showkayaker
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- Thread starter showkayaker
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Since you have lived in your home state all of your life and this is for your in-state program, I don't think you need to mention your parent's diagnosis in your essay. I hope your parent's treatment works out.
Now, if you do mention it, you will raise a flag that you may want a LOA if things get worse. You might need to take it anyway, but it will cause many faculty to be really gun-shy until there is better resolution. We want to minimize disruptions in your education so you don't take a lot longer (and perhaps pay more). There's also a concern you will raise about whether you can really handle medical school and whether this is really the right time. In any case, it's your choice to disclose, but understand it won't really help you to mention it here, but you will have to mention it eventually... preferably after you have secured your seat and consider policies for deferral if things get bad.
Now, if you do mention it, you will raise a flag that you may want a LOA if things get worse. You might need to take it anyway, but it will cause many faculty to be really gun-shy until there is better resolution. We want to minimize disruptions in your education so you don't take a lot longer (and perhaps pay more). There's also a concern you will raise about whether you can really handle medical school and whether this is really the right time. In any case, it's your choice to disclose, but understand it won't really help you to mention it here, but you will have to mention it eventually... preferably after you have secured your seat and consider policies for deferral if things get bad.
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This ^^^^. Bottom line -- your parent being seriously ill is in no way going to help you get into medical school, and telling an adcom about anything that might be a distraction is not going to make you a more compelling applicant.
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Having a parent with cancer is not something that will ever boost your chances of getting admitted to medical school. It could put you at risk of being the subject of implicit bias. If you can avoid mentioning it, do so.
@SooConfused types faster than I do
@SooConfused types faster than I do
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