Hi,
All seems to be going well for me EXCEPT the personal statement. I need serious help writing it, and trust me, I have written several drafts - and they will all be scrapped. I need a solid viable version by March 3rd, 2008 for my school committee.
Please, any advice or help or websites you guys could suggest would be wonderful! Especially those of you who have gotten in.
e~
As someone who has made her money by writing and editing for a long time, I can give you a little advice about personal statements. (Also yes, I’ve gotten in.)
No dead grandmothers.
Start with a good strong image. Do NOT use the formula “general to specific.” Be specific throughout. Give examples. Show, don’t tell. Don’t say “The reason is because.” Use active voice rather than passive whenever possible.
Best tip I know: read it out loud. If it sounds pompous or you can’t finish a sentence without pausing for breath, you know you need to cut it down. And have other people read it.
- starmoon Said:
As someone who has made her money by writing and editing for a long time, I can give you a little advice about personal statements. (Also yes, I've gotten in.)
No dead grandmothers.
Start with a good strong image. Do NOT use the formula "general to specific." Be specific throughout. Give examples. Show, don't tell. Don't say "The reason is because." Use active voice rather than passive whenever possible.
Best tip I know: read it out loud. If it sounds pompous or you can't finish a sentence without pausing for breath, you know you need to cut it down. And have other people read it.
No dead grandmothers.
Start with a good strong image. Do NOT use the formula "general to specific." Be specific throughout. Give examples. Show, don't tell. Don't say "The reason is because." Use active voice rather than passive whenever possible.
Best tip I know: read it out loud. If it sounds pompous or you can't finish a sentence without pausing for breath, you know you need to cut it down. And have other people read it.
Excellent advice. :-) Especially about "grandmother/father's who have died of xxxx dread disease. Also, no "road less taken." My boss and I, when I was at Stanford, use to giggle about this and hope that someone would take the road that everyone else took...obviously it was the correct path. :-)
Also, do NOT use an essay service. Once you lose "your voice," it will be obvious in everything you yourself have to write (think MCAT essay and all those seconary essays) that YOU didn't do it all.
Cheers,
Judy
The advice about avoiding essay services and being specific makes perfect sense, and thanks for it.
But I think the impetus for medicine for many of us late arrivers has been the very real, and likely life changing, experiences of being close to loved ones who have had intense and prolonged interaction with doctors.
In my case, some of the more prominent examples are my father’s near death on two different occasions, the birth of my children, losing my grandmother to MS, and even my own very close call with malaria.
Now I don’t mean to say that my family’s experience with health issues is the absolute motivating factor for my decision to pursue med school…but these are important factors, that without which I think my PS will suffer.
Are you suggesting to avoid discussing these types of motivations altogether, or just be cautious and limited with it?
Thanks again
Neil
Thank you for the advice!
e~
Judy,
I appreciate the advice about not loosing my voice. That was the problem with my first two drafts, I had my sister (who is a lawyer) help re-write them. It is just frustrating to attempt to find a balance between, “what they want to hear” and the intricate reality behind the desire to become a physician for us who have more life experience. How do I jam it all onto one page and make it flow???
I spent the last 5 hours re-writing my essay from scratch in my voice and I feel better about it now, even though it needs more work.
- neilc Said:
The advice about avoiding essay services and being specific makes perfect sense, and thanks for it.
But I think the impetus for medicine for many of us late arrivers has been the very real, and likely life changing, experiences of being close to loved ones who have had intense and prolonged interaction with doctors.
In my case, some of the more prominent examples are my father's near death on two different occasions, the birth of my children, losing my grandmother to MS, and even my own very close call with malaria.
Now I don't mean to say that my family's experience with health issues is the absolute motivating factor for my decision to pursue med school...but these are important factors, that without which I think my PS will suffer.
Are you suggesting to avoid discussing these types of motivations altogether, or just be cautious and limited with it?
Thanks again
Neil
But I think the impetus for medicine for many of us late arrivers has been the very real, and likely life changing, experiences of being close to loved ones who have had intense and prolonged interaction with doctors.
In my case, some of the more prominent examples are my father's near death on two different occasions, the birth of my children, losing my grandmother to MS, and even my own very close call with malaria.
Now I don't mean to say that my family's experience with health issues is the absolute motivating factor for my decision to pursue med school...but these are important factors, that without which I think my PS will suffer.
Are you suggesting to avoid discussing these types of motivations altogether, or just be cautious and limited with it?
Thanks again
Neil
Neil, I'm referring more to the often used intro to a personal statement, usually by a early 20-something, "I've wanted to be a physician since Grandma died of _________ (fill in the blank with some horrible illness) when I was four years old." Certainly this doesn't apply for the "more mature" (trans: non-traditional) applicant who really does have life experiences in the medical realm.
Cheers,
Judy