Which challenge should I use in my essay?

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TheMaverick

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I need some advice on what experience to use for the challenge-type essays. One experience is pretty much safe and normal, the other is unique and powerful, but much more controversial. The basic stories are below. Which would you suggest using?

The "safe" one: I was doing a year studying in a yeshiva (Jewish religious school) in Israel after high school, as is traditional among orthodox Jews. However, the yeshiva I went to initially was not at all what I had been led to believe. When I went to brush my teeth the first morning the bathroom reeked of alcohol and vomit. I didn't get a decent night's sleep for weeks because my roommates would come back in the middle of the night from a bar or club. So I was thousands of miles from home, in a country whose language I didn't yet speak. But I guess I figured if this place isn't working out, I'll find another. So I took buses around the country visiting other yeshivot, and I found a yeshiva in the Jerusalem where I was a great fit and wound up having a very fulfilling and productive experience.

The "unique" one (sorry if this is so long, it was a very complicated situation): I was president of an orthodox jewish club on campus, and we were partnered with an outside, local organization which was giving us assistance and advice. To make a long story short, that organization tried to wrest control of the club away from the students so that they could pursue kiruv (bringing non-religious jews into orthodoxy), and were using deception and intimidation of the student board to achieve their ends. The student board tried, with the help of our faculty advisor, Hillel, and members of the local Jewish community, to resolve the situation so that the students could pursue our goal (building a social network and community for orthodox Jews on campus), and that organization could pursue kiruv. I formulated an agreement that I though would be mutually acceptable and protect the club from further harassment from that organization. Under ordinary circumstances that would have been the end of it (and I suppose I would be writing about being diplomatic and calm in the conciliation despite the underhanded tactics of the other party), but not only did the organization egregiously and repeatedly violate the agreement, we had their motivations all wrong. It turned out they wanted to do campus kiruv because it would be very profitable, as they could get kickbacks from speakers, obtain very billable students for counseling, and raised tens of thousands as a "campus kiruv" organization. Furthermore, I percieved them as a danger to the students in a number of ways for several reasons. I went to the provost to tell him about the situation and my concerns, and the CUNY legal department (I'm at one of the CUNY colleges) banned the organization from every campus in the system.

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Check out this forum post: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=768234

I think the point is to show how you can approach an adverse situation with a mature, open mind. Additionally, something that shows your ability to work through problems is likely a plus. Read through some of the responses there, I think you may get some clarity as the discussion is lengthy and some of the replies and spot on.
 
Check out this forum post: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=768234

I think the point is to show how you can approach an adverse situation with a mature, open mind. Additionally, something that shows your ability to work through problems is likely a plus. Read through some of the responses there, I think you may get some clarity as the discussion is lengthy and some of the replies and spot on.

My problem is that the second experience was a much more adverse situation, and handling it took a lot more than the first experience. But I worry I'm taking a risk by talking about such an ugly situation.
 
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I wrote a thinly veiled essay about being constipated and really having to take a dump.
I got into med school, you can too?

I think the relevant point here is that it is likely going to be dependent on the school, the situation and how you phrase it.
 
Can you show that you learned something from it?
 
You wrote about the challenge you faced but not what you learned from it. This is really similar to something I learned a great deal about while writing my PS. Ideally you would have a short background about what you faced, however >1/2 of it should be about what you learned
 
You wrote about the challenge you faced but not what you learned from it. This is really similar to something I learned a great deal about while writing my PS. Ideally you would have a short background about what you faced, however >1/2 of it should be about what you learned

Good point. I'll probably go with the first "safe" one then. It has more positive lessons learned (independence, confidence, etc.), and is more straightforward so I can lay it out more quickly. The second experience is just so complicated and layered I'd have to spend the vast majority of the essay just explaining what happened, and the lessons learned would come off as cynical.

Thanks!
 
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