Taboo topic for personal statement?

[buckoh24]

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I wrote my personal statement and have been having some people look it over. My friend is a M3 so I figured he would know kinda what they are looking for and if my essay is sufficient. About 1/2 of my PS talks about being involved in the HIV community via outreach, taking courses, advocacy, etc even tho it states I an NOT HIV+. Hes worried that the topic may be too heavy to talk about as it is one that may be sensitive for the more conservative admissions members. I also talk about my involvement in the LGBT+ community through volunteering and mentorship but that is a smaller portion of the PS. He thinks its well written and overall its a good PS but is worried that it may turn people away due to HIV being such a stigmatized virus and some members may immediately discredit me because of it. I put my HIV Testing as a most meaningful experience along with my LGBT youth center so even if its not mentioned in my PS, it will appear in some form or another in my application. I know topics like religion, politics, and other controversial topics are emphasized as bas topic options, but do you think this will paint a bad picture as well?

 

[LizzyM]

😵

It boggles my mind that there might be medical school faculty in this day and age that are scandalized by education, counseling and testing around HIV.... I really can't fathom that to be true. We've been dealing with this for 37 years or so; almost anyone in medicine in 2018 has been dealing with this virus for most of their career in medicine, if not all of their career. (Physicians in their 60s were in med school to fellowship when the first papers about HIV came out.)

I think that your M3 friend is misinformed.

 

[Goro]

😵

It boggles my mind that there might be medical school faculty in this day and age that are scandalized by education, counseling and testing around HIV.... I really can't fathom that to be true. We've been dealing with this for 37 years or so; almost anyone in medicine in 2018 has been dealing with this virus for most of their career in medicine, if not all of their career. (Physicians in their 60s were in med school to fellowship when the first papers about HIV came out.)

I think that your M3 friend is misinformed.

I think even LUCOM faculty would agree with the wise LizzyM.

OP, go smack your idiot M3 friend upside the head. This isn' 1985.

 

[Osminog]

"These whipper-snappers nowadays, with their LGBT community outreach and HIV testing! [inaudible muttering and fist shaking]"

 

[shapley]

I'll have to say I had a similar story and PS where I focused on LGBTQ+ issues, and I definitely got some questions during my interviews that could have been taken as offensive. However, it was more due to their insensitivity and lack of experience I would say.