You have one page with which to summarize yourself for your interviewers. I was given the following guideline, and it seemed to be helpful for me last year:
1.You should include a BRIEF summary of how you came to your decision to be an ophthalmologist (life experiences, former careers, etc., etc.)
2. You should include a little about what you are doing now.
3. The largest part of your statement should describe WHERE YOU WANT TO GO WITH YOUR CAREER IN THE FUTURE (and why).
4. The length of these relative divisions: Future>Present>Past. This is easier said than done.
5. You should include things that are unique or interesting about yourself (hobbies, careers, etc.). You don't want to appear exactly the same as the other applicants.
6. Interviewers actually read these statements, so please do not include things in your application with which you are not very familiar. Don't pad for the sake of padding. You WILL be asked about unique and interesting things if you put them in your statment. For example, I was asked many detailed questions about my scuba diving activities (one of my interviewers was an avid diver.)
7. There is no exact formula, so you must tailor your statement for you and and your personal situation.
8. Good luck. The first paragraph is the hardest. The rest is downhill. I'm sure that there are many other opinions on this topic out there.
