*HELP with Challenge secondary*

[lickerwhicker]

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[CyrilFiggis]

Given your two choices, I would go with the latter. Make sure the majority of the prompt is not defining the problem, but how you dealt with it and how you grew from the experience.

 

[lickerwhicker]

Given your two choices, I would go with the latter. Make sure the majority of the prompt is not defining the problem, but how you dealt with it and how you grew from the experience.

For half of the essay (200 words total), I explained the circumstances of the problem, and for the rest of the essay, I talked about what I did to overcome my challenge and what i learned from it. Do you think this is a good breakdown?

 

[CyrilFiggis]

That I can't say. If you found yourself cutting from the second half to make it fit the character count, I would tell you to take another look. There's a trend of applicants trying to weave overly dramatic or detailed expositions, which you should avoid. Like i said, describing the problem is less important than discussing your growth.

 

[paran0idandr0id42]

That I can't say. If you found yourself cutting from the second half to make it fit the character count, I would tell you to take another look. There's a trend of applicants trying to weave overly dramatic or detailed expositions, which you should avoid. Like i said, describing the problem is less important than discussing your growth.

I find a lot of challenge essay questions are worded "describe a problem and how you addressed it."

Obviously, how you addressed the problem is clearly relevant, but nothing explicitly stated in that question about what you learned/how you grew from the experience, you still think it's worth describing though?


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[CyrilFiggis]

Again I think it comes down to length. But if possible, I think it's helpful to say something about why you chose to address it that way. Or if space permits discuss the outcome and what you would do differently in hindsight. Remember, as a physician, you are going to be put in odd scenarios, either with patient interactions or procedures, etc. It's not only about how we deal with those situations but learning from them so we don't repeat mistakes of the past. That's my interpretations of these questions and how I answered them, but maybe smarter minds will correct me.

 

[lickerwhicker]

I find a lot of challenge essay questions are worded "describe a problem and how you addressed it."

Obviously, how you addressed the problem is clearly relevant, but nothing explicitly stated in that question about what you learned/how you grew from the experience, you still think it's worth describing though?


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wait what do you mean? are u saying that i shouldn't talk about how i grew from the experience?

 

[lickerwhicker]

Again I think it comes down to length. But if possible, I think it's helpful to say something about why you chose to address it that way. Or if space permits discuss the outcome and what you would do differently in hindsight. Remember, as a physician, you are going to be put in odd scenarios, either with patient interactions or procedures, etc. It's not only about how we deal with those situations but learning from them so we don't repeat mistakes of the past. That's my interpretations of these questions and how I answered them, but maybe smarter minds will correct me.

can I PM you my essay for you to look at? im hoping i covered all of the main points (the problem, what i did to address it and why, and what i learned) but i might be wrong

 

[paran0idandr0id42]

wait what do you mean? are u saying that i shouldn't talk about how i grew from the experience?

Well that's what I'm curious about. There certainly are some prompts that explicitly ask for "lessons learned" so it would make sense to include it there. It's for the ones that don't ask for lessons learned or how you grew from the experience, if it's necessary. I'm curious what @Goro @LizzyM @gyngyn have to say on this.

 

[Goro]

Well that's what I'm curious about. There certainly are some prompts that explicitly ask for "lessons learned" so it would make sense to include it there. It's for the ones that don't ask for lessons learned or how you grew from the experience, if it's necessary. I'm curious what @Goro @LizzyM @gyngyn have to say on this.

Depends upon what the prompt is asking for. What I'm seeing in a lot of these posts is that people are overthinking.

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

Would it appropriate to discuss when a problem occured during a research project, and what you did to solve the problem?


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[LizzyM]

One size does not fit every prompt. Is the prompt probing for problem solving, coping skills, growth and maturation, resilience after disappointment or something else?

 

[lickerwhicker]

One size does not fit every prompt. Is the prompt probing for problem solving, coping skills, growth and maturation, resilience after disappointment or something else?

If the prompt asks us to tell us about a problem we faced and how we addressed it, is there something they're probing for along the lines of what you said? I feel like the prompt is kind of open-ended

 

[LizzyM]

That sounds like a question asking you to describe a problem and what you did about it. Be specific about what you did not how you felt or what you learned. It would be helpful to conclude with the outcome or current situation. Don't strain to connect it to medicine or doctoring.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

can I PM you my essay for you to look at? im hoping i covered all of the main points (the problem, what i did to address it and why, and what i learned) but i might be wrong

Unfortunately, no. I've only ever read personal statements or secondaries for grammatical errors or other proofreading and typically only for applicants I know. Sorry

 

[Prometheus123]

That sounds like a question asking you to describe a problem and what you did about it. Be specific about what you did not how you felt or what you learned. It would be helpful to conclude with the outcome or current situation. Don't strain to connect it to medicine or doctoring.

I'm putting this on a post-it or something.