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How much does life story/experience really count?
- Thread starter pbg4user
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Apply DO, your story will count for more there. That is if you rock the mcat. And dont blame your grades on the people in your building. Unless they were doing something really horrible to you. If their being rich is what bothered you, you're not going to like med school.
Dear Unfortunate Childhood,
As a member of someone who was fortunate enough by the grace of God to be born to a well off family in the suburb, could you kindly stop constantly trying to make us feel bad for that fact, constantly harping that we live in a fantasy land and don't know what real life is, and constantly intoning that most of our achievements were simply handed to us.
We realize that you certainly had unfortunate circumstances in life, but our not participating in those same circumstances as you does not make us disconnected, anti-social, snobby, fantasylandliving *******s who like to talk about what mutual funds we plan on investing in next thursday. We are normal people, and often times your own prejudices cause you to judge us before you know us.
Many thanks,
Born by chance to a well-to-do family
As a member of someone who was fortunate enough by the grace of God to be born to a well off family in the suburb, could you kindly stop constantly trying to make us feel bad for that fact, constantly harping that we live in a fantasy land and don't know what real life is, and constantly intoning that most of our achievements were simply handed to us.
We realize that you certainly had unfortunate circumstances in life, but our not participating in those same circumstances as you does not make us disconnected, anti-social, snobby, fantasylandliving *******s who like to talk about what mutual funds we plan on investing in next thursday. We are normal people, and often times your own prejudices cause you to judge us before you know us.
Many thanks,
Born by chance to a well-to-do family
I said that about not blaming others to make sure you understand that that is not an acceptable excuse when you interview. I really dont understand how living there caused a break down. Its something you need to think about before you interview. They will likely ask about it and you need to have a better answer than 'I have a break down whenever i'm near rich people.' I had a few bad semesters too, and they did grill me over it. anyway none of this is meant to be critisism, just trying to help, i've been there.
I didnt see your reply before my last post. I get what you're saying. Still, it might not look good during an interview. I would avoid mentioning this particular problem. most people fail or drop out of med school because of trouble coping with the change in life style. You didnt learn to deal with the problem, you ran from it. you have very little time in med school to adjust. If you use this as an excuse they will likely worry you will have similar issues and may not take a chance with you. I also would not mention the depression.
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You may well get by without research. About 40% of applicants don't list it. But having insufficient clinical experience would be a good reason to delay application for another year. To give you a benchmark, since you are late-come to an interest in medicine, the average applicant lists about 1.5 years of experience with sick people, whether acquired though work, volunteering, or clinical research. I would try to discourage applying with less than a year's worth. Your many years of community service will be a strong point for you. Don't forget to also get some physician shadowing eventually; about 50 hours is average, but I suggest trying for 60-80, split among a few specialties, of which at least one is primary care, and ideally to include a DO, for the sake of an LOR for DO schools (many like to have one). Shadowing can be done very quickly, even at the last minute, or as a regular activity.
i had lots of clinical experience, which gave me a good excuse for some poor grades, i was working full time.my mcat score was good overall but unballenced so i had to explain my low ps score. and my really bad writing score. other than my ps score i had good reasons. practice interviews with friends. dont wing it. i had no research experience but it wasnt brought up. i had to explain why i decided to go into medicine after persuing a different career for years.
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This is just an opinion, and I know it's a bit tough, but bear with me. I don't pretend to know what adcomms want, but I just want to add a new perspective to this discussion.
I've read all of your other posts, but I'm still going to put this out there: Don't lean on your life story. I was reading applications for second-year undergrads applying to my research group, and it seemed that almost every single person whose academic performance faltered elaborated on how disadvantaged and horrible their lives are, in their personal statement. It was getting so OLD. The guy I ended up accepting was the one who didn't mention it in his statement, and when I asked him at interview, was honest and straightforward, no excuses, with me. It was refreshing. It takes a strong person to admit failure, weakness, and defeat as their own fault. This seems particularly important to me for someone who wants to be a doctor - being able to take responsibility is key. So does being able to accept differences, even if those differences have trust funds.
I'm not saying that sometimes there are not circumstances that take people beyond their realm of control. I've been there and I get it. However, I've chosen not to let "my story" write me. I think it's an important step to taking responsibility for my own life.
I wrote a really long response to you but just erased it because I knew it was too harsh, so I'll say just one more thing: don't let the fact that you come from less money than the top 1% of the country at your fancy prep school does make you feel somehow morally superior. The fact that you paid more to go to a private college demonstrates that you want what's "good" in life, too, so to put yourself above people because it was more difficult for you is a superficial difference. You could have gone to a CC or state school for far less money, but you chose to go to a private school. My point is, stick with your choices and show that you can handle their consequences. Rather than being defined by your past, stand up and be proud of who you are now. Just have integrity, do your best, and stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Good luck, though. It seems like you're working hard and really know what you want, so I wish you all the best.
I've read all of your other posts, but I'm still going to put this out there: Don't lean on your life story. I was reading applications for second-year undergrads applying to my research group, and it seemed that almost every single person whose academic performance faltered elaborated on how disadvantaged and horrible their lives are, in their personal statement. It was getting so OLD. The guy I ended up accepting was the one who didn't mention it in his statement, and when I asked him at interview, was honest and straightforward, no excuses, with me. It was refreshing. It takes a strong person to admit failure, weakness, and defeat as their own fault. This seems particularly important to me for someone who wants to be a doctor - being able to take responsibility is key. So does being able to accept differences, even if those differences have trust funds.
I'm not saying that sometimes there are not circumstances that take people beyond their realm of control. I've been there and I get it. However, I've chosen not to let "my story" write me. I think it's an important step to taking responsibility for my own life.
I wrote a really long response to you but just erased it because I knew it was too harsh, so I'll say just one more thing: don't let the fact that you come from less money than the top 1% of the country at your fancy prep school does make you feel somehow morally superior. The fact that you paid more to go to a private college demonstrates that you want what's "good" in life, too, so to put yourself above people because it was more difficult for you is a superficial difference. You could have gone to a CC or state school for far less money, but you chose to go to a private school. My point is, stick with your choices and show that you can handle their consequences. Rather than being defined by your past, stand up and be proud of who you are now. Just have integrity, do your best, and stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Good luck, though. It seems like you're working hard and really know what you want, so I wish you all the best.
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you are not alone. i went through something very, very similar, and i am currently applying to MD schools now. your story DOES count. however, you have to go about it the right way. i consulted with several close, trusted friends (AdCom members at Northwestern and UChicago med schools) before writing my personal statement and essays. here is what i learned:
1. on your AMCAS, indicate that you are a "disadvantaged" applicant. they give you space to explain. this is where you write a paragraph about your past... but in the context of finances. in my case, i explained that while growing up i relied on state/federal assistance (welfare), etc. etc. all the way up to having to work 30+ hours a week during high school and college in order to survive. do not say anything about this affecting your grades here. they are smart people, and they can deduce this for themselves.
2. make your personal statement about you as a person, and your life experiences that moved you to pursue medicine as a career. i talked about experiences abroad and my experiences with sick people i cared for. i never once mentioned how much i worked or that it affected my grades (even though it did... ALOT). i am an incredibly passionate person, mostly because my life experiences have brought me to physical, mental and emotional extremes, and i wrote my heart out in those essays. your experiences have made you stronger, more intelligent and more resilient, and let that shine through. in your writing, dont seek pity... seek respect.
3. some schools will ask you specifically if you have had to overcome any difficulties in your life, and others may offer space for an optional essay. this would be a good place to talk about the things you had to overcome. for example, you could mention your experience freshman year. then you would talk about how you (presumably) learned from it, grew because of it, and perhaps if you were put in a similar situation now, you would be able to thrive regardless of the environment because you have matured.
i dont claim to know your chances at MD schools, but i definitely think that you should think about DO too. when you get out in the real world, it basically means the same thing anyways... plus you may find that the DO approach is even more attractive than the MD. i did not apply to any DO programs this year because i really didnt know much about it, but now i am kind of kicking myself for that.
in any case, feel free to pm me (and anyone else reading this that is in the same boat) and i will be happy to answer any and all of your questions. and dont let the poor, persecuted, affluent pre-meds get you down. they didnt go through what you did, and they are just grumpy that you have something that they can never have.
