Diversity Essay: Include Military Medicine?

[Deltasidearm]

Context: I am a junior chemistry major with a strong academic background (4.0 GPA, heavy research involvement starting as a freshman with many conference presentations, plan to take MCAT in January) and extracurricular background (fair amount of physician shadowing, president of ACS club, heavy clinical experience as a PCA for the past several years). I plan to only apply to 7 schools and attend no more than 5 interview invitations and I plan to accept a HPSP scholarship through the Army. I have started to pre-write my secondary application essays for my first choice school: Mayo Clinic at Rochester.

Heart of the Matter: It appears the diversity question is a staple among secondary applications and/or interviews during the application process and I suspect it's particularly important for the Mayo Clinic, given the small class size and high matriculant standards. I know it is best, in general, to avoid discussing topics which may or may not turn the admissions committee against you due to personal opinions (pick any one of many controversial topics in politics). Considering my strong interest in military medicine, I was thinking that discussing that interest could be a good way to distinguish myself from other applicants. However, I'm concerned that I could do damage to my competitiveness if the school isn't interested in producing a physician that would not go into a civilian practice or residency.

Question: Would I run a risk of harming my application by discussing my interest in military medicine during the diversity essay due to the end goals regarding the type of physician that a school wants to produce?

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[ndafife]

Do you have any current/prior service?

Right now all im reading is "im diverse because i want to do military medicine." Which isnt really a good essay in itself because 1) talk is cheap, and 2) youre talking about being diverse because if something you are not (a military doctor)

If you have some prior service or grew up in a military family id set up an essay around those topics and then maybe loop back to a military interest.

 

[atomi]

People that value “diversity” so much that they forcefully mandate it (ultra liberals at the academic level) tend to hate the military, so your concern is valid; however, I think that most in medicine are receptive to it because while still very liberal, medicine is still a more conservative field and on the whole administrators are more grounded than the rest of the loons in higher education. You’ll need to demonstrate an interest that is more than just fleeting.

 

[Catalystik]

Context: I am a junior chemistry major with a strong academic background (4.0 GPA, heavy research involvement starting as a freshman with many conference presentations, plan to take MCAT in January) and extracurricular background (fair amount of physician shadowing, president of ACS club, heavy clinical experience as a PCA for the past several years). I plan to only apply to 7 schools and attend no more than 5 interview invitations and I plan to accept a HPSP scholarship through the Army. I have started to pre-write my secondary application essays for my first choice school: Mayo Clinic at Rochester.

Heart of the Matter: It appears the diversity question is a staple among secondary applications and/or interviews during the application process and I suspect it's particularly important for the Mayo Clinic, given the small class size and high matriculant standards. I know it is best, in general, to avoid discussing topics which may or may not turn the admissions committee against you due to personal opinions (pick any one of many controversial topics in politics). Considering my strong interest in military medicine, I was thinking that discussing that interest could be a good way to distinguish myself from other applicants. However, I'm concerned that I could do damage to my competitiveness if the school isn't interested in producing a physician that would not go into a civilian practice or residency.

Question: Would I run a risk of harming my application by discussing my interest in military medicine during the diversity essay due to the end goals regarding the type of physician that a school wants to produce?

I agree with ndafife. Mayo wants to know what IS diverse about you now, not what might make you diverse under some future "if-you-get-accepted" scenario.

 

[Deltasidearm]

Do you have any current/prior service?

Right now all im reading is "im diverse because i want to do military medicine." Which isnt really a good essay in itself because 1) talk is cheap, and 2) youre talking about being diverse because if something you are not (a military doctor)

If you have some prior service or grew up in a military family id set up an essay around those topics and then maybe loop back to a military interest.

Although I disagree with the two points you explicitly stated as I believe it is your drives and thought processes which makes someone diverse (after all your experiences do not necessarily make you diverse--they simply influence your perception), I agree with the meaning of what you said and can see how that would not make a strong essay. No, I do not have any prior service. There is substantial service history in my family which has definitely impacted my decision to serve but it skipped a generation (single-parent household and my mother was never in the military). I chose to pursue medicine rather than the military after high school because of potential long-term job stability concerns after the military and medicine has been a longer passion than the military (lifelong vs ~9 years).

 

[whatbout2morrow]

Diversity Programs School of Graduate Medical Education - The College of Medicine and Science at Mayo Clinic Diversity Statement

"Mayo Clinic's College of Medicine and Science promotes diversity and the added dimension and perspective that diverse students bring to each of its schools and ultimately to patient care. Aspects of diversity include, but are not limited to, race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, military service, and socio-economic status."

 

[atomi]

Diversity Programs School of Graduate Medical Education - The College of Medicine and Science at Mayo Clinic Diversity Statement

"Mayo Clinic's College of Medicine and Science promotes diversity and the added dimension and perspective that diverse students bring to each of its schools and ultimately to patient care. Aspects of diversity include, but are not limited to, race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, military service, and socio-economic status."

I like how they put the only relevant one (for admissions discrimination) last.

 

[ndafife]

Although I disagree with the two points you explicitly stated as I believe it is your drives and thought processes which makes someone diverse (after all your experiences do not necessarily make you diverse--they simply influence your perception)

Talk is cheap. This is an application and applicants can write whatever they want. If you want me (or more an adcom) to believe your thought processes/drives then you need to have some sort of experience to back it up.

That's why clinical experience and shadowing are required. Yeah there are definitely people who know they want to be a doctor 100% without doing those, but in an application setting you need to show, not tell.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Although I disagree with the two points you explicitly stated as I believe it is your drives and thought processes which makes someone diverse (after all your experiences do not necessarily make you diverse--they simply influence your perception), I agree with the meaning of what you said and can see how that would not make a strong essay. No, I do not have any prior service. There is substantial service history in my family which has definitely impacted my decision to serve but it skipped a generation (single-parent household and my mother was never in the military). I chose to pursue medicine rather than the military after high school because of potential long-term job stability concerns after the military and medicine has been a longer passion than the military (lifelong vs ~9 years).

As someone who has been in the military for six years and who is pursuing military medicine as a physician now, I can tell you that his two points are spot on. Talk is very cheap. It is one thing to say you “thought about serving” or you’re really interested in it and quite another to do it. It requires a lot of sacrifice, and whenever I hear someone imply that thinking of serving or that they could have done it is equal to actually doing it, I cringe big time.

Don’t try to ride the coat tails of military service by saying it’s something you’re interested in and trying to be associated with us. If you join at some point in the future, that’s awesome and I hope we get to meet some day. But until you do, you have plenty of stuff that actually makes you diverse I’m sure. Use that!

 

[Deltasidearm]

I understand what y'all are saying and I agree. Thank you for your input/advice. I appreciate it and I'll write a stronger essay because of it.

 

[Goro]

I understand what y'all are saying and I agree. Thank you for your input/advice. I appreciate it and I'll write a stronger essay because of it.

Just out of curiosity, are you aware of how many applicants never get into medical school?

 

[Deltasidearm]

Just out of curiosity, are you aware of how many applicants never get into medical school?

Roughly 1/2 of every MD applicant and 1/3 of every MD/PhD applicant matriculates to a school, if I recall correctly.

Edit: If you are asking because you are curious as to why I am taking the chance of applying to relatively few schools (something which is of concern to me, if I'm being honest), then it comes down to a mixture of finances and not wishing to apply to schools I do not ultimately have a desire to attend.

 

[Goro]

Roughly 1/2 of every MD applicant and 1/3 of every MD/PhD applicant matriculates to a school, if I recall correctly.

Edit: If you are asking because you are curious as to why I am taking the chance of applying to relatively few schools (something which is of concern to me, if I'm being honest), then it comes down to a mixture of finances and not wishing to apply to schools I do not ultimately have a desire to attend.

Actually, it's more like 60% never get an II, and of those who are accepted, ~20 get only a single accept.

Yet here you are talking about attending no more than five interviews, without having even taken the MCAT.

Not everybody gets HPSP either.

Smacks of a dangerous level of hubris.

Mayo is statistically the hardest MD school to get into in the country.

 

[Deltasidearm]

Actually, it's more like 60% never get an II, and of those who are accepted, ~20 get only a single accept.

Yet here you are talking about attending no more than five interviews, without having even taken the MCAT.

Not everybody gets HPSP either.

Smacks of a dangerous level of hubris.

Mayo is statistically the hardest MD school to get into in the country.

One of the intensivists I knew at my job before he moved would poke fun of me for saying "I want to be a doctor" and told me to say "I will be a doctor"--to have confidence. I am aware of how competitive the application process is and I am also aware that statistics are a useful tool to consider but they have less meaning to the individual than they do the whole. As of right now, I am a strong applicant for most if not all schools, according to their admission statistics and my pre-health advisor. If that changes, then my plan will adapt accordingly. All that said, I would be open to any advice on how to make myself a better applicant because this is a competitive field and I would prefer to make my passion a reality without requiring a gap year to supplement my application.

I am well aware that the HPSP is competitive and that Mayo is the hardest school to get accepted at. Finances are a big consideration when applying--I cannot afford to apply to 40 schools and I most certainly cannot afford the travel expenses for near that many interviews and I do not qualify for any aid in that way. Furthermore, I do not see the value in applying to schools I would be unhappy attending due to the location of the school, especially when no school is truly a "safe" school.

 

[ciestar]

One of the intensivists I knew at my job before he moved would poke fun of me for saying "I want to be a doctor" and told me to say "I will be a doctor"--to have confidence. I am aware of how competitive the application process is and I am also aware that statistics are a useful tool to consider but they have less meaning to the individual than they do the whole. As of right now, I am a strong applicant for most if not all schools, according to their admission statistics and my pre-health advisor. If that changes, then my plan will adapt accordingly. All that said, I would be open to any advice on how to make myself a better applicant because this is a competitive field and I would prefer to make my passion a reality without requiring a gap year to supplement my application.

I am well aware that the HPSP is competitive and that Mayo is the hardest school to get accepted at. Finances are a big consideration when applying--I cannot afford to apply to 40 schools and I most certainly cannot afford the travel expenses for near that many interviews and I do not qualify for any aid in that way. Furthermore, I do not see the value in applying to schools I would be unhappy attending due to the location of the school, especially when no school is truly a "safe" school.

You have a 4.0. A lot of applicants do. Without an MCAT there is no way to judge how truly competitive you are.

Will say this, get some nonclinical volunteering to the less fortunate in the meantime. Schools absolutely value it. (I didnt see it in your OP)

 

[Deltasidearm]

Other significant things not included in my OP: I am a chemistry lab TA at my university, involved in tutoring, and nearly all of my volunteering thus fas has been with my ACS Student chapter.

My volunteering has primarily been revolves around putting on shows and teaching kids about science. I have organized my club to volunteer at the local food bank regularly this year, though, and am trying to schedule with habitat for humanity.

 

[Goro]

Any research? The powerhouses like this, but service to others less fortunate than yourself goes even further.

You already have the clinical hours covered.

Show off your altruism.

 

[Deltasidearm]

I started biochemistry research as a freshman and have my own project in nanomaterials with applications in targeted drug delivery. I feel my research experience is extensive and just as strong as my clinical experience.

I definitely feel my volunteering is the weakest link at the moment. I have a fair amount done working with children but none past that since I have started college. How many hours should I strive for prior to the next admission cycle?

 

[Goro]

I started biochemistry research as a freshman and have my own project in nanomaterials with applications in targeted drug delivery. I feel my research experience is extensive and just as strong as my clinical experience.

I definitely feel my volunteering is the weakest link at the moment. I have a fair amount done working with children but none past that since I have started college. How many hours should I strive for prior to the next admission cycle?

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