Medical Should I talk about my extreme sports hobby for my diversity secondary essay?

[Catalystik]

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Brainstorming topics for the diversity secondary essay, and I want to write about my adventurous side/my passion for letting go and taking risks. I'm an outdoor enthusiast (rock climbing, camping, hiking) and I was on a whitewater kayaking team all of high school---doing everything from practicing slalom racing to kayaking off a waterfall. As a soft-spoken 5-foot tall introverted woman, I gained a lot of confidence through this. Only issue is I haven't kayaked since the summer before college ---I didn't have the time or resources to do so where I went to for school. I'm still an outdoors lover and have done a lot of hiking, but nothing extreme like my high school days. Is it still worth writing about this? Maybe including other ways I've been adventurous in college, like solo traveling abroad, would help?

Mentioning extreme sports and "passion for taking risks" when the majority of adcomms are older, conservative folks won't do your application any favors.

 

[Catalystik]

Thanks, I wasn’t thinking about it in that way—just trying to think of what was most unique. Only other option I can think of is to focus on the unique perspective I’d bring having double majored in a language and taken many public health and anthro classes, including global health, environmental health, and medical anthropology. Hoping to take advantage of medical humanities electives/organizations that schools may offer and take courses in the global health department and/or obtain an MPH. Thoughts?

That looks better as so many premeds are science-focused and have far less exposure to the humanities. But focus on what you've done, not on what you might do (eg an MPH, school clubs, extra classes in med school).

Also, I don't think you necessarily need to dismiss the outdoor sports involvement, just the mention of the extreme sports. You can talk about kayaking without mentioning go over waterfalls, for example. Staying physically fit enough to stay involved with your outdoor passions could be another angle, as so many med students turn into "desk jockeys."