most difficult thing faced

[drzing]

i was reading through the "interview feedback" section for some of the school i applied too and a question i kept seeing was "What was the most difficult thing you have had to face?"

my question is: if you had health problems (like seizures when you were younger) is it alright to mention that? when i say younger i mean high school so about 4 or 5 years ago?

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[KMFDM]

Sounds pretty legit to me.

 

[drzing]

Sounds pretty legit to me.

you dont think theyll say "he/she had seizures so they may be unable to be a doctor" or something like that?

 

[Compass]

Most schools have a technical aspect that you read and go through. Assuming you read and understood and meet those guidelines, there probably won't be an issue.

 

[NotSur]

what about mentioning a traumatic experience? could they will think the interviewee is not mentally "ready" for the huge stress of med school? that they need to heal?

 

[Exalya]

what about mentioning a traumatic experience? could they will think the interviewee is not mentally "ready" for the huge stress of med school? that they need to heal?

Depends. Have you healed? Have you shown that you have picked up your life since the experience? I wrote about an incredibly traumatic life experience and how I healed from it, and further, how I've helped others in that situation. It came out very positively in my interviews. It depends entirely on you and how you frame what happened.

 

[CoolWhipp]

Write about something difficult that you overcame already. Hence, it wouldn't be a good idea for me to write about the girl that sits next to me in Immunology class, because I have yet to overcome the rejection. This would only lead to more rejections from medical school, such as the rejection of NF-Kb activity via I-Kb. That's why it's always good to have a wingman to distract the I-Kb, it's always more successful when you have a cockblock inhibitor.

 

[NotSur]

Depends. Have you healed? Have you shown that you have picked up your life since the experience? I wrote about an incredibly traumatic life experience and how I healed from it, and further, how I've helped others in that situation. It came out very positively in my interviews. It depends entirely on you and how you frame what happened.

I've healed enough to be a fully functional medical student. And there's still another year before enrollment. I'd like to mention how I've helped others in my position too and how it has influenced me to become a doctor and even what type of doctor. The only thing is that I don't want to talk too much about the experience because it happened relatively recently and I'm afraid the adcoms will think I shouldn't be so healed and positive so soon so that's why I'm hesitant. I'm wondering if I can get away with discussing it and the aftermath without discussing the details of the event itself. Why would they want to hear about that anyways as sensitive individuals?

 

[chman]

Personally, I would probably avoid that unless there has been substantial time since your last seizure. From what I understand about seizures, which is not a lot I will admit, is that the risk never goes away fully. So the adcoms may be right in being cautious about such a situation.

I would look at maybe social, economic, and family hardships.


Then again, it could work out great, but it is a bit of a gamble. IMO.

 

[TopSecret]

i was reading through the "interview feedback" section for some of the school i applied too and a question i kept seeing was "What was the most difficult thing you have had to face?"

my question is: if you had health problems (like seizures when you were younger) is it alright to mention that? when i say younger i mean high school so about 4 or 5 years ago?

I would not mention this since epilepsy is a health condition that could adversely affect your performance as a medical student or physician. It's a yellow flag.

 

[chman]

Ouch. I have epilepsy. Can i not be a doctor?

It depends, but you can't be in a position where you are putting your patients at risk, such as surgery. I would imagine other specialties are more forgiving. I am no expert though. Perhaps ask one of the mentors at the bottom of the forum list.

 

[LizzyM]

i was reading through the "interview feedback" section for some of the school i applied too and a question i kept seeing was "What was the most difficult thing you have had to face?"

my question is: if you had health problems (like seizures when you were younger) is it alright to mention that? when i say younger i mean high school so about 4 or 5 years ago?

This is not Queen for A Day where the applicant with the biggest sob story gets the crown. The follow-up to that is how did you overcome this difficulty? So, the strategy is to think about the coping skills you mobilize when dealing with a problem. Now, what was the biggest problem you've had to deal with and how did you use those coping skills?

Also, I'd suggest that you should choose something that has happened to you as an adult -- not the coping skills you used as a seven year old when a bully stole your lunch money.

 

[DendWrite]

This is not Queen for A Day where the applicant with the biggest sob story gets the crown.

Have you considered a coffee-table book of one-liners? Maybe something like "The Id of the Adcom?"

 

[Iso4ane]

When I was was a kid, I was short and a little bit on the round side, plus I had a big head, literally (98th percentile). I want to play sports, but with a big head, I wasn't very balanced on my feet.

So to overcome it, I became a swimmer, and a decent one at that considering my height and stature, still short and a bit fat. And swimming has taught me blah blah blah.

So do something like this... Problem. Solution. Result.

 

[roaming]

.

 

[LizzyM]

Please keep in mind that the adcom is trying to judge your coping skills. Things are bound to go wrong during medical school... what strategies to you have to deal with situations that arise:

your living quarters have flooded,
the bank made an error and you are overdrawn,
a family member calls in distress with really bad news,
and
you have three exams scheduled next week