Personal Statement: taboo topics

[reddirtgirl]

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Hypothetically speaking, would it be a bad idea to include information about growing up w/ a mentally ill parent (who was poorly managed/ not fully compliant)?

 

[Brain]

Hypothetically speaking, would it be a bad idea to include information about growing up w/ a mentally ill parent (who was poorly managed/ not fully compliant)?

I don't see why not. Almost anything that contributed to your desire to pursue medicine will be fine as long as you clearly communicate that. Also, anything you write may come up in an interview so just be sure that you will be comfortable talking about it to a complete stranger. Best of luck.

 

[pakidoc]

go ahead, use it!!
firstly... its something different... the adcoms get bored reading... oh i love the science, oh i love helping people etc
secondly... it shows that you do have a genuine reason for doing medicine

 

[~~premed82~~]

Personally, I don't see any reason why not. My father suffered from kidney failure, and many other illnesses that I won't mention here. I'll be using this on my personal statement for sure.

Go For It! This shows your interest in medicine. 😉

 

[Erasmus]

I would imagine that adcoms would get bored with the same old "i want to be a doctor because I like watching ER, helping people, etc". You have a unique situation which shaped who you are. Tell your story. 👍 Just be ready to discuss it further on the interview level.

 

[LVDoc]

Definitely use it; that's not a taboo topic at all. And yes, like everyone else said, be prepared to discuss it in your interviews (I had to do this for each one).

Generally, when I mean be prepared, they are not going to interrogate you or anything, but you have to be comfortable enough that when they ask you "why medicine?," you can bring it up & talk about it comfortably (afterall, it was a part of your personal statement).

 

[inthe4cast]

It beats talking about struggles with personal hygiene, like my statement
🙄

 

[sockandmittens]

As long as you are comfortable talking about the subject I think it would be great since one would expect it to have had an impact on your life, thus, helping them to understand you. Plus, interviewers in my experience find talking about psychology interesting. Best of luck-

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Definitely use it, as long as you are prepared to discuss it when questioned about it by interviewers. Don't put anything in there that you'll feel uncomfortable discussing.

 

[biendesalud]

A friend of mine who applied last year grew up with and still takes care of his schizophrenic mother. He was in and out of foster homes and even homeless at times because of this and having no father around. He also was the oldest of four and took care of them. He talked about all of this and was accepted to three good medical schools.

On the flip side, a pre-heath advisor told us about one of her students who had great stats but talked about being diagnosed as clinically depressed at age 10 but now very steady and happy with great achievements. He talked about it and his treatment as part of why he wanted to be a doc. He didn't get in anywhere. Next year his cut all that info out and got into several top programs.

So, as long as it's not a red-flag about yourself, it's probably ok to mention

 

[criminallyinane]

A friend of mine who applied last year grew up with and still takes care of his schizophrenic mother. He was in and out of foster homes and even homeless at times because of this and having no father around. He also was the oldest of four and took care of them. He talked about all of this and was accepted to three good medical schools.

On the flip side, a pre-heath advisor told us about one of her students who had great stats but talked about being diagnosed as clinically depressed at age 10 but now very steady and happy with great achievements. He talked about it and his treatment as part of why he wanted to be a doc. He didn't get in anywhere. Next year his cut all that info out and got into several top programs.

So, as long as it's not a red-flag about yourself, it's probably ok to mention

I talked about depression in my personal statement and got into good schools, including Pitt. My interviews were the chance to make it clear that it was in the past and that I had learned from it. Not to toot my own horn, but I think that Pitt is definitely a great school, and they didn't seem to mind that I openly discussed my mental health issues. So it's not true that one cannot get into a school (and a top 20 at that) with a mental health "red flag."

 

[fun8stuff]

Hypothetically speaking, would it be a bad idea to include information about growing up w/ a mentally ill parent (who was poorly managed/ not fully compliant)?

Include.... but just as with everything else, put a positive spin on it and relate it to why u want to be a doc.

 

[beep]

hmmm, i think the op's question is well answered, and this is academic for me at this point, but what things do you all think are taboo topics for amcas?

places i probably wouldn't go for strategic reasons (not out of shame):

personal history of substance use or abuse, personal history of sexual assault, personal learning disability, doctor-bashing, most relationship dramas

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I talked about depression in my personal statement and got into good schools, including Pitt. My interviews were the chance to make it clear that it was in the past and that I had learned from it. Not to toot my own horn, but I think that Pitt is definitely a great school, and they didn't seem to mind that I openly discussed my mental health issues. So it's not true that one cannot get into a school (and a top 20 at that) with a mental health "red flag."

good for you, so many people look at depression as mental illness and as a problem in being a physician.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

A friend of mine who applied last year grew up with and still takes care of his schizophrenic mother. He was in and out of foster homes and even homeless at times because of this and having no father around. He also was the oldest of four and took care of them. He talked about all of this and was accepted to three good medical schools.

On the flip side, a pre-heath advisor told us about one of her students who had great stats but talked about being diagnosed as clinically depressed at age 10 but now very steady and happy with great achievements. He talked about it and his treatment as part of why he wanted to be a doc. He didn't get in anywhere. Next year his cut all that info out and got into several top programs.

So, as long as it's not a red-flag about yourself, it's probably ok to mention

well he certainly exemplified an amazing person who can handle problems that the average person would hardly realize exists, and it appears he did it with compassion, perserverance and character...what more can one expect from a doctor? I'm sure he will succeed and be an amazing doctor.

Along that line has anyone read the trilogy by Dave Pelzer about the absolute heartwrenching abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother and his struggles to find love in foster care? This is a true story that will literally tear your heart out. It shows how someone can rise above his almost impossible situation and not only make something of his own life but also give back to others. The books are simple reads that you can ot put down, but i warn you not to rea dit in public...for me without a moment's notice I'd find tears streaming down my face....it is such a heartbreaking story.

 

[biendesalud]

I talked about depression in my personal statement and got into good schools, including Pitt. My interviews were the chance to make it clear that it was in the past and that I had learned from it. Not to toot my own horn, but I think that Pitt is definitely a great school, and they didn't seem to mind that I openly discussed my mental health issues. So it's not true that one cannot get into a school (and a top 20 at that) with a mental health "red flag."

Cool. PsychoDoc is right about the stigma, sorry about calling it a 'red flag.' It's good to hear stories that counter what the pre-health advisors often preach as gospel.

 

[Law2Doc]

hmmm, i think the op's question is well answered, and this is academic for me at this point, but what things do you all think are taboo topics for amcas?

places i probably wouldn't go for strategic reasons (not out of shame):

personal history of substance use or abuse, personal history of sexual assault, personal learning disability, doctor-bashing, most relationship dramas

Most of those you just mentioned are pretty bad topics to hitch your wagon to. I think you would want to deemphasize any history of criminal activity, substance abuse or unethical conduct (although if an application specifically asks, you need to spin it in a positive way as best you can, so it is not per se a taboo topic). I think if you were even partially inspired to go into medicine by watching ER or another TV show or movie (as sarcastically mentioned by a prior poster), it would be a really really bad idea to indicate this as well. The "wanting to go into medicine to help people" statement has been done to death, so that is probably a bit taboo at this point.
To the OP, as the prior posts indicate, there is nothing taboo about your situation, but there is always going to be a best way to package it. Have an unbiased reader review the PS for you to make sure you have spun it in a very positive way.

 

[45408]

hmmm, i think the op's question is well answered, and this is academic for me at this point, but what things do you all think are taboo topics for amcas?

places i probably wouldn't go for strategic reasons (not out of shame):

personal history of substance use or abuse, personal history of sexual assault, personal learning disability, doctor-bashing, most relationship dramas

I'd probably try to dodge things like abortion as well. Also, I know that while some gay students try to emphasize the fact that they are in their PS/interview, others keep it on the down low.