Medical Losing one's faith as a challenge?

[Goro]

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So I'm looking at prior year's secondary prompts for the schools I'm applying to. One of the most common is asking about a particular moment of adversity or challenge and how I overcame it. I've had a bunch of "challenges" in my life that are unacceptable for a med school application (i.e. best friend committing suicide, a close relative murdering another close relative, etc.).

One that I think might work is my losing faith in Catholicism in college. I entered UG actually wanting to be a Jesuit, but over Fresh/Soph year I completely lost it. This affected me greatly as you'd imagine. It's kind of an interesting story (to me at least), and there's a lot to say about how I came out the other side and how I'm stronger and more open-minded, etc., but I'm wondering if this is too sensitive? Mom said never discuss politics or religion in polite company..

A follow up question, optimistically looking ahead to interviews, would this be appropriate for a discussion in person?

Thank you!

I have to ponder the first part, but for the second, anything in your app is fair game for an interviewer to ask about

 

[Lucca]

I think it's a legitimate topic for the secondary prompt albeit a challenging essay to write. I went through something very similar as you and I considered writing about it for the secondary prompt but I could never write a version of the essay that I felt comfortable sharing with strangers for the purpose of getting into professional school...too many feelings, thoughts I haven't fully worked through probably. But I think its worth a shot!

Everything can be brought up during interviews.

 

[BC_89]

If emotional writing takes the reigns over your end-results (ie the “how” of your capability of adapting and adjusting to challenges), I’d avoid it on paper but mention it as a face to face interview should the topic be brought up.

Seeing an applicants expression and communication of reaching solutions on a sensitive subject seems more optimal for a candidate than just trying to generalize or dwell-to-deep on paper.

 

[lord999]

My advice is tl;dr Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt.

So, speaking as someone who deals with Formation studies applications and the politics of the Church from various secular offices, I can say that if you do apply to a historically or presently affirming Catholic school for medicine, that you consider a different choice for your secondary. Shouldn't happen, but I can definitely see how this would be unfairly targeted by their adcoms.

My own reasoning for why your mother's point stands is because most people are polite enough not to ask, but if you open yourself up, politics and religion as you well know can't be argued with certain people. And if you get that certain person, well...

Let me put it to you this way, if you handed this essay off to a Sister of Mercy, would that Sister of Mercy be merciful about the consideration if the power of acceptance or denial were given to her? You are a (wo)man of little faith, what do you think about an extremely religious person having judgment over you feels like? If you don't feel uncomfortable, by all means, write your essay that way and let the dice fly high!

However, if you think turning the other cheek is not how the Sister of Mercy would handle it and are uncomfortable (and I would be in your position), I would draw upon my understanding of iconism and symbology to write a metaphorical journey from belief to rationality without involving religion except to yourself. The idea of allegory and steganography are powerful literary devices that can be used for both religious and secular purposes. Boni pastoris est tondere pecus non deglubere and all that.