Talking about academics in Challenge essay a no-no?

[DJay4534533]

I've seen conflicting advise for this, some people say don't talk about academic struggles because it makes it seem like you haven't had that hard of a life? Or it's something AdComs already assume about pre-meds so it's redundant to talk about it?

Is it really so bad though, if it's honest? For example, I wanted to talk about how I went through a challenging life stage (a combination of the death of a family member and me just being disillusioned with life) where I contemplated not even pursuing medicine anymore. I mentioned struggling in one of my classes as one of the main factors that made me reconsider my goals, but my essay was less about the class, but more about finding my way back to pursuing the medical track? Is that still considered cliche?

People act like it's so lame to talk about it, but I imagine sometimes people truly do grow when faced with academic hurdles & challenges that question their potential and capabilities.

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[getdown]

Talking about academic challenges in relation to non-academic stressors (illness, family issue, mental health) is ok. What is frowned upon is talking about that one time you got a C in biochem wholly within the context of just academics. This is because everyone struggles with biochem. You getting a C just means you didn't study hard enough, not a "challenge to overcome". So in your case it could work just depends on how you talk about it.

 

[Goro]

I've seen conflicting advise for this, some people say don't talk about academic struggles because it makes it seem like you haven't had that hard of a life? Or it's something AdComs already assume about pre-meds so it's redundant to talk about it?

Is it really so bad though, if it's honest? For example, I wanted to talk about how I went through a challenging life stage (a combination of the death of a family member and me just being disillusioned with life) where I contemplated not even pursuing medicine anymore. I mentioned struggling in one of my classes as one of the main factors that made me reconsider my goals, but my essay was less about the class, but more about finding my way back to pursuing the medical track? Is that still considered cliche?

People act like it's so lame to talk about it, but I imagine sometimes people truly do grow when faced with academic hurdles & challenges that question their potential and capabilities.

We want to see that you have a life (and its challenges) outside of academics.

Introspection is a required trait in a doctor.

It's not lame to talk about academic issues as a response to these prompts, it's a sign that one's viewpoint is extremely narrow. We don't want students who consider a bad grade to be a sign of weakness or a loss of face.

 

[DJay4534533]

We want to see that you have a life (and its challenges) outside of academics.

Introspection is a required trait in a doctor.

It's not lame to talk about academic issues as a response to these prompts, it's a sign that one's viewpoint is extremely narrow. We don't want students who consider a bad grade to be a sign of weakness or a loss of face.

So... is my approach to the essay ok?

 

[Goro]

So... is my approach to the essay ok?

Yes, as we want to see resilience and coping skills.