overcoming a challenge secondary application essay prompt

[jtrothchild]

A lot of secondary applications use a similar essay prompt to this.

"Tell us about a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice. "

I'm having a hard time coming up with a big challenge that I've overcome with coping skills. The only instance I can think of is when a very close friend of mine ended our friendship abruptly, and it hit me rather hard. I had to rely heavily on my other friends for quite a while. But I never sought professional help, which I think adcoms might look down on. Do you think this would be an appropriate topic for this essay? Or should I try to come up with a small challenge that I overcame using coping skills?

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[WedgeDawg]

That looks like Northwestern's essay. I think the example you used is fine. I think they just want to know that you have the ability to roll with the punches, however you do that.

 

[deleted393595]

That looks like Northwestern's essay. I think the example you used is fine. I think they just want to know that you have the ability to roll with the punches, however you do that.

That seems like the Pritzker one to me. I could be wrong though.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Really? That looks exactly like the Pritzker one to me. Or I could be wrong.

You've probably seen secondary prompts far more recently than me so you're probably right.

Edit: dusted off my secondary application essays word document. You're absolutely right - it's Pritzker. Northwestern has a similar one.

 

[deleted393595]

You've probably seen secondary prompts far more recently than me so you're probably right.

I checked and apparently it's Pritzker's. All these secondaries start blurring together after a while! Can't wait till I'm finally finished with them and can get my life back!

 

[beeboops]

I always try to approach these types of essays with the mindset of "what did I learn from this, and how will this get me through medical school and being a physician?" I don't really know your story, but it sounds like you didn't really gain any skills/qualities/coping mechanisms from your experience since you had to rely heavily on other friends to help you through. Certainly not judging you for it, and I'm sorry you had to go through something like that, but I think you may want to come up with another situation.

 

[jtrothchild]

I've read some threads from years past, and people have advised to stay away from relationship issues and such. I have another experience in mind but it's from high school. It was on a school-affiliated camping trip where I was partnered with a very annoying tentmate, and everyone else was surprised at how well I handled being partnered with him. There was one specific instance in mind that I learned a valuable coping skill that worked for me. I'm not sure if this would make for a good essay though. I feel like it might come off as too whiny. I would also be able, if possible, to use an experience that I would be able to tweak to fit similar essays that ask about how I dealt with failure. Nothing really comes to mind for that though.

And yes, this is Pritzker's essay. Although I'm glad to hear that Northwestern has a similar essay because I also applied there.

 

[blackgirlmd]

Would it be weird to talk about overcoming the challenge of being introverted and shy?

I did a summer enrichment program and everyone was so outgoing and in your face, and I am the opposite. I'm very friendly, but I am not the loudest in the room. I had to overcome this to make sure that I make relationships with and network with people.

What do you guys think?

 

[xc_stallion92]

I've been thinking for a while about what I want to put down for this one. I have been very lucky in that I never had any obstacles growing up. The biggest one that I can think of is when I had to leave my university track team due to degenerative knee problems after my junior year. Would that be a big enough obstacle for adcoms?

 

[neekzg]

I've been thinking for a while about what I want to put down for this one. I have been very lucky in that I never had any obstacles growing up. The biggest one that I can think of is when I had to leave my university track team due to degenerative knee problems after my junior year. Would that be a big enough obstacle for adcoms?

I personally think that sounds like a good one to talk about, especially if you really can't think of other obstacles/challenges you've overcome. I feel like this is a hard question for many applicants who have lived privileged lives but I could certainly see your experience as a real setback that affected you. As long as you talked about what that did for your character development and can tie it into the prompt well.

 

[Goro]

Definitely hard for these types and those incapable of self-introspection! Nobody goes through life unscathed, yet some people think that the prompt calls for something on the order of traumatic amputation. It doesn't.

OP, your ideas are fine.

I feel like this is a hard question for many applicants who have lived privileged lives

 

[LizzyM]

It's not the problem that the adcom cares about, it is the solution. How do you roll when things go wrong? How do you get through a tough time?