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I'll be applying next cycle, so this is a bit preemptive, but I'm writing some similar PS's now and I thought I'd vet this idea. I realize that this would be taking a risk and the prevailing wisdom is to avoid that. Still, I feel that I could write a unique and extremely personal PS with ADHD as a thread to follow, not the topic itself.
I don't want to go into too much detail about the essay, but in short, it will follow my developing interest in oncology and my switch from PhD track to MD track. The reason that I want to talk about ADHD is because I noticed an interesting parallel between my compensatory behaviors and a sterile, mechanistic understanding of cancer (the one I held when I wanted a PhD). I will talk about how I idealized the clockwork nature of cancer, but this changed after I personally experienced the cancer's real human cost. In the end, I took responsibility for my old point of view by not rejecting, but integrating it into a greater understanding of the disease and how this lead me to want to be a physician-scientist.
As I've said, I'm purposefully glossing over the subtleties and nuance of the essay. I promise that I have been as careful as possible with the topic of cancer and I have not made any unjust comparisons between the severity of ADHD and cancer. This isn't an essay about how I've "suffered" from the disorder. Nor is it melodramatic or overly self indulgent about the cancer in the family. I don't want this to be another "my grandma died and it made me want to be a doctor" essay. My goal is for this to be an honest self reflection on a critical period of growth in my life.
I'm posting here because, in order to do this, I will have to admit that I have ADHD. ADHD may have caused me some problems, but I've been enormously successful. I have a 3.98 GPA, I've won honors and awards, and am soon to have multiple papers to my name. Up until last week, these ADHD behaviors were just a part of my life that I had to deal with. Still, now that it has a name, a diagnosis, and a prescription, it could become a source of prejudice. ADHD would be a really powerful literary tool for the essay, but is the cost too high?
Any comments and advice are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help!
I don't want to go into too much detail about the essay, but in short, it will follow my developing interest in oncology and my switch from PhD track to MD track. The reason that I want to talk about ADHD is because I noticed an interesting parallel between my compensatory behaviors and a sterile, mechanistic understanding of cancer (the one I held when I wanted a PhD). I will talk about how I idealized the clockwork nature of cancer, but this changed after I personally experienced the cancer's real human cost. In the end, I took responsibility for my old point of view by not rejecting, but integrating it into a greater understanding of the disease and how this lead me to want to be a physician-scientist.
As I've said, I'm purposefully glossing over the subtleties and nuance of the essay. I promise that I have been as careful as possible with the topic of cancer and I have not made any unjust comparisons between the severity of ADHD and cancer. This isn't an essay about how I've "suffered" from the disorder. Nor is it melodramatic or overly self indulgent about the cancer in the family. I don't want this to be another "my grandma died and it made me want to be a doctor" essay. My goal is for this to be an honest self reflection on a critical period of growth in my life.
I'm posting here because, in order to do this, I will have to admit that I have ADHD. ADHD may have caused me some problems, but I've been enormously successful. I have a 3.98 GPA, I've won honors and awards, and am soon to have multiple papers to my name. Up until last week, these ADHD behaviors were just a part of my life that I had to deal with. Still, now that it has a name, a diagnosis, and a prescription, it could become a source of prejudice. ADHD would be a really powerful literary tool for the essay, but is the cost too high?
Any comments and advice are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help!