should I do this or bad idea

[Eagleye2]

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[jcorpsmanMD]

Depends, what did your dad do?

 

[----x----]

As with anything in your personal statement/application - use the 80/20 rule. 80% of the content is what you learned, application of your experience and how it affected you and moved you toward choosing medicine. 20% is just enough about the experience so the reader has context for why you learned what you did or changed how you did.

If it's a foundational aspect of your journey towards deciding to pursue medicine, it could be beneficial and his infraction wouldn't necessarily need a lot more detailed explanation than the general statement you gave now. Again - 80/20 - they don't need to know exactly what happened but its effects and how you worked through them, if significant for you, might be pertinent to include. Also, it's possible that it'd fit better in secondary essays depending on how much you have to work with in your personal statement. I couldn't fit everything I wanted in my PS so took advantage of a few schools' more open ended secondaries for example.

 

[Doctor Strange]

So you're going to throw your dad under the bus for personal gain? I'm sure adcoms are going to love that.

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[DatInterviewDood]

Bad dad for the hook


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[mistafab]

Hey eagleye2,

This sounds like a really personal story. This is good and bad. The good is that you really feel it in your bones. The bad is that you might not see how it comes across because you are very personally invested in it.

My suggestion is to talk about how your father was a doctor, which spiked your initial interest. You shadowed and figured out it was what you wanted to do as well. Leave the bad out, but use that pain that you learned and went through to give passion to what you are saying. Talk about your doubts about the profession that came up during your experience of your dad, but leave the info out (EDIT: to clarify, I would NOT mention anything bad that your father did, or insinuate that anything happened, make it reflective). The doubts you felt, those things are real and will help show readers you have deeply thought about if this is something you really want to do - that you are not just interested in it just because of a doctor in the family.

Anyway, I wish you best of luck. I hope your family can get over this hump too. I think this experience you had will help you your whole life, even if you don't see it now.

Hey guys! I am going to make a long story short for you guys. Im thinking of ideas for a personal statement and need advice on whether I should mention this or not.

My dad is a doctor and during all my shadowing and volunteering where I was deciding on if this career is right for me, my dad did something to affect my family negatively (nothing criminal; however, still serious for our family) which defiently all but ruined being a physician for me because everytime I thought about it, I would think of that situation. Long story short, I continued volunteering and shadowing and realized I love medicine and would still like to be a doctor. Would this story show any sort of dedication and passion from me or should I skip it entirely?


Yay or nay

 

[LizzyM]

Most applicants list their parents names and highest level of education, etc on the application. You don't have too and that would offer the slightest fig leaf of privacy to your father's reputation but it is still a bit slimy to say that your dad did something bad that turned you off to medicine (trying to imagine what that would be... mostly coming up with infidelity with a coworker like a nurse... maybe I suffer from a lack of imagination) but all in all, you got over your hesitation and are ready to jump in.

Really, what does "my dad did something bad that soured me on the profession" add to your story of why you want to be a doctor??

In general, being critical of a physician in a PS is not a good move. Saying that they "did something bad that wasn't illegal" is not cool. Would you say this about a physician who was not your father? Why would it be okay because it is your dad?

 

[sammiesings]

You're gonna have to give us more than that to actually get any worthwhile feedback...