Hem/Onc Personal Statement?

[mrdowntoearth]

I'm very interested in going to Hem/Onc. I have written my personal statement about why I chose hem/onc and the story behind it. Since I have to go to IM residency 1st before fellowship in Hem/Onc, does it hurt to talk about hem/onc in personal statement instead of why internal medicine? Don't get me wrong, I love and enjoy medicine and would go to IM anyway had I not chosen Hem/Onc. But my concern is I'm afraid if the program directors are expecting more of the statement about why I choose Internal Medicine.

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!

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[mrdowntoearth]

Any advice?

 

[gutonc]

If you're not applying to research pathway programs in H/O you should probably minimize (but not exclude) the H/O focus in your PS.

 

[Blade28]

I would mention your future goals and interests, but would focus the majority of the personal statement on why you're applying to Internal Medicine.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I'm very interested in going to Hem/Onc. I have written my personal statement about why I chose hem/onc and the story behind it. Since I have to go to IM residency 1st before fellowship in Hem/Onc, does it hurt to talk about hem/onc in personal statement instead of why internal medicine? Don't get me wrong, I love and enjoy medicine and would go to IM anyway had I not chosen Hem/Onc. But my concern is I'm afraid if the program directors are expecting more of the statement about why I choose Internal Medicine.

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!

I think there is no problem talking about Heme/Onc. As IM PD's we certainly understand that people may already know that they want to go into Cards, H/O etc. Write about what you are passionate about.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I'm also interested in a subspecialty and most of my essay is about that. I mention the parent specialty in the context of how I enjoy it and how the training will be beneficial for my future practice.

When I applied to med school I debated between writing about medicine on the whole and the field I was/am specifically interested in. I chose the former and I think it was a mistake. I did not choose to go to med school to be a physician, but to be a certain kind of physician; by not communicating that directly, the essay lacked character and passion and bordered on the generic at times.

A personal statement is a statement about you and I don't see why you should hide the fact that you are interested in an internal medicine residency because that is the path to a career in what you love. I think if you tried writing about internal medicine in general, you would waste space talking about things that are less important to you, at the cost of that which truly matters.

If PDs are looking for a good fit, they need insight into what really sets you apart, not what makes you like every other applicant.

 

[mrdowntoearth]

Thank you for the advice everyone!

 

[chagall]

I just found out about this board...wow, could have helped me since I'm so far behind in the application process! My question is somewhat similar...I'm planning to apply to neurology...so, it's not a specialty of medicine technically, but you do have to do your first year in internal medicine.

So do I focus my essay primarily on why I am interested in neurology (this is what I've been doing so far)...or also go into why I like medicine as a whole, etc...? That's a little harder for me to do, since I do think I like neurology much more than internal medicine (which is probably a sign of some sort!).

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I just found out about this board...wow, could have helped me since I'm so far behind in the application process! My question is somewhat similar...I'm planning to apply to neurology...so, it's not a specialty of medicine technically, but you do have to do your first year in internal medicine.

So do I focus my essay primarily on why I am interested in neurology (this is what I've been doing so far)...or also go into why I like medicine as a whole, etc...? That's a little harder for me to do, since I do think I like neurology much more than internal medicine (which is probably a sign of some sort!).

Write your PS about neuro. Prelim programs know you will only be staying for 1 year and don't have a long term interest in IM.

 

[chagall]

Write your PS about neuro. Prelim programs know you will only be staying for 1 year and don't have a long term interest in IM.

Thanks very much!