Personal Statement Essay

Nontraditional Premed Discussion
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Hello Everyone,


I was wondering if anyone wouldn’t mind offering some advice on what to write about on the personal statement. There is no specific guideline on what to include and I am having a hard time deciding on what part of my life to write about. I don’t want to sound too cliche or make my essay appear to be like any old boring essay. Any advice would help!


Thank you

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I once heard the author Kurt Vonnegut once say when he wrote a book, he only directed it to an audience of one, a very specific person. Applying that to PS, I suggest to students that they start by writing with only one person in mind; themselves. Write to yourself why you want to be a doctor. Dont get blocked by the idea of what the admissions committee may want, what will sound good or cliche to someone else, or even that it will be read by another person. Get that spirit, that essence, that passion why you and only want to become a doctor. Dont worry how long, or grammar, or pattern, just get it out.


Then, when these ideas, thoughts, jumbles are on paper, you can see what pieces, what passions, what things can be distilled, rewritten and edited into a coherent, concise and compelling statement showing your motivation, commitment and achievement.


I am by no means an expert in this. But the one thing I can almost see or should say feel immediately in any PS I’m asked to review is “does it feel real?” Judy Colwell refers to it as making your eyes dance. That passion is I think the most important thing to communicate.



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Great advice by gonnif,


Write for yourself. The moment you try to write for the admissions committees, is the moment your PERSONAL statement is no longer personal.

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  • Doc Gray Said:
Great advice by gonnif,

Write for yourself. The moment you try to write for the admissions committees, is the moment your PERSONAL statement is no longer personal.



Now that is a phrase I will use over and over again ... considered yourself quoted
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I agree with gonnif it should feel real. It is the reason why you need to be a dcotor. One thing about length don’t worry about the character limit when you start. Obviously you don’t want a ten page paper, but going over by even 1000 characters is easy for a good editor to kill. My wife took 1500 out of my PS.

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  • gonnif Said:
  • Doc Gray Said:
Great advice by gonnif,

Write for yourself. The moment you try to write for the admissions committees, is the moment your PERSONAL statement is no longer personal.



Now that is a phrase I will use over and over again ... considered yourself quoted



Which part? The "Great advice by gonnif," or the rest?
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Snort…snicker…snort…





Agreed on all counts on the above. This summer, I sat down with an adcom memeber of my primo-reach school, and she asked me my story. When I told her why I was doing this, she point blank said, “Oh, wow. Please make sure your personal statement talks about This and That. THOSE are the things to convey.” She went on to explain that she reads thousands of personal statements in a given cycle. Being different is a really, really good thing.


And when I think about the 2 main things she teased out of my story, they both are things that make my journey unique (and not necessarily the 2 I would’ve chosen to write about myself). Of the 5000 people who will apply to that school this year, there isn’t one other person who can mention those 2 things in their story.


So, if I could add any advice? Your first draft will likely be more of a ‘free-write’ about all the things that drive you into medicine. (I believe mine was hitting 10,000 characters…eesh!) But as you begin to carve the sculpture out of the massive block of wood? Hone in on those unique things that will set you apart. Everything in that first draft is important. Truly. But only 5300 characters means you pick the things that are the most “you” and save the rest for secondaries and interviews.


**Side note… she did give me one other piece of advice that’s made me laugh all year. “Please don’t use the word ‘epiphany’ in your statement. I understand that at some point, most medical students have one… but there are many other words to use to describe it! I think I’m going to cry if I read that word one more time!” LOL (We were laughing by that point about the stacks and stacks and stacks of applications to go through… I can’t imagine!)


Good luck!!!

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  • Doc Gray Said:
  • gonnif Said:
  • Doc Gray Said:
Great advice by gonnif,

Write for yourself. The moment you try to write for the admissions committees, is the moment your PERSONAL statement is no longer personal.



Now that is a phrase I will use over and over again ... considered yourself quoted



Which part? The "Great advice by gonnif," or the rest?



The rest of it you silly person. Everybody knows any advice by gonnif is already great (and your check is in the mail, this wont hurt a bit, and I'm from the government and I am here to help)

Actually any advice from my me should be taken with a grain of salt and 2 shots of tequila.
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I was going to ask this very question: What should go into one’s PS? I wrote several draft PS in the past, but never liked them. While I will take Gonnif’s and Doc Gray’s advice, but I have some reservations: I am sure it is possible to say things that many doctors would not like to hear. When I told one of my advisors about why I wanted to go into medicine (among them: I do not like the way medicine is practiced; not enough physicians want to work with the underserved; there is too much emphasis on status, maintaining hierarchies, and money; too much emphasis on technology) she advised me to not mention some of those things in my PS or in an interview as it might offend them.


So, perhaps I should ask, What should NOT go into a PS?

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  • BaileyPup Said:
I agree with gonnif it should feel real. It is the reason why you need to be a dcotor. One thing about length don't worry about the character limit when you start. Obviously you don't want a ten page paper, but going over by even 1000 characters is easy for a good editor to kill. My wife took 1500 out of my PS.



For those who haven't yet read the Instruction Manual for AMCAS, you must certify that you, and you alone, have written your personal statement. No re-working by others. (This was added last year.)

Cheers,

Judy
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So you can’t even have someone look over it to take out extra content. If thats the case I would assume just about everyone is in violation.