About You section on UWO App

[melyee 0]

Any idea what they are looking for with regards to question a) in the About You section of the application?

a. Please tell us about a unique (non-academic/non-research) personal life experience(s) and/or challenges that are relevant to your application to medical school. Please also outline how you overcame those challenges, if applicable. If none, please state "none".

I can think of personal challenges that I could address (mental illness, death of a friend, etc.) but I'm not exactly sure what they're looking for and I think I would struggle to relate those experiences to my application... 

Would it look bad if we just put "none"? Does anyone have any input on this section?

[Bambi 1,764]

The Question appears to be an opportunity for you to sell yourself to the reader, make yourself more competitive and by saying "none", in my opinion, you are creating self-harm on a comparative basis with other applicants.

They want to know something about you, about a particular challenge you were able to overcome, hows you did it, how it affected your development, and either led or assisted in determining your career path OR  demonstrates CanMED competencies. I would stay away from mental illness as it can be a double edged sword. However, death of a friend might be worthwhile considering; it may have made you more tolerant, understanding, empathetic, a better listener.

[Rabeprazole 159]

If you have experiences that you believe will highlight your application then go for it. I should note that I know of people who commented "none" in this section and have gotten in to Schulich. It doesn't mean you won't get invited to an interview, so don't feel pressured to come up with something.