Is it appropriate to mention personal health problems in essays and interviews?

[doctorme555]

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I have had chronic migraines for the past 7 years and other miscellaneous health problems for much of my life. This has had a definite impact on my reasons for going into medicine. I'm wondering how to go about mentioning this in my personal statement and/or interviews without coming across as someone who might not be able to handle the stresses of being a doctor because of my health. Should I mention my health problems in my applications? Thanks!!

 

[vivekap2007]

If they had a major impact on your decision to enter medicine then you should mention your health problems...I'm not sure how to go about this but I think it would be a good idea to include how your doctor(s) and the health care system helped you overcome your ailments.

 

[Waitlisted]

hey doctorme?!!
what kind of symptoms have you been having? For a year and a half now I have been having dizziness and headaches and my docs are all stunned. I talk about this as well in my applications. Have you found a solution to your problems?

 

[coldchemist]

In my humble opinion...

You should be careful with this kind of thing. You want to present it as an obstacle, but one you are able to overcome. Otherwise, they might wonder how it will affect your performance in medical school. If these headaches are an ongoing problem, you should demonstrate that, although they have caused you some problems, you are extremely optimistic about determining the cause and utimately finding a treatment that works. And of course you want to explain how the whole situation affected your decision to pursue medicine.

DO NOT present this situation in a way designed only to attract sympathy as this will probably backfire...

 

[mamadoc]

Since you say that your health problems have had an impact on your decision to go into medicine, it would probably be hard to write the story of how you decided you want to be a doctor without mentioning these experiences.

However, your caution is well-advised. You want to make it clear that these experiences are just a small part of your life, and that there is a lot more to you than migraines or other health issues. You hopefully have a lot of other reasons why you're going into medicine - be sure to give them weight in your essay.

Be sure to get some *objective* readers to critique your personal statement if you decide to include your own illness experiences. Don't get close friends or relatives - those who've perhaps watched you sympathetically as you've battled with these problems. An advisor or English professor or someone who doesn't know you well could tell you if you are getting your point across. Good luck!

 

[INeedAdvice]

I would say that you USED to get them. This way, you can still talk about the migraines all you want as the *reason* why you wanted to go to med school.

If the interviewer asks if you still get them, I'd answer "rarely"...or otherwise, they might think that you're not physically fit to handle the stresses of med school.

Originally posted by doctorme555
I have had chronic migraines for the past 7 years and other miscellaneous health problems for much of my life. This has had a definite impact on my reasons for going into medicine. I'm wondering how to go about mentioning this in my personal statement and/or interviews without coming across as someone who might not be able to handle the stresses of being a doctor because of my health. Should I mention my health problems in my applications? Thanks!!

 

[Zoobaby]

I'm a cancer survivor (highschool) and it was a central topic in my PS. I've talked about it at every interview as a major motivation for my going into medicine. The whole experience is behind me, and I consider it a major challange overcome. If you are motivated by your own history, and if it has made you stronger, I'd say bring it up. Don't go for sympathy, tho...

My $0.02

 

[INeedAdvice]

Congrats on overcoming such a huge obstacle ! That's wonderful! 😉

"If you are motivated by your own history"

HISTORY being the operative word! It sounds like the OP *still* has devastatingly painful migraines. Or is that not true?

If you had admitted that you currently had cancer and were going through teatment, you may not have gotten accepted into med school....but since it's behind you, it wasn't a detriment to you getting in.

That's why the OP should say that she had a history of migraines....but imply that it's in the past (and if directly asked, she could say that she gets them occasionally...."occasional" is a relevant description....so she wouldn't be lying...she'd just be putting herself into a more positive light as everyone does when they interview. 😉 )

Originally posted by Zoobaby
I'm a cancer survivor (highschool) and it was a central topic in my PS. I've talked about it at every interview as a major motivation for my going into medicine. The whole experience is behind me, and I consider it a major challange overcome. If you are motivated by your own history, and if it has made you stronger, I'd say bring it up. Don't go for sympathy, tho...

My $0.02

 

[Zoobaby]

Originally posted by INeedAdvice
Congrats on overcoming such a huge obstacle ! That's wonderful! 😉

"If you are motivated by your own history"

HISTORY being the operative word! It sounds like the OP *still* has devastatingly painful migraines. Or is that not true?

If you had admitted that you currently had cancer and were going through teatment, you may not have gotten accepted into med school....but since it's behind you, it wasn't a detriment to you getting in.

That's why the OP should say that she had a history of migraines....but imply that it's in the past (and if directly asked, she could say that she gets them occasionally...."occasional" is a relevant description....so she wouldn't be lying...she'd just be putting herself into a more positive light as everyone does when they interview. 😉 )

Good point. 🙂

 

[Albah]

doctorme,

I also had the same question when I first started applying. I went through a bout of depression during the beginning of college and I felt that it would be a good idea to write about it in my personal statement. I agree with the others that you must handle it with care, but it can also be an asset to your application if done correctly.

Just make sure that the goal of your essay is to explain how you overcame the problem and not focus on the problem itself. For example, I mentioned my motivation to help others with depression, how I confronted and resolved my problem, and how my grades did not slip. It shows that if you were to experience such a problem again in the future, you would know how to deal with it.

I also was very skeptical about writing about this but I have already been accepted at a school so my personal statement must have shown that I was being sincere. Just remember to be honest and to focus on how the problem has changed you (for the good 😉 ).

Also, in case you want to know...at my interview they did ask me about my biggest challenge so I talked about my problem. Then they went ahead and asked me how I was going to deal with the demands of medical school. They were very receptive about my situation and how I handled it.

Best of luck!!
Albah

 

[Lady MD]

I'd agree with the others who say to downplay your problems so that the interviewer doesn't think that you're not capable.

Then they went ahead and asked me how I was going to deal with the demands of medical school.

One question/answer session about how you are going to "deal the demands" is one less question/answer session about how you can be a positive contributor to their environment. It's good that it worked out well for you; but doctorme may not be so lucky. Maybe you were such a good candidate that you got accepted in spite of the fact that you had problems with depression. Granted that it could be seen as a positive (being able to relate with others that have depression), however the potential downside seems to be waaaaay worse than the potential upside. Just my humble opinion.

 

[doctorme555]

I really appreciate all the advice everyone's given. Yes, I still have the headaches and I am worried about how it may affect my performance in medical school and beyond. I've done fine so far by maintaining an excellent GPA, but I'm sure it will be harder in medical school. I don't want to come across as wanting sympathy, I just want to show how I will be a more empathetic doctor because of my history. I suppose it might be best to say I don't experience them as often anymore so I don't ruin my chances of getting in based on the perception that I can't handle it. My migraines have been undiagnosed and I don't take any medications anymore, so if I say in an interview/essay that I no longer have them as often, I wonder if that will not be believable.

 

[Iliketosleep]

Just a note--did you see the article in last Sunday's NY Times magazine on chronic headaches related to the use of OTC painkillers? You should definitely look for it.
Good luck with the applications. Write what you want. Be honest. Your experiences make you more interesting. But I agree with those who say you should make it sound like you're all better now. So, I guess I meant be mostly honest.

 

[Jiten]

If u think u can study hard and work as good as any other physician, NO need to tell them during the interview...or before acceptance