How can I write about my (genuine) interests in global health, despite my lack of experience in this area?

[A_Sentient_Ape]

I want to write *part* of my Brown secondary (prompt: aspirations for my career in medicine) about my desire to at some point work for a global health organization(s). Problem is, the only experiences I have in this area are ones from high school. I know within myself that I will work for DWB or similar organizations at some point in my career (I will literally do whatever it takes once I’ve become more established), but how safe is it for me to make this claim in my secondary app?

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[LizzyM]

Have you lived abroad at any time in your life? Draw on that experience. Are you a good teacher? Are you skilled at communicating? Are you skilled at problem solving, collaboration, and forging of alliances? If you have developed those skills you may be able to use them in an international setting even if you haven't done so in the past.

 

[Cheeezcake]

Have this same question, glad you asked it!

 

[salpinx minx]

I'd be careful with this one. For a lot of people, "I'm interested in global health" means "I want to go on a mission trip for two weeks once in my life and call myself a humanitarian." I'm not saying this is you at all, but I think many faculty - especially those with extensive experience in global health - may be wary of this claim if you don't have the experience to back it up. They will be skeptical because they've probably seen many students claim this same interest over the years to use as a talking point to get into good schools, only to never follow up on that vague interest later in their careers.

If you really must write about it, I agree with LizzyM's advice - tie it in to the skills you already have. When have you had to work in a setting with limited resources? Maybe you volunteered at an underserved school/federal public health clinic/etc? Have you spent any time learning foreign languages? Have you had to forge an alliance with a community that was very distrustful of you at first?

If you haven't done any of these things, I recommend gaining those skills before deciding if a career in global health is what you really want. It's a sexy topic these days, but it is way way harder than it's made out to be in the documentaries and such. Imagine watching a patient bleed in childbirth and having no blood available to transfuse them with. Imagine telling your hundredth patient with osteoarthritis that you don't know when you can perform their knee replacement because there are no funds to buy the implants, and no one is donating the parts. Imagine having a 19-year-old mother bring in her barely arousable child to ask you what's wrong, only to figure out the problem is that she's feeding her kid Pepsi because she's too malnourished to produce her own milk.

I worked in Central America for a few years before medical school, and these are all true scenarios I encountered. Global health is amazing, and it's 100% worth it, but it's not for the faint of heart. I recommend gaining some real experience in the field before deciding it's what you want to do forever, or using that love of the idea of global health to appeal to adcoms.

I apologize if I come off as skeptical, but I've just seen so many people use "interest in global health" as a line on their resume to advance their own careers rather than to really contribute anything meaningful in the field. I hope you gain that global experience, fall in love, and come get your hands dirty with us so we can accomplish some awesome things! Best of luck.

 

[A_Sentient_Ape]

I apologize if I come off as skeptical

I mean I totally understand the skepticism, it's completely warranted and why I'm asking these questions. I honestly feel like I betrayed myself a bit by spending so much time focusing on research as the "how" for getting into medical school as opposed to spending more time with the "why" for going to medical school. I think all of these existential prompts are causing me to reflect and sort of re-embrace some of the values that put me on this road, and this makes it tempting material for essays. But I'm also aware that these papers are not really the place where one should talk about values, because in the end all that really matters here are actions, not convictions. I suppose I was looking for a way to navigate the shared space between those two things.

If you have developed those skills you may be able to use them in an international setting even if you haven't done so in the past.

Thank you so much for the perspective check, and the advice. I have done a couple of the things you mentioned and have acquired many of the skills that would be useful in these settings that I had not really considered before.

One question though, related to the high school activity I mentioned (which is not mentioned in my primary app). That was a reference to the time I was assisting in a mobile health clinic in Haiti my pediatrician operated that I had wanted to help in since I was a very young kid and finally got the chance to when I was 15 and the 2010 earthquake hit. IF I make the reference to the trips brief, clarify that I myself was only performing basic tasks (e.g. organizing medications and prepping patients for their time with the actual clinicians), clarify that I am not making a claim that I am some sort of hero, and simply focus on how inspiring I found the work of the doctors+nurses and how it affirmed my desire to become a physician and eventually work in global health...IF I do it in that way, do you think it will help or hurt my cause here?

Some sidenotes that I probably would not mention in the essay, but perhaps would in an interview if asked about it...I went again in 2012, and fund-raised enough in between trips at my school to get school materials for a school in one of the villages and pay for one of the teacher's annual salaries for that year.

 

[LizzyM]

I think that it is very reasonable to mention that you went on a humanitarian trip with your pediatrician to Haiti in 2010 (people can do the math and figure out how old you were then) and that the little you were able to do, organizing supplies and prepping patients to facilitate the clinicians' work has been a memory that has kept you going through this pre-med journey. That seems totally reasonable and legit to me.

 

[salpinx minx]

I think it's awesome that you're having these reflections now - I encourage you to keep having them throughout your career. I'm doing this too, halfway through med school, as my friends and I get closer to deciding what field we want to dedicate our lives to. When I see my friends slaving over research publications or trying to find a new cancer biomarker (both of which, I think, are worthwhile pursuits), I have to remind myself that I don't HAVE to do those things if I don't want to, because those aren't the goals I set for myself. As long as I am dedicating my time to learning medicine and contributing towards the causes that are most important to me, I am succeeding. Honestly, in any career - not just medicine - I think it's important to check in with yourself every so often to ensure you're staying true to the values that brought you there in the first place.

On a less philosophical and more practical note, I think it's definitely fair to mention your experience, especially since you've done a lot since then to follow up on that interest and it's clearly a big motivator for you to go to medical school. I don't think it will help or hurt your cause. It will just be another data point that adcoms use to figure out who you are. Just remember that they will probably be inundated with stories like this. Not to burst your bubble or anything, but it's less "unique" than you think. Doesn't mean it's not worth mentioning.

 

[Peter Pan.]

Gonn be difficult to do. Do you have any reading or any type of subscriptions or articles in this subject matter? Show them your knowledge of it.

 

[and 99 others]

Have you lived abroad at any time in your life? Draw on that experience. Are you a good teacher? Are you skilled at communicating? Are you skilled at problem solving, collaboration, and forging of alliances? If you have developed those skills you may be able to use them in an international setting even if you haven't done so in the past.

I am in a similar situation to OPs. I have a lot of experience in community work with disadvantaged minorities, while not a minority mysef. However, I want my focus to be more on global health BECAUSE of what I've seen in my local disadvantaged communities. I can see what sorts of struggles people here go through to access healthcare and want to learn more about how people in other parts of the world go through similar struggles, ultimately helping them bridge those disparities. Is it a good idea to phrase it this way, or am I better off just saying I'm focused on community health in the US. I have an immigrant background and have spent time abroad, but not in a healthcare capacity.

 

[salpinx minx]

I am in a similar situation to OPs. I have a lot of experience in community work with disadvantaged minorities, while not a minority mysef. However, I want my focus to be more on global health BECAUSE of what I've seen in my local disadvantaged communities. I can see what sorts of struggles people here go through to access healthcare and want to learn more about how people in other parts of the world go through similar struggles, ultimately helping them bridge those disparities. Is it a good idea to phrase it this way, or am I better off just saying I'm focused on community health in the US. I have an immigrant background and have spent time abroad, but not in a healthcare capacity.

At this point, I think it's better to focus on your community health interest, because you have the experience and evidence to back up that interest. If you start talking about your passion global health with zero experience, they might doubt your sincerity. This isn't to say you shouldn't get more involved with global health once you're in medical school - it's a great time to explore new interests - but at this point, your claim of interest in global health will look like just that - a claim of interest, nothing more. Keep in mind there will be other people applying who were in the Peace Corps or year-long volunteer abroad programs - those are the people who will get the chops for their work.

If you're truly interested in global health, I highly recommend taking a gap year between 3rd and 4th year of med school to go work abroad somewhere. (or before med school, if you have the time)