What challenges have you faced --

[Espressso]

For that generic secondary question... Assuming you don't have any severe, life-threatening challenges that you have faced growing up, the real value of this question isn't necessarily the topic, but how you react to setbacks, altercations, and random roadbloacks in your life.

Or at least that's what I think of this question.

Anyone more experiences with the secondary hurdles want to chime in? I'm working on this question, which is tied into the diversity essay. And I'm currently trying to spin an injury/surgery I had in HS to how I overcame the adversity of making up 16 weeks of lost time for my piano recital.

Am I on the right path here? Any comments/suggestions would help!

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[QuestionsAnswers]

Health difficulties could be one topic... if you grew up in a family with minimal background in higher ed, socioeconomic stuff ... just don't write something like "struggling to overcome the guilt of being born handsome and socioeconomically privileged..."

 

[Espressso]

Health difficulties could be one topic... if you grew up in a family with minimal background in higher ed, socioeconomic stuff ... just don't write something like "struggling to overcome the guilt of being born handsome and socioeconomically privileged..."

Eh that's the thing. Father did CC, mother did 4 year college overseas before immigrating here, but we aren't socioeconomically disadvantaged.

 

[QuestionsAnswers]

It sounds like those are possible topics you could write about though... perhaps challenges related to finding your way to applying to grad school as a child of immigrant parent(s) without a history of postgrad education? IMO just make sure it's genuine and don't try to shoehorn in anything that wasn't a real challenge... virtually everyone has overcome some challenge at some point... perhaps think out of the box about something social, sports related, a difficult course... maybe they are as interested in how you handled the adversity as they are the nature of the adversity.

 

[efle]

I've seen it said many times that the question is asked largely to hear how you deal with struggling.

Eg from U Chicago: "Tell us about a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice."

Think of times when you needed to change your approach and get support from others. I think this is really a way to ask, if med school pushes you to your limits, would you be able to handle it? How and with whom to help you?