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I'm considering options for a service project for the upcoming year. One topic that appeals to my personal interests/experience is cannabis abuse, abuse prevention, and addiction recovery. I lived as a cannabis addict for about five years between my sophomore year of high school and junior year of college. It was horrible and getting through it, now 3 years sober, is probably my proudest accomplishment.
There is a huge amount of outreach and education work happening with high/middle school students in my area around cannabis abuse, in part because recreational cannabis was recently legalized in my state and and also because current research continues to reveal potential consequences of adolescent cannabis use.
I have a huge amount of knowledge about cannabis abuse and addiction and a passion for prevention and recovery. I am considering a service project in which I produce educational materials and give presentations about how to manage the risks posed by cannabis.
This project would involve transparency about my own experience with cannabis addiction. If don't pursue this project, my addiction history would be easy to hide from admission boards. If I do this project, admissions will likely find out about my cannabis abuse. I know this work is important and I know I would be good at it, but my question/concern is this: could my application to MD programs be harmed by admissions becoming aware of my history with cannabis? Does the risk of detriment outweigh the benefits of such an important and personal service project? Would it be wise for me to abandon this idea?
I must emphasize that I am recovered, sober, productive, and have great grades and MCATs. At one point, my med school advisor told me not to reveal to admissions boards that I had a cannabis problem and I completely agreed that privacy on this subject would be ideal. But now I'm feeling torn. Can anyone offer some advice?
There is a huge amount of outreach and education work happening with high/middle school students in my area around cannabis abuse, in part because recreational cannabis was recently legalized in my state and and also because current research continues to reveal potential consequences of adolescent cannabis use.
I have a huge amount of knowledge about cannabis abuse and addiction and a passion for prevention and recovery. I am considering a service project in which I produce educational materials and give presentations about how to manage the risks posed by cannabis.
This project would involve transparency about my own experience with cannabis addiction. If don't pursue this project, my addiction history would be easy to hide from admission boards. If I do this project, admissions will likely find out about my cannabis abuse. I know this work is important and I know I would be good at it, but my question/concern is this: could my application to MD programs be harmed by admissions becoming aware of my history with cannabis? Does the risk of detriment outweigh the benefits of such an important and personal service project? Would it be wise for me to abandon this idea?
I must emphasize that I am recovered, sober, productive, and have great grades and MCATs. At one point, my med school advisor told me not to reveal to admissions boards that I had a cannabis problem and I completely agreed that privacy on this subject would be ideal. But now I'm feeling torn. Can anyone offer some advice?
