Will this hurt my chances?

[golgibodies]

I have a super mild case of cystic fibrosis, and while it rarely affects me, I was wondering if mentioning it in applications would hurt my chances. Many patients with cystic fibrosis are constantly sick and may not be healthy enough to be around patients, but this is not the case with me, as I leave a very healthy life. Even though schools have non-discrimation policies, I'm still not sure how they would feel about this or if they would even believe how mild my case is. Having cystic fibrosis is one of the reasons why I'm motivated to become a doctor, and I can't imagine not writing about it on apps. What do you all think?

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[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Mild case of cystic fibrosis? Well being honest medical schools can't legally check out your medical history. However it all depends if you can manage to survive residency with it. If as you say you live a healthy and lively life then I think you'll be fine. The consensus is usually to not include medical history on your application however I don't think it will kill your application as long as during interview day you aren't morbidly sick and incline the ADCOM to believe its due to CF.

 

[golgibodies]

Ok thanks, but I guess what I was really meaning to ask is will it hurt my chances of getting into med school if I mention that I have cf on my apps?

 

[Cramster]

Ok thanks, but I guess what I was really meaning to ask is will it hurt my chances of getting into med school if I mention that I have cf on my apps?

Since it's not going to help you why would you mention it? Let me guess, for an overcoming obstacles type of personal statement.

 

[Fridayshero]

You should check out the essays101 article on the main page. It has some really good advice and examples of how people with terminal illness include their experiences in their essays for 'why they want to be a doctor' and 'overcoming obstacles' I think from what it sounds like you have a very compelling story to tell. Good luck!!!

 

[golgibodies]

cramster..yes, it would be for a personal statement.

fridayshero..thanks for the advice! btw, fortunately my case of cf is not terminal