Politics in secondary essays bad?

[Dr. Snow]

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I am considering writing an essay about my experience growing up in a rural area and going to college in a large city and how both experiences have shaped my world view and acceptance of other people and their views. I feel like I will eventually say something about me being open minded (independent voter / etc) and not politically polarized like so many people have become recently.

Is it bad to talk about politics in this manner or would this just be a boring essay?

I'm a white middle class male and have had a pretty nice life with little adversity so I'm trying to find good things to talk about.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I am considering writing an essay about my experience growing up in a rural area and going to college in a large city and how both experiences have shaped my world view and acceptance of other people and their views. I feel like I will eventually say something about me being open minded (independent voter / etc) and not politically polarized like so many people have become recently.

Is it bad to talk about politics in this manner or would this just be a boring essay?

I'm a white middle class male and have had a pretty nice life with little adversity so I'm trying to find good things to talk about.

I think you risk getting a reader who considers themselves a dem or rep and getting offended by the implication that anyone who has party affiliation is closed minded. I'm not saying you're implying that, but they might infer that.

 

[a5ie5lavida]

I'd avoid it.

 

[Goro]

I am considering writing an essay about my experience growing up in a rural area and going to college in a large city and how both experiences have shaped my world view and acceptance of other people and their views. I feel like I will eventually say something about me being open minded (independent voter / etc) and not politically polarized like so many people have become recently.

Is it bad to talk about politics in this manner or would this just be a boring essay?

I'm a white middle class male and have had a pretty nice life with little adversity so I'm trying to find good things to talk about.

Just reading makes me wonder what your point is? Being open-minded is one of those baseline things we expect. You're going to see patients you don't like, but still have to treat them.

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

Even middle class in a rural area, you lacked opportunities many other applicants had. AP classes, college in high school, other advanced classes or educational and career opportunities, extracurriculars maybe.
Anyways, back to your direct question, just discuss being open minded a bit and don’t mention that last sentence or two about political parties.

 

[stubblesmcgee]

I'm a white middle class male and have had a pretty nice life with little adversity so I'm trying to find good things to talk about.

There will be many who consider your approach wishy washy. Many of those will consider the above reason to by why you're wishy washy on something as impactful as politics.

 

[Bob's Gift]

Just reading makes me wonder what your point is? Being open-minded is one of those baseline things we expect. You're going to see patients you don't like, but still have to treat them.

Great point about this being a baseline attribute rather than one that would/should make you stand out.

 

[trobinsonmd]

From a cost-benefit perspective -- incorporating politics into your application does not confer any additional benefit to you compared to someone who does not address politics in their application; however, you do stand to lose a lot if the person reading your application does not agree with your views. Definitely avoid.

 

[knope321]

Not worth mentioning politics!!!

But I think it's legit to talk about the variety of experiences you've had. Maybe incorporate other ways that you've done things that are interdisciplinary or tried something new. Honestly, you don't have to have done anything really crazy or have terrible life circumstances that you can talk about. If this is for a PS, I'd really tailor it to your experiences that would help make you a good doctor and why you are passionate about the field. I wouldn't have the sole basis of your essay be on the fact that you are open-minded.

I'd also recommend reaching out to your school's writing center if one is available to help edit essays and what not. It can be nice to hear a non-medical, non-PS oriented focus.

 

[Knope2020]

Similar question: I've also been told to avoid contentious topics, but I worked in Israel and Palestine and it's hugely important to me, which is represented in my essays. It's a super-charged region, and even choosing "Israel and Palestine" over other names is a contentious political statement to some people. I'm doing my best to be politically vague and tactful, but I feel like I'm not being true to the significance of the experience and reality of the situation without using words like "injustice" or "occupation." Any further advice for navigating this without igniting a nasty debate?

 

[Stagg737]

Similar question: I've also been told to avoid contentious topics, but I worked in Israel and Palestine and it's hugely important to me, which is represented in my essays. It's a super-charged region, and even choosing "Israel and Palestine" over other names is a contentious political statement to some people. I'm doing my best to be politically vague and tactful, but I feel like I'm not being true to the significance of the experience and reality of the situation without using words like "injustice" or "occupation." Any further advice for navigating this without igniting a nasty debate?

Talk about your experience with individuals and how you helped them. Talk about how you grew and what you learned from the individual people you worked with. You can talk about groups living in poverty, but do not go in depth about the potential 'whys' of their situation as it sounds like it could touch on the political aspect too much. If you can't write the statement without using the words you mentioned, especially "occupation", I'd consider a different topic. Keep in mind, anything you write is fair game for scrutiny during an interview, so make sure it's something you can talk about professionally without showing too much political bias (or none at all if possible).

 

[Knope2020]

Talk about your experience with individuals and how you helped them. Talk about how you grew and what you learned from the individual people you worked with. You can talk about groups living in poverty, but do not go in depth about the potential 'whys' of their situation as it sounds like it could touch on the political aspect too much. If you can't write the statement without using the words you mentioned, especially "occupation", I'd consider a different topic. Keep in mind, anything you write is fair game for scrutiny during an interview, so make sure it's something you can talk about professionally without showing too much political bias (or none at all if possible).

That's super helpful and super tactful. I've stayed far, far away from those words so far and focused on the people I worked with, like you said, using general terms like "political complexity" and "tensions in the region." I just felt guilty for not fully describing the experience, but secondaries are definitely not the place to start fights so that's that. Thanks again for the help!

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

That's super helpful and super tactful. I've stayed far, far away from those words so far and focused on the people I worked with, like you said, using general terms like "political complexity" and "tensions in the region." I just felt guilty for not fully describing the experience, but secondaries are definitely not the place to start fights so that's that. Thanks again for the help!

Hard to know if your readers will know about the issue enough and the fight of what to call it, I wouldn’t expect them to be very involved in that issue/area, but as said above, just focus more on you and your growth.