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With the disclaimer that the plural of anecdote is not data, here's my spiel. Hope it helps as you're making your decision.
Coming out in my application worked out fantastically across the board.
I will say that I had a lot of strengths in my application: good MCAT score; one completed Masters degree in the arts; deep and broad leadership and teaching experience; and the pre-med Trifecta: copious research, volunteering, and healthcare experience. I also had a decent GPA (3.6/3.6; much higher graduate GPA), and the biggest weakness (an unfinished Masters in Nursing) at least was worth chatting about.
That said, I cracked open my PS by talking about the largest gay bathhouse in my hometown, and how my first experience serving there as an HIV counselor completely derailed my plans to end up as Assistant Professor of Crying Myself to Sleep at some miscellaneous art school.
I didn't decide to be so forthcoming easily, though. I acquired an admissions consultant, who made it her biggest priority to convince me that every member of an AdCom is a reactionary homophobe who'd see nothing in common with some artsy 'mo. Some other folks agreed with her, while still others (including a former director of admissions) told me I should be forthcoming about my self, and my passions.
In the end, I decided to "go with my heart," and "be true to myself," and follow other obnoxious romantic-comedy clichés, and I fired my negative Nancy consultant to write my PS focusing on what being a nancy meant to me. It ended really well: I completed my application at 9 schools, received 6 interview invites, attended 4 interviews, was accepted at 3 and waitlisted at the fourth. One of them is my in-state, urban state school; one of them is an urban Catholic school; one of them is an OOS state school in the rural(ish) area of the Bible Belt; and the waitlist is at a top-shelf school.
Again, YMMV; but from my point of view, talking about something I'm passionate about from a place of honesty gave me the drive to actually write and revise an awesome PS. It also made for an excellent conversation topic on interviews, and not a single interviewer busted my chops about it. Even better, at least two of my interviewers mentioned how great it was to interview someone who knew himself.
Thus, I vote 👍 on outing yourself. You've got an interesting story, and being gay is central to at least part of it. Is your sexual orientation the only interesting thing about you? God, I hope not! But it's a big part of your life, it's driven some of your leadership and volunteer work, and it merits mentioning as something that got you into medicine. Good luck, yo.
(If there's some way I can help, PM me!)
Coming out in my application worked out fantastically across the board.
I will say that I had a lot of strengths in my application: good MCAT score; one completed Masters degree in the arts; deep and broad leadership and teaching experience; and the pre-med Trifecta: copious research, volunteering, and healthcare experience. I also had a decent GPA (3.6/3.6; much higher graduate GPA), and the biggest weakness (an unfinished Masters in Nursing) at least was worth chatting about.
That said, I cracked open my PS by talking about the largest gay bathhouse in my hometown, and how my first experience serving there as an HIV counselor completely derailed my plans to end up as Assistant Professor of Crying Myself to Sleep at some miscellaneous art school.
I didn't decide to be so forthcoming easily, though. I acquired an admissions consultant, who made it her biggest priority to convince me that every member of an AdCom is a reactionary homophobe who'd see nothing in common with some artsy 'mo. Some other folks agreed with her, while still others (including a former director of admissions) told me I should be forthcoming about my self, and my passions.
In the end, I decided to "go with my heart," and "be true to myself," and follow other obnoxious romantic-comedy clichés, and I fired my negative Nancy consultant to write my PS focusing on what being a nancy meant to me. It ended really well: I completed my application at 9 schools, received 6 interview invites, attended 4 interviews, was accepted at 3 and waitlisted at the fourth. One of them is my in-state, urban state school; one of them is an urban Catholic school; one of them is an OOS state school in the rural(ish) area of the Bible Belt; and the waitlist is at a top-shelf school.
Again, YMMV; but from my point of view, talking about something I'm passionate about from a place of honesty gave me the drive to actually write and revise an awesome PS. It also made for an excellent conversation topic on interviews, and not a single interviewer busted my chops about it. Even better, at least two of my interviewers mentioned how great it was to interview someone who knew himself.
Thus, I vote 👍 on outing yourself. You've got an interesting story, and being gay is central to at least part of it. Is your sexual orientation the only interesting thing about you? God, I hope not! But it's a big part of your life, it's driven some of your leadership and volunteer work, and it merits mentioning as something that got you into medicine. Good luck, yo.
(If there's some way I can help, PM me!)
