"What you're doing until matriculation" question advice

[PygmyPuff]

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Looking to get started soon on prewriting some secondaries since I work full time and have a lot going on and don't want to put this off. I'm struggling with how to answer the question "if you won't be enrolled in school full time, what will you be doing in the next year until matriculation."

I'm nontrad, graduated 4 years ago. In the next year I'm going to continue my current volunteer work and full time job. I'll also be having a baby in the fall. Is this something I should mention on this question? Would this be off-putting to adcoms?

@Goro @LizzyM @gyngyn looking for advice from adcoms here. Don't want to shoot myself in the foot by mentioning it and set off some sort of red flag. There is also the potential that I will be just a couple weeks postpartum at an interview (if I get early invites) so I may even look pregnant which will set off that flag anyways.

 

[libahli]

Not an adcom, just an incoming M-1, but my gut says not to mention the baby. I would mention your volunteering and job and anything else you might be doing (travel, hobbies, etc). Interviewing while pregnant is really a different ball-game because at that point, you've already passed muster and got through the first (and biggest) screening. When are you due? Most early invites still allow you to schedule pretty far out (usually at least a month or so after), so you may have more time than you think before having to interview after giving birth.

Congratulations by the way! New babies are so exciting 🙂.

 

[Goro]

It's none of our business whether you have a baby or not

 

[futuremdforme]

Don't mention on secondaries. Since you have other stuff you will still do, it doesn't really add anything.

In interviews, I would consider: if you still look pregnant, if you will need to ask for accommodations for bf'ing or pumping, or other reasons you would have to mention it. You might also need to mention it if you get interview invites while you're still pregnant and can't fly.

 

[Froggy25]

I'll dissent from the above advice. We had another child just before the application cycle began. I deployed overseas for the first few months of the application cycle. When asked on secondaries about what my plans were, I said that my plan was to stay home and raise our kids while my partner worked to support our family. I received zero pushback on it, and it came up (positively) in 2 of 5 interviews.

Just my take on it: if being home with your child is important to you, don't be afraid to say so. I fought the urge to try to look appropriately pre-med "busy" for the remainder of the season and, looking back at it, I'm am glad that I did.

Don't want to shoot myself in the foot by mentioning it and set off some sort of red flag.

The question I asked myself in this case is: "do I really want to attend a medical school where being a parent is a red flag, and would this be the best decision for my family and me?"

 

[libahli]

I'll dissent from the above advice. We had another child just before the application cycle began. I deployed overseas for the first few months of the application cycle. When asked on secondaries about what my plans were, I said that my plan was to stay home and raise our kids while my partner worked to support our family. I received zero pushback on it, and it came up (positively) in 2 of 5 interviews.

Just my take on it: if being home with your child is important to you, don't be afraid to say so. I fought the urge to try to look appropriately pre-med "busy" for the remainder of the season and, looking back at it, I'm am glad that I did.


The question I asked myself in this case is: "do I really want to attend a medical school where being a parent is a red flag, and would this be the best decision for my family and me?"

I hate to ask but were you the one who carried the child? I think it's different for dads/significant others who are not the ones actually becoming pregnant and giving birth. At least in my past working experience, the two roles were viewed somewhat differently by management/higher ups.

 

[Froggy25]

I hate to ask but were you the one who carried the child? I think it's different for dads/significant others who are not the ones actually becoming pregnant and giving birth. At least in my past working experience, the two roles were viewed somewhat differently by management/higher ups.

I was not, and this is a totally valid point. My past profession was the same as yours regarding women having kids being viewed differently than men, but probably for different reasons. You also made a good point above about waiting until being invited to an interview to reveal. Still, I would not want to end up at a school that is unsupportive of the unique dynamics surrounding medical schools who are parents. Therefore, I put it up front and made it a part of my application fabric, in part to demonstrate strengths / unique perspectives but also to self-select if that was going to be red flag for schools. The way I figured it was that it would be hard for me to truly discern if a school was supportive of parent students or not, so if I put it up front, and they invited me for an interview, they believe that it may work out at their school. Just me though.


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[PygmyPuff]

When are you due? Most early invites still allow you to schedule pretty far out (usually at least a month or so after), so you may have more time than you think before having to interview after giving birth.

Due late August. Thanks 🙂

Don't mention on secondaries. Since you have other stuff you will still do, it doesn't really add anything.

In interviews, I would consider: if you still look pregnant, if you will need to ask for accommodations for bf'ing or pumping, or other reasons you would have to mention it. You might also need to mention it if you get interview invites while you're still pregnant and can't fly.

I will likely need pumping accommodations. I'm hoping I can just call the admin office to figure that out though and the actual interviewers won't even know about it.

The question I asked myself in this case is: "do I really want to attend a medical school where being a parent is a red flag, and would this be the best decision for my family and me?"

This is what I'm struggling with. With average stats, I'm not sure I have the luxury of self-selecting out of a number of schools because they aren't parent friendly. But at the same time, a non parent friendly school wouldn't work out for me long term and I likely would choose not to attend if I had the option of going elsewhere... but there is no guarantee that I will have other options.

 

[libahli]

I was not, and this is a totally valid point. My past profession was the same as yours regarding women having kids being viewed differently than men, but probably for different reasons. You also made a good point above about waiting until being invited to an interview to reveal. Still, I would not want to end up at a school that is unsupportive of the unique dynamics surrounding medical schools who are parents. Therefore, I put it up front and made it a part of my application fabric, in part to demonstrate strengths / unique perspectives but also to self-select if that was going to be red flag for schools. The way I figured it was that it would be hard for me to truly discern if a school was supportive of parent students or not, so if I put it up front, and they invited me for an interview, they believe that it may work out at their school. Just me though.


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Got it. And I totally understand why you did it that way. But I think the OP has nothing to lose by either not mentioning it at all or just determining in interview day whether or not the school would be supportive. Because it's not like any of her ECs or personal statement already mention anything related to having children, so why bring it up unnecessarily?

At the time of writing her secondaries, she will not be a parent yet. It's not like omitting the fact that she will soon be a parent is doing something "wrong". Applicants can marry and have babies without informing prospective schools, it's not like she's committing an institutional action or felony.

I completely agree on only matriculating at a school that will be supportive and a good fit. But it's to her benefit to get as many interviews as possible because she will never know if she will be guaranteed an acceptance at all, let alone at a school that would be supportive. She doesn't want to be stuck having to reapply next year.