Diversity - The fear of Goro in me

[rufrknkdnme]

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I'm having trouble on how I should present my diversity experience in my personal statement. I lived in the Philippines where my first ~10-12 years was lived below poverty lines (that line is pretty low considering the country's low standard of living). I experienced a lot of cultural phenomena such as going to shaman healers instead of doctors. I immigrated at 20 years old. I'd love some input on what I should focus on and how I should present it.

P.S. If you wanna help me edit my personal statement, that'd be great too!
Sorry if I'm hijacking your thread but I felt that this was related to the topic.

 

[hat]

Traveling as a student in Europe is not necessarily "lavish" (trains, hostels) and there is nothing "damning" about it... it is just not something that provides a a student with an experience of how people in a different culture actually live and their values/sensibilities.

If you want to claim that your life experience will bring an otherwise unrepresented viewpoint to your medical school class then go for it. Do your best to justify why you believe that to be true.

Thanks!

 

[Goro]

I'm having trouble on how I should present my diversity experience in my personal statement. I lived in the Philippines where my first ~10-12 years was lived below poverty lines (that line is pretty low considering the country's low standard of living). I experienced a lot of cultural phenomena such as going to shaman healers instead of doctors. I immigrated at 20 years old. I'd love some input on what I should focus on and how I should present it.

P.S. If you wanna help me edit my personal statement, that'd be great too!
Sorry if I'm hijacking your thread but I felt that this was related to the topic.

The immigrant experience is always valuable.

 

[BombsAway]

You check the box, right? So it is already "out there". Some other things, aren't quite as overt. I really don't care about the diversity essay. My school has something short and I generally don't even bother looking at it.

After all the ground covered in this thread, you don't even read it?! I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Or cry/laugh. craugh #craf #hollistic

 

[tessellations]

Figured I throw this idea out and see what people think.

I grew up here in the US to a German mother, who ultimately chose not to speak the language at home. I grew up steeped in parts of the culture and am a German citizen as well as an American one. I feel both connected and isolated from Germany because I was raised without the language, but was also raised with some of the culture and mother with a very German mindset. Visiting family and hearing everyone else talk in a language you don't understand is an interesting experience that has made me very sympathetic towards ESL speakers here in the US. I've talked with a few friends with similar experiences about how strange it can feel to be half in and half out of a culture and thought it might make an interesting essay. It has always felt strange to call myself German-American even though I actually am - I have the citizenships to prove it! I've also always had a global perspective because of my upbringing, and in recent years I have been trying to continue to connect to my German roots (currently taking German language classes in college as example).

Is this even an interesting topic? I have no idea. Part of me feels like I'm grasping at straws and the other part of me really wants to dive into this topic. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Goro]

Figured I throw this idea out and see what people think.

I grew up here in the US to a German mother, who ultimately chose not to speak the language at home. I grew up steeped in parts of the culture and am a German citizen as well as an American one. I feel both connected and isolated from Germany because I was raised without the language, but was also raised with some of the culture and mother with a very German mindset. Visiting family and hearing everyone else talk in a language you don't understand is an interesting experience that has made me very sympathetic towards ESL speakers her in the US. I've talked with a few friends with similar experiences about how strange it can feel to be half in and half out of a culture and thought it might make an interesting essay. It has always felt strange to call myself German-American even though I actually am - I have the citizenships to prove it! I've also always had a global perspective because of my upbringing, and in recent years I have been trying to continue to connect to my German roots (currently taking German language classes in college as example).

Is this even an interesting topic? I have no idea. Part of me feels like I'm grasping at straws and the other part of me really wants to dive into this topic. Anyone have any thoughts?

The prompt is not about ethnicity. Gazzilions of med students are ESL or the first generation.

As such, I think your experience is too commonplace.

 

[tessellations]

The prompt is not about ethnicity. Gazzilions of med students are ESL or the first generation.

As such, I think your experience is too commonplace.

Thanks, Goro! I had a feeling that this wasn't the most exciting topic. Looks like I'll have to do some more introspection about what I might bring to the table as a med student.

Edit: Just had a small inkling of an idea. I've been signing in choirs/musicals for a good chunk of my life (6th grade until now as a rising senior in college). I took a break for two years with music after a toxic experience in high school and recently came back to it through joining a women's choir in college and have rekindled my passion for singing. Obviously I haven't provided a ton of detail, but might this be an interesting jumping off point? I can't help but think it's more interesting than my previous idea, hahaha.

 

[LizzyM]

Figured I throw this idea out and see what people think.

I grew up here in the US to a German mother, who ultimately chose not to speak the language at home. I grew up steeped in parts of the culture and am a German citizen as well as an American one. I feel both connected and isolated from Germany because I was raised without the language, but was also raised with some of the culture and mother with a very German mindset. Visiting family and hearing everyone else talk in a language you don't understand is an interesting experience that has made me very sympathetic towards ESL speakers her in the US. I've talked with a few friends with similar experiences about how strange it can feel to be half in and half out of a culture and thought it might make an interesting essay. It has always felt strange to call myself German-American even though I actually am - I have the citizenships to prove it! I've also always had a global perspective because of my upbringing, and in recent years I have been trying to continue to connect to my German roots (currently taking German language classes in college as example).

Is this even an interesting topic? I have no idea. Part of me feels like I'm grasping at straws and the other part of me really wants to dive into this topic. Anyone have any thoughts?

I'd go with the idea of being in a place where you do not speak the language (or barely understand) and how disconcerting that is. Even if you've never been hospitalized in that setting (and you'd have your mother looking out for you), it is easy to imagine how hard it would be to try to ring the buzzer and tell the nurse what's wrong. The fact that it has made you more empathetic toward ESL speakers is significant.

 

[Goro]

Thanks, Goro! I had a feeling that this wasn't the most exciting topic. Looks like I'll have to do some more introspection about what I might bring to the table as a med student.

Edit: Just had a small inkling of an idea. I've been signing in choirs/musicals for a good chunk of my life (6th grade until now as a rising senior in college). I took a break for two years with music after a toxic experience in high school and recently came back to it through joining of women's choir in college and have rekindled my passion for singing. Obviously I haven't provided a ton of detail, but might this be an interesting jumping off point? I can't help but think it's more interesting than my previous idea, hahaha.

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