DO NOT ERASE THESE INSTRUCTIONS!
1) Click "reply" on the most recent post.
2) Add your SDN screen name,. your credentials, and specific things you are willing to edit for (content only, grammar only, etc). DO NOT post your email address.
3) Delete the quote tags at both the top and the bottom.
4) If you are unable to read any more personal statements, please come back and remove your name from the list
Immunolove| Accepting. Medial researcher (and non-trad pre-med) with extensive writing experience (beyond scientific writing). Have read/edited many PS in past. Will edit for content, grammar, and style. Will edit PS and W&A. Please PM with a little intro about you, your objectives, and any special requests.
amanyak| Not accepting anymore. Incoming med student, majored in microbiology. 3.6+ GPA, 35 MCAT, was invited to interview at 5 schools (~33% invite rate). I read a lot and have been helping out a bunch of my friends pre-med friends with their applications (PS, work/activities, interviews). I am really into trying to help future med students so I will go all out trying to help. I edit pretty harshly and thoroughly and will tell you everything that is on my mind concerning your essays; it is up to you to decide whether you like my comments or not. I am also very open to follow-ups if you have any questions or would like to give me your second draft. To get me to help you, PM me your email address and a short blurb about your car/friend/self so that I could get a sense of your writing style. I will edit both PS and work/activities (I think this is a more important section in the end).
ArtofMedicalSchool|On hold, be back soon Resident in highly competitive specialty. Will review for content and grammar (if I catch something). I was an average (grade-wise) student but I found many ways to make myself a strong applicant. I have looked over a high number of personal statements and am currently on the acceptance committee for my residency program. I was told my personal statement was "one of the best" that was ever read by multiple program directors during my application cycle. To set me up to best help you, please send me your name and e-mail address. I will then e-mail you directly with further instructions. Be prepared to write a second PS to contrast the one you have already written.
MalloryWeiss|Not accepting PS at this time. Graduating in a few weeks from a top 10 medical school, starting at a top 10 Anesthesiology residency program in a few months. Also served on our med school admissions committee for a few years, interviewed incoming students, and have helped review tons of personal statements in the past. Along the way, I also completed a literature intensive masters degree in philosophy. I can edit for
content & style only. Please PM me a quick,
one paragraph introduction (who you are, where you're from, interesting things about you, some general background info, what are your goals [top tier vs. any med school], along with some unique & medically relevant accolades), followed by your
personal statement in the body of the message.
caffeinemia|Accepting. Now done with med school. PRS intern in 2 months. I'll be doing this for a bit of fun and out of the goodness of my heart until I get bored of it or run out of time (ie July 1st). I've edited a lot of statements in the past (under a different SDN handle) and I know some of you geniuses have been studying science too hard. Apparently I make some difference, because people start doing goofy things like donating to the American Cancer Society on my behalf and having their mothers email to thank me... hilarious. PM me for an email address where you can send me a short blurb about yourself and your PS.
Also, if you PM me the wall of text that is your statement, I will just ignore it. Update: I am developing a casual guide for writing statements: medisdabest.blogspot.com.
zacharyw|
Accepting only users with 50+ posts| Science major, took a year off and will be a part of Class of 2018. SDN has been very helpful so trying to give back. 3.4+ GPA, 36+ MCAT, ~35% interview invites this cycle. Will matriculate to a top 20 school this fall. Friends and Professors who were initially critical of my essay ended up liking my PS a lot and is probably the reason I received so many II. Will try to respond within 2-3 days except during the weekends. Priority given to those with earlier join date and higher post counts. Further revisions to updated drafts I already edited are welcomed and will also receive priority. |Will read mostly for content and style, but grammar as well if it's something obvious.
Make sure to include a short blurb about yourself so that I have some background info.| Check my current queue here: http://tinyurl.com/my4ppvm
Lya| Not accepting PS at this time Incoming medical student, mathematics major with heavy ECs in engineering, music, and projects overseas. Many medical school interviewers mentioned my PS positively. I tutored English writing in undergrad for two years and cannot even count how many PS drafts I've revised this year. I am very harsh on PS drafts, but many students appreciated it and told me their PS drafts have improved after my comments. I usually help each person until people are satisfied with their drafts. Expected turn around is 3-5 days, but I will try my best to finish my review promptly.
eleveneleven| Not Accepting new Personal Statements at this time. Incoming medical student. Received lots of positive comments on my personal statement during interviews. Used this thread a lot last year and am happy to return the favor! Will read for anything-content/style/grammar. Willing to look over multiple drafts. Also happy to help with activity descriptions/titles if you'd like or are struggling with how to approach those (I was!).
Jeghaber |
Not accepting until June 1st. Incoming medical student. Several interviewers commented favorably regarding my PS. Found this to be helpful last year, so I'm hoping to return the favor! Since I'm working full time, I would prefer at least slightly-polished drafts, but content-wise, I'm open to PS/activity descriptions/secondaries/anything else. If you're sending me a PS only, please include a short blurb (2-3 sentences) about yourself so I have some context in which to read it. Multiple draft exchanges are welcome.
As of 5/16, I need to catch up on current requests before accepting new ones. I'll open the queue back up after June.
supermintyfresh |
Not Accepting new Personal Statements at this time. Accepted student from this past cycle. Engineering student at top 20 school; going to attend a top 30 medical school. Have taken writing courses for fun. Would enjoy critiquing personal statements and editing for content/structure. Thus, would prefer statements that have already been self-revised with minimal errors in grammar. Just personal message me your PS, or send me a link for a Google Document.
Current turnaround: within 1 week (with preference given to contributing SDNers with 100+ posts).
Jennyfishy | Not accepting new PSes at this time. Incoming medical student; I was a Bio Sci major and a writing tutor for my undergrad. I generally focus more on the bigger idea when I read papers and can revise for grammar and flow too, but am incredibly honest, blunt, and critical. Also received very positive comments about my PS + Secondaries from the schools I interviewed at, which were in light of my MCAT score
. Can look over multiple drafts as well as help out with activity descriptions. Turn around will range from 3-7 days depending on my volunteer/work schedule.
Update: I will only look at papers from active SDNers (at least 100+ posts), unless you have a very polished paper (has been read by others) already. Include background info about yourself in your PM. Do NOT send me your entire personal statement in a PM if I have not accepted your paper for edits. All PMs that do this will be ignored.
Ace-Co-A | Not accepting new Statements at the moment. Incoming medical student (C/O 2018). I was a biochemistry major in college [3.9+ GPA and 35+ MCAT]. I had a successful 2013-2014 application cycle [invited to interview at 8 of 18 schools applied to (44.4%)]. I have been successful in other applications as well (for instance, I was invited to interview for the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship). My personal statement and secondary essays were frequently praised in my interviews. I will give honest feedback, and I'm willing to edit your essay at any stage in its development (although use of spell-check and basic grammar proofreading ahead of time are expected). I anticipate a turn-around time of 3 days for any essays I receive in normal condition, although it may be as long as 5 days if I must attend to unforeseen obligations. Preference will be given to SDN members with high post counts (300+).
timelesss |
Not accepting new Personal Statements at this time. Incoming medical student. My LOR writers and several interviewers commended my personal statement writing. I will edit mostly for content but for grammar as well if I notice it. I will be very honest with you. It's preferred that you have a personal statement draft where your story is for the most part complete. However, if you would like me to review a detailed outline of the story you plan to write, I'd be happy to do so as well. Also, please let me know if you have any goals in particular for medical school (aiming top tier? interest in primary care? interest in PH?) so that I could get some context behind your writing.
5dwn7 |
Not Accepting new Personal Statements at this time. Incoming medical student. I was a science major and double majored in a relevant non-science also (I can give more details privately). My committee and several interviewers said my PS was very well written. I was successful applying to top 20 schools. I will read for content and will correct grammar if it really jumps out. I will give honest (non-sugarcoated) feedback. My schedule is pretty full, so please only send polished drafts. I would also appreciate some info on your stats, what sort of schools you are applying to, your goals etc. Preference will be given to those who have taken a gap year (or more) after college.
talinnlove |
Not Accepting new personal statements at this time. Incoming MD student. Science major. Published author in both fiction and nonfiction. Will edit for content, grammar, style, etc.
bakedbeans18 | Accepting. Incoming MD student, class of 2018. Definite underdog non-traditional applicant (sub-3.5 GPA, sub-32 MCAT.) Found that my success in the application cycle was due greatly to my ability to spin the sub-par elements of my application into positive attributes, and have been told I have a 'good pen' for essays, EC descriptions, etc. I will look at full drafts only, as I am currently finishing an advanced degree. Turnaround time will be about 1 week. I can edit for grammar, can provide honest feedback on content and will point out weaknesses in the essay from the perspective of elements which may become scrutinized against by an admissions committee - you may choose to follow that advice, take it with a grain of salt, or completely ignore it - it will simply be a devils advocacy sort of thing. Preference is given to active SDN users and non-traditional applicants. In addition to your personal statement, please share some addition information about yourself and a list of EC's so I can get a better sense of you as a whole, which will allow me to better help you strengthen your PS.
GSPhamily |
Not Accept new personal statements at this time. Incoming MD student, class of 2018. Current SMP student. 3.4 cGPA 36+MCAT . Biology and political science major. Worked in a direct patient care setting for 2 years after undergrad before starting SMP. Consequently, I feel that I have a good understanding of what it means to care for people. Since I did an SMP, I understand what it means to make mistakes and to try to move on from those mistakes and improve on those mistakes. Furthermore, my education in political science has allowed me to stay current in political changes in health care. It has also given me the ability to read critically and read for logical flow and coherence. I am mostly going to read for content and structure, not so much grammar and spelling. My main focus will be on whether your PS is interesting, whether it is compelling, and whether it flows coherently.
Selladore235 | Accepting. Incoming MD student. English major. Accepted to top-choice medical school. Will edit for content, grammar, style, et cetera.
Vans42 | NOT accepting at this time. Incoming MD student. Biology major at my state school. I moved to a new state and gained residency there during my two year gap. For those two years I was fully employed in a stem cell research lab. I interviewed at 9 schools and was accepted by 7 - I will be attending my top choice. I got a lot of great feedback on my PS and I loved working on mine and helping others with theirs during this past cycle. I am a quick responder and I will give honest feedback on content, structure, and cohesiveness.
cybermaxx12 | Not Accepting new Personal Statements at this time. I am an incoming medical student for the class of 2018. In college I majored in history and minored in philosophy so I have a fair amount of writing experience. I have also been the primary author on both history and basic science journal articles which have been published in peer reviewed journals. I am willing to help any SDN user with their personal statement and will edit for both content and grammar - though I'm certainly not flawless when it comes to grammar myself! If I receive multiple personal statements at once preference will be given to the SDN user with the highest post count. My expected turn around time is less than four days.
legendaryMD |Not accepting at this time. Incoming medical student with a background in neuroscience and public health. Currently in the midst of a gap year and have some spare time between volunteering and working full-time I'd like to fill up. I used this last year and found it to be extremely helpful, so I'm hoping to return the favor this year. I'm open to editing personal statements/activity descriptions/etc in content, structure, and grammar, but would prefer at least somewhat polished drafts. I'd also love to have some background information for context.
ommnomm | Accepting. Incoming non-trad medical student with background in liberal arts that gave me plenty of writing experience. SDN helped my application out tremendously and I'm hoping to pay that forward. 3.7 cGPA, 3.9 sGPA, 33 MCAT. I'm open to helping with grammar, structure, cohesiveness, and content. Please don't PM me a wall of text, it'll be ignored. Feel free to PM for contact info.
I aim for a 3-5 day turnaround. Update: Overwhelmed by the number of people contacting me. As of 5/9/14 I have 60+ people wanting their PS reviewed. Please include a short few sentences about yourself in any PM requesting me to read your PS. I'm going to be placing a preference on active SDN posters. Polished drafts only. May take a while to get back to you because I recently started working overtime, which decreased my time available to edit these things. If you've already e-mailed it to me, and have made a fresh draft without hearing back from me, please re-send it.
Oso |Not Accepting new Personal Statements at this time. Incoming medical student. Several interviewers commented positively on my personal statement and essays. Social science major, so I did a lot of writing in college. Hoping to provide honest feedback on content and organization. Would prefer an actual draft and not an outline or semi-completed essay. Will edit 1-3 drafts. Preference will be given to active SDN users (200+ posts), if needed. Please PM me if interested and also provide some background information that will help contextualize your essay. Please do not PM me your actual draft. I'm hoping to return drafts within a few days. Good luck with your PS!
GoodGuyGreg|Accepting. Although I have not yet been accepted this cycle (sitting on a few waitlists), several of my interviewers stated that my personal statement was very intriguing and is probably the reason why I was given an II. Now, I didn't have an extremely interesting story, but I was able to tell my story in an interesting way. With that said, I would like to think that I can offer some valuable constructive feedback on the effectiveness of your PS. Go ahead and PM your PS and I should be able to get back to you within a few hours.
MinnieMD|
Not accepting. Rising MS3. I go to a top 20 school and was an admissions tour guide for the past two years. I'm currently studying for boards so I'll have some free time to read, but not much. Please do not PM me your entire statement; instead I'll give you an email address so that I can edit via MS word. I'll fine tune grammar to a degree but I'm more interested in helping make sure the content is solid. I don't remember nor care about what my MCAT and GPA were exactly, but I got into 5 of the 10 schools I applied to (withdrew from the rest once I got accepted to my #1) so I guess I was pretty good at getting into med school.
OK, kind of overwhelmed. If you've PMed me already I'll try to get back to you within the next week, but I simply can't keep up with the number of requests I've gotten. If you have already emailed me, get feedback from someone else sooner, and then want me to revise an updated draft, please let me know via email!
Rfenzo| Not Accepting for a couple weeks. Incoming medical student. Saw that things were getting busy on here, and this was a lot of help to me in the past so thought I'd pitch in. Double majored in Bio and English so do have some literary experience. Willing to edit primarily for content, but some grammar as well. Had a very successful cycle - if that is worth anything as far as personal statements are concerned - so can definitely offer help on general application points as well. Let me know!
3838| Not accepting for a few days. Incoming medical student. Several interviewers mentioned that my personal statement was well-written and interesting/emotionally moving to read. Skilled at creative writing (I write poetry in my free time). Public Health major, so I've taken multiple writing heavy courses every semester. I am often approached by friends to help them with application essays for various things. I will edit for content, mostly, but I will edit for grammar mistakes if the content seems done to me. If you wrote a really personal or sensitive personal statement and you're concerned about presenting a sensitive topic to the Adcom, please please reach out to me. I had to handle extremely sensitive subject matter in my own statement so I have experience with that. Please give me a list of your EC's and tell me a little about yourself, your priorities, your values. That will help me help you craft a better statement. And read Barron's Essays That Will Get You Into Medical School if you haven't already.
Velour Fog| Not accepting. Rising Med3. Did this a couple of years ago and have some free time to help others out. I'll read for content, as well as general syntax and language. God help you if you didn't spell-check before sending, though!
Maliro| Not Accepting new PS at this time. Incoming medical student. Had a very successful cycle. Got good reviews from my personal statement from my reviewers, and it was often brought up in interviews on being a very interesting experience. Bio major, took 2 years off to work and get another masters before applying. I have worked with a couple friends on their personal statement and they and their editors seem to find my advice beneficial. I am willing to read less polished versions, especially for people who are still struggling a bit on direction/ tone. Will also look at grammar/ general edits. Please proof read before sending . As I have been inundated with requests, I will be taking some time off from taking new requests until the current amount becomes more manageable. Sorry!
meringue | Semi-Accepting? First-year medical student at a top five school. I had a lot of help with my PS from my friends that I though was really useful, learned a lot from applying, received a lot of help from members here, and would like to pass on this knowledge and give back. Did a lot of editing in college for school publications. Have a solid research background. Willing to edit for content and grammar (and big on structure). I'd like to work with one or two people for an extended period on their PS, and can read the rest of their application (activities) for cohesiveness if you'd like-- I hope this would work for you. If this sounds good, please include a brief introduction about yourself in your PM (and why you are pursuing medicine). I'd really like to help people with interesting stories and motivations, but just can't find the words to put it together!
Lil Mick | Only accepting personal statements from veterans, folks with substance use/legal issues to address, or MD/PhD applicants. I was accepted to several MD/PhD programs and netted >95%ile on the MCAT writing and GRE writing sections. I have 40+ creative writing pieces published to date and am active in my school's creative writing program. Depending on how many people send me personal statements, I may edit for only content or add in some grammar help, as well. Also, don't freak out and start sending me numerous messages if it takes a while to hear back from me. I am taking my comps for grad school right now and only get a chance to help with this once or twice a week. I will get back to anyone meeting the criteria stated (and answer other application questions for veterans and folks with legal issues). When you send your PS, please put in the message box PS followed by either veteran, legal issue, MD/PhD, or a combination of those depending on which of the three apply to you. Other pieces will be deleted unread.
syoung |
Accepting after June 2nd. Previously read for the last 2013-2014 cycle. Non-traditional student. Editing for content and grammar. Rising 2nd year medical student. Will give an honest first impression. 2-3 day turnaround. Posters must have a
50+ posts. PM a short blurb about yourself and a one liner about your personal statement. If you send a wall of text it will be unread.
Z K |
Not Accepting; Working my PS now but will be back. Non-traditional 2015 applicant. Editing for content and grammar. Graduated s
umma cum laude, BS Biological Science.
PurkinjeFibers |
Not Accepting; Working on PSs now | Graduated with a BA in English & Molecular and Cellular Bio from a top 20 school,
magna cum laude, good MCAT, willing to help as much as I can! | Editing for grammar, content and flow of writing.
Orthos |
Accepting | Attending physician with NO direct ties to academia (so please do not ask if I can influence any specific adcoms). | Editing for content primarily, grammar/punctuation secondary. Please no first/rough drafts, make at least some effort at a reasonably polished PS. No e-mail exchange; cut-and-paste content into PM. Provide additional background details if you feel they are important, but don't know how to work them into your PS. Please be aware that my responses may take a while, as I am fairly busy, but I will try to help everyone that I can.
areserine|
Accepting | Graduated 2013, currently taking a gap year. I'm applying this cycle too, but have already submitted (and can prove if you have concerns about me "stealing" your ps). Have written lots of fellowship/ grant personal statements are received very positive feedback on all, including med school personal statement. Can probably send things back very quickly (min-hours, depending how bored I am at work). You can PM me directly with your ps, no need to ask first, but include info about yourself and what the thesis/ goal of your statement is (so I can make sure you are actually getting that point across). Will edit mostly for content, but will also flag (but not re-write) areas that need grammatical improvement.
vrog33 |Accepting | I am a non-traditional applicant for the 2014-2015 cycle. I have received numerous compliments on my personal statement. I will edit for style, grammar, content and flow. Willing to help all! I'll give you my honest first impression..
secondroundpremed |Not accepting |
BrainOnFire | Accepting 2015 re-app who was then accepted for 2014. Non-trad PhD, lecturer, and freelance writer; I've done quite a bit of reading and editing in my time. I will make general comments and check your grammar, but only if you have a fully-formed statement in .doc/.docx form since I use track changes. I'll also want your CV/resume. I'm on vacation, but anything given to me by 6/15 is guaranteed.
GonePostalMD| Accepting | MD Resident. Will read for content, not grammar. Please only somewhat put together drafts, with major editing already done. PMs only.
Snowman.33 | Semi-Accepting (
STARTING APRIL 1st) 2014 grad, MD reapp for this year
(accepted two places so far woooooooo), MD class of 2019. Last year PS was very average, and spent a lot of time in the last six months grueling over quality PSs. Turns out hard work pays, readers on here have praised my current PS
(and ADCOMS apparently). Will edit for everything. Polished drafts only please. (I will be blunt.) PM me with a request with some of your basic info/background/stats so I have a slight grasp of your app. Please no new members who create SDN accounts just to get readers please.
surely | Semi-Accepting? | Incoming non-trad MD student. I had an
absurdly successful cycle - Still can't believe it. Are you a non-trad? Or maybe a disadvantaged applicant? Or do you like Doctor Who? PM me your personal statement and/or disadvantaged applicant statement plus any questions you have. Don't be shy - I love giving advice!
Update 6/21: Wow, I turned off submissions for almost two months, and yet I'm still getting inundated with requests from people who want to know if I'll make an exception for them! So here's what I've decided: If you include in your PM your complete, polished personal statement along with your cGPA, sGPA, MCAT, and at least 10 schools you plan on applying to, I will do my best to review your PS. Unfortunately, life being what it is, I can't promise anything - Wish I could be more helpful. Be warned, though: If, instead of sending me your PS, you message me "Will you please review my PS?", I'm just going to respond with the lyrics to Rick Astley's timeless classic.
stickshifthonda| NOT Accepting at this time MD and DO applicant, C/O 2013. Graduate of a top research institution known for high caliber pre-meds and sciences, have a BA in a social science major w/ lots of writing courses. Will edit for whatever- from experience I mostly look at grammar, flow, and overall cohesiveness of the statement. I am an honest reader! Please PM me with a bit about yourself and I'll give you my email to send a .docx file to! Please have something worth reading- I'm filling secondaries at this time and would like to read well put together stuff.
misseskwee |
No longer accepting | Incoming medical student at DO school. I have experience in freelance writing, and I always help friends with their papers and whatnot. Willing to read and edit for content/grammar/structure/flow. I'll give you my overall impression. Just wanna help in any way that I can, since I'm a bit bored until school starts in early August. Also include a bit about yourself so I can get a grasp of who you are as well
hoihaie | Accepting (until July 2015)| Incoming MS1 (C/O 2019) at MD school. I used to grade papers for graduate & undergraduate courses as a grad student. Also have experience in editing college essays for underserved high school students as well as PS for friends and a number of people on SDN. Will edit for content/structure/flow, but not grammar or spelling (unless it is absolutely glaring).
I will be blunt. PM me your PS (only put together drafts, please). Turn around time varies depending on work, but I'll do my best to get it back to you ASAP.