Tough Interest Choice

[Catdoctor]

Hi, this is actually my first real post on SDN. I was wondering if you guys could help me with a choice.

So, I've started looking at secondary essays (I know its early, but I'm applying to 30 schools), and several of the schools have the same essay: Write about an interest you have outside of medicine.

I've thought hard about this question, and there are two things that I am equally passionate about that I could write about. I can't decide between these.

Interest 1: I have been volunteering in inner cities since early high school. I am also minoring in writing at my college, and I have written many stories about my experiences volunteering. I am interested in the power of the written word, and how writing about hardships one encounters can bring about change.

Interest 2: I am part of an Indian cultural organization at my college (which I helped form my sophomore year), and I have been involved in organizing language lessons, and events and talent shows. I am also interested in Indian dance. I could write about the influence my culture has on me, and how I'm trying to get back in tune with it, etc.

I think that essay 1 would show how I want to give back to the community, and essay 2 would show that I would promote diversity.

I'm having a really hard time deciding between these two topics. Like I said, I could easily write both.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

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[Bluesmurf314]

I vote #2, seeing as you started the org.

 

[bashini]

i think the innercity volunteering is very cool (I know because I am very passionate about the homeless invidividuals I work with). But you could go into more details about this during interviews/personal statement/secondaries that ask you to list these experiences. The Indian dancing thing is very unique so if you never mentioned this in the application (primary) and feel like you might not have a chance to present this side of you in the future to the ADCOM ppl, I suggest you write about that. So that they know you are passionate about something other than medicine too and that you an not just one dimensional.

 

[armybound]

I'd go with the second, it also shows the school what unique aspect you'll bring to their school.

 

[Abilene85]

I vote for #2, just because it is so far from medicine.

#1 would also make a great essay, but I feel like "giving back" is more closely tied to medicine than #2. Show them something completely different.

Good luck!

 

[GeorgeFoster]

Hmmm, these choices are always the envy of other, less well rounded applicants (I love sports, but wasn't much more than a D3 overacheiver in college; I'm beginning to wish I had such unique passions).

The only way to know which will work out best is to start prewriting each essay, maybe even sketch out a first draft (this will be a lot of effort to do twice, but like you said its a question that comes up a lot and the work will pay off). After a while, one choice will start to feel right, and will flesh out to become a much better essay. Maybe during writing you will find one essay is more easily demonstrates multiple admirable qualities while maintaining a clear flow or cohesion. Maybe you'll find out that you have more to say in one topic than you initially expected.

While I strongly suggest extensive pre-writing to figure out which one simply feels better, I can make superficial recommendations as well. The first choice envolves a sentiment that kinda approachs cliche in pre-med essays: the "I want to help people," "volunteering in third world/inner city" desire. I DO NOT DOUBT YOUR SINCERETY, but this topic should be approached with candor and care, or you might end up sounding like a Ms. America contestant.

The second choice sounds like it is geared towards fulfilling a "I'm diverse" characteristic. Once again, I do not doubt you sincerety in your dedication to Indian culture (Indian culture is awesome) but I said this is my superfiscial judgement. The problem is, Indians arnt exactly a under-represented minority in medicine; heck it might be more benefiscial in endearing you to Indian traditionalist that might be on adcom than promoting diviersity in the applicant pool.

You could also find other avenues to express either interest so dont worry too much. Either activity could be listed succinctly elsewhere in the application and brought up in depth in the interview (which I'm sure you'll get)

Good luck

 

[Catdoctor]

Thanks for the help!

In a way, I guess writing about either interest can hurt me since the first one sounds too cliche and the second one will make them say, "we can't let another one of them into our school!!"

I guess I should clarify a little on interest 1: I would focus the essay more on my WRITING, and how I like writing about the things I see in order to make people more aware. I wasn't going to concentrate on the volunteering as much.
Do you still think interest 1 is too about "helping people"? Stuff that's been done to death?
I guess I'm just scared about writing essay 2 since my culture isn't something that I took up, it's something that I was born with so I must obviously do something with it.

Any thoughts?

 

[chickenlittle84]

I think interest one is a little bit dangerous unless you are a really fantastic writer (and have been told so again and again)...because I am just thinking if an adcom sees someone who says not just that they love writing, but also that they use this talent as a tool to build awareness, the adcom might think, well, would this person make me more aware, would she make me care about the inner-city? is this person really a good writer? so just make sure your writing can survive intense scrutiny. Not that you should be scrutinized, but one of the things I have found really strange about this process is how skeptical adcoms seem to be. And scrutinizing your interest in indian culture is harder because what are they going to do, ask you to dance?

 

[GeorgeFoster]

Haha, yeah, maybe you should have a dance ready just in case.

Yeah, after rereading this thread I think i see what you're going for in each essay.

I second the concerns over bragging about writing in an essay. You're already writing! These skills should be speaking for themselves as the adcom reads. Maybe emphasizing a "love" of writing while leaving the adcom to judge your writing for him/her self is safer. In the end, however, don't worry about having to produce Pulitzer material to impress doctors, writing is a skill in demand and highlighting it modestly will be a boon for you. And while adcom's will probably be effective communicators, its not like they'll be prose masters either so don't be too intimidated.

Also, I mentioned the danger of approaching cliche not to poison the topic for you. Hell, "I want to be a doctor" is a cliche but every school wants to hear that through and through. 30,000 people write these essays every year, there's probably not too many original thoughts, the point is to be as honest and fresh about yourself as possible.

As for the second essay, don't be scared of writing about your culture, the only worry is if you end up inadvertently telling adcoms that your more obsessed about your culture than about medicine. But that would only happen if you had letters of reference from several Hindu culture mentors, 13 of 15 indian culture activities, majored in South Asian Anthropolgy, et cetera et cetera. Other than that, you are who you are,

Also, dont worry about adcoms thinking "oh no, not another Indian" just worry about getting them thinking "oh great, another potential great doctor" because in the end, your success in selling yourself as that will be you success in gaining admission.

Again, i suggest drafting each option and figuring out which essay choice will end up sounding best, keeping in mind you're wanting the adcoms both to get to know you, and to believe the person they just met will be an excellent doctor.

 

[leftmid]

but there are too many...oopse...i mean.... a lot of indians here and everyone seems to love dancing and singing. undiversifiable, i think.

 

[xpinchx]

I would go for the second one because it shows you're a cultured person, you made initiative to form an organization, you learned from your leadership role, etc. Sounds pretty good to me.

 

[GeorgeFoster]

but there are too many...oopse...i mean.... a lot of indians here and everyone seems to love dancing and singing. undiversifiable, i think.

haha, yeah, I can't tell you how many times Indian doctors and tech's at my hospital suddenly break into choreographed song and dance. then there's people running on a hill side then the scene suddenly changes to a girl and a man on a beach for no reason whatever. But you get used to it.

 

[Catdoctor]

haha, yeah, I can't tell you how many times Indian doctors and tech's at my hospital suddenly break into choreographed song and dance. then there's people running on a hill side then the scene suddenly changes to a girl and a man on a beach for no reason whatever. But you get used to it.

See what I mean? The second the adcoms hear that I'm Indian and that I like my culture/dancing, they're gonna have images of running through the trees, random song/dance number, and death scenes that last the entire movie going through their heads.

I hate Bollywood for making us so laughable!

 

[GeorgeFoster]

yeah, but bollywood also introducted the world to auto-rickshaw chases years before James Bond did one. I think that makes up for any sins.

I know you're joking, but don't worry about things. I suppose the advantage of being an overrepresented minority is that everyone knows enough Indians in medicine to know that they come in all stripes.

 

[riceman04]

Hi, this is actually my first real post on SDN. I was wondering if you guys could help me with a choice.

So, I've started looking at secondary essays (I know its early, but I'm applying to 30 schools), and several of the schools have the same essay: Write about an interest you have outside of medicine.

I've thought hard about this question, and there are two things that I am equally passionate about that I could write about. I can't decide between these.

Interest 1: I have been volunteering in inner cities since early high school. I am also minoring in writing at my college, and I have written many stories about my experiences volunteering. I am interested in the power of the written word, and how writing about hardships one encounters can bring about change.

Interest 2: I am part of an Indian cultural organization at my college (which I helped form my sophomore year), and I have been involved in organizing language lessons, and events and talent shows. I am also interested in Indian dance. I could write about the influence my culture has on me, and how I'm trying to get back in tune with it, etc.

I think that essay 1 would show how I want to give back to the community, and essay 2 would show that I would promote diversity.

I'm having a really hard time deciding between these two topics. Like I said, I could easily write both.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Can you do the different poses...like Lotus...etc...?

I like it when the Indian girls do the dances where they make those really unique poses with their fingers, arms, and legs!

 

[leftmid]

Yeah too....
Besides, I know that a lot of people other than Indians love to see those movies too. They watch them in spite of not knowing a single Indian word, just waiting for the dance or death scene, I guess. Anyhow they watch them, no doctor would lol at anyone who is different, right? Go ask your nearest adcoms.

In the mean time, I can only say that sometimes someone *like me* just has to learn how to live in the best place in this world.............Cheers!