"Overcoming Challenges" Essay

[wearywanderer]

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Hey guys, I'm hoping you can help me decide between two options I'm considering for my "overcoming challenges" essay. I'd prefer to discuss the second option at potential interviews since it also explains my downward GPA, but I'd appreciate your thoughts.

- After years of poor eating, I tried out for a high school sports team and failed miserably. I spent the next year eating clean and exercising and ended up losing ~50 lbs. Since then, I've always eaten healthy and played sports to stay fit.

- When I was a senior in college, my grandma's dementia severely worsened and I struggled to help my parents care for her while maintaining my academic and extracurricular responsibilities. As a result, my fall semester grades fell sharply. However, I reassessed my priorities, made some changes including dropping some extracurriculars, and worked harder in the spring to get better grades.

 

[tea guzzling traveler]

I personally would say the 2nd one. Lay all your cards on the table now so that you get to the interview in the first place.

 

[md-2020]

I personally would say the 2nd one. Lay all your cards on the table now so that you get to the interview in the first place.

Agreed. Also large scale weight (loss) really doesn't always reflect 100% positively.

 

[WedgeDawg]

I honestly think either could work provided you write them tastefully. I personally think that #1 would be more interesting, but you should go with whichever sounds better after you write them out.

 

[Doug Underhill]

I like the first one better. Goro said that secondaries are not the place to discuss GPA earlier this week.

 

[Amelie.]

Agreed. Also large scale weight (loss) really doesn't always reflect 100% positively.

Asking out of curiosity but how could large scale weight loss be looked at negatively?

 

[LizzyM]

Asking out of curiosity but how could large scale weight loss be looked at negatively?

When it is indicative of a psychiatric condition and is life threatening.

 

[Amelie.]

I think secondaries can be a good place to discuss GPA... You can't address it in your personal statement so where else are you supposed to put it? Plus some schools specifically ask you to explain any discrepancies (ie poor GPA).

 

[WedgeDawg]

When it is indicative of a psychiatric condition and is life threatening.

Yes, but I think there is a difference between displaying symptoms of a condition such as anorexia or bulimia and losing weight healthily through changing eating and exercise habits. This distinction could very easily be conveyed through writing.

 

[LizzyM]

Yes, but I think there is a difference between displaying symptoms of a condition such as anorexia or bulimia and losing weight healthily through changing eating and exercise habits. This distinction could very easily be conveyed through writing.

Yes but the question here was whether and when weight loss might be seen as a negative. The applicant's appearance can tell the tale at the interview.

Hey guys, I'm hoping you can help me decide between two options I'm considering for my "overcoming challenges" essay. I'd prefer to discuss the second option at potential interviews since it also explains my downward GPA, but I'd appreciate your thoughts.

- After years of poor eating, I tried out for a high school sports team and failed miserably. I spent the next year eating clean and exercising and ended up losing ~50 lbs. Since then, I've always eaten healthy and played sports to stay fit.

- When I was a senior in college, my grandma's dementia severely worsened and I struggled to help my parents care for her while maintaining my academic and extracurricular responsibilities. As a result, my fall semester grades fell sharply. However, I reassessed my priorities, made some changes including dropping some extracurriculars, and worked harder in the spring to get better grades.

Generally, things that you did as an adult are more indicative of your responses as a mature adult than things you did in HS.

I would stay away from jargon like, "eating clean". Keep in mind that some adcom members are otherwise retired professors who do this as a service to the university. That sort of slang isn't in the vocabulary of 80 year old physicians.

How much hands on care did you provide to your grandmother? Did you have responsibilities for other tasks to free up a parent who was providing direct services? Or are you just referring to phone calls from your parents fretting about her and then spending one weekend giving your parents a break. I ask because I've seen complete bu11sh1t in this regard as in an applicant in school in New England claiming to be providing 30 hours week care to a disabled family member in Ohio during the academic year. Just doesn't seem plausible. If your semester gpa dropped from 3.7 to 3.4 and popped back up, that's one thing. If you went from 3.7 to a semester gpa of 2.3 then it is clear that stress on your system causes a crump that could be of concern if it were to happen during medical school. Is your grandmother still around? How far away from this med school? How would you deal with a similar situation if you were in med school?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Yes but the question here was whether and when weight loss might be seen as a negative. The applicant's appearance can tell the tale at the interview.

Of course. I just didn't want OP to get the impression that it was necessarily a negative based on the conversation taking place.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I like the first one, but I'd stress how you became healthier, exercised more, and generally worked your ass off to improve yourself (maybe don't even mention the weight loss, just mention general health improvements). Do you have some sort of athletic success you could point to as a fruit of your labor? Like if you didn't make the team, worked hard for a year, and then made the team next year, that to me is ideal material for one of these essays.

 

[wearywanderer]

I like the first one, but I'd stress how you became healthier, exercised more, and generally worked your ass off to improve yourself (maybe don't even mention the weight loss, just mention general health improvements). Do you have some sort of athletic success you could point to as a fruit of your labor? Like if you didn't make the team, worked hard for a year, and then made the team next year, that to me is ideal material for one of these essays.

My drive to become healthy was sparked when I failed to make the school team for Sport A in the fall. I drastically changed my eating habits and started exercising to get fitter, finding mentor in my local gym int he process. In the spring, I tried out and fell in love with a new sport, Sort B, one that I have continued playing ever since, both recreationally and competitively. Since Sport B is year-round (through club leagues and such), I never did try out for Sport A again. However, the reason I have so much success with Sport B is that I am now regularly one of the fastest players on whatever team I play, which I can credit to my continued habits of eating healthy and exercising.

 

[wearywanderer]

Yes but the question here was whether and when weight loss might be seen as a negative. The applicant's appearance can tell the tale at the interview.

Generally, things that you did as an adult are more indicative of your responses as a mature adult than things you did in HS.

I would stay away from jargon like, "eating clean". Keep in mind that some adcom members are otherwise retired professors who do this as a service to the university. That sort of slang isn't in the vocabulary of 80 year old physicians.

How much hands on care did you provide to your grandmother? Did you have responsibilities for other tasks to free up a parent who was providing direct services? Or are you just referring to phone calls from your parents fretting about her and then spending one weekend giving your parents a break. I ask because I've seen complete bu11sh1t in this regard as in an applicant in school in New England claiming to be providing 30 hours week care to a disabled family member in Ohio during the academic year. Just doesn't seem plausible. If your semester gpa dropped from 3.7 to 3.4 and popped back up, that's one thing. If you went from 3.7 to a semester gpa of 2.3 then it is clear that stress on your system causes a crump that could be of concern if it were to happen during medical school. Is your grandmother still around? How far away from this med school? How would you deal with a similar situation if you were in med school?

I understand the attitude toward stuff accomplished during HS. This was important for me, however, and as most people who've lost weight can attest (@NickNaylor), this is a struggle that stays with you. Also, I don't think anyone but my mother would think I am too thin (although I do have a disproportionately large head). I simply look normal.

 

[ChrisMack390]

My drive to become healthy was sparked when I failed to make the school team for Sport A in the fall. I drastically changed my eating habits and started exercising to get fitter, finding mentor in my local gym int he process. In the spring, I tried out and fell in love with a new sport, Sort B, one that I have continued playing ever since, both recreationally and competitively. Since Sport B is year-round (through club leagues and such), I never did try out for Sport A again. However, the reason I have so much success with Sport B is that I am now regularly one of the fastest players on whatever team I play, which I can credit to my continued habits of eating healthy and exercising.

Personally, I like this. You failed, assessed why you failed, did something about it, and went on to further success. That is the behavior of a physician.

Note that I'm just a premed, but that is my 2 cents.

 

[md-2020]

I understand the attitude toward stuff accomplished during HS. This was important for me, however, and as most people who've lost weight can attest (@NickNaylor), this is a struggle that stays with you. Also, I don't think anyone but my mother would think I am too thin (although I do have a disproportionately large head). I simply look normal.

Pics or it didn't happen 😀