Diversity Topic - Family

[UbiquitinAsian]

I wanted to write my diversity essay about the fact that I partially grew up in a joint family (parents, siblings, aunt, uncle, grandparents all under one roof) and my experience from that and how that has molded my personality. This is something pretty different than the childhood of my friends in the US, so I think it might shed a different light. Does this seem like a decent diversity topic? I am having trouble relating it back to medicine though. Any thoughts?

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[freak7]

Nearly all of my SE Asian friends grew up in this environment.

 

[UbiquitinAsian]

Nearly all of my SE Asian friends grew up in this environment.

Does the diverse (unique) experience/perspective need to be something that very few people have had?

 

[freak7]

Does the diverse (unique) experience/perspective need to be something that very few people have had?

Not exactly, no. If you think that it's something that makes you unique then by all means put it. I was more just saying that it may not be as unique as you might think.

 

[UbiquitinAsian]

Not exactly, no. If you think that it's something that makes you unique then by all means put it. I was more just saying that it may not be as unique as you might think.

Yeah lol I completely know it's not the most unique thing. I'm stuck with the diversity topic and I'm just tryna get a gauge for this idea. It's so damn frustrating haha. Thanks for the help.

 

[freak7]

Yeah lol I completely know it's not the most unique thing. I'm stuck with the diversity topic and I'm just tryna get a gauge for this idea. It's so damn frustrating haha. Thanks for the help.

Think about it, what makes you you? Maybe you have a hobby, or some sort of passion outside of academics/medicine.

 

[Goro]

I wanted to write my diversity essay about the fact that I partially grew up in a joint family (parents, siblings, aunt, uncle, grandparents all under one roof) and my experience from that and how that has molded my personality. This is something pretty different than the childhood of my friends in the US, so I think it might shed a different light. Does this seem like a decent diversity topic? I am having trouble relating it back to medicine though. Any thoughts?

Nope.

And these things do NOT have to be related back to Medicine. This is a common pre-med delusion.

What makes you cool?

 

[UbiquitinAsian]

Nope.

And these things do NOT have to be related back to Medicine. This is a common pre-med delusion.

What makes you cool?

Nope as in not a decent topic choice? Don't have any strong hobbies, but people tell me I am funny and always know how to make their day a bit better with my humor. Don't know if that makes me cool, but it's a common way people describe me. However, it's not as if I have capitalized on that to do stand up comedy or anything in my free time (regrets).

 

[Goro]

"Nope" as in not a decent topic choice.

What do you have to offer that is unique to a med school class?

 

[UbiquitinAsian]

"Nope" as in not a decent topic choice.

What do you have to offer that is unique to a med school class?

I really don't know. Besides my upbringing (family/friends), I don't have anything that is eye-catching. That is why I wanted to talk about how my childhood was something that brought about a different perspective. Maybe I'm wrong to think it's a different perspective, maybe it's very common.

I could try something about music. I was surrounded heavily by music growing up. My whole family plays different Indian classical musical instruments and I was immersed in that. I only played for a few years (not indian classical music and only middle school/high school), so it's not something that I still continue to do, but I do still continue listening and attending concerts with my fam. We always set up concerts for different events (birthdays/anniversaries/graduations to celebrate) and I have helped play a role in setting up those concerts. It's a big part of how my family operates. But I feel this turns too much about my fam instead of about me. Thoughts?

 

[star field]

"Nope" as in not a decent topic choice.

What do you have to offer that is unique to a med school class?

So, I wrote about something that is tangentially similar. I talked about growing up in a very collectivist setting with communal values. I contrasted these values with the more individualist values of society and described how I learned to embrace a more holistic perspective, neither individualist nor collectivist. I described the conflicts I went through and how I learned about many cultures through my more holistic perspective. I then gave an example of how my perspective helped inform my actions in a specific clinical scenario that occurred.

Do you think that this is an appropriate topic?

 

[UbiquitinAsian]

So, I wrote about something that is tangentially similar. I talked about growing up in a very collectivist setting with communal values. I contrasted these values with the more individualist values of society and described how I learned to embrace a more holistic perspective, neither individualist nor collectivist. I described the conflicts I went through and how I learned about many cultures through my more holistic perspective. I then gave an example of how my perspective helped inform my actions in a specific clinical scenario that occurred.

Do you think that this is an appropriate topic?

I personally like it, but I think according to Goro it doesn't quite fit the bill for the topic.

 

[star field]

@Goro We could use some clarification here, if possible.

 

[Goro]

So, I wrote about something that is tangentially similar. I talked about growing up in a very collectivist setting with communal values. I contrasted these values with the more individualist values of society and described how I learned to embrace a more holistic perspective, neither individualist nor collectivist. I described the conflicts I went through and how I learned about many cultures through my more holistic perspective. I then gave an example of how my perspective helped inform my actions in a specific clinical scenario that occurred.

Do you think that this is an appropriate topic?

Sounds fine

 

[AttemptingScholar]

I'll do it for him from the similar threads: "If I asked your three best friends what they think the most interesting thing about you is, what would they say?"

It doesn't need to be medicine because medicine isn't interesting in a med school app. Your family situation isn't anything you had a say in, so it doesn't tell us that much about you and the choices you make.

Similar threads for ideas:
Diversity Topic - Reading Texts in the Humanities
In this topic, straight/middle class/white people talk about diversity essays

 

[UbiquitinAsian]

I'll do it for him from the similar threads: "If I asked your three best friends what they think the most interesting thing about you is, what would they say?"

It doesn't need to be medicine because medicine isn't interesting in a med school app. Your family situation isn't anything you had a say in, so it doesn't tell us that much about you and the choices you make.

Similar threads for ideas:
Diversity Topic - Reading Texts in the Humanities
In this topic, straight/middle class/white people talk about diversity essays

A lot of these prompts bring up "unique background, opinion, and perspectives". How does a unique upbringing, which has molded my personality, not qualify as a unique background or perspective? Just curious on the thinking there. I admire the cool hobbies and activities that some people here on SDN have, but I do not have anything like that. My friends would not talk about anything I do, but rather my personality. It's the way I carry myself that my friends would bring up, nothing specific to an activity.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

A lot of these prompts bring up "unique background, opinion, and perspectives". How does a unique upbringing, which has molded my personality, not qualify as a unique background or perspective? Just curious on the thinking there. I admire the cool hobbies and activities that some people here on SDN have, but I do not have anything like that. My friends would not talk about anything I do, but rather my personality. It's the way I carry myself that my friends would bring up, nothing specific to an activity.

My problem with your upbringing is that you had nothing to do with it. You don't decide your upbringing. You didn't invite your extended family into your house. How it affected you may be interesting, but the fact that you existed in this situation tells me nothing about you. It's like the white kid who wanted to write about having an adopted black brother--if it changes how he interacts with people, his values, whatever, he can write about that, but being near a black person growing up doesn't make him diverse. If it's all you have you need to write it, but surely there's another way to introduce yourself to new people. Think of it this way, you are trying to make new friends (because you are!). What do you tell them about yourself? What makes you interesting? What makes you different than the rest of med school applicants who also excelled academically? You aren't going to bring your extended family to live with you there, are you?

 

[UbiquitinAsian]

My problem with your upbringing is that you had nothing to do with it. You don't decide your upbringing. You didn't invite your extended family into your house. How it affected you may be interesting, but the fact that you existed in this situation tells me nothing about you. It's like the white kid who wanted to write about having an adopted black brother--if it changes how he interacts with people, his values, whatever, he can write about that, but being near a black person growing up doesn't make him diverse. If it's all you have you need to write it, but surely there's another way to introduce yourself to new people. Think of it this way, you are trying to make new friends (because you are!). What do you tell them about yourself? What makes you interesting? What makes you different than the rest of med school applicants who also excelled academically? You aren't going to bring your extended family to live with you there, are you?

The thing with me is that the things I use to introduce myself to others and to make friends are generic and not unique. It's not my skills/talents that help me with connecting with others. While I do talk with friends about my interests, they are rarely anything unique. I appreciate the help, I just feel like a lost cause on this topic.

 

[freak7]

A lot of these prompts bring up "unique background, opinion, and perspectives". How does a unique upbringing, which has molded my personality, not qualify as a unique background or perspective? Just curious on the thinking there. I admire the cool hobbies and activities that some people here on SDN have, but I do not have anything like that. My friends would not talk about anything I do, but rather my personality. It's the way I carry myself that my friends would bring up, nothing specific to an activity.

My problem with your upbringing is that you had nothing to do with it. You don't decide your upbringing. You didn't invite your extended family into your house. How it affected you may be interesting, but the fact that you existed in this situation tells me nothing about you. It's like the white kid who wanted to write about having an adopted black brother--if it changes how he interacts with people, his values, whatever, he can write about that, but being near a black person growing up doesn't make him diverse. If it's all you have you need to write it, but surely there's another way to introduce yourself to new people. Think of it this way, you are trying to make new friends (because you are!). What do you tell them about yourself? What makes you interesting? What makes you different than the rest of med school applicants who also excelled academically? You aren't going to bring your extended family to live with you there, are you?

That and we've already established that it's not super unique.

 

[UbiquitinAsian]

That and we've already established that it's not super unique.

Aight back to the drawing board for me then. Thanks for the help

 

[freak7]

Aight back to the drawing board for me then. Thanks for the help

Personally I was a fan of the roadie/member of the family band thing. I can't imagine too many people have done that. Seek out other opinions though to see if that's cool to anybody else.

 

[UbiquitinAsian]

Personally I was a fan of the roadie/member of the family band thing. I can't imagine too many people have done that. Seek out other opinions though to see if that's cool to anybody else.

I'm assuming you accidentally posted on a different thread lol

 

[UbiquitinAsian]

I'm assuming you accidentally posted on a different thread lol

Oh wait you're talking about the Indian classical music thing