Is having difficulty controlling my volume in loud environments a "good" weakness?

[bluenette23]

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I tend to start shouting when I am in a loud environment (restaurant, bar, social, etc.) yet I have no idea that I am shouting. To me, I am talking at an adequate volume in order to be heard. I don't think I sound inappropriately loud AT ALL. I try to remind myself before entering such an environment (not that I have been in any for the past year lol) that I need to speak quieter than I automatically would, but if I get excited/distracted my volume starts to go right back up. This can also happen if I go from a loud environment to a quiet environment, but I tend to notice and fix it once the other person starts speaking.

My friends and family are completely split on whether this is a decent weakness for applications. Some think it's a good idea (doesn't reflect on my character, I do try to fix it and am better than I was in high school), some think its not "serious" enough of a weakness, and others think its "too serious" of a weakness because the ER can be a noisy place and it might freak out patients, and that it shows a lack of self-control (though I want to work in private practice, but ofc I will spend time there during medical school). I was surprised by how across-the-board the reactions were, so I was curious what the SDN community thought about it.

All opinions welcome!

 

[outrightornery]

Def not, its way too trivial. Making your voice heard in a loud environment isn't a weakness, its normal communication. You want a true weakness and show how you've reflected on it and are actively working on it. I used impatience and it seemed to be received very well.

 

[Rogue42]

Def not, its way too trivial. Making your voice heard in a loud environment isn't a weakness, its normal communication. You want a true weakness and show how you've reflected on it and are actively working on it. I used impatience and it seemed to be received very well.

Retweet^

Yeah, this "weakness" is not the kind of weakness that medical schools are asking for in my opinion. They want you to truly analyze yourself, find a weakness that you have or that you've had in the past, and then explain that weakness.

It shows that you have the ability to be self-aware, analyze an issue that is yours and yours alone, and the steps you've taken to better yourself.

 

[Catalystik]

I tend to start shouting when I am in a loud environment (restaurant, bar, social, etc.) yet I have no idea that I am shouting. To me, I am talking at an adequate volume in order to be heard. I don't think I sound inappropriately loud AT ALL. I try to remind myself before entering such an environment (not that I have been in any for the past year lol) that I need to speak quieter than I automatically would, but if I get excited/distracted my volume starts to go right back up. This can also happen if I go from a loud environment to a quiet environment, but I tend to notice and fix it once the other person starts speaking.

My friends and family are completely split on whether this is a decent weakness for applications. Some think it's a good idea (doesn't reflect on my character, I do try to fix it and am better than I was in high school), some think its not "serious" enough of a weakness, and others think its "too serious" of a weakness because the ER can be a noisy place and it might freak out patients, and that it shows a lack of self-control (though I want to work in private practice, but ofc I will spend time there during medical school). I was surprised by how across-the-board the reactions were, so I was curious what the SDN community thought about it.

All opinions welcome!

I vote No.

 

[Med Ed]

Not good for the weakness question. Decent for the annoying idiosyncrasy question.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

Just an OMS 1 here but I wouldn’t use it. First, like others have said, it doesn’t show the level of introspection that the question is asking for. Second it’s more unseemly than a “serious” weakness because it could across like you can’t read social cues. Like n = 3, but everyone I know who does this has issues with social cues. Say we’re at a crowded venue and they’re yelling. They’re oblivious to me backing away or trying to talk in a slow, calm way to subtly indicate that they don’t need to yell. Failure to pick up on those things and inability to correct such a simple issue is a bigger issue than a “big” issue like being impatient, taking on too much at once, taking criticism personally etc.

 

[bluenette23]

Thanks for the feedback! I agree that it isn't a good weakness, it wasn't what I ended up going with (I said that I go above and beyond for people when its not in the job description), but I appreciate the perspectives!

 

[JimKimSlim]

The question is all about introspection. It can be something external that affects people around you or internal that affects your mind. Everyone has weaknesses and strengths, and I'm sure you can find one too. Just avoid topics like procrastination, unprofessionalism, etc.

 

[xffan624]

Thanks for the feedback! I agree that it isn't a good weakness, it wasn't what I ended up going with (I said that I go above and beyond for people when its not in the job description), but I appreciate the perspectives!

Another weak weakness that is pretty much the equivalent of "I work too hard". You could frame that differently as "I have difficulty staying within the bounds of an assignment or a request" and give an example of how you've worked to improve that behavior.

 

[Banco]

No.

 

[deleted314957]

no matter what you end up doing, you will develop a number of different persona to go along with different situations. Sometimes you are going to be the laser focused stentorian leader. Other times a humble rube.

 

[GreenDuck12]

Thanks for the feedback! I agree that it isn't a good weakness, it wasn't what I ended up going with (I said that I go above and beyond for people when its not in the job description), but I appreciate the perspectives!

This... isn’t a weakness. This isn’t a scenario where you want to turn a “weakness” into a “strength” a la Michael Scott in The Office. This makes you seem like someone who isn’t capable of critically evaluating their performance and character (a very dangerous trait in any medical trainee). The goal of this question, as others have mentioned, is to demonstrate the ability to truly critique yourself as someone who has room to improve. When I did app reviews, I saw this type of response more often than one would hope and it always resulted in a rejection. With so many qualified candidates I wasn’t going to waste time trying to parse whether this perception was accurate if the applicant couldn’t spend the time to answer the question. Super harsh but honest.

Working too hard? Not a weakness. Trouble establishing appropriate professional/emotional boundaries in palliative care? Weakness. Going above and beyond? Not a weakness. Burning bridges while navigating complex systems to advocate for your clients? Weakness. Not communicating effectively with teammate? Weakness.

The question tells you what they are looking for. First rule of answering admissions questions is: answer the question.