Should I mention disabilites in Applicaion?

[christinej]

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I am a student with diagnosed disabilities. Is this something that I should add to my application essay? PLEASE PLEASE Relpy....I really need advice

 

[MSc44]

I am a student with diagnosed disabilities. Is this something that I should add to my application essay? PLEASE PLEASE Relpy....I really need advice

Although i have not yet applied i would say that if it is a part of who you are and you have showed strength in dealing with it, and if it play's a part in why you want to become a physician then GO FOR IT!!!!
If they discriminate then their loss, you dont want to be there anyway

 

[MSc44]

Although i have not yet applied i would say that if it is a part of who you are and you have showed strength in dealing with it, and if it play's a part in why you want to become a physician then GO FOR IT!!!!
If they discriminate then their loss, you dont want to be there anyway

and i stand by this for all disabilities, what ever they may be

 

[futured.o.]

Hi. I just thought I would reply to this thread because I have personally asked this question before I applied. I have bilateral congenital hip dysplasia, which basically means that I was born without acetebulums in my hips and my femoral heads are shaped like spoons instead of spheres. I can walk just fine and most people don't even notice unless they really pay attention to my gait. Anyway, my condition is THE reason I am interested in practicing medicine. If I left this huge part of myself out of the application process in order to mask a "weakness" the adcoms may not see the true passion I for medicine. So, some my tell you not to include your disability in your application to med school because it "draws a roadmap to your weakness" (I was actually told this in a mock interview with a doctor). But, I would say that, by including your condition in your application, you show the adcoms that you are confident enough to talk about it openly and that it has strengthened you as a person. So, yes, definitely include your disability in your app!

 

[rachmoninov3]

It depends on what your disability is, and if it's relevent to your application. As for me, I'm a former spaz (epileptic). Yeah, sixteen years of seizures, and then some damn good doctors removed the part of my brain that caused seizures. Unfortunately it took four years of rewiring my brain during undergrad to overcome some of the deficits I had from the surgery (mainly math and science), but I did it. I don't think I have much of a disability now, but it is an important part of my application as its the reason I want to study medicine and the reason my MCAT is high but my first undergrad GPA is so low.

Hope this helps.

 

[PhDtoDO]

I am a student with diagnosed disabilities. Is this something that I should add to my application essay? PLEASE PLEASE Relpy....I really need advice

Hello,

I am dyslexic and was diagnosed around the age of 7 and received intensive tutoring. I have a very high IQ but I have difficulty taking standardized tests. I got a 750math and 510verbal on my sat because I couldn't finish the verbal. My mother thought it best to keep my disability out of my academic record to protect my prospects for college, and to some extent, she was right on. I was able to get into the University of Chicago with an almost full tuition scholarship and graduated with a 3.5+GPA and honors. But I couldn't get into med school because I had so much trouble with the MCAT. I took it 3 times and it has so many reading passages that highlight my disability. I got a 24...took a class and got a 28...still didn't finish parts of it. So after many waitlistings, I started a PhD, am about to finish and am reapplying to med school. I'm 30 though. 10 years ago, it was not cool to be disabled. I used to tutor undergrads at tulane in the tutoring center and was amazed to find out that HALF OF ALL UNDERGRADS AT TULANE DECLARE SOME TYPE OF DISABILITY ON THEIR APPLICATION TO COLLEGE! It didn't hurt any of these guys, in fact its a big focus of the tutoring center at Tulane. I'm now declaring my dyslexia and getting testing for the MCAT to retake it in August. DEFINITELY DECLARE...especially if you're a reapplicant. It will show why you might have been disadvantaged in the first application process and why some of your stats might not show your true value. Some schools might not like it, but I think many will see it as part of who you are as an individual. If anything, apply to Tulane. After my PhD under a med school professor, I've given some solid assurances that I can go to Tulane (although I don't want to because I want to move to my boyfriend in MAss). At the very least, apply to Tulane Med too.

Just my opinion,

Sarah