significant obstacle (anything you'd like to add essay)

[sbspftw]

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So I'm struggling with this one a bit.

There are many schools that ask "If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity."

To be very honest, I have had an amazing life with all the opportunities. I've had some really tough parents, but I do think that's made me stronger.

the only thing I can think about is an abusive friendship I was in for a year (a bunch of demeaning racial slurs, threats, emotional manipulation) that really knocked down my self-esteem because it attacked who I was as a person and my identity as brown and a woman. From this I learned to embrace my identity because I realized that that's where my strengths lie. Values of hard work and the need to prove to my culture that as a woman I can persevere has Brought me a long way. In the end, I'm grateful for everything that I have and this gratitude is what motivates me to give back.

I was wondering if I could talk about this. I'm just worried because most of the time, the question asks about 'significant obstacles, such as access to education, identification with religion, race, gender, etc' and I don't want them to think that I wrote something just for the sake of filling this up. Like my story is no where near the story of an undocumented student, or someone who grew up with an abusive household, or someone who's struggled with being trans, and I in no way want to underscore those essays by saying that my story is just as important.

On the other hand I could also talk about the struggles I've faced reconciling with my parents because of the conflict between my American attitudes and their Indian narrow-mindedness.

Thoughts?

 

[Goro]

So I'm struggling with this one a bit.

There are many schools that ask "If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity."

To be very honest, I have had an amazing life with all the opportunities. I've had some really tough parents, but I do think that's made me stronger.

the only thing I can think about is an abusive friendship I was in for a year (a bunch of demeaning racial slurs, threats, emotional manipulation) that really knocked down my self-esteem because it attacked who I was as a person and my identity as brown and a woman. From this I learned to embrace my identity because I realized that that's where my strengths lie. Values of hard work and the need to prove to my culture that as a woman I can persevere has Brought me a long way. In the end, I'm grateful for everything that I have and this gratitude is what motivates me to give back.

I was wondering if I could talk about this. I'm just worried because most of the time, the question asks about 'significant obstacles, such as access to education, identification with religion, race, gender, etc' and I don't want them to think that I wrote something just for the sake of filling this up. Like my story is no where near the story of an undocumented student, or someone who grew up with an abusive household, or someone who's struggled with being trans, and I in no way want to underscore those essays by saying that my story is just as important.

On the other hand I could also talk about the struggles I've faced reconciling with my parents because of the conflict between my American attitudes and their Indian narrow-mindedness.

Thoughts?

Sounds very reasonable as an essay topic.

As for this prompt: If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, I see many SDNers pathologically overthinking it. They seem to believe that an optional prompt must be answered. They also ignore the part in bold.

As a word of warning, nobody leads a charmed life, either. Introspection is a crucial asset for a doctor.

 

[LizzyM]

If you don't have something IMPORTANT in your personal background or identify to describe to the committee, then not answering is the best approach. If the abusive nature of that friendship was not important, then let it go and leave the question blank.

 

[sbspftw]

I definitely think that the abusive nature of the friendship impacted my academic and emotional well being and gave me perspective. However, I just want to make sure that this is an "important enough" topic. Like I don't want to make it seem like I'm writing for the sake of filling this up (as I assume many others would do), but at the same time, I think it's important to discuss.

It's nowhere near the struggles of other people that I've heard, however, which makes me feel that maybe they're expecting something of a higher degree of impact (divorced household, significant parental abuse, dealing with sexuality). But I guess it's about how you write it and what you learned, not necessarily anything else.