you have problems. Therefore, you would be a risky investment. I suggest you read this website that is extremely useful about disclosing disability. http://alis.alberta.ca/ep/eps/tips/tips.html?EK=163

If your condition was not chronic, I would be giving different advice.

For any challenge essay, I would focus on what you DID, such as outreach or remedying the situation (but, for example, avoiding dramatic details) for whatever challenge you faced. That keeps the essay objective and eliminates problems.

Well the diagnosis is wrong since epilepsy requires two separate seizure episodes. Would be funny for the OP to get to Med school only to learn they don't have epilepsy.

Also full remission is quite high especially for a single episode as a child without an underlying cause. And 75% of people get better on medication, 50% after the 1st med they try.

And should not be sleep deprived in med school if you are studying correctly and efficiently. Though you have a point probably on an occasion or two you may find yourself very sleep deprived due to poor time management at which point op could be at risk of a seizure. But really any science degree could create that risk so no reason to single out medicine