Admission essay

[Guest avisee]

I'm fishing for some advice on the admissions essay,

"what is the biggest challenge you've faced".

 

How do you find the balance between describing how horrible the circumstances were that you faced and how strong you became by overcoming them? If you focus too much on the negatives, you'll sound like a whiner or a person with problems that might continue into medical school. If you focus too much on the positives or the learning experience, you might minimize how trecherous the challenge actually was.

 

How do you find that balance? How much should you reveal about personal downfalls (depression, unhappy circumstances, etc); how much should you focus on what you did to overcome?

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

How do you find that balance? How much should you reveal about personal downfalls (depression, unhappy circumstances, etc); how much should you focus on what you did to overcome?

You find that balance by editing the essay 120-odd times.

 

As to your second question, I don't know that I'd harp on for too long about the unfortunate circumstances of your challenge. What I think you do need to address is what you have learned, and why.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen