Failure essay topic

[teeheety]

For the failure prompt, I'm thinking of going with either of these 2 answers, and I cannot decide. So please give me some input.

1) My original research site's ethical committee rejected my proposal due to political reasons, but I was persevere in finding another option to still complete some of my research goals. My problem with this was that it seemed that I did not talk about my own flaws, and I basically just give a "When life gives you lemon, make lemonade" answer.

2) I messed up in organic lab due to sleep deprivation and caused my instructor (who had a broken arm at the time) to stay for over an hour to help me. My professor was really disappointed because she was adamant about reading instructions before coming to lab. The obvious lesson would be to know what you were doing and never came to do things with others with so little sleep. I needed to think about how my action affect others' times, efforts, and emotions, especially my colleagues and patients in the future. But would adcoms think of my judgment as questionable since med school will also result in sleep deprivation?

Thank you so much!

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[Lannister]

Honestly, neither of these options is all that compelling.

 

[DrHart]

They both sound bad

 

[teeheety]

They both sound bad

Thank you for the criticism. I was not confident with either of them, but can you go into details as to why they are bad?

 

[Lannister]

1. Talking about politics is risky. Saying you were rejected "because of politics" is basically saying, "well, I didn't actually do anything wrong, the people who rejected me just sucked." Is that really even a true failure on your part? And like you said, you wouldn't be talking about your own shortcomings, or how you changed as a person after the experience.

2. Messing up in ochem lab is not a failure.

 

[DrHart]

Thank you for the criticism. I was not confident with either of them, but can you go into details as to why they are bad?

too superficial. the first doesn't seem like a great theme for a failure essay. and "political reasons" could make you sound whiney depending on how you write it. and as Lanny says its risky.
people will put the second essay down as soon as they get to "one time in organic lab..."
any failures outside of academics? people you know? jobs you worked?

 

[teeheety]

.

 

[Lannister]

I wouldn't consider anything you mentioned above to be a failure =/ sorry, this prompt is definitely a difficult one for many people. I think the answer I gave when asked this question during an interview was a story about a time that I lost one of my best friends because I failed to be a good friend to her. Not sure that's even a good answer, but point is that I don't think your failure has to be academic/work-related, nor does it have to be some massive, life-defining moment (in my opinion).

 

[teeheety]

I wouldn't consider anything you mentioned above to be a failure =/ sorry, this prompt is definitely a difficult one for many people. I think the answer I gave when asked this question during an interview was a story about a time that I lost one of my best friends because I failed to be a good friend to her. Not sure that's even a good answer, but point is that I don't think your failure has to be academic/work-related, nor does it have to be some massive, life-defining moment (in my opinion).

For the first one would it be better if I rephrase it in term of I knew what I was going in (that it was risky to mention politivs) but I decided to do it anyway, thinking somehow I would be special and they would approve of my project?
Would that be when I tried to do something and failed?

 

[Goro]

For the failure prompt, I'm thinking of going with either of these 2 answers, and I cannot decide. So please give me some input.

1) My original research site's ethical committee rejected my proposal due to political reasons, but I was persevere in finding another option to still complete some of my research goals. My problem with this was that it seemed that I did not talk about my own flaws, and I basically just give a "When life gives you lemon, make lemonade" answer.

2) I messed up in organic lab due to sleep deprivation and caused my instructor (who had a broken arm at the time) to stay for over an hour to help me. My professor was really disappointed because she was adamant about reading instructions before coming to lab. The obvious lesson would be to know what you were doing and never came to do things with others with so little sleep. I needed to think about how my action affect others' times, efforts, and emotions, especially my colleagues and patients in the future. But would adcoms think of my judgment as questionable since med school will also result in sleep deprivation?

Thank you so much!

Can you think of something that doesn't have to do with academics??????

 

[teeheety]

Can you think of something that doesn't have to do with academics??????

The only thing that I could think of is cooking/ trying to make a lion dance costume that was too heavy for my niece to play with, but I didn't improve from these though. I have not given up on cooking just yet, but I haven't improved significantly neither.
@Goro, would you mind if I PM you what I have for my paragraph since I approached my first option differently now rather than what sounded like whining before? I wrote about learning to be culturally flexible and learn from others' perspectives?

 

[Goro]

The only thing that I could think of is cooking/ trying to make a lion dance costume that was too heavy for my niece to play with, but I didn't improve from these though. I have not given up on cooking just yet, but I haven't improved significantly neither.
@Goro, would you mind if I PM you what I have for my paragraph since I approached my first option differently now rather than what sounded like whining before? I wrote about learning to be culturally flexible and learn from others' perspectives?

I don't read essays!

 

[teeheety]

I don't read essays!

I'm really sorry I did not know that. What about the topic of making a costume and it turned out to look good but did not fit a three-year-old because I did not do measurements. Now it's just sitting there as a decoration instead of being functional.

 

[Goro]

I'm really sorry I did not know that. What about the topic of making a costume and it turned out to look good but did not fit a three-year-old because I did not do measurements. Now it's just sitting there as a decoration instead of being functional.

Introspection is now a required competency for medical students and residents.