- Joined
- Jul 27, 2020
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 8
I am a person in recovery who is applying to MSTPs in 2022. I got sober from heroin and cocaine when I was 18, and I will be 4.5 y sober when submit AMCAS. A large portion of my life is spent in recovery-related activities. I do tons of service related to sobriety, i.e. speak at rehabs, sponsor other men (even a doctor!), arrange service opportunities for others etc. I am also a member of a collegiate recovery program at my university. Many of my experiences provided transferrable traits & skills, like grit, maturity, determination, service-orientation, and resilience. I feel there is no way to tell my story and not incorporate my sobriety.
However, I would like to tell the story about how my recovery makes me a better MSTP candidate while also dodging stigma surrounding addiction. My plan is to always tie statements about recovery back to my motivation for science and healthcare. But, I am wondering how careful I need to be. Clearly I won't mention my overdoses or near death experiences, but rather talk about it in a general way that is always relevant to MSTP candidacy.
Does anyone have experience with writing similar stories? How were these received in interviews? Did you ever suspect judgement/stigma?
For context, I have demonstrated my ability to perform after being a high school drop out: 4.0 GPA (rising junior, 80 credits), 1.5 y research and presently in a lab until graduation, and I took a free MCAT on a whim as sophomore and managed a 510, and I have the backing of a foundation who funds undergrads in recovery (i.e. a foundation believes in my sobriety lol).
However, I would like to tell the story about how my recovery makes me a better MSTP candidate while also dodging stigma surrounding addiction. My plan is to always tie statements about recovery back to my motivation for science and healthcare. But, I am wondering how careful I need to be. Clearly I won't mention my overdoses or near death experiences, but rather talk about it in a general way that is always relevant to MSTP candidacy.
Does anyone have experience with writing similar stories? How were these received in interviews? Did you ever suspect judgement/stigma?
For context, I have demonstrated my ability to perform after being a high school drop out: 4.0 GPA (rising junior, 80 credits), 1.5 y research and presently in a lab until graduation, and I took a free MCAT on a whim as sophomore and managed a 510, and I have the backing of a foundation who funds undergrads in recovery (i.e. a foundation believes in my sobriety lol).