Other Impactful Experiences?

[maybefuturedoctor7]

Hi! I'm not sure if I should fill out the "other impactful experiences" section of AMCAS. I'm a senior about to apply, I'm attending college out of state, and I'm taking 1 gap year.

Last fall my mom had an accident and was temporarily semi-disabled. I did take care of her during winter break (she could manage by the time break was over). She has had a couple major surgeries since then. There were several times I feared she might die, but had to pull myself together because I had an assignment due or a class about to start or something - she didn't let me take a LOA to be with her and insisted I focus on school, so I didn't want to let her down by failing. My dad took care of her during this time. It was hard to function but this most likely will not impact my transcript or resume because I sort of forced myself to get it together.

I was told this experience shows resilience, so I should write the OIE essay. I'm still having doubts. One professor will write about this in his rec letter. The incident comes up in my PS but only as it relates to my "why medicine" so I don't show resilience at all there, I just talk about what I learned caring for her during that school break. I will write about it in secondaries though.

I have seen the very helpful OIE article on SDN - just still having second thoughts because this issue lasted one semester. I'm an adult so it had nothing to do with my upbringing or access to education. Does anyone have an opinion on whether I should write this essay? I worry about sounding tone deaf because other students have lost their parents, grew up with a permanently disabled parent, etc. Thank you so much!

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[polymerization]

My parents disowned me for being gay. That doesn't directly translate to issues with academic performance, but it certainly provides some context. It might just be my opinion, but even the emotional labor of having to keep it together and continuing to strut through coursework as I contemplate homelessness like nothing's wrong is enough to consider writing OIE. From my understanding of the prompt, it doesn't have to be related to why you want to train as a physician at all (though I understand why you are using it in the PS to compensate for clinical skills you wouldn't have otherwise).

If there's anything that I would recommend after having written my primary over the last year: don't let it totally overwhelm your application. If it is a topic you want to discuss at length, I think you'll need to get creative about how you do so. It's really easy for experiences like this to become slippery in that you run the risk of offloading the responsibility for finding your own way to medicine by repeatedly pointing at Mom and saying "well, isn't it obvious?" However, every character you spend talking about how this was so hard for her (or worse, implying that you had it harder), you forgo the opportunity to focus on what you learned...and I would argue that's the point of most essays you'll write.

Procedurally, what used to be an essay people had to consider responding to carefully, recent changes to OIE have made it so virtually anyone can respond to the prompt, so it is now a de facto requirement. Don't leave it blank unless you've been living a The Truman Show-esque existence up until now...and even then...

 

[maybefuturedoctor7]

My parents disowned me for being gay. That doesn't directly translate to issues with academic performance, but it certainly provides some context. It might just be my opinion, but even the emotional labor of having to keep it together and continuing to strut through coursework as I contemplate homelessness like nothing's wrong is enough to consider writing OIE. From my understanding of the prompt, it doesn't have to be related to why you want to train as a physician at all (though I understand why you are using it in the PS to compensate for clinical skills you wouldn't have otherwise).

If there's anything that I would recommend after having written my primary over the last year: don't let it totally overwhelm your application. If it is a topic you want to discuss at length, I think you'll need to get creative about how you do so. It's really easy for experiences like this to become slippery in that you run the risk of offloading the responsibility for finding your own way to medicine by repeatedly pointing at Mom and saying "well, isn't it obvious?" However, every character you spend talking about how this was so hard for her (or worse, implying that you had it harder), you forgo the opportunity to focus on what you learned...and I would argue that's the point of most essays you'll write.

Procedurally, what used to be an essay people had to consider responding to carefully, recent changes to OIE have made it so virtually anyone can respond to the prompt, so it is now a de facto requirement. Don't leave it blank unless you've been living a The Truman Show-esque existence up until now...and even then...

Firstly, thank you so much for sharing your story - I hope things have gotten better or at least you've been able to start healing.

I really appreciate the advice and I'll definitely keep it in mind. I also don't want to obliterate her privacy and lay out her medical history in front of adcoms, so I'll focus on what it taught me about medicine in the PS/secondaries like you said.

Totally see what you're saying about the emotional labor and I agree. I also had no idea writing the OIE was a soft expectation now, wow!

Thank you so much, I appreciate your help!

 

[polymerization]

Firstly, thank you so much for sharing your story - I hope things have gotten better or at least you've been able to start healing.

I really appreciate the advice and I'll definitely keep it in mind. I also don't want to obliterate her privacy and lay out her medical history in front of adcoms, so I'll focus on what it taught me about medicine in the PS/secondaries like you said.

Totally see what you're saying about the emotional labor and I agree. I also had no idea writing the OIE was a soft expectation now, wow!

Thank you so much, I appreciate your help!

Don't worry, I'm very far removed (and in a much better place) than I was back then, but thank you for your kind words. Also, I'm applying now, just like you—so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I wouldn't call it a soft expectation because I'm not a professional, but I would say the same of any box you can fill on the AMCAS that you choose to leave blank. These are all opportunities to tell the readers something about you...why wouldn't you fill all 15 slots of the Work and Activities section, for example? I feel the same way about OIE now that the prompt is open enough to warrant virtually anyone writing it.

Looking forward to working with you someday...and hoping your Mom is on the mend. Good luck!

 

[maybefuturedoctor7]

Thank you so much - and yes my mom is a lot better now! I was always taught that optional essays are never optional anyway, so what you're saying still makes sense.

Glad to hear you're doing better - looking forward to working with you someday too! 😀