Religion in Personal Statement?

[silverpaw54]

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Is it bad to talk about religion in your personal statement? It's a huge part of why I'm going into medical school. I feel like it's a risk, but it is the truth...

 

[zimmie256]

Is it bad to talk about religion in your personal statement? It's a huge part of why I'm going into medical school. I feel like it's a risk, but it is the truth...

I think if you could give a little bit more information about how you plan to write about religion (will it dominate the PS, what other themes will you touch on, just basically in what capacity are you bringing religion into your PS) people would be able to give you more helpful feedback.

 

[Thundrstorm]

I am a very religious person. My faith impacts every decision I make, including my career goals. None of the schools I applied to knew this, which was probably wise. You don't have to hide your beliefs by any means, but you don't have to broadcast them either. This has been discussed in the past, and I think the general consensus is not to focus your ps on religion.

 

[Rafa]

Only do this if you're applying to NYU, Cornell, or Mt. Sinai next year. If not, don't do it.

 

[LizzyM]

There are plenty of applicants who use a quote from a religious leader or philosopher (living or dead) as a jumping off point for describing their motivation for medicine. This is fine. It is also fine to include religious activities as part of your EC.

Do avoid coming across as someone who would prosyltize colleague & others. I have heard adcom members express concern about this sort of behavior.

 

[lilnoelle]

Realize that there is a good chance that your interviewer won't like your religious beliefs and will start off with something against you. I had an interview go sour because she didn't like my political beliefs... she asked me a politically based question (my PS said something about my mother being in the Iowa House of Representatives, I realize now that wasn't the best thing to put in, but it fit into what I was trying to say in that paragraph, about rising up from disadvantaged status), she didn't like my answer, railed on me about it for 15 minutes and then the interview pretty much died. I was rejected.
Having an interviewer not like you is pretty much a death sentence.

 

[kevster2001]

Just dont say as a doctor you'll only believe in the healing power jesus

 

[TCIrish03]

Only do this if you're applying to NYU, Cornell, or Mt. Sinai next year. If not, don't do it.

What about the Catholic schools, like Georgetown (excuse me....."Jesuit" before Catholic), SLU, Tulane, and Creighton. They all seemed to broadcast Catholicism as part of their identity (especially Georgetown and Cura Personalis), so I hit on that in my secondaries to all those schools. Still got rejected, but that's not saying much either 🙄

 

[Sanctuary]

Religion to broad. I would suggest you tell us WHAT religion and HOW you want to use it in your personal statement.

As several others have mentioned, religion is notorious for exclusion and prejudice. Prior to someone trying to disagree with me, look up the words exclusion and prejudice in the dictionary - as that is the way I am using the words. That being said, AdComs probably won't look favorable on this approach to a personal statement:

"As a personal servant for the almighty, powerful master of all (aka GOD), I will use the powers he has instilled in me to save all the unborn babies from being massacred by the BABY MURDERERS that are often referred to as OB-GYNs performing abortions."

Similarly, it would also be inappropriate to use this style (which is my favorite religion from Lord Of The Rings):

"As a white mage (aka physician), I will use my Bracers of Intellect, which grant me +10 to intellect, coupled with my Sceptre of the Ages, which grants +15 to wisdom, to heal all those who I encounter throughout Middle-earth."

Catch my drift? Just try not too be to rad in your personal statement.

 

[mchou]

Is it bad to talk about religion in your personal statement? It's a huge part of why I'm going into medical school. I feel like it's a risk, but it is the truth...

I also think it's bad to say something to the extent of "God spoke to me and told me I was a Chosen One... to become a doctor!" Or something like that because some might take it that you think you're elite/better than others.

all kidding aside, you want to talk about you and your decision. I think it's best to show them how you consciously made a decision and you were informed/educated enough to do so.

 

[SoCuteMD]

What about the Catholic schools, like Georgetown (excuse me....."Jesuit" before Catholic), SLU, Tulane, and Creighton. They all seemed to broadcast Catholicism as part of their identity (especially Georgetown and Cura Personalis), so I hit on that in my secondaries to all those schools. Still got rejected, but that's not saying much either 🙄

Catholics tend to be pretty quiet about their faith, thus I only casually mentioned my previous parochial education in my applications to some of those schools.

 

[noonday]

Is it bad to talk about religion in your personal statement? It's a huge part of why I'm going into medical school. I feel like it's a risk, but it is the truth...

like many have said, i think it depends a great deal on a.) what religion you are b.) what schools you're applying to, c.) how overwhelming it is in your PS. a small mention of a non-stigmatized religion to a school with a similar religious affiliation could help, i would think. but there are far more cases where it could hurt...

i mean, my thought and feeling process around religion in my life has influenced my career change choice...but i wasn't about to talk about refusing my confirmation (catholic) and leaving the church, becoming full out militant athiest for a while, and then feeling something missing, followed by religion shopping. but i did mention that my ablity to think and feel clearly about who i am and what i want now is something that is partially due to my finding of meditiation and buddhism, and how it is something i've been able to take with me to my volunteer work to help others through the skills of it, but then, that's not so much a religion as a philosophy, since i still don't believe in a god... i digress. it's all about being appropriate to the given situation/school, i think...

 

[Depakote]

I said that God would smite them if I wasn't accepted.

So far this cycle hasn't gone as well as I would have hoped.

 

[SeminoleFan3]

I mentioned it briefly in my PS because I majored in religion. A lot of my ECs are "ministry oriented" because that's what I was (and am) interested in at the time. However, it's (my PS) not overloaded with religious jargon or conversion experiences. I think you just need to be careful.

 

[notdeadyet]

Is it bad to talk about religion in your personal statement? It's a huge part of why I'm going into medical school. I feel like it's a risk, but it is the truth...

One of the reasons I want to become a physician is to provide care to the needy who have to practically beg for it since we've had a conservative administration whose main goals are to keep the rich rich and totally ignore the poor, in spite of the fact that almost every successful industrialized society has a more socialized medical system than our own. If you want a challenge, try to find one person who spent years in poverty who thinks our healthcare system is a-okay.

I did not put any of this in my personal statement for probably the same reason you might want to consider not talking about religion. It may be incredibly important to you and who you are, but the very mention of it might rub people wrong (just as mentioning politics might). Right or wrong, I'd consider not including it in your personal essay. I'm not.

 

[Thundrstorm]

One of the reasons I want to become a physician is to provide care to the needy who have to practically beg for it since we've had a conservative administration whose main goals are to keep the rich rich and totally ignore the poor, in spite of the fact that almost every successful industrialized society has a more socialized medical system than our own. If you want a challenge, try to find one person who spent years in poverty who thinks our healthcare system is a-okay.

I did not put any of this in my personal statement for probably the same reason you might want to consider not talking about religion. It may be incredibly important to you and who you are, but the very mention of it might rub people wrong (just as mentioning politics might). Right or wrong, I'd consider not including it in your personal essay. I'm not.

I talked about health disparities in my ps (though I did avoid Bush bashing). 😉

 

[tacrum43]

What about the Catholic schools, like Georgetown (excuse me....."Jesuit" before Catholic), SLU, Tulane, and Creighton. They all seemed to broadcast Catholicism as part of their identity (especially Georgetown and Cura Personalis), so I hit on that in my secondaries to all those schools. Still got rejected, but that's not saying much either 🙄

Tulane is not a Catholic/Jesuit school. They're just a private school, no religious affliation.

 

[notdeadyet]

I talked about health disparities in my ps (though I did avoid Bush bashing). 😉

Wow. That must have been a trick... ;-)

 

[Thundrstorm]

Wow. That must have been a trick... ;-)

I think I got away with it because I made it personal, not political. I talked about a woman I met who had HIV, which tied into my overall goal of working w/infectious diseases, and then talked about how her experience was related to her socioeconomic status, and then talked about my personal experiences being uninsured... and how the disparity in care affected my career goals. And a theme throughout my application was the disproportionate incidence of infectious diseases in poor/undeveloped/underserved areas. So, I basically stuck to my guns, and made the topic relevant to my goals... though I can see how it could have backfired.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Is it bad to talk about religion in your personal statement? It's a huge part of why I'm going into medical school. I feel like it's a risk, but it is the truth...

As long as you don't paint yourself as a missionary you're ok. Always with a PS think "can this hurt me?"

Talking about a desire to help the uninsured or work with global health disparities --> no chance of hurting you

Talking about an epiphany you had in church when God called you to be a doctor --> could backfire

Make your applications (essays, ECs etc) UNCONTROVERSIAL.
shadowing a doc --> uncontroversial
working in an abortion clinic/shadowing a doc who only does Natural Family Planning --> eh....

You never know who is going to be reading them or interviewing you.

 

[C.P. Jones]

I said that God would smite them if I wasn't accepted.

So far this cycle hasn't gone as well as I would have hoped.

i can't wait for the smiting....smoting? to begin!

 

[8744]

Hi.

Religion should not be mentioned in your personal statement. Especially things like faith-healing or speaking in toungues which are just plain irrational and in which no intelligent person could possibly believe.

On the other hand mentioning feng shui, acupuncture, Eastern spirituality...you know....the cool transcedental stuff which is the basis for a lot of the hugely popular alternative medicine is just fine.

Keep yer' religion out of medicine. Now excuse me while I look on indulgently as the shaman lights joss sticks, claps his hands, and rubs coins on yer' friggin' back. It's "Eastern." We've got to respect that ****.

Glad I could help.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Only do this if you're applying to NYU, Cornell, or Mt. Sinai next year. If not, don't do it.

😕 why? is this a joke?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Hi.

Religion should not be mentioned in your personal statement. Especially things like faith-healing or speaking in toungues which are just plain irrational and in which no intelligent person could possibly believe.

On the other hand mentioning feng shui, acupuncture, Eastern spirituality...you know....the cool transcedental stuff which is the basis for a lot of the hugely popular alternative medicine is just fine.

Keep yer' religion out of medicine. Now excuse me while I look on indulgently as the shaman lights joss sticks, claps his hands, and rubs coins on yer' friggin' back. It's "Eastern." We've got to respect that ****.

Glad I could help.

huh? who are you to judge which religions are acceptable and which are cool?

To the OP:

I think it's fine if it really has to do with your desire to become a physician; just stay clear of controversial situatuions, like how you would handle abortion in medicine, and make sure you won't discriminate patients nor compromise procedures based on their/your religious beliefs. You just never know the viewpoint of your reader or how they will interpert it. But if it is a major force in your life, i would not leave it out entirely.

 

[8744]

...One of the reasons I want to become a physician is to provide care to the needy who have to practically beg for it since we've had a conservative administration whose main goals are to keep the rich rich and totally ignore the poor....

With respect, you're an idiot. And highly ignorant. Half of the patients I have treated this year both at Duke and at Durham Regional Hospital are "needy." Not to mention the illegal aliens, all of whom are treated without regard to their ability to pay.

Wait until you start treating these people before you decide to form an emotional attachment. God loves them all and I try to do the same but you are about to have your eyes, still moist from your ride in the cabbage truck, opened wide. You are going to go in all indignant and self-righteous but you will come out, still a liberal but less so, wondering why your patient who can afford tobacco, beer, cigarettes, and the occasional romp with a horizontal service providor won't pay twenty bucks a month for his blood pressure meds.

Go ahead and puff yourself up, mouth the usual platitudes, and accuse me of not deserving to be a member of the profession that you aren't even a part of yet. Just print out this post, save it in an envelope and open it in six years.

 

[rajad10]

Panda makes every thread exciting

i love that guy

 

[Psycho Doctor]

With respect, you're an idiot. And highly ignorant. Half of the patients I have treated this year both at Duke and at Durham Regional Hospital are "needy." Not to mention the illegal aliens, all of whom are treated without regard to their ability to pay.

Wait until you start treating these people before you decide to form an emotional attachment. God loves them all and I try to do the same but you are about to have your eyes, still moist from your ride in the cabbage truck, opened wide. You are going to go in all indignant and self-righteous but you will come out, still a liberal but less so, wondering why your patient who can afford tobacco, beer, cigarettes, and the occasional romp with a horizontal service providor won't pay twenty bucks a month for his blood pressure meds.

Go ahead and puff yourself up, mouth the usual platitudes, and accuse me of not deserving to be a member of the profession that you aren't even a part of yet. Just print out this post, save it in an envelope and open it in six years.

👍 good post

 

[bugmenot]

With respect, you're an idiot. And highly ignorant. Half of the patients I have treated this year both at Duke and at Durham Regional Hospital are "needy." Not to mention the illegal aliens, all of whom are treated without regard to their ability to pay.

Wait until you start treating these people before you decide to form an emotional attachment. God loves them all and I try to do the same but you are about to have your eyes, still moist from your ride in the cabbage truck, opened wide. You are going to go in all indignant and self-righteous but you will come out, still a liberal but less so, wondering why your patient who can afford tobacco, beer, cigarettes, and the occasional romp with a horizontal service providor won't pay twenty bucks a month for his blood pressure meds.

Go ahead and puff yourself up, mouth the usual platitudes, and accuse me of not deserving to be a member of the profession that you aren't even a part of yet. Just print out this post, save it in an envelope and open it in six years.

Oh to be young and again and be naive enough to be able to boil all of the world's problems down to stupid catchphrases about personal responsibility!

 

[SemperJeff]

Is it bad to talk about religion in your personal statement? It's a huge part of why I'm going into medical school. I feel like it's a risk, but it is the truth...

I'd agree with most of the posts that caution you about how much you put about religion. You may feel very strongly about it, but you simply cannot afford to turn off who ever ends up reading it.

Maybe hint at it. And when you get an interview, hopefully you can kinda get a feel for the intervewer and bring it out there if its appropriate.

Know your audience! 😉

 

[kupluk]

i dont Think there will be any problem with that

 

[TheFreshPrince]

I wouldn't but that's just me. Aren't a high percentage of doctors atheists?

 

[newguy357]

One of the reasons I want to become a physician is to provide care to the needy who have to practically beg for it since we've had a conservative administration whose main goals are to keep the rich rich and totally ignore the poor,

Give it a break. No one is stopping you from helping the poor. "Holy crap the government isn't giving as many hand-outs to the poor as I want them to, what can we possibly do!?" Ohhh, I don't know, how about you STFU and go help the poor?

Oh, and by the way, the medicare prescription drug program was one of the largest socializations of medicine in years (decades?). That is one of the reasons conservatives are angry with this (non-conservative) administration. But please, don't let facts snap you out of your delusions.

 

[newguy357]

I wouldn't but that's just me. Aren't a high percentage of doctors atheists?

No, that's actually completely opposite of reality, as I expect from this forum.

From the U of Chicago ( http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/050714/doctorsfaith.shtml )
76 percent of doctors believe in God and 59 percent believe in some sort of afterlife...90 percent of doctors in the United States attend religious services at least occasionally, compared to 81 percent of all adults. Fifty-five percent of doctors say their religious beliefs influence how they practice medicine.

 

[newguy357]

Oh to be young and again and be naive enough to be able to boil all of the world's problems down to stupid catchphrases about personal responsibility!

Uhh, old people are the ones who talk about personal responsibility.

 

[8744]

Oh to be young and again and be naive enough to be able to boil all of the world's problems down to stupid catchphrases about personal responsibility!

Let me give you an example of something you will encounter almost daily in every clinic and on every service while you train in almost every teachng hospital in the country.

You will see an underpriveleged or (underserved or whatever the word du jour is for poor) patient who will require a follow-up visit. All that is required is that the patient obtain the phone number of the clinic (which is on my business card and liberally available), call the clinic, and make an appointment. Nothing more. I know they have a cell-phone at least because except when I ask them to hang up and pay attention to my questions they are yammering non-stop to one of their stable of friends.

So here's where personal responsibilty comes in. We're not asking the patient to get a job. We're not asking for a stunning display of civic virtue. Hell, they don't even have to pay for the visit. All they have to do is pick up the phone and make a simple two minute phone call.

Add yet, if I rely on them do this I will never see them again. Not everybody who goes to the Emergency Department for primary care is uninsured. Every poor child in North Carolina, for example, is covered under medicaid yet you still get mothers dragging the little bastards in at 3 AM for a little wheezing or medication refills. They are just too irresponsible to interrupt the busy schedule of the unemployable to lift as finger on their own or their children's behalf. If we make it really, really easy. If we hold their hands and beg and whine a little they might condescend to come on in but only if their's nothing good on TV.

If you think I'm exagerating...well...print this post and look at it in six years and see how you feel then.

So don't give me this crap about personal responsibilty being a "stupid catchphrase."

 

[8744]

Uhh, old people are the ones who talk about personal responsibility.

I'm only 42. I'm not that old. And yet I remember a time when teeage pregnancy was rare, families were relatively intact, and personal responsibilty was expected and encouraged.

 

[TCIrish03]

Let me give you an example of something you will encounter almost daily in every clinic and on every service while you train in almost every teachng hospital in the country.

You will see an underpriveleged or (underserved or whatever the word du jour is for poor) patient who will require a follow-up visit. All that is required is that the patient obtain the phone number of the clinic (which is on my business card and liberally available), call the clinic, and make an appointment. Nothing more. I know they have a cell-phone at least because except when I ask them to hang up and pay attention to my questions they are yammering non-stop to one of their stable of friends.

So here's where personal responsibilty comes in. We're not asking the patient to get a job. We're not asking for a stunning display of civic virtue. Hell, they don't even have to pay for the visit. All they have to do is pick up the phone and make a simple two minute phone call.

Add yet, if I rely on them do this I will never see them again. Not everybody who goes to the Emergency Department for primary care is uninsured. Every poor child in North Carolina, for example, is covered under medicaid yet you still get mothers dragging the little bastards in at 3 AM for a little wheezing or medication refills. They are just too irresponsible to interrupt the busy schedule of the unemployable to lift as finger on their own or their children's behalf. If we make it really, really easy. If we hold their hands and beg and whine a little they might condescend to come on in but only if their's nothing good on TV.

If you think I'm exagerating...well...print this post and look at it in six years and see how you feel then.

So don't give me this crap about personal responsibilty being a "stupid catchphrase."

But dude, that's like, you're opinion man


Please notice the sarcasm, because I couldn't agree more. If people spent any time on preventive medicine, they could cut their overall costs in half (and this goes for everyone, not just the poor). But it's easier to eat crap, and blow all your money on $200 jeans and "bling bling". Just because it looks like someone has alot of material wealth on the surface, they might be broke in the bank with no investments. Also, my friends in Pitt's dental school tell me horror stories about oral surgery on people with mouths full of black stumps, when all they needed was $5 a month on a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Nevertheless, despite all our faults and poor lifestyle choices, they're still humans that need our care.

And since this started out as a religious thread, Jesus Christ's mercy is infinite, so we too must be merciful.

 

[Anastasis]

I'm religious but I am not mentioning it in my PS (beyond mentioning that I worked at a church and leaving it at that). My faith is my own. Mentioning faith will close more doors than it will open. I sugest not mentioning it. If it comes down to a direct question in an interview then I will talk about that, but barring that one situation, I don't plan on mentioning it at all.

(But I will admit that I'm using a Talmud quote in one of my secondary essays.)

 

[notdeadyet]

Give it a break. No one is stopping you from helping the poor. "Holy crap the government isn't giving as many hand-outs to the poor as I want them to, what can we possibly do!?" Ohhh, I don't know, how about you STFU and go help the poor?

Gracias, NewGuy. You've illustrated my point perfectly.

OP- this is why avoiding hotbutton issues like politics and religion in your personal statement is a good idea. NewGuy, I owe you one. Cheers.

 

[silverpaw54]

As long as you don't paint yourself as a missionary you're ok. Always with a PS think "can this hurt me?"

Talking about a desire to help the uninsured or work with global health disparities --> no chance of hurting you

Talking about an epiphany you had in church when God called you to be a doctor --> could backfire

Make your applications (essays, ECs etc) UNCONTROVERSIAL.
shadowing a doc --> uncontroversial
working in an abortion clinic/shadowing a doc who only does Natural Family Planning --> eh....

You never know who is going to be reading them or interviewing you.

Painting myself as wanting to become a medical missionary will be bad?

 

[LizzyM]

Painting myself as wanting to become a medical missionary will be bad?

Not if the focus of your PS is on medical care for the needy motivated by love of your fellow human being that springs from your religious faith-- that's okay. If your PS focuses on going out to missions with the goal of saving souls and converting people to your religion and that the power of God will be manifest through the work of your hands and that the healing power of God working through you will bring people to God -- then it gets a little creepy for some readers.

 

[SeminoleFan3]

Lizzie, my undergrad was in religion and so were a lot of my ECs. Is it OK to briefly touch on some of these in my PS?

 

[LizzyM]

Lizzie, my undergrad was in religion and so were a lot of my ECs. Is it OK to briefly touch on some of these in my PS?

Sure. Just be aware that some people (including some adcom members) feel threatened by those whom they feel are going to be pressuring them to convert. That's the biggest issue I tend to hear from some fellow members of the adcom (people who have been subjected to proselytizing).


As was said on a thread about interviewing: When asked by the interviewer if you have any quesitions, don't ask, "Have you been saved?"

 

[newguy357]

Gracias, NewGuy. You've illustrated my point perfectly.

OP- this is why avoiding hotbutton issues like politics and religion in your personal statement is a good idea. NewGuy, I owe you one. Cheers.

Don't worry, people like me don't have the patience to sit on admissions committees. The OP might be ok....




Panda Bear:
I wasn't saying personal responsibility is bad (I'm in my 20s and am a big fan), I'm merely pointing out that that other guy's generalization is wrong. He has it backwards, implying that the concept of personal responsibility is a mistake of youthful indiscretion. In general it is the opposite--age and experience (should) bring wisdom.




OP:
Sorry if I've contributed to a hijacking.
For what it's worth, my personal statement was blatantly religious. In fact, if my highest goal in life were to obtain admissions to medical school I would not have written what I did. That said, after writing a few possible statements, this was the only one that I felt content with, so I sent it in knowing it would probably hurt me at certain schools. I believe it did, especially at my notoriously secular state school. Thankfully I was accepted at a few other schools despite it all. I do agree with everyone here though: the more you dwell on religious or other potentially controversial topics, the more of a hit your application will take. You have to decide whether or not to take that risk.

 

[SemperJeff]

Painting myself as wanting to become a medical missionary will be bad?

I will again say that you should know your audience. For instance, if you get an interview at Loma Linda, be sure to bring this up. Historically, the school's purpose was to educate medical missionaries. So this would be the ideal situation to say you're interested in medical mission work.

 

[silverpaw54]

Not if the focus of your PS is on medical care for the needy motivated by love of your fellow human being that springs from your religious faith-- that's okay. If your PS focuses on going out to missions with the goal of saving souls and converting people to your religion and that the power of God will be manifest through the work of your hands and that the healing power of God working through you will bring people to God -- then it gets a little creepy for some readers.

Yeah, it's more about providing healthcare to those in need which came from my faith, but I'm also planning on being overseas also to share with these same people my faith. I definitely have no intention of forcefully making or pressuring these people or adcom members to convert.

You think that's okay to be my theme of my PS?

 

[LizzyM]

Yeah, it's more about providing healthcare to those in need which came from my faith, but I'm also planning on being overseas also to share with these same people my faith. I definitely have no intention of forcefully making or pressuring these people or adcom members to convert.

You think that's okay to be my theme of my PS?

Save the plan to share your religious beliefs with others for your application to divinity school. Some non-Christians in particular have been subjected to this "sharing" by colleagues (and rarely at med school interviews) and they find it off-putting. Focus on your reasons for choosing a career in medicine and what you envision the practice of medicine to be for you.

I'm just reporting what I hear at adcom meetings when applications like this come up. Please don't take it as an attack on your religious beliefs or your desire to be a missionary.

 

[MeowMix]

Painting myself as wanting to become a medical missionary will be bad?

If I was reading your PS, yes, it would be bad.

There are all kinds of complex issues around providing health care with religious messages attached. Some of those are very well addressed in this recent JAMA article by a Yale medical student:
Duffle Bag Medicine, Maya Roberts, JAMA. 2006;295:1491-1492
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to go out and "help" people in developing countries.

If you appreciate those difficult ethical issues, have thought them through, and can address them, then go ahead, talk about being a missionary.

If you haven't, then be conscious that some people, like me, will see your desire as a misguided, well-intentioned, but naive and self-serving effort to meet your own needs regardless of the long-term consequences for the people you are trying to serve.