Repeating from PS

[Lanced]

Is it reasonable to repeat, to some degree, a topic from your PS on a secondary question?

Can anyone provide a somewhat authoritative answer to this question?

This is one of U of Chicago's secondary Q:
Relate an experience in which you felt you truly helped someone. Please describe what you learned about your values and motivation for helping others.

I would like to describe, in more depth, an experience that I already described in my PS. Though I did it in about a paragraph in the PS, I summarized the whole experience.

Would it be worthwhile to describe it again in more depth, or try to pick another, but probably less significant, experience?

Thanks all

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[63768]

that depends on the thing you want to repeat more in-depthly. if it's a huge thing that you squeezed into your PS and cut out a lot of info, rewriting may be pertinent. if you summarized but all the info is there, i'd tell you to find something else.

 

[jackieMD2007]

I don't know. I kind of feel like saying to you, "THE ONLY time you helped someone was that ONE TIME that you described in your personal statement?!?!"

Come up with another example. I hope that you have done something, anything to help someone other than what you said in your PS. Also, pick something that YOU didn't get anything out of. Something nice you did for someone that you didn't have to do. NOT hospital volunteering because you get credit for that on your AMCAS. Pick something else.

 

[Sekiray]

I don't know. I kind of feel like saying to you, "THE ONLY time you helped someone was that ONE TIME that you described in your personal statement?!?!"

Come up with another example. I hope that you have done something, anything to help someone other than what you said in your PS. Also, pick something that YOU didn't get anything out of. Something nice you did for someone that you didn't have to do. NOT hospital volunteering because you get credit for that on your AMCAS. Pick something else.

I always feel like you do get SOMETHING out of helping someone.
It could be fullfillment, or something even smaller like knowing that you did something right, im not sure though maybe im being a bit selfish.

 

[Lanced]

I don't know. I kind of feel like saying to you, "THE ONLY time you helped someone was that ONE TIME that you described in your personal statement?!?!"

Come up with another example. I hope that you have done something, anything to help someone other than what you said in your PS. Also, pick something that YOU didn't get anything out of. Something nice you did for someone that you didn't have to do. NOT hospital volunteering because you get credit for that on your AMCAS. Pick something else.

I hear what you're saying, but still you can understand wanting to write about the MOST meaningful/relevant/etc. experience.

Interesting point about talking about something not on the primary application... I'll have to think about that...

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the genuine responses.

 

[jackieMD2007]

I hear what you're saying, but still you can understand wanting to write about the MOST meaningful/relevant/etc. experience.

Interesting point about talking about something not on the primary application... I'll have to think about that...

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the genuine responses.

I agree, but I don't think U of C is looking for you to explain how you saved somebody's life as an EMT or whatever. I think they are just looking to see what your MOTIVATION is for helping people and what your VALUES are. I think the example you give is less important than how well it demonstrates your motivation and values.

 

[mychelle774]

I agree, but I don't think U of C is looking for you to explain how you saved somebody's life as an EMT or whatever. I think they are just looking to see what your MOTIVATION is for helping people and what your VALUES are. I think the example you give is less important than how well it demonstrates your motivation and values.

Yeah, I would think this would be something like pulling a friend out of depression over a lost family member or some equally humanitarian thing not involving medicine (you haven't learned to do that yet!). Besides, haven't you already talked enough about medicine in your PS? Maybe think along the lines of something only YOU could do that helped, not just anyone. And showing dedication or selflessness helps. But it can't be like dogsitting a rotweiler that only behaves around you. Good luck!

 

[LizzyM]

Yeah, I would think this would be something like pulling a friend out of depression over a lost family member or some equally humanitarian thing

Not to hijack the thread but please, don't use the term depression for this type of situation. Say, "helped a friend through the grieving process...." or something along those lines. From the adcom member's point of view "depression" is a psychiatric condition and no amount of good cheer is sufficient to cure it.