As you work on your medical school application secondaries, the infamous adversity essay may be looming over you. I remember feeling the pressure to share my story in a positive light, all the while wondering if I had faced enough adversity to actually make an impression on the admissions committees.
If you’re feeling lost on how to approach this essay prompt (like you’re feeling adversity to writing about your adversity—LOL), I’ll walk you through it! I’m sharing all the insights I gained from successfully writing my adversity essay. Plus, you can take a look at what I wrote so you gain some inspo!
By the end of this guide, you’ll be equipped with the tools and strategies to craft a compelling adversity essay that demonstrates your ability to turn setbacks into triumphs. Get ready to ace the adversity essay on your medical school application!
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All About Adversity Essay Medical School
What’s the Adversity Essay?
Once you’ve finished your personal statement and handed in your primary application, you still have secondary essays to look forward to writing. It’s highly likely that one of them will include a prompt for the adversity essay. Usually, medical schools will ask you to talk about a tough situation you went through and how you managed to push through it.
What’s the purpose of the adversity essay?
Basically, this essay is your opportunity to show medical schools your skills at managing obstacles in your path and, well, your ability to overcome adversity. It’s a way for you to paint a more holistic picture of who you are as a person and as a future medical professional.
Medical schools understand that the road to becoming a physician is a challenging one. They want to see if you’ve got what it takes to handle the inevitable hurdles that come with a career in medicine. When they pose questions about adversity, they’re not trying to trip you up. They’re trying to gauge how you face challenges – do you crumble at the first sign of difficulty, or do you have the grit and resilience to push through?
What Medical Schools Want (and Don’t Want) You to Share on Your Adversity Essay
Medical schools aren’t just looking for straight-A students. They want resilient people who can handle the pressures of the medical field. The adversity essay, often called the “challenge essay,” is your opportunity to showcase your ability to conquer hurdles and come out stronger on the other side.
So what exactly resonates with admissions committees?
Your essay should be reflective and show what you’ve learned from your struggles. It’s about demonstrating your emotional maturity, problem-solving skills, and ability to persevere in the face of push-back. Think of it as an opportunity to demonstrate your strength in being able to navigate challenges.
Here are some specific qualities and attributes that medical schools are looking for in applicants through the adversity essay.
- Resilience—Medical schools want to know that you can bounce back from difficult situations. They want to see how you’ve overcome obstacles and setbacks. How have you used those experiences to become a stronger, more determined individual?
- Perseverance – Adversity essays are a way for you to demonstrate your commitment to your goals. Medical schools want to see that you have the drive and determination to keep pushing forward, even in the face of challenges.
- Self-awareness—Medical schools want to see that you have reflected on your experiences, learned from them, and clearly understood how they have shaped you as a person.
- Empathy and Compassion – This essay is your chance to show that you have a deep understanding of the struggles others face and how you can use your own experiences to connect with and support your future patients.
- Growth Mindset—Are you open to learning from your experiences and constantly striving to improve yourself? Show them that you embrace challenges as opportunities for growth.
What to Avoid in Your Adversity Essay
Your essay shouldn’t come with a trigger warning! Avoid these mistakes that will turn off admission committees and may limit your chances of getting into the medical school of your dreams.
The adversity essay is NOT:
- About impressing the admissions committee with a perfect life story
- A long list of every single bad thing that’s ever happened to you
- A place to play the blame game or vent about your misfortunes
- A space to wallow in self-pity
- The time to air your grievances
- Where you share situations that you’re still grappling to make sense of
- A dumping ground to unload emotional baggage
What if I don’t feel like I’ve faced adversity in my life worth writing about?
So, you’re sitting down to write your adversity essay, and you’re thinking, “Wait… have I even faced any significant adversity in my life?”
It’s a common concern, but, actually, adversity can come in all shapes and sizes. Just because your challenges may not seem as dramatic as others, it doesn’t mean they are any less valid or impactful.
Here are a few tips to help you identify and reflect on personal challenges that can be used in your essay:
- Broaden Your Definition of Adversity – Adversity doesn’t always have to be a major life trauma or hardship. It can be any situation or experience that has tested your resilience, character, or beliefs. Think about times when you felt overwhelmed, out of your comfort zone, or faced with difficult decisions.
- Consider Personal Growth – Reflect on moments of personal growth or self-discovery. Maybe you overcame a fear, learned a valuable lesson from a mistake, or navigated a challenging interpersonal relationship. These experiences can also be examples of adversity.
- Think Beyond the Obvious – Adversity can manifest in various aspects of your life, such as academic setbacks, family dynamics, health challenges, or cultural experiences. Don’t overlook the everyday struggles and obstacles you’ve faced, as they can provide valuable insights into your resilience and adaptability.
Seek Feedback from Others – Sometimes, it’s hard to recognize our own strengths and challenges. Consider talking to friends, family, or mentors who know you well. They may offer a different perspective on the adversities you’ve encountered and how you’ve handled them.
Tips on How to Best Approach the Adversity Essay
At this point, you may have a few topics in mind and are getting ready to start writing about a significant challenge you faced and how it shaped you positively. So, how do you get started? How do you go about telling your story? Follow these steps to write a strong essay about overcoming adversity for medical school.
Nail Down the Details of the Prompt
Before you start brainstorming and writing, make sure you understand the prompt. Take note of exactly what it’s asking so you can tailor your response accurately and effectively. Some prompts may specify the type of example they want, either a personal or professional challenge.
Also, double-check the word count and any instructions about the structure of your answer. You want it to fit within the specified constraints so you don’t raise red flags with the admissions committee.
Reflect on Past Experiences and Decide on the Situation You’ll Write About
Before you start writing, take some time to reflect on the adversity you’ve faced. What challenging situations have you encountered in the past? Consider what happened, the steps you took to overcome the obstacle, and the lessons you learned from the experience. Think about how it has shaped you as a person and what you have learned from the experience. This reflection helps you prepare a focused and concise response.
Outline and Structure Your Essay
Before you start writing, take some time to outline your essay. Having a clear outline will help you stay focused and keep your essay flowing smoothly.
First, list the key points you want to include, such as the challenges you faced. Take note how you navigated through them, and the lessons you learned. Then, organize these details into a narrative structure to tell your story. Starting with an engaging introduction that sets the scene, a body containing the challenges you faced. Then finishing with how you overcame them and the lessons you learned.
Write a Succinct Introduction That Identifies Your Situation
Present a brief overview of your adversity experience. You can start by setting the scene and providing some context for the challenges you will be discussing. Try to grab the reader’s attention and set the tone for the rest of your essay. But avoid getting caught up in unnecessary details, as the main focus should be on drawing the reader in.
Describe the Challenges
Once you have set the stage, dive into the challenges you faced. Be honest and reflective in discussing the obstacles you encountered. Whether it was a personal struggle, a difficult academic situation, or a setback in your journey to medical school, be open about the difficulties you faced.
Describe how the adversity made you feel and how it impacted you personally. Be honest and vulnerable. Don’t be afraid to open up about difficult experiences you’ve faced. Share your emotions, thoughts, and reflections genuinely. This emotional aspect provides valuable insights into your coping mechanisms and thought processes during difficult times.
Discuss How You Overcame Them
After sharing the facts and emotions created by your challenges, now shift the focus to how you overcame them. Describe in detail how you demonstrated resilience and the specific actions you took to rise up against the adversity you faced. Highlight the strategies you used, whether it was seeking support, developing new skills, or changing your mindset. Use this section to showcase your problem-solving skills and determination.
Share the Outcome and Reflect on Your Personal Growth
What happened as a result of the actions you took? And, in what ways has the experience changed you? Write about whether you have emerged stronger, more compassionate, or gained a deeper understanding of complex issues.
Admissions committees want to see how you have grown from this adversity. So also tie in how the experience has shaped your perspective, values, and goals. Give examples of how you were resilient and had the strength to overcome this particular challenge.
Use the Conclusion to Connect This Experience to Your Goals in Medicine
Finally, wrap up your essay by reflecting on the lessons you learned from overcoming these challenges. Discuss how these experiences have shaped you as a person and as a future medical professional. Tie your experience of adversity back to your motivation for pursuing a career in medicine. How has this experience influenced your desire to help others or your approach to patient care?
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7 Example Prompts for the Adversity Essay
Secondary essay prompts on adversity often ask about difficult situations you’ve faced, obstacles you’ve had to overcome, or hurdles you’ve pushed past in order to succeed. Here are seven examples of the type of adversity prompts that you might come across when applying to medical school.
- Can you share a major problem or adversity you have faced in life and explain how you navigated through it, as well as how it impacted your personal growth?
- Reflect on a challenge you have successfully overcome and detail the insights about yourself that you gained during that experience.
- In your journey towards medical school, what obstacles have you encountered, and how did you confront a personal challenge or significant barrier? What did you learn about yourself in the process, and how will this learning aid you in facing challenges as a future medical student?
- Have you handled a personal or professional challenge that showcases your self-awareness, resilience, and adaptability? If so, can you describe the challenge and the lessons you learned from it?
- Share a setback you’ve experienced and elaborate on how you responded to this setback.
- Describe a situation where you faced challenges while collaborating with a colleague, family member, or friend. How did you manage to resolve the situation as a team, and what did you gain from the experience that you believe will benefit you as a healthcare provider in the future?
- Aside from achieving work-life balance, what do you anticipate will be your biggest challenge in the pursuit of becoming a physician?
To give you a better picture of what exactly medical schools want to know about your experiences with adversity, I’m sharing the exact secondary essay that helped me secure ten acceptances to medical school.
My Own Adversity Essay Example for Medical School
Before moving to Seattle, I had various nanny jobs where all of the families had kids who were accustomed to nannies. When I moved to Seattle and became a nanny for three boys (3, 5, and7) the situation was very different. The boys were used to being picked up from school by their parents, not someone they viewed as a stranger. Ben and Jamie, the oldest and youngest respectively, adapted to the new situation relatively well. Marcus, the five year old, was more sensitive to the change though. Additionally, I started at the beginning of the school year and he had just switched from preschool to a new school for kindergarten.
My first week was filled with more tantrums and tears than I had experienced in all of my other nanny jobs put together. Marcus had a completely new schedule, one that did not include naps like he was used to in preschool. He was so tired after school he would almost immediately fall asleep in my car during the drive home. When we got to their house, Marcus would wake up and start crying and yelling because he did not want to go inside. He would yell at me to leave him alone in the car and that he wished his mom were there because he hated having a nanny. I was not accustomed to a kid who did not like having a nanny, but I did not take it personally. I could completely relate to Marcus because my “nanny” growing up was my Aunt Holly. If my mom hired a nanny, I am sure I would have acted just like Marcus. Also, I realized that if I were as tired as he was at the end of the day, I would not be in my best mood either. For these reasons, I was resilient and chose not to dwell on the day prior. Every day I picked up Ben and Marcus from school with a smile on my face and was happy to see them.
The next few weeks, I adapted to Marcus’ needs to help him cope with the new changes he was facing. The first strategy that helped was keeping him awake during the car ride home. Marcus was more likely to have tantrums after falling asleep, so Ben and I made a point to keep him engaged in conversation until we got home. This worked well, but the second event that caused daily tantrums was when we had to pick up Jamie from preschool. My next strategy was to tell Marcus well in advance about our daily plan. As soon as we walked in the door I would remind him, “Marcus, don’t forget we will leave in an hour to pick up Jamie!” Then fifteen minutes before we had to leave, I encouraged him to find a toy or something to entertain him for the drive.There was no way to completely avoid bad days, but each week we made progress and had more good days. After an especially good day, Marcus ran up to me before I left, hugged me and said, “I had so much fun with you today!”
This was a challenging experience that further strengthened my ability to handle stressful situations and setbacks. Between working as a nanny and my many experiences as an equestrian, I have developed into a person comfortable with adaptability and resilience. I am confident that when I am faced with challenges during medical school, I will have the tools necessary to stay motivated, keep things in perspective,and continue working towards my goals.
Final Takeaways About the Adversity Essay on the Medical Application
What’s important in your adversity essay is not how huge the challenge was that you faced but rather how you’ve approached it,. Also what you’ve learned from it, and how it’s shaped your journey toward becoming a future physician.
The admissions committee wants to know more about you as an individual, focusing on qualities like self-awareness, resilience, and adaptability. So, impress the medical schools you’re applying to with your ability to reflect on your experiences. Describe your personal growth, and articulate how adversity has influenced your motivations and aspirations.
Remember, the adversity essay isn’t about showcasing a single traumatic event. But rather about demonstrating your ability to overcome challenges and grow from them. So, take some time to introspect, identify those moments of resilience and growth. Share your authentic story in your essay.
Everyone faces challenges in life. But what sets you apart is how you’ve navigated those challenges and grown from them. So, embrace the opportunity to share your unique story in the adversity essay and let your authentic self shine through. Good luck!
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