Reapplicant- Spent last year learning new language - Include in Apps?

[saratonin]

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I am a reapplicant this year (still on three waitlists from last cycle). I have spent the past year learning a new language in my spare time, and I am unsure if I should mention this in secondary application/interviews. Many of the secondaries ask "What have you done to improve yourself/your app since last applying?" if you are a reapplicant. I do have significant improvement to my application otherwise (sustained, clinical experience as a medical assistant, when I only had volunteering clinical experience before).

Reasons to include it:
I volunteer with an immigrant population in a free clinic where I help them apply for medicaid. Learning this new language has helped because many of the immigrants speak this language and little to no English.

One of the schools that asks that question encourages their students to learn spanish because they have a large spanish speaking population in their city. I think by showing my willingness to learn a new language, they can see that I would also be willing to learn spanish. This school is also one of the schools that I am on the waitlist for currently, and is my top choice. If I do not get off the waitlist, I very much hope to receive another interview next cycle.

I spent a lot of my spare time taking lessons, and I think it has encouraged a lot of personal growth.

Reasons not to include it:
My soul reason for taking the language is so that I can speak to my boyfriend's parents, who do not speak English. This has been good, because my boyfriend has spoken to me in the language a lot so that I can learn quicker. I do not want to be dishonest and pretend like this was not the reason I learned the language.




Side Note: I am leaving the language out for privacy reasons. It might give away who I am to someone who knows me or where I live. If it matters at all, it is an especially difficult language to learn (aka not a Latin based language like English).

 

[deleted972488]

Include it, and this:

I volunteer with an immigrant population in a free clinic where I help them apply for medicaid. Learning this new language has helped because many of the immigrants speak this language and little to no English.

 

[MyOdyssey]

I am a reapplicant this year (still on three waitlists from last cycle). I have spent the past year learning a new language in my spare time, and I am unsure if I should mention this in secondary application/interviews. Many of the secondaries ask "What have you done to improve yourself/your app since last applying?" if you are a reapplicant. I do have significant improvement to my application otherwise (sustained, clinical experience as a medical assistant, when I only had volunteering clinical experience before).

Reasons to include it:
I volunteer with an immigrant population in a free clinic where I help them apply for medicaid. Learning this new language has helped because many of the immigrants speak this language and little to no English.

One of the schools that asks that question encourages their students to learn spanish because they have a large spanish speaking population in their city. I think by showing my willingness to learn a new language, they can see that I would also be willing to learn spanish. This school is also one of the schools that I am on the waitlist for currently, and is my top choice. If I do not get off the waitlist, I very much hope to receive another interview next cycle.

I spent a lot of my spare time taking lessons, and I think it has encouraged a lot of personal growth.

Reasons not to include it:
My soul reason for taking the language is so that I can speak to my boyfriend's parents, who do not speak English. This has been good, because my boyfriend has spoken to me in the language a lot so that I can learn quicker. I do not want to be dishonest and pretend like this was not the reason I learned the language.




Side Note: I am leaving the language out for privacy reasons. It might give away who I am to someone who knows me or where I live. If it matters at all, it is an especially difficult language to learn (aka not a Latin based language like English).

I don't understand the need to bring up your boyfriend.

 

[Moko]

Do include your learning a new language. It's not something that many people can do at this age. You are not (nor should you feel) obligated to share your initial reason for doing this.

 

[saratonin]

I somewhat disagree, learning a new language to be able to speak to SO parents in native tongue shows a commitment and motivation beyond typical, then using that as a stepping stone to work with underserved immigrant population shows willingness to expand horizon, take advantage of opportunities, put skill to good use. To me the power of this story is why they learned the language. Indeed with a great deal of medicine being interpersonal and communication skills, there is something about this motivation, this going above and beyond to learn a language, that shows both a very personal side as well as insight into the OP’s character.

I hadn’t thought about this. Thank you so much for this insight and I really like this take on things.