Political activities on application? Help or Harm?

[hopefulgatordoc]

I know this question has been asked before, but they're all pretty old and considering our current political climate I wanted some updated opinions.

I'm passionate about politics. I spent quite a bit of time canvassing for the Hillary for America campaign. I regularly participate in activism. I'm very active in the college democrats on my campus. I have met with congressmen and legislative aids to lobby certain pieces of legislation. I've advocated for Planned Parenthood. All this amongst other partisan activities.

Should I put these activities on my application? Am I coming off too political? I'm afraid a school might hold these activities against me or think I'm too political or confrontational (but if politics has taught me anything its how to work with people who have differing opinions and how to stay calm when discussing hot button issues) but anyway some opinions, please?

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[Jalby]

I know this question has been asked before, but they're all pretty old and considering our current political climate I wanted some updated opinions.

I'm passionate about politics. I spent quite a bit of time canvassing for the Hillary for America campaign. I regularly participate in activism. I'm very active in the college democrats on my campus. I have met with congressmen and legislative aids to lobby certain pieces of legislation. I've advocated for Planned Parenthood. All this amongst other partisan activities.

Should I put these activities on my application? Am I coming off too political? I'm afraid a school might hold these activities against me or think I'm too political or confrontational (but if politics has taught me anything its how to work with people who have differing opinions and how to stay calm when discussing hot button issues) but anyway some opinions, please?

If you do decide to put anything on it, I would remove party labels. Say you campaigned for a candidate and have advocated for legislations. You can turn it into a positive by saying you want to be involved with the AMA and local county medical associations and advocate for doctors. But putting a party label on it is risky.

 

[ChymeofPassion]

Medical schools typically like to deal with winners, in their field and in life, so I would avoid mentioning Hillary.

 

[Kkshake]

I might have some read what you write about these activities just so you have an extra set of eyes making sure you're not saying anything that could be taken as controversial.

 

[Doggeronie]

Medical schools typically like to deal with winners, in their field and in life, so I would avoid mentioning Hillary.

Who?

 

[sat0ri]

Who?

Y'all don't know Hillary? The POTUS?

EDIT: I wouldn't at all. After Hillary's collusion with the DNC and all the wikileaks that came out about her, she is a polarizing figure even among democrats, and she was clearly hated by republicans.

 

[Frogger27]

Agreed, don't mention Hillary. You'll get denied for associating with a loser

 

[LePepe]

Y'all don't know Hillary? The POTUS?

EDIT: I wouldn't at all. After Hillary's collusion with the DNC and all the wikileaks that came out about her, she is a polarizing figure even among democrats, and she was clearly hated by republicans.

DNC leaders

 

[hopefulgatordoc]

It's truly disappointing that some of you on here MIGHT get the privilege to be a physician someday. As Donald Trump would say "Sad!".

 

[LePepe]

It's truly disappointing that some of you on here MIGHT get the privilege to be a physician someday. As Donald Trump would say "Sad!".

https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/files/2016/12/TrumpDebate_CNN.gif

 

[ChymeofPassion]

It's truly disappointing that some of you on here MIGHT get the privilege to be a physician someday. As Donald Trump would say "Sad!".

Its just a meme chill

 

[cactusman]

ITT: People turn a legitimate question about ECs into an SPF-quality thread in under 2 hours.

 

[Astra]

If you aren't a troll, use the search function OP. lots of helpful info has been posted on this topic.

If you are a troll, 4/10.

 

[deleted668917]

It's truly disappointing that some of you on here MIGHT get the privilege to be a physician someday. As Donald Trump would say "Sad!".

 

[sat0ri]

It's truly disappointing that some of you on here MIGHT get the privilege to be a physician someday. As Donald Trump would say "Sad!".

Why? Because you disagree with someone? That's tremendously immature of you despite convincing yourself you're taking the high road. So you know, I campaigned for Bernie and think Hillary arguably* stealing the primaries (*this is not the place for that discussion) is why Trump got elected, ie, people like you. At any rate, I think you see very quickly that mentioning this is explosive even among (ex)democrats. Approximately 50% of America dislikes her (i.e., republicans), and many democrats dislike her for her behavior in the primaries (accepting questions before the debates showing no integrity, the wikileaks and her private vs public face, DNC collusion with Shultz, on and on and on), so mentioning this you're already stacking the odds against yourself just by the numbers. I think I read most doctors are republican so it might be even worse than that.

If you're going to mention it I certainly would not include a name or even a party affiliation. It just seems like a bad situation waiting to happen.

 

[Frogger27]

 

[LePepe]

ITT: People turn a legitimate question about ECs into an SPF-quality thread in under 2 hours.

Sounds fun

I should start posting there

 

[cactusman]

Sounds fun

I should start posting there

You need at least 100 posts.

Make them decent posts, though. Pre-allo requires a fine balance to be so perfectly entertaining, helpful, and anxiogenic.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

If it's a big part of who you are, include it. I don't think things like Planned Parenthood are that controversial, and I doubt you'd catch much negativity (if any) about the Hillary stuff. Just don't make it sound like you're a zealot about anything.

 

[Goro]

These are so rare that I think it's a plus. But be 100% prepared to discuss politics at interviews.

The only school that might give you a heard time about this would be LUCOM.

I know this question has been asked before, but they're all pretty old and considering our current political climate I wanted some updated opinions.

I'm passionate about politics. I spent quite a bit of time canvassing for the Hillary for America campaign. I regularly participate in activism. I'm very active in the college democrats on my campus. I have met with congressmen and legislative aids to lobby certain pieces of legislation. I've advocated for Planned Parenthood. All this amongst other partisan activities.

Should I put these activities on my application? Am I coming off too political? I'm afraid a school might hold these activities against me or think I'm too political or confrontational (but if politics has taught me anything its how to work with people who have differing opinions and how to stay calm when discussing hot button issues) but anyway some opinions, please?

 

[LePepe]

If it's a big part of who you are, include it. I don't think things like Planned Parenthood are that controversial, and I doubt you'd catch much negativity (if any) about the Hillary stuff. Just don't make it sound like you're a zealot about anything.

If you're working for a specific campaign, you're a zealot

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

If you're working for a specific campaign, you're a zealot

zeal·ot
ˈzelət/
noun

1. a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.​

Working on a specific campaign doesn't necessarily make you fanatical. I campaigned heavily against Hillary, but I'm certainly not a Trump zealot.

Don't ask me about Hillary or my politics. You can PM me if you want, but that's not the purpose of the thread.

 

[Ismet]

This is a friendly reminder to please stop the off topic political discussion or this thread will be moved to SPF, which will be a shame as the OP asked a legitimate question about including an activity in their application. People can discuss the pros and cons of putting something on an application without getting into a political discussion. And stop with the memes. Thanks.

 

[hopefulgatordoc]

Why? Because you disagree with someone? That's tremendously immature of you despite convincing yourself you're taking the high road. So you know, I campaigned for Bernie and think Hillary arguably* stealing the primaries (*this is not the place for that discussion) is why Trump got elected, ie, people like you. At any rate, I think you see very quickly that mentioning this is explosive even among (ex)democrats. Approximately 50% of America dislikes her (i.e., republicans), and many democrats dislike her for her behavior in the primaries (accepting questions before the debates showing no integrity, the wikileaks and her private vs public face, DNC collusion with Shultz, on and on and on), so mentioning this you're already stacking the odds against yourself just by the numbers. I think I read most doctors are republican so it might be even worse than that.

If you're going to mention it I certainly would not include a name or even a party affiliation. It just seems like a bad situation waiting to happen.

No, not because you and I or anybody else disagree, but because of the way you present your disagreement. If you can't express your opinions without being an immature jerk then, yeah, sorry you don't deserve to be an MD. Not to mention that I wasn't asking for a political debate, nor is this supposed to be a site for bashing people who don't agree with you. I asked a legitimate question, expecting a legitimate answer. But apparently, people just can't contain themselves. Sorry that I expected a site for future doctors to be a bit more mature.

SO YOU KNOW, I supported Bernie in the primary, but came to the conclusion that it was not the time for a protest vote considering who the opponent was. So yes, I got completely behind Hillary because I could not live with the guilt of knowing that I helped an orange monster take office.

 

[LePepe]

I could not live with the guilt of knowing that I helped an orange monster take office.

If you can't express your opinions without being an immature jerk then, yeah, sorry you don't deserve to be an MD.

 

[DNC127]

Why would you put something on your application that could *potentially* off put somebody interviewing you?? Now this may not happen, but it could. If you can't live without telling the world how much you love advocating for corrupt politicians than thats your choice, but I think its silly to do anything that could potentially lower your chances of acceptance.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Why would you put something on your application that could *potentially* off put somebody interviewing you?? Now this may not happen, but it could. If you can't live without telling the world how much you love advocating for corrupt politicians than thats your choice, but I think its silly to do anything that could potentially lower your chances of acceptance.

Agreed. Personally, I'd leave off the Hillary stuff. I don't think it's controversial to include PP though.

 

[hopefulgatordoc]

So maybe I could say I canvased for a national presidential campaign? I promise you I don't care about putting Hillary's name on there. I care about the issues and the democratic platform just comes the closest to representing the ones I hold. But what about the college democrats? Maybe call it a political affiliated campus organization? I don't know if sounding vague is a bad thing?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

So maybe I could say I canvased for a national presidential campaign? I promise you I don't care about putting Hillary's name on there. I care about the issues and the democratic platform just comes the closest to representing the ones I hold. But what about the college democrats? Maybe call it a political affiliated campus organization? I don't know if sounding vague is a bad thing?

You don't want to sound wishy washy. Either leave them off or own them. Just don't sound like a psycho, and be prepared to talk about them and have your beliefs challenged to see how you react. If you seem reasonable and logical, it will not hurt you and may even help you. Adcoms may disagree, in which case you should probably listen to them. But this is how I think an interviewer would react.

 

[hopefulgatordoc]

You don't want to sound wishy washy. Either leave them off or own them. Just don't sound like a psycho, and be prepared to talk about them and have your beliefs challenged to see how you react. If you seem reasonable and logical, it will not hurt you and may even help you. Adcoms may disagree, in which case you should probably listen to them. But this is how I think an interviewer would react.

Okay I'll own them. I'm not ashamed of the activities even if some people think I should be. I'm not blind either. I completely acknowledge that Hillary and the democratic party have MAJOR flaws.

 

[DNC127]

Agreed. Personally, I'd leave off the Hillary stuff. I don't think it's controversial to include PP though.

I wouldn't even do that. Think about it. If there application screams politics, they are going to get asked about politics. And what happens when two people with different political views clash in this day and age?? Not a good idea for OP IMO. Especially if they are so passionate about their views that if anyone were to question them they would be named a (insert bigot, racist, sexist ect. here), like so many people do on a certain political side these days. Could OP hide those feelings (if they are in fact drinking the cool-aide to that extent) in both verbal and body language if their interviewer even seemed to challenge OP's views? I don't see how including this information could significantly help OP, so why take the chance?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

And what happens when two people with different political views clash in this day and age??

If they're mature adults, they have a rational discussion and agree to disagree.

 

[DNC127]

If they're mature adults, they have a rational discussion and agree to disagree.

When it comes to politics, religion, and sports, even the most mature of us get spun up lol. Such is life. You do you OP.

 

[cactusman]

I wouldn't even do that. Think about it. If there application screams politics, they are going to get asked about politics. And what happens when two people with different political views clash in this day and age?? Not a good idea for OP IMO. Especially if they are so passionate about their views that if anyone were to question them they would be named a (insert bigot, racist, sexist ect. here), like so many people do on a certain political side these days. Could OP hide those feelings (if they are in fact drinking the cool-aide to that extent) in both verbal and body language if their interviewer even seemed to challenge OP's views? I don't see how including this information could significantly help OP, so why take the chance?

The American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists has expressed support for PP, so I really hope an adcom or interviewer could understand that advocacy for PP does not mean someone is unfit for medicine.

 

[DNC127]

The American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists has expressed support for PP, so I really hope an adcom or interviewer could understand that advocacy for PP does not mean someone is unfit for medicine.

Who said it made them unfit? I am just saying if it makes the conversation in the interview get awkward or go south then it could harm OP's chances.

 

[Lucca]

I know plenty of people who have included political activities and employment in their application and been more than fine -- on the left or right of the political spectrum.

 

[sat0ri]

No, not because you and I or anybody else disagree, but because of the way you present your disagreement. If you can't express your opinions without being an immature jerk then, yeah, sorry you don't deserve to be an MD. Not to mention that I wasn't asking for a political debate, nor is this supposed to be a site for bashing people who don't agree with you. I asked a legitimate question, expecting a legitimate answer. But apparently, people just can't contain themselves. Sorry that I expected a site for future doctors to be a bit more mature.

SO YOU KNOW, I supported Bernie in the primary, but came to the conclusion that it was not the time for a protest vote considering who the opponent was. So yes, I got completely behind Hillary because I could not live with the guilt of knowing that I helped an orange monster take office.

Well, I have bad news for you then... (Please tell me you see your own hypocrisy, however justified in it you may feel)

Anyways, I would say putting anything political is a gamble but especially so for this most recent general election. Hillary and Trump were the most hated candidate ever since we began measuring public approval, so this might be different than previous cycles when politics weren't so polarized.

 

[235009]

Okay I'll own them. I'm not ashamed of the activities even if some people think I should be. I'm not blind either. I completely acknowledge that Hillary and the democratic party have MAJOR flaws.

Good for you. Don't listen to people who tell you to play it safe because of their misguided hearsay. If an adcom denies you admission for your political views then you didn't want to go there anyway. Remember that the folks reading your application aren't even doctors most of the time. They're PhDs. Regardless though I would guess the majority of ACADEMIC physicians are probably liberals. This is a group that has taken a significant pay cut in order to pursue furthering the field and/or teaching the next generation. The only caveat being that during the interview you can't seem uninformed about politics or a true believer. You have to be able to concede points to bernie folks and Republicans. There also needs to be nothing damning about you online. Go Google yourself. I'll wait.


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[hopefulgatordoc]

Well, I have bad news for you then... (Please tell me you see your own hypocrisy, however justified in it you may feel)

Anyways, I would say putting anything political is a gamble but especially so for this most recent general election. Hillary and Trump were the most hated candidate ever since we began measuring public approval, so this might be different than previous cycles when politics weren't so polarized.

I'm sorry that you took personal offense to me calling the president an orange monster. It was no affront to you. I did not say or even imply that supporting Trump makes you or anybody else an orange monster, as other people implied that I was a loser in life because I supported Hillary (which is what I was referring to when I made the jerk comment, not the other criticisms or jokes about Hillary). Also, don't act like Donald Trump doesn't deserve to be called an orange monster, its not like this accusation is totally baseless...

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I'm sorry that you took personal offense to me calling the president an orange monster. It was no affront to you. I did not say or even imply that supporting Trump makes you or anybody else an orange monster, as other people implied that I was a loser in life because I supported Hillary (which is what I was referring to when I made the jerk comment, not the other criticisms or jokes about Hillary). Also, don't act like Donald Trump doesn't deserve to be called an orange monster, its not like this accusation is totally baseless...

Clearly this is going over your head. If you can't talk about another candidate or individual without resorting to name calling, then you're not going to be seen as mature and rational. You're going to be seen as a child at best, and a zealot at worst.

 

[hopefulgatordoc]

Good for you. Don't listen to people who tell you to play it safe because of their misguided hearsay. If an adcom denies you admission for your political views then you didn't want to go there anyway. Remember that the folks reading your application aren't even doctors most of the time. They're PhDs. Regardless though I would guess the majority of ACADEMIC physicians are probably liberals. This is a group that has taken a significant pay cut in order to pursue furthering the field and/or teaching the next generation. The only caveat being that during the interview you can't seem uninformed about politics or a true believer. You have to be able to concede points to bernie folks and Republicans. There also needs to be nothing damning about you online. Go Google yourself. I'll wait.


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I guess there was someone with same name as me that was brutally murdered in February. Thats all that comes up when I google myself lol. I have a fairly common name, so I think I'm good there. But I definitely concede to Republicans quite often, my parents are republicans. I also concede to Bernie people a lot because I usually agree with them or can see it their way.

 

[hopefulgatordoc]

Clearly this is going over your head. If you can't talk about another candidate or individual without resorting to name calling, then you're not going to be seen as mature and rational. You're going to be seen as a child at best, and a zealot at worst.

Ahh yes, it was going over my head. I thought they were upset about the jerk part, but it's the immature part. Right, so yeah I completely agree with you.

 

[raiderette]

I put both my political work and choice work on my application. I was even asked briefly about it. It didn't seem to hurt. Canvassing and working on campaigns, especially for a candidate that won the popular vote will not hurt you at most places. It didn't hurt me in my home state, a state known for being backward and reactionary.

 

[AnotherLawyer]

Abortion is one of the most polarizing issues in American society. Whether or not it's a justified belief, when people think PP, they think abortion. For that reason, I would not put it on my app, especially if all you did was "advocate" for it (as opposed to getting clinical exposure, etc.). As just another activity, it's high risk, low reward.

But that's just me and I'm risk averse. We've all heard the story now about the kid who wrote "black lives matter" 100 times for his personal statement and got into Stanford, so sometimes risk pays off.

 

[Citizen #3]

I think that your political activities show commitment and social awareness. I'd definitely try to put a lot of emphasis on those values rather than the specific politics of your activities. I mean, it shouldn't be bad that you have political opinions, even if they are contradictory to the opinions prevalent in a region or demographic, but that doesn't mean that it won't matter. That being said, I think that your level of involvement is probably too important and too good of an activity to just leave off entirely.

 

[Lucca]

Abortion is one of the most polarizing issues in American society. Whether or not it's a justified belief, when people think PP, they think abortion. For that reason, I would not put it on my app, especially if all you did was "advocate" for it (as opposed to getting clinical exposure, etc.). As just another activity, it's high risk, low reward.

But that's just me and I'm risk averse. We've all heard the story now about the kid who wrote "black lives matter" 100 times for his personal statement and got into Stanford, so sometimes risk pays off.

The lay public is not reading his application. Educated medical professionals and scientist will be. Their view on Plannef Parenthood will be very different than the lay public's.

Also, that kid who got into Stanford is some prodigy from a private school that costs 40k a year to attend in the NE. He could've sent in a monogrammed potato as his application and gotten into stanford, it does not necessarily have anything to do with the esssy

 

[DNC127]

I'm sorry that you took personal offense to me calling the president an orange monster. It was no affront to you. I did not say or even imply that supporting Trump makes you or anybody else an orange monster, as other people implied that I was a loser in life because I supported Hillary (which is what I was referring to when I made the jerk comment, not the other criticisms or jokes about Hillary). Also, don't act like Donald Trump doesn't deserve to be called an orange monster, its not like this accusation is totally baseless...

ya don't put politics on you app. you obviously couldn't handle a conversation with somebody who thought trump was a better choice than Hillary. In order to handle a mature political conversation in this day and age you must be willing to concede points (regardless of whether or not you actually believe what you are conceding to) just to keep it casual. Because you are in the "trump is a big orange monster" camp, I would say your political involvement could only hurt you (unless you are interviewing at Yale or Columbia and places that have safe spaces every 10 feet). I strongly disliked Hillary, but if I was interviewing someone and the only reason they could give me for why they disliked her was equivalent to your "big orange monster" comment the interview would start going south at that point even though we had the "same" opinion about the person.

 

[235009]

I guess there was someone with same name as me that was brutally murdered in February. Thats all that comes up when I google myself lol. I have a fairly common name, so I think I'm good there. But I definitely concede to Republicans quite often, my parents are republicans. I also concede to Bernie people a lot because I usually agree with them or can see it their way.

That's not how you Google yourself. You need to also use information that the adcom member will have about you. You should be googling YourName Democrat, YourName Hillary Clinton, YourName DNC, YourName planned parenthood etc

Abortion is one of the most polarizing issues in American society. Whether or not it's a justified belief, when people think PP, they think abortion. For that reason, I would not put it on my app, especially if all you did was "advocate" for it (as opposed to getting clinical exposure, etc.). As just another activity, it's high risk, low reward.

This is not what highly educated academic physicians or PhDs think. They are actually in touch with reality and facts. Doesn't mean you may not run into the random abortion zealot but thet would be very rare.


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[hopefulgatordoc]

ya don't put politics on you app. you obviously couldn't handle a conversation with somebody who thought trump was a better choice than Hillary. In order to handle a mature political conversation in this day and age you must be willing to concede points (regardless of whether or not you actually believe what you are conceding to) just to keep it casual. Because you are in the "trump is a big orange monster" camp, I would say your political involvement could only hurt you (unless you are interviewing at Yale or Columbia and places that have safe spaces every 10 feet). I strongly disliked Hillary, but if I was interviewing someone and the only reason they could give me for why they disliked her was equivalent to your "big orange monster" comment the interview would start going south at that point even though we had the "same" opinion about the person.

Yeah, I'm definitely going to call him an orange monster in an interview. I'm also going to wear sweat pants and start eating lunch in the middle of the interview too. Do you think they'll mind? If you think the only reason I dislike Trump is because he's an orange monster, you're dreaming. I'm not here to debate.

 

[hopefulgatordoc]

That's not how you Google yourself. You need to also use information that the adcom member will have about you. You should be googling YourName Democrat, YourName Hillary Clinton, YourName DNC, YourName planned parenthood etc

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Nope, still just that murder, even when I search those words with my name and where I'm from with my name. Must have been a really big deal.