ethical dilema

[bokermmk]

I have one more secondary to do- yes i know it is late. But it asks a questions on an ethical dilema i have faced and how i dealt with it. i dont know exactly how to approach this and i cant say i have been faced with any huge dilemas. so i was thinking i could maybe write about my decision to be honest and report my alcohol violation on my app. even though most schools dont check actual discipline records. will this be an appropriate topic to discuss if i talk about honesty, intergrty, and disclorure etc.??????

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[superk0725]

in my opinion that would be a very risky move. you would have to work it perfectly.

 

[jlee9531]

ever deal with cheating? or reporting a friend that was cheating...

those are common. yours wouldbe a good one but like the above poster said...you would have to work that perfectly.

 

[bokermmk]

is this not a good topic b/c i am again bringing up something on my application (the violation itself) that schools cant be thrilled with...or is it not good b/c it simply isnt a grand dilemma worthy of writing about??

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

just state your view on something [abortion, stem-cell research, crack smoking, whatever] and describe how you came to that view [research, your logic, describe flaws in the other sides logic]. peace.

 

[Heal&Teach]

I do agree that the topic presents a gray area in terms of the content, but I think that if you posed it correctly, it might be aceptable. Actually, were you charged for anything? If so, and you've had to mention it in previous questions, it might be okay to do it (e.g., risked my own life and the lives of others... it was wrong, wrong, wrong).

Not sure which supplemental you're working on, but I did answer a similar question on Pitts app about a moral dilemma that had to do with me withholding alcohol (and subsequently relinquishing) for a family member who was suffering from alcoholism when I was younger.

If you're just not comfy with doing it, put in the normal cheating stuff. Otherwise, ponder using the situation you've experienced if it is placed in good context (I know, a bit ambiguous).

Best of luck.
H&T

 

[WatchingWaiting]

This is kind of a high-risk, high-reward situation. Depending on what you write, you could easily make the reader notice you as a brave, unique individual who is differentiated from the pile of lame and repetitive essays on reporting a cheating friend. OTOH, you will need to provide a very good explanation of why you're not devious-- in other words, if you considered not reporting this incident due to its non-discoverability, can the adcom be sure you're not shifty in general and made the "right" decision on reporting this incident, but could just as easily have not made the "right" decision?

In general, it's better to write at least a few of your secondary essays with risky, novel arguments. Ideally, for at least one or two of them, your reader will click with your argument and give your candidacy a boost that the conservative essay doesn't get. Since med school is about getting one acceptance at a place you love, rather than getting "okay" assessments everywhere, it is much better to have five awesome secondaries and five sickening, reject him for writing this secondaries than ten conservative, no impact in either direction secondaries.

 

[beastmaster]

You guys are bastardizing the concept of an ethical dilemma. It's not all about a "hobson's choice" so to speak.

There are four paradigms of an ethical dilemma, all of which usually involve a choice between two correct decisions:
- Truth vs. Loyalty
- Individual vs. Community
- Short Term vs. Long Term
- Justice vs. Mercy
- sometimes a combination of the above four

Everyone usually does the justice/mercy one, because they are simply unaware of the other three or more paradigms.

We go through this decision making every day, most commonly short-term vs. long-term interests. Then there are several systematic ways of resolving the dilemma, but I forget what those are.

Just pick something simple and use it to your advantage. Don't pick some criminal or fraudulent act and talk about how you weaved, dodged, and maneuvered through it; that only makes you look foolish.

 

[rwbpj]

I wouldnt write about your violation. I wrote about this same type of "honesty situation" for an on site essay and I am almost that this is why I was denied acceptance.

good luck!

 

[Super Rob]

Hmmn, not sure if that's a good topic. I was faced with one of these questions on a secondary myself, and I chose something steamy and controversial (in my anecdote I make the right choice, but someone with different life experiences may not have even seen the choice... I may be perceived of as wrong just for thinking there was a choice). Been waiting a long while to hear back from the school - maybe I should have stuck to justice/mercy

 

[bokermmk]

what schools have an on-site essay?

 

[Heal&Teach]

UMDNJ - RWJMS has one.

 

[dodo2]

ethical dilema questions are traps designed to trip you. Frequently used in interviews.

 

[bewitched1081]

hey i dont think its good to talk about alcohol. they might think that you might mess up again in that area. maybe you could stick to something that has to do with research or medicine.

 

[JohnHolmes]

Originally posted by bokermmk
I have one more secondary to do- yes i know it is late. But it asks a questions on an ethical dilema i have faced and how i dealt with it. i dont know exactly how to approach this and i cant say i have been faced with any huge dilemas. so i was thinking i could maybe write about my decision to be honest and report my alcohol violation on my app. even though most schools dont check actual discipline records. will this be an appropriate topic to discuss if i talk about honesty, intergrty, and disclorure etc.??????

LOL is this for UVA?

Coops

 

[JohnHolmes]

Originally posted by bokermmk
my decision to be honest and report my alcohol violation on my app. even though most schools dont check actual discipline records. will this be an appropriate topic to discuss if i talk about honesty, intergrty, and disclorure etc.??????

DO NOT TALK ABOUT THIS. Although you might spin it better than you stated it here, my worry is this could easily come off as a strike against your integrity. The fact there even was a "dilemma" when deciding what was, in fact, the OBVIOUS right thing to do is not a good thing to write about. Write about something where either direction can be defended, a gray issue. Writing about what should be a clear cut answer to report what is required of you will not float in your favor. You might as well write about the time you embezzled $4 million from your former job but later realized it was inappropriate and laundered the money back to the company and no one found out.

Coops

 

[snowbear]

If it's already on your app, I say DEFINATELY write about it. This will be a good place to show that you have grown from the experience and let them know it has made you a stronger person. I wouldn't talk about disclosing it on your app as the ethical dilema--you should make them think this was an automatic with you--like: of course you disclosed it and you have no problems with it because you are not like that anymore and it has a played a part in your personal evolution. I would talk about an incident after this alcohol violation where you decided against drinking based on your learning experience from the alcohol violation--make sure you demonstrate that you have grown!

If the alcohol violation is already on your app it would be better to convince the adcom that this is no longer an issue with you and that even it has made you a stronger person, than to not discuss the violation and let them come up with their own ideas--maybe thinking that you haven't grown and that you may do it again.

Just one gal's opinion

 

[emanresu]

Smells like a DUKE secondary . . .

Without the redundant quote, I'll second snowbear

- though I'm a guy