Reject material?

[Prometheus123]

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People confirmed I needed to start over on this prompt, so I am. It's the only one I'm really struggling with. Like any of these off-the-cuff ideas? The prompt is to write a sentence you wish were true but isn't, and then explain why you wish it were.

1. "I speak fluent Malayalam (my wife's native language) and Hindi (language of the working class in Mumbai, a city I love)". I'm currently a beginning/ intermediate speaker of both. I'm also quasi-fluent in Spanish and intermediate in French.
2. "Thanks to this new teleporter, I can travel instantly between LA, Portland, Mumbai, and Dubai."
3. "Thanks to the global debt amnesty, developing nations can invest in their people rather than loan payments to the IMF, and students can contribute to society and build their futures with confidence in their financial security."
4. "I've meditated for more than 10,000 hours". (I've meditated regularly for several years, find it very useful, but have mentioned it already in my PS and several other places).
5. "Since meditation became a required class in all middle and high schools, just like PE, reports of bullying and depression have declined".
6. "Since trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, agave, and excessive added sugar were outlawed, obesity and diabetes rates have declined".
7. "Thanks to physician-led, community-centered patient education programs about diet and lifestyle, the rapidly increasing prevalence of chronic diseases has slowed down."
8. "World peace" (the beauty pageant answer). JK!

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

This feels like you're taking a question with a lot of room for saying interesting things and turning it into a Why Medicine prompt. Have you already covered all of this in your primary personal statement? why not use this to talk about something else that is interesting about you?

If you're planning to stick with this idea, the initial sentence is far too wordy/confusing. I would suggest keeping it simple, then explaining in further detail later.
"“I am a physician who serves diverse patients with chronic metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative conditions using cutting edge treatments" should suffice

Also, you do know that a single physician doesn't do a clinical trial all by themselves right? That's kind of how it comes across in your initial sentence.

3. "You know..." who is you? why are you writing this like you're talking to someone?

4. "Perhaps more severely than necessary" what does this even mean

 

[md-2020]

This is some inception-level **** right there. Mind if I ask what school would do such a thing?

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

This is some inception-level **** right there. Mind if I ask what school would do such a thing?

I'm assuming this is USC

 

[Lawpy]

This is some inception-level **** right there. Mind if I ask what school would do such a thing?

I kinda wish schools would just provide simple, straightforward prompts as opposed to requiring applicants to engage in complex mental gymnastics.

 

[md-2020]

I'm assuming this is USC

As in SoCal or South Carolina?

 

[Toutie]

For God's sake, use this prompt to say something that is NOT about medicine!!!...that is NOT about the same damn spiel you try to fit into every prompt given!!! Talk about something else entirely! Try to show that you are not a one trick pony...that you have something else in your life that doesn't revolve around this same topic!

Say the sun rises in the west...and why you think it would be great if it did!

 

[Saifa]

@Prometheus123 gotta remember that literally everyone else you're competing with also wants to be a doctor.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

As in SoCal or South Carolina?

SoCal (Keck). They've got a lot of funny prompts. I actually found it pretty refreshing - it's clear that they are looking for people to have a bit of fun with their secondary.

 

[sss1219]

Just food for thought - some people with IIs last year got them with less 'serious' responses. For example, one of the first people who got one talked about how he was sad that his favorite TV show got stale over time, and then connected this change to some serious stuff about his own inner growth too.

Not saying your response is bad, but you do have leeway to be more creative if it fits your style!

 

[Prometheus123]

For God's sake, use this prompt to say something that is NOT about medicine!!!...that is NOT about the same damn spiel you try to fit into every prompt given!!! Talk about something else entirely! Try to show that you are not a one trick pony...that you have something else in your life that doesn't revolve around this same topic!

Say the sun rises in the west...and why you think it would be great if it did!

Good point. I will give this serious thought. Thank you.

In case I decide to keep it though, does anything I've written in this make you concerned that I might be starry-eyed, naive, unrealistic, arrogant, annoying, or risky? Pretend you've never talked to me before.

 

[md-2020]

SoCal (Keck). They've got a lot of funny prompts. I actually found it pretty refreshing - it's clear that they are looking for people to have a bit of fun with their secondary.

Just food for thought - some people with IIs last year got them with less 'serious' responses.

How about:

1. "I plan on living near the USC campus while a student at Keck SOM"

1a. "LOL as if I enjoy being robbed. You'll find me in Pasadena at the very least."

😉

I bet the adcoms would have a good chuckle at that one.

Edit: and before anyone takes offense I'd also like to clarify that I mean none of the above in ill will. I'm from Baltimore, soooo....yeah.

 

[Toutie]

Good point. I will give this serious thought. Thank you.

In case I decide to keep it though, does anything I've written in this make you concerned that I might be starry-eyed, naive, unrealistic, arrogant, annoying, or risky? Pretend you've never talked to me before.

It is impossible for me to pretend I have never talked to you before after reading your posts for the past couple months. And yes, I would say every one of those words describe you. It's like you get it...you know what you're doing wrong...and YOU KEEP DOING IT!!! smh...

 

[Prometheus123]

This feels like you're taking a question with a lot of room for saying interesting things and turning it into a Why Medicine prompt. Have you already covered all of this in your primary personal statement? why not use this to talk about something else that is interesting about you?

If you're planning to stick with this idea, the initial sentence is far too wordy/confusing. I would suggest keeping it simple, then explaining in further detail later.
"“I am a physician who serves diverse patients with chronic metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative conditions using cutting edge treatments" should suffice

Also, you do know that a single physician doesn't do a clinical trial all by themselves right? That's kind of how it comes across in your initial sentence.

3. "You know..." who is you? why are you writing this like you're talking to someone?

4. "Perhaps more severely than necessary" what does this even mean

This feels like you're taking a question with a lot of room for saying interesting things and turning it into a Why Medicine prompt. Have you already covered all of this in your primary personal statement? why not use this to talk about something else that is interesting about you?

You're right, but the weird thing is that I actually didn't wind up saying any of this in my final PS. I tried, but I couldn't figure out how to say it in an acceptable way in time, so I wound up talking about a different set of experiences that contributed to my motivation.

If you're planning to stick with this idea, the initial sentence is far too wordy/confusing. I would suggest keeping it simple, then explaining in further detail later.
"“I am a physician who serves diverse patients with chronic metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative conditions using cutting edge treatments" should suffice

Got it. Good simplifications, thanks. What about: "I am a physician who serves diverse patients with chronic metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative conditions with the current standard of care and cutting-edge treatments." (I don't want to turn off the docs who are really into what they know works, rather than new things that probably don't.)

Also, you do know that a single physician doesn't do a clinical trial all by themselves right? That's kind of how it comes across in your initial sentence.

Of course. I didn't hear that implication. Thanks.

4. "Perhaps more severely than necessary" what does this even mean

I'm trying to avoid sound like I think diet and lifestyle are more effective than they are. It does sound awkward and confusing.

 

[blackroses]

Everyone whose secondary will be read immediately after yours will thank you for writing this.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

If you're planning to stick with this idea, the initial sentence is far too wordy/confusing. I would suggest keeping it simple, then explaining in further detail later.
"“I am a physician who serves diverse patients with chronic metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative conditions using cutting edge treatments" should suffice

Got it. Good simplifications, thanks. What about: "I am a physician who serves diverse patients with chronic metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative conditions with the current standard of care and cutting-edge treatments." (I don't want to turn off the docs who are really into what they know works, rather than new things that probably don't.)

If you're using something below standard of care you are probably a bad physician. That's an unnecessary addition. If you list both, it sounds like you're equivocating. I don't think "cutting edge" has any particularly bad implications - if you said "experimental" or "untested" or something, it might.

 

[Prometheus123]

It is impossible for me to pretend I have never talked to you before after reading your posts for the past couple months. And yes, I would say every one of those words describe you. It's like you get it...you know what you're doing wrong...and YOU KEEP DOING IT!!! smh...

That's fair. Just keep in mind that while I have written a lot about this sort of thing on SDN, so far I have mentioned it exactly 0 times in my formal submissions. I knew this draft was borderline at best but I thought maybe I had finally found the right way to say it, which is why I asked. My other secondaries are all about other things.

It's hard for me to think of real wishes that I really mean that don't have anything to do with health outcomes. That being said, here are some other ideas for sentences I wish were true off the cuff. Like any of them?

1. "I speak fluent Malayalam (my wife's native language) and Hindi (language of the working class in Mumbai, a city I love)". I'm currently a beginning/ intermediate speaker of both. I'm also quasi-fluent in Spanish and intermediate in French.
2. "Thanks to this new teleporter, I can travel instantly between LA, Portland, Mumbai, and Dubai."
3. "Thanks to the global debt amnesty, developing nations can invest in their people rather than loan payments to the IMF, and students can contribute to society and build their futures with confidence in their financial security."
4. "I've meditated for more than 10,000 hours". (I've meditated regularly for several years, find it very useful, but have mentioned it already in my PS and several other places).
5. "Since meditation became a required class in all middle and high schools, just like PE, reports of bullying and depression have declined".
6. "Since trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, agave, and excessive added sugar were outlawed, obesity and diabetes rates have declined".
7. "Thanks to physician-led, community-centered patient education programs about diet and lifestyle, the rapidly increasing prevalence of chronic diseases has slowed down."
8. "World peace" (the beauty pageant answer). JK!

I updated the OP to reflect the fact that I need to start over on this prompt, as I suspected I probably had to. Thank you!

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

1. "I speak fluent Malayalam (my wife's native language) and Hindi (language of the working class in Mumbai, a city I love)". I'm currently a beginning/ intermediate speaker of both. I'm also quasi-fluent in Spanish and intermediate in French.
2. "Thanks to the global debt amnesty, developing nations can invest in their people rather than loan payments to the IMF, and students can contribute to society and build their futures with confidence in their financial security."
3. "I've meditated for more than 10,000 hours". (I've meditated regularly for several years, find it very useful, but have mentioned it already in my PS and several other places).
4. "Since meditation became a required class in all middle and high schools, just like PE, reports of bullying and depression have declined".
5. "Since trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, agave, and excessive added sugar were outlawed, obesity and diabetes rates have declined".
6. "Thanks to physician-led, community-centered patient education programs about diet and lifestyle, the rapidly increasing prevalence of chronic diseases has slowed down."
7. "World peace" (the beauty pageant answer). JK!

I like number one a lot. It tells me something unique about you and what you value. I would save the parentheticals for the explanation part of the response.

 

[DBC03]

I honestly wish I'd answered this question a little more humorously in my secondary- but my humorous answers just seemed a little too humorous. I thought of saying, "I can eat all the chocolate I wish and never gain weight" or "The traffic in LA is amazing and will enable me to get everywhere in less than an hour," etc. I went with something that was really meaningful to me and an important part of my application to other schools - the idea that dedication and hard work guarantee success. Obviously nothing guarantees success, so using that let me discuss a really important aspect of my background (working really hard to get out of debt) and talk about how I am so grateful for all the help I have had along the way. I honestly don't know if my response will help or completely kill my application. But one thing you might consider is if there is something really important to you in your background that is not currently included in this application and if there is a way you can use this prompt to explain it.

 

[Goro]

People confirmed I needed to start over on this prompt, so I am. It's the only one I'm really struggling with. Like any of these off-the-cuff ideas? The prompt is to write a sentence you wish were true but isn't, and then explain why you wish it were.

1. "I speak fluent Malayalam (my wife's native language) and Hindi (language of the working class in Mumbai, a city I love)". I'm currently a beginning/ intermediate speaker of both. I'm also quasi-fluent in Spanish and intermediate in French.
2. "Thanks to this new teleporter, I can travel instantly between LA, Portland, Mumbai, and Dubai."
3. "Thanks to the global debt amnesty, developing nations can invest in their people rather than loan payments to the IMF, and students can contribute to society and build their futures with confidence in their financial security."
4. "I've meditated for more than 10,000 hours". (I've meditated regularly for several years, find it very useful, but have mentioned it already in my PS and several other places).
5. "Since meditation became a required class in all middle and high schools, just like PE, reports of bullying and depression have declined".
6. "Since trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, agave, and excessive added sugar were outlawed, obesity and diabetes rates have declined".
7. "Thanks to physician-led, community-centered patient education programs about diet and lifestyle, the rapidly increasing prevalence of chronic diseases has slowed down."
8. "World peace" (the beauty pageant answer). JK!

#1. And very, very careful attention to the constructive criticism you've been receiving.

 

[Prometheus123]

I honestly wish I'd answered this question a little more humorously in my secondary- but my humorous answers just seemed a little too humorous. I thought of saying, "I can eat all the chocolate I wish and never gain weight" or "The traffic in LA is amazing and will enable me to get everywhere in less than an hour," etc. I went with something that was really meaningful to me and an important part of my application to other schools - the idea that dedication and hard work guarantee success. Obviously nothing guarantees success, so using that let me discuss a really important aspect of my background (working really hard to get out of debt) and talk about how I am so grateful for all the help I have had along the way. I honestly don't know if my response will help or completely kill my application. But one thing you might consider is if there is something really important to you in your background that is not currently included in this application and if there is a way you can use this prompt to explain it.

I have actually have a story with exactly the same point for a different prompt on this, lol. Congrats on getting out of debt, that one's still on my bucket-list! Thanks!

I like number one a lot. It tells me something unique about you and what you value. I would save the parentheticals for the explanation part of the response.

#1. And very, very careful attention to the constructive criticism you've been receiving.

Yes sir, very careful attention indeed. Thank you!

Lucky number one it is. First sentence: "Me talk languages pretty so doctor good!!!" 😱 😛

 

[DBC03]

I have actually have a story with exactly the same point for a different prompt on this, lol. Congrats on getting out of debt, that one's still on my bucket-list!

Yeah - I'm getting ready to go back in (kind of - depending on where I end up, I have some creative plans to pay for med school). Like you, I had used my usual responses to OTHER prompts in this application, so I had to think critically about this one.