Honesty In Life Sketch & During Interview

[NJM]

Hi all,

 

I have frequented the forum for many years and have been considering writing the MCAT in prep for future applications. I have always hesitated in applying due to my life history. Should you go in, exposed, with full disclosure or should you keep aspects of your life private? I am not ashamed of my past, for it has made me who I am today, but am hesitant of the judgement associated with experiences. I will give an outline of my life experience below and any opinion on whether you would withhold certain aspects or disclose would be appreciated. 

 

I grew up rural, my mother was an X-ray tech at the local hospital. As a child I would spend time at the hospital after school and when she was on-call I would attend with her for her call-ins. I would pull the patients file, retrieve the film and examine the damage. Play the game of "see if I can diagnose before the doctor". I saw traumas and was exposed to the great feel of adrenaline for a first responder. I wanted to be a doctor. I knew it. In high school I had an amazing transcript and was just short of valedictorian by .3%. In my high school yearbook I declared I was attending local university and becoming a doctor. A month after graduation I was in a car accident and suffered a brain injury, this changed my life course. 

First year university I took engineering chemistry, I had a passion for chemistry in high school and remember this, yet I could not remember what a periodic table was. Assessments were conducted and my brain injury became fully diagnosed. I had memory loss and slowed information retrieval. Along with this I lacked impulse control and experienced anxiety. I joined students with disabilities and was a member until graduation. It was recommended I have a tutor, a note taker, extended time to complete all testing and have a reduced course load. I resisted all except the extended time, who could resist that when they feel unchanged. I knew I was different. I had to work harder compared to my peers and I struggled, but I wanted to graduate with my friends. I did in  2008. I will not go into my ECs or  GPA. They are not my concern. I did a Joint Honours Degree in Biology and Psychology. Not the most competitive GPA but much research background. 

 

My greatest concern with expressing my disability is that they will feel I may not be competent. My experience in university demonstrated to me that areas I am passionate with I retrain and retrieve differently. Could be memorization, could be neuroplasicity. I knew neuroscience like I knew to ride a bike, and still do today. I love learning and have completed random courses since graduation without any accommodation. I plan to take the MCAT without accommodation. Outside of judgement on my disability, the injuries I have sustained have affected my life.

 

Now I get into the down right dirty closet of how a temporal lobe injury can affect life, along with poor choices. I dont want you to view me as displacing all accountability on my disability, I made poor choices in associates and lovers and those were my actions. 

 

6 months after graduation I was violently sexually assaulted, 6 hour flight from home. I was diagnosed with PTSD.

 

I was lost after I returned home. I did not have the confidence in myself for medicine. I was just beginning to understand and accept my disability but not my new self. I would not even consider the events while away from home. I applied and was accepted as a correctional officer for the federal government. I traveled across canada, alone and not knowing anyone to start this new adventure. This would be fine if I had established proper coping skills. I had great anxiety being alone, I slept with a bat and had to drink to even fall asleep. I sought out negative peers, got swept into the party scene and was lost in the world of drugs. I balanced work and play, I was more a functioning addict. Never used at work but some times never sleeping before going to work. Cocaine was the drug of choice. The "party" drugs. Cocaine, MDMA. It was a tiring year and a half, the ups and downs of suffering before I sought help. I joined local 12 step groups. On average I would attend 7 meetings in 5 days. Near the end of my time away, I spoke at conferences to other addicts. Sharing my story to a crowd was invigorating. I chaired meetings and reached out to those in need of support. It is far from a characteristic attributed to someone who is suppose to install confidence. I know my experience with drugs, drug addicts and the path to sobriety would be useful in aspects of medicine. Yet, still there raises the concern of judgement. Almost 4 years sober. 

 

My choice of partners may also be relevant. I of course could not have a normal family circumstance, I always have to break the barriers down haha. I am a single mother of 2 lovely children who are all my own. When I became a single mom with my daughter I always wanted to break the stereotype. I can still do everything I wished despite being a single mom! We traveled, all across Canada, the US and even Australia during my maternity leave. Her father was an ex-boyfriend who I returned to for one night. He did not wish any involvement and I was okay with the prospect of raising her on my own. I had a federal job for 3 years at this point, was financially secure and had returned to my home town. When my daughter was 9 months old I met a man who had great prospect. We were together for a year and a half when I became pregnant. It was one month before he left for his pilot course with the CF. After 2 months apart I received the "I can't do it all. Do this course and become a dad" message. I have not spoke to him since November and have my 3 month old son asleep by my side here as I type this. Their fathers do not support them emotionally or finically.  Both of my child births were difficult, ending in emergency C-sections with complications for myself and them. I have learned a vast majority about delivery that one should never know and the procedures within the NICU. It is not their birth that I question but rather there conception which leads to wonder if I should bypass that area and just not identify that they have different fathers. 

 

There, now Premed101 knows my very private information. I could babble on how I could connect this all into a very strong character statement. I know my strengths in diversity and struggle. I just fear the other perspective of judgement. Judgement of mental health, of disability, of being a recovering addict, of being a single mother.

 

What do you believe? Should you show your passion and past with pride and acceptance or by-pass information in your past that strengthened you but you feel is no longer relevant to your present self?

[GH0ST]

Hi all,

 

I have frequented the forum for many years and have been considering writing the MCAT in prep for future applications. I have always hesitated in applying due to my life history. Should you go in, exposed, with full disclosure or should you keep aspects of your life private? I am not ashamed of my past, for it has made me who I am today, but am hesitant of the judgement associated with experiences. I will give an outline of my life experience below and any opinion on whether you would withhold certain aspects or disclose would be appreciated. 

 

I grew up rural, my mother was an X-ray tech at the local hospital. As a child I would spend time at the hospital after school and when she was on-call I would attend with her for her call-ins. I would pull the patients file, retrieve the film and examine the damage. Play the game of "see if I can diagnose before the doctor". I saw traumas and was exposed to the great feel of adrenaline for a first responder. I wanted to be a doctor. I knew it. In high school I had an amazing transcript and was just short of valedictorian by .3%. In my high school yearbook I declared I was attending local university and becoming a doctor. A month after graduation I was in a car accident and suffered a brain injury, this changed my life course. 

First year university I took engineering chemistry, I had a passion for chemistry in high school and remember this, yet I could not remember what a periodic table was. Assessments were conducted and my brain injury became fully diagnosed. I had memory loss and slowed information retrieval. Along with this I lacked impulse control and experienced anxiety. I joined students with disabilities and was a member until graduation. It was recommended I have a tutor, a note taker, extended time to complete all testing and have a reduced course load. I resisted all except the extended time, who could resist that when they feel unchanged. I knew I was different. I had to work harder compared to my peers and I struggled, but I wanted to graduate with my friends. I did in  2008. I will not go into my ECs or  GPA. They are not my concern. I did a Joint Honours Degree in Biology and Psychology. Not the most competitive GPA but much research background. 

 

My greatest concern with expressing my disability is that they will feel I may not be competent. My experience in university demonstrated to me that areas I am passionate with I retrain and retrieve differently. Could be memorization, could be neuroplasicity. I knew neuroscience like I knew to ride a bike, and still do today. I love learning and have completed random courses since graduation without any accommodation. I plan to take the MCAT without accommodation. Outside of judgement on my disability, the injuries I have sustained have affected my life.

 

Now I get into the down right dirty closet of how a temporal lobe injury can affect life, along with poor choices. I dont want you to view me as displacing all accountability on my disability, I made poor choices in associates and lovers and those were my actions. 

 

6 months after graduation I was violently sexually assaulted, 6 hour flight from home. I was diagnosed with PTSD.

 

I was lost after I returned home. I did not have the confidence in myself for medicine. I was just beginning to understand and accept my disability but not my new self. I would not even consider the events while away from home. I applied and was accepted as a correctional officer for the federal government. I traveled across canada, alone and not knowing anyone to start this new adventure. This would be fine if I had established proper coping skills. I had great anxiety being alone, I slept with a bat and had to drink to even fall asleep. I sought out negative peers, got swept into the party scene and was lost in the world of drugs. I balanced work and play, I was more a functioning addict. Never used at work but some times never sleeping before going to work. Cocaine was the drug of choice. The "party" drugs. Cocaine, MDMA. It was a tiring year and a half, the ups and downs of suffering before I sought help. I joined local 12 step groups. On average I would attend 7 meetings in 5 days. Near the end of my time away, I spoke at conferences to other addicts. Sharing my story to a crowd was invigorating. I chaired meetings and reached out to those in need of support. It is far from a characteristic attributed to someone who is suppose to install confidence. I know my experience with drugs, drug addicts and the path to sobriety would be useful in aspects of medicine. Yet, still there raises the concern of judgement. Almost 4 years sober. 

 

My choice of partners may also be relevant. I of course could not have a normal family circumstance, I always have to break the barriers down haha. I am a single mother of 2 lovely children who are all my own. When I became a single mom with my daughter I always wanted to break the stereotype. I can still do everything I wished despite being a single mom! We traveled, all across Canada, the US and even Australia during my maternity leave. Her father was an ex-boyfriend who I returned to for one night. He did not wish any involvement and I was okay with the prospect of raising her on my own. I had a federal job for 3 years at this point, was financially secure and had returned to my home town. When my daughter was 9 months old I met a man who had great prospect. We were together for a year and a half when I became pregnant. It was one month before he left for his pilot course with the CF. After 2 months apart I received the "I can't do it all. Do this course and become a dad" message. I have not spoke to him since November and have my 3 month old son asleep by my side here as I type this. Their fathers do not support them emotionally or finically.  Both of my child births were difficult, ending in emergency C-sections with complications for myself and them. I have learned a vast majority about delivery that one should never know and the procedures within the NICU. It is not their birth that I question but rather there conception which leads to wonder if I should bypass that area and just not identify that they have different fathers. 

 

There, now Premed101 knows my very private information. I could babble on how I could connect this all into a very strong character statement. I know my strengths in diversity and struggle. I just fear the other perspective of judgement. Judgement of mental health, of disability, of being a recovering addict, of being a single mother.

 

What do you believe? Should you show your passion and past with pride and acceptance or by-pass information in your past that strengthened you but you feel is no longer relevant to your present self?

 

Oh my gosh.... before I go on to address this post I just wanted to say thank you for your honesty and trust in our community to divulge such sensitive information. Though I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been to type all of this, and potentially re-live these memories, I also cannot begin to describe the courage you have in sharing this information, raising your children, and turning your life around. While I don't know how much I can help in this process, I will do everything I can and wish you the best.

 

On the topic of your injury... it's quite clear that you acknowledge the potential stigma associated with mental well-being. That said, your persistence in the face of adversity can be an important source of strength to draw upon in your personal statements. If you were to disclose the injury in your personal statements anywhere... it is critical instead to focus your writing on your success and how you pushed for success, instead of emphasizing its disabilities. I think depending on the way you spin it, the experience can be seen relatively more favorably.

 

On the topic of drug addiction and rehab... you also know the stigma against addicts. You would think that health care professionals would be more understanding of certain issues but unfortunately these stereotypes still exist. Instead I would heavily emphasize your stability and how you became stronger for not only yourself, but for your kids and all the other people that depend on you in various support groups. It is beautiful what you've done to reach out to this demographic. Your understanding and empathy of their pain and suffering can only help add to your ability to connect with future patients. I would not emphasize its liability however... you have to focus more on being positive and turning it around.

 

I doubt you have to disclose that your children comes from different parents, but acknowledging that you are working hard not only to achieve your dream, but set a good example for your children would be admirable. I doubt the adcom will inquire about the paternity of your children, especially not in an MMI situation.

 

If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to send me a PM. Once again, I cannot emphasize enough how brave you are for coming out to us, and your courage+determination to turn things around. You've definitely inspired me and I hope that you'll continue to demonstrate the amazing individual that you are not only to yourself, but your kids, and those future patients that will depend on you. Best wishes and take care.

 

- G

[NJM]

Thank you both for your replies. I greatly appreciate the perspectives and they help with narrowing down areas for a life sketch. It is not necessarily all about what you believe will make you a good doctor, I do connect with people from various backgrounds, but what you believe the administrators would view as successful characteristics in an applicant. It may seem like an easy feat but it is stressful! 

[Birdy]

I agree with everything Malkynn said.

 

I'm another mom of two, just about to start med school myself. I chose not to discuss aspects of my past which might have resulted in stigmatization - eg. Mental health difficulties for which I still receive (and always will receive) treatment. The issues are managed and I am minimally symptomatic with fantastic coping skills to manage the symptoms I do experience, but I didn't want to chance it. I did disclose issues of physical health which contributed to my pursuing medicine, but I was still cautious how I phrased things.

 

I've had a difficult personal life, many details of which I don't share, but suffice to say I understand much of what you have gone through and while I think the resilience you have shown is amazing, it is often best to be cautious about what you disclose and how you choose to tell people about it.

 

I certainly would suggest mentioning your kids, though! I included mine on my applications since parenthood is an uncommon feature of applicants' lives (though there are a few out there!)

 

I wish you the absolute best of luck in this, and if you have any questions I might be able to help with, don't hesitate to message me.

 

Also, check out the Mothers in Medicine blog. There are stories from moms of all walks of life there!