What is too personal for a personal statement?

[Susanoo]

I did a search on this and the threads related to this question are pertaining to specific situations... So, I am a 25 year old male finishing up his undergraduate degree right now. I really hope medical schools do not read this and connect this thread with my application, but I doubt that will happen, because I am nothing special lol. Plus that would take a lot of time.

Anyways, I am writing my personal statement and I was wondering what is too personal for one? It seems ironic, but almost every major obstacle I have overcome in my life is not really mentionable in a personal statement, at least I don't think it is. I am also not sure how to relate them to medicine, but I will try to outline how it helped me grow as a person. Here are some true examples. Note: A lot of these issues seem to be an extension of the first one that I am about to list.



1. A very abusive childhood. I was literally beaten several times a week (by a biological parent), and I had a knife held to my throat and somebody (an adult) threatening to kill me before I was even 10 years old. This happened over many years. This is relevant because I learned how to forgive, although it took a long time and a lot of introspection. It also helped me see the causality of things in life. This person was abused as a child as well (I think worse than I was), so it simply carried on to me. I also promised to myself that I would break this cycle and never abuse my children, if I ever have any. This did however, make me afraid to have children in the future, I am scared that I will abuse them too, and I do not want anybody to go through anything remotely similar to what I went through.

2. Battling depression and social anxiety. These issues probably stem from the previous issue. I really have thought about committing suicide so many times in my life, things just seem to get so down and pointless. But I really struggled through it and I feel that I am much happier now, and have become much more resilient after hitting such lows in life. This was an incredibly difficult thing to overcome.

I have also picked up jobs just for the sake of socializing and overcoming my anxiety, which I believe I have done. Jobs such as working at a crowded retail store at a popular mall on the weekends where I have to greet and talk to strangers all day long. I did not need the money, this was simply a self-improvement goal. I joined toastmasters for a year and gave about 10 public speeches in order to work on this as well, and I did this to get over my fear of public speaking too.

3. Trouble with the law and behavioral problems. I used to be a big trouble maker when I was younger and I have been arrested several times. I think this issue largely stems from having an abusive childhood with a parental role occupied by an easily angered individual. My record is clean, which is why I do not want to mention this. This was an issue that I believe helped me grow as a person. I made a lot of mistakes earlier on that I will never make again. I also had to overcome some issues with anger, which took a while. I used to get into a lot of fights in high school. I have not been in a physical altercation or been arrested since I was 18, so that is 7 years.

This was also beneficial because I was exposed to a wide range of people and experiences around this time period, from drug addicts to felons, and I made friends with some of these people as well. I saw a different side of life from a first hand perspective that many people only get a glimpse of from a distance.

4. Academic struggles. I used to do much worse in school and I was held back a year in high school, for not caring about school and skipping classes and failing most of my classes. I did get my diploma though, after some time. My high school counselor actually told me to drop out and said that I was unable to get my high school diploma. That was harsh, and I ended up getting my diploma a few months after that. My GPA in high school was around a 2.0, literally. My GPA now is about a 3.4, so that is a major improvement when contrasting the two situations. I have improved greatly since then, and I still have much room left for improvement.

5. My best friend committed suicide several years ago. This was one of the hardest experiences of my life to go through. I did not even believe it when I first heard the news. I did not have many friends in high school and I used to eat alone for the first few months, and this was one of my first friends in high school. We hung out a lot and have had philosophical discussions about life and death and what happens after death, and the meaning of life, and where we were going to be in the future. Now I wonder what kind of man he would be if he were still alive today.

I literally spoke to him days before he passed away. At his funeral, I was in shock and it was just so surreal to see him there. His family was devastated. This is the closest person to me that I have ever lost to death. I could not even comprehend what was happening at first. This also showed me how rare and meaningful true friends are, as there were people he hung out with at that time just to gain their acceptance, and they did not even bother showing up to his funeral.

This really forced me to confront mortality and how fragile and ephemeral human life really is. It also made me more aware of how futile many of our daily worries and troubles really are, and how they simply mean nothing in the big scheme of things. I also learned to be more compassionate and less judgmental, everybody is simply struggling through life and you have no idea what they have been through or what they are going through. I had no idea he was suffering to this extent, he was always good at putting on a tough exterior, plus we had been drifting apart around that time so I did not see him as often, otherwise I think I could have picked up on this.

The experience really made me wish I had reached out to him when he was in need, and gave me a yearning to help others who are in need as well. Suffering exists in all forms, and is not simply physical or psychological. Many people suffer quietly while those around them are unaware.






Sorry if that sounded flowery, I am writing freely because I know that I am anonymous on here. The way I write here is also the way I talk in real life too.

Thoughts? Can I write about any of these? If so, how would I even go about that? These topics seem too delicate and some of these events happening to a person can give a false pre-conceived notion of the individual if somebody were to read about it in a personal statement (Ex. Trouble with the law, even in the past, means an overall aggressive person).

Thanks for reading.

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[mehc012]

Remember, at the end of the day, the point of the PS is to convey 'why medicine?'
You can bring any of these things up as long as you tie them to that. Thus far, you don't seem to have done so. That is far more of an issue than the subjects that you actually cover.
And always keep in mind - anything in the app is fair game for the interview. If you can't talk about it calmly, you should not include it.

 

[gyngyn]

Tell us why we should interview you for medical school.

 

[HoboCommander]

I wouldn't mention any of those things. Just focus on why you want to be a doctor.

For the record, #1-4 would apply to my own life to some degree, and as for #5, I had a good friend, he didn't commit suicide, but he was hit by car and became quadriplegic. But I had zero urge to mention any of these things. I don't have any victim mentality. In fact, none of these things have any impact whatsoever with how I live my life. Just leave it be, go shadow a doctor and write about that.

 

[Tawantinsuyu]

3. Trouble with the law and behavioral problems. I used to be a big trouble maker when I was younger and I have been arrested several times. I think this issue largely stems from having an abusive childhood with a parental role occupied by an easily angered individual. My record is clean, which is why I do not want to mention this.

Even if your "record is clean", I'm pretty sure you still are supposed to report expunged incidents.

 

[HoboCommander]

I think any mention of trouble with the law will seriously count against you, maybe even rule you out. I wouldn't mention it.

You gotta realize that you want to make yourself look good, not look bad. It's such a competitive process as it is even if you play your cards perfectly. You're not playing your cards right at the moment.

 

[gyngyn]

I think any mention of trouble with the law will seriously count against you, maybe even rule you out. I wouldn't mention it.

You gotta realize that you want to make yourself look good, not look bad. It's such a competitive process as it is even if you play your cards perfectly. You're not playing your cards right at the moment.

Juvenile records need not be reported in the AMCAS primary application.
If asked about charges and arrests in a secondary, "expunged" records should be enumerated and explained. They will still show up in background checks of schools whose main affiliates are government facilities.

 

[Susanoo]

Juvenile records need not be reported in the AMCAS primary application.
If asked about charges and arrests in a secondary, expunged records should be enumerated and explained.

Even for non-convictions? Meaning, the case never went to court, and specifically, I never went to court. The charges were dropped.

 

[gyngyn]

Even for non-convictions? Meaning, the case never went to court, and specifically, I never went to court. The charges were dropped.

If the question asks for charges, arrests and convictions, you should still include them. If they only ask for convictions, then you do not have to report.

 

[Plecopotamus]

I did a search on this and the threads related to this question are pertaining to specific situations... So, I am a 25 year old male finishing up his undergraduate degree right now. I really hope medical schools do not read this and connect this thread with my application, but I doubt that will happen, because I am nothing special lol. Plus that would take a lot of time.

Anyways, I am writing my personal statement and I was wondering what is too personal for one? It seems ironic, but almost every major obstacle I have overcome in my life is not really mentionable in a personal statement, at least I don't think it is. I am also not sure how to relate them to medicine, but I will try to outline how it helped me grow as a person. Here are some true examples. Note: A lot of these issues seem to be an extension of the first one that I am about to list.



1. A very abusive childhood. I was literally beaten several times a week (by a biological parent), and I had a knife held to my throat and somebody (an adult) threatening to kill me before I was even 10 years old. This happened over many years. This is relevant because I learned how to forgive, although it took a long time and a lot of introspection. It also helped me see the causality of things in life. This person was abused as a child as well (I think worse than I was), so it simply carried on to me. I also promised to myself that I would break this cycle and never abuse my children, if I ever have any. This did however, make me afraid to have children in the future, I am scared that I will abuse them too, and I do not want anybody to go through anything remotely similar to what I went through.

2. Battling depression and social anxiety. These issues probably stem from the previous issue. I really have thought about committing suicide so many times in my life, things just seem to get so down and pointless. But I really struggled through it and I feel that I am much happier now, and have become much more resilient after hitting such lows in life. This was an incredibly difficult thing to overcome.

I have also picked up jobs just for the sake of socializing and overcoming my anxiety, which I believe I have done. Jobs such as working at a crowded retail store at a popular mall on the weekends where I have to greet and talk to strangers all day long. I did not need the money, this was simply a self-improvement goal. I joined toastmasters for a year and gave about 10 public speeches in order to work on this as well, and I did this to get over my fear of public speaking too.

3. Trouble with the law and behavioral problems. I used to be a big trouble maker when I was younger and I have been arrested several times. I think this issue largely stems from having an abusive childhood with a parental role occupied by an easily angered individual. My record is clean, which is why I do not want to mention this. This was an issue that I believe helped me grow as a person. I made a lot of mistakes earlier on that I will never make again. I also had to overcome some issues with anger, which took a while. I used to get into a lot of fights in high school. I have not been in a physical altercation or been arrested since I was 18, so that is 7 years.

This was also beneficial because I was exposed to a wide range of people and experiences around this time period, from drug addicts to felons, and I made friends with some of these people as well. I saw a different side of life from a first hand perspective that many people only get a glimpse of from a distance.

4. Academic struggles. I used to do much worse in school and I was held back a year in high school, for not caring about school and skipping classes and failing most of my classes. I did get my diploma though, after some time. My high school counselor actually told me to drop out and said that I was unable to get my high school diploma. That was harsh, and I ended up getting my diploma a few months after that. My GPA in high school was around a 2.0, literally. My GPA now is about a 3.4, so that is a major improvement when contrasting the two situations. I have improved greatly since then, and I still have much room left for improvement.

5. My best friend committed suicide several years ago. This was one of the hardest experiences of my life to go through. I did not even believe it when I first heard the news. I did not have many friends in high school and I used to eat alone for the first few months, and this was one of my first friends in high school. We hung out a lot and have had philosophical discussions about life and death and what happens after death, and the meaning of life, and where we were going to be in the future. Now I wonder what kind of man he would be if he were still alive today.

I literally spoke to him days before he passed away. At his funeral, I was in shock and it was just so surreal to see him there. His family was devastated. This is the closest person to me that I have ever lost to death. I could not even comprehend what was happening at first. This also showed me how rare and meaningful true friends are, as there were people he hung out with at that time just to gain their acceptance, and they did not even bother showing up to his funeral.

This really forced me to confront mortality and how fragile and ephemeral human life really is. It also made me more aware of how futile many of our daily worries and troubles really are, and how they simply mean nothing in the big scheme of things. I also learned to be more compassionate and less judgmental, everybody is simply struggling through life and you have no idea what they have been through or what they are going through. I had no idea he was suffering to this extent, he was always good at putting on a tough exterior, plus we had been drifting apart around that time so I did not see him as often, otherwise I think I could have picked up on this.

The experience really made me wish I had reached out to him when he was in need, and gave me a yearning to help others who are in need as well. Suffering exists in all forms, and is not simply physical or psychological. Many people suffer quietly while those around them are unaware.






Sorry if that sounded flowery, I am writing freely because I know that I am anonymous on here. The way I write here is also the way I talk in real life too.

Thoughts? Can I write about any of these? If so, how would I even go about that? These topics seem too delicate and some of these events happening to a person can give a false pre-conceived notion of the individual if somebody were to read about it in a personal statement (Ex. Trouble with the law, even in the past, means an overall aggressive person).

Thanks for reading.

I would discourage you from writing about any of these unless they are directly tied to your reason for wanting to become a physician or serve as evidence as to why you would be fabulous physician. After all, why would I admit you to medical school based on any of the above? Having a pitiful life thus far, unfortunately, does not qualify you to be a doctor, and there are many people with experiences similar to yours who would be absolutely terrible physicians because of the damage and maladaptations from such experiences in formative years. Unless you do something to demonstrate that you are someone who has grown rather than been broken by these experiences, if you mention them, I think there is also a burden to prove that you have coped/developed well. If someone discloses to me that he was beaten badly in a PS or interview and it seems inappropriate to the context, I'm going to question his ability to identify when he should/shouldn't over-share with patients or colleagues. If an applicant reveals that years of abuse led to misbehavior and conflicts with the law, I'm going to wonder how that person will react to a harsh, critical attending or reprimand for a mistake. Etc. Furthermore, older individuals in this field will have a lower threshold than peers from your generation to feel like some of these topics are inappropriate.

Also, when you start bringing up anything that can be construed as a sob story, never forget that there is a surplus of amazing people in medicine -- there will always be someone with a worse story than yours, and many of them have gotten to where they were without disclosing it along the way and without run-ins with the law -- imagine one of those people is sitting on the adcom. How would he/she view your disclosures? Unnecessary? Excuses? And why would that individual forgive your bad actions if he/she never made such mistakes?

 

[HinduHammer]

I would not include the suicide of the friend or the trouble with the law in the PS, and would first and foremost answer gyngyn's point why you should be given an interview for medical school. However, having had to find resilience in my own way, I personally believe resilience is a strong selling point. I am, of course, biased in that regard. I do wish you the best of luck and commend you on making positive changes in your life.

 

[StayCoolIceCube]

I would discourage you from writing about any of these unless they are directly tied to your reason for wanting to become a physician or serve as evidence as to why you would be fabulous physician. After all, why would I admit you to medical school based on any of the above? Having a pitiful life thus far, unfortunately, does not qualify you to be a doctor, and there are many people with experiences similar to yours who would be absolutely terrible physicians because of the damage and maladaptations from such experiences in formative years. Unless you do something to demonstrate that you are someone who has grown rather than been broken by these experiences, if you mention them, I think there is also a burden to prove that you have coped/developed well. If someone discloses to me that he was beaten badly in a PS or interview and it seems inappropriate to the context, I'm going to question his ability to identify when he should/shouldn't over-share with patients or colleagues. If an applicant reveals that years of abuse led to misbehavior and conflicts with the law, I'm going to wonder how that person will react to a harsh, critical attending or reprimand for a mistake. Etc. Furthermore, older individuals in this field will have a lower threshold than peers from your generation to feel like some of these topics are inappropriate.

Also, when you start bringing up anything that can be construed as a sob story, never forget that there is a surplus of amazing people in medicine -- there will always be someone with a worse story than yours, and many of them have gotten to where they were without disclosing it along the way and without run-ins with the law -- imagine one of those people is sitting on the adcom. How would he/she view your disclosures? Unnecessary? Excuses? And why would that individual forgive your bad actions if he/she never made such mistakes?

I hope OP does not take this too harshly. This was blunt but nevertheless very good advice.

This book was extremely helpful to me during the brainstorming process:
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-That-Will-Medical-School/dp/1438002742
Most of the sample essays were unimpressive except for maybe 3 or 4 of them, but the book has some solid tips!
e.g. Don't use a "sob story" as the premise for your PS because admissions officers know when they are being emotionally manipulated, and they hate it.

 

[onceawolverine]

I did a search on this and the threads related to this question are pertaining to specific situations... So, I am a 25 year old male finishing up his undergraduate degree right now. I really hope medical schools do not read this and connect this thread with my application, but I doubt that will happen, because I am nothing special lol. Plus that would take a lot of time.

Anyways, I am writing my personal statement and I was wondering what is too personal for one? It seems ironic, but almost every major obstacle I have overcome in my life is not really mentionable in a personal statement, at least I don't think it is. I am also not sure how to relate them to medicine, but I will try to outline how it helped me grow as a person. Here are some true examples. Note: A lot of these issues seem to be an extension of the first one that I am about to list.



1. A very abusive childhood. I was literally beaten several times a week (by a biological parent), and I had a knife held to my throat and somebody (an adult) threatening to kill me before I was even 10 years old. This happened over many years. This is relevant because I learned how to forgive, although it took a long time and a lot of introspection. It also helped me see the causality of things in life. This person was abused as a child as well (I think worse than I was), so it simply carried on to me. I also promised to myself that I would break this cycle and never abuse my children, if I ever have any. This did however, make me afraid to have children in the future, I am scared that I will abuse them too, and I do not want anybody to go through anything remotely similar to what I went through.

2. Battling depression and social anxiety. These issues probably stem from the previous issue. I really have thought about committing suicide so many times in my life, things just seem to get so down and pointless. But I really struggled through it and I feel that I am much happier now, and have become much more resilient after hitting such lows in life. This was an incredibly difficult thing to overcome.

I have also picked up jobs just for the sake of socializing and overcoming my anxiety, which I believe I have done. Jobs such as working at a crowded retail store at a popular mall on the weekends where I have to greet and talk to strangers all day long. I did not need the money, this was simply a self-improvement goal. I joined toastmasters for a year and gave about 10 public speeches in order to work on this as well, and I did this to get over my fear of public speaking too.

3. Trouble with the law and behavioral problems. I used to be a big trouble maker when I was younger and I have been arrested several times. I think this issue largely stems from having an abusive childhood with a parental role occupied by an easily angered individual. My record is clean, which is why I do not want to mention this. This was an issue that I believe helped me grow as a person. I made a lot of mistakes earlier on that I will never make again. I also had to overcome some issues with anger, which took a while. I used to get into a lot of fights in high school. I have not been in a physical altercation or been arrested since I was 18, so that is 7 years.

This was also beneficial because I was exposed to a wide range of people and experiences around this time period, from drug addicts to felons, and I made friends with some of these people as well. I saw a different side of life from a first hand perspective that many people only get a glimpse of from a distance.

4. Academic struggles. I used to do much worse in school and I was held back a year in high school, for not caring about school and skipping classes and failing most of my classes. I did get my diploma though, after some time. My high school counselor actually told me to drop out and said that I was unable to get my high school diploma. That was harsh, and I ended up getting my diploma a few months after that. My GPA in high school was around a 2.0, literally. My GPA now is about a 3.4, so that is a major improvement when contrasting the two situations. I have improved greatly since then, and I still have much room left for improvement.

5. My best friend committed suicide several years ago. This was one of the hardest experiences of my life to go through. I did not even believe it when I first heard the news. I did not have many friends in high school and I used to eat alone for the first few months, and this was one of my first friends in high school. We hung out a lot and have had philosophical discussions about life and death and what happens after death, and the meaning of life, and where we were going to be in the future. Now I wonder what kind of man he would be if he were still alive today.

I literally spoke to him days before he passed away. At his funeral, I was in shock and it was just so surreal to see him there. His family was devastated. This is the closest person to me that I have ever lost to death. I could not even comprehend what was happening at first. This also showed me how rare and meaningful true friends are, as there were people he hung out with at that time just to gain their acceptance, and they did not even bother showing up to his funeral.

This really forced me to confront mortality and how fragile and ephemeral human life really is. It also made me more aware of how futile many of our daily worries and troubles really are, and how they simply mean nothing in the big scheme of things. I also learned to be more compassionate and less judgmental, everybody is simply struggling through life and you have no idea what they have been through or what they are going through. I had no idea he was suffering to this extent, he was always good at putting on a tough exterior, plus we had been drifting apart around that time so I did not see him as often, otherwise I think I could have picked up on this.

The experience really made me wish I had reached out to him when he was in need, and gave me a yearning to help others who are in need as well. Suffering exists in all forms, and is not simply physical or psychological. Many people suffer quietly while those around them are unaware.






Sorry if that sounded flowery, I am writing freely because I know that I am anonymous on here. The way I write here is also the way I talk in real life too.

Thoughts? Can I write about any of these? If so, how would I even go about that? These topics seem too delicate and some of these events happening to a person can give a false pre-conceived notion of the individual if somebody were to read about it in a personal statement (Ex. Trouble with the law, even in the past, means an overall aggressive person).

Thanks for reading.

I would discourage you from writing about any of these unless they are directly tied to your reason for wanting to become a physician or serve as evidence as to why you would be fabulous physician. After all, why would I admit you to medical school based on any of the above? Having a pitiful life thus far, unfortunately, does not qualify you to be a doctor, and there are many people with experiences similar to yours who would be absolutely terrible physicians because of the damage and maladaptations from such experiences in formative years. Unless you do something to demonstrate that you are someone who has grown rather than been broken by these experiences, if you mention them, I think there is also a burden to prove that you have coped/developed well. If someone discloses to me that he was beaten badly in a PS or interview and it seems inappropriate to the context, I'm going to question his ability to identify when he should/shouldn't over-share with patients or colleagues. If an applicant reveals that years of abuse led to misbehavior and conflicts with the law, I'm going to wonder how that person will react to a harsh, critical attending or reprimand for a mistake. Etc. Furthermore, older individuals in this field will have a lower threshold than peers from your generation to feel like some of these topics are inappropriate.

Also, when you start bringing up anything that can be construed as a sob story, never forget that there is a surplus of amazing people in medicine -- there will always be someone with a worse story than yours, and many of them have gotten to where they were without disclosing it along the way and without run-ins with the law -- imagine one of those people is sitting on the adcom. How would he/she view your disclosures? Unnecessary? Excuses? And why would that individual forgive your bad actions if he/she never made such mistakes?

Candid but, IMHO, great advice. I too could have written about many (though not all) of the issues you stated above. After some consultation with friends and family, however, I decided against mentioning any of it. Instead, I thought about how these experiences have provided me with a very strong set of values that I cling too, all of which relate to medicine in some (if occasionally tangential) way. My PS was about me and medicine, not me and middle/early high school. I really think I made the right decision.

Think about your values, most of which will likely derive from your history, and how they apply to medicine. Then write your PS with the goal of convincing a senior, skeptical admissions committee that you will make a fantastic physician.

 

[Baron Samedi]

Personal statements aren't meant to be resumes of all the bad **** that's happened to you in life. They're meant to give you an opportunity to tell a compelling story about yourself and help the reader understand what got you to this point. Good personal statements have themes....pick a good one and pick a few(2-3) instances in your life that help show that theme.

 

[Susanoo]

Remember, at the end of the day, the point of the PS is to convey 'why medicine?'
You can bring any of these things up as long as you tie them to that. Thus far, you don't seem to have done so. That is far more of an issue than the subjects that you actually cover.
And always keep in mind - anything in the app is fair game for the interview. If you can't talk about it calmly, you should not include it.

True.

Tell us why we should interview you for medical school.

Gotcha.

I think any mention of trouble with the law will seriously count against you, maybe even rule you out. I wouldn't mention it.

You gotta realize that you want to make yourself look good, not look bad. It's such a competitive process as it is even if you play your cards perfectly. You're not playing your cards right at the moment.

Agreed.

If the question asks for charges, arrests and convictions, you should still include them. If they only ask for convictions, then you do not have to report.

Thanks for pointing this out, I have been answering honestly and will continue to do so, I do not believe I have been asked about charges yet.

I would discourage you from writing about any of these unless they are directly tied to your reason for wanting to become a physician or serve as evidence as to why you would be fabulous physician. After all, why would I admit you to medical school based on any of the above? Having a pitiful life thus far, unfortunately, does not qualify you to be a doctor, and there are many people with experiences similar to yours who would be absolutely terrible physicians because of the damage and maladaptations from such experiences in formative years. Unless you do something to demonstrate that you are someone who has grown rather than been broken by these experiences, if you mention them, I think there is also a burden to prove that you have coped/developed well. If someone discloses to me that he was beaten badly in a PS or interview and it seems inappropriate to the context, I'm going to question his ability to identify when he should/shouldn't over-share with patients or colleagues. If an applicant reveals that years of abuse led to misbehavior and conflicts with the law, I'm going to wonder how that person will react to a harsh, critical attending or reprimand for a mistake. Etc. Furthermore, older individuals in this field will have a lower threshold than peers from your generation to feel like some of these topics are inappropriate.

Also, when you start bringing up anything that can be construed as a sob story, never forget that there is a surplus of amazing people in medicine -- there will always be someone with a worse story than yours, and many of them have gotten to where they were without disclosing it along the way and without run-ins with the law -- imagine one of those people is sitting on the adcom. How would he/she view your disclosures? Unnecessary? Excuses? And why would that individual forgive your bad actions if he/she never made such mistakes?

Thanks for the honesty. I agree with everything you said.

I would not include the suicide of the friend or the trouble with the law in the PS, and would first and foremost answer gyngyn's point why you should be given an interview for medical school. However, having had to find resilience in my own way, I personally believe resilience is a strong selling point. I am, of course, biased in that regard. I do wish you the best of luck and commend you on making positive changes in your life.

I agree. Resilience is a useful selling point but with these specific incidents it will be difficult to show resilience when there is a delicate balance between showing resilience and being interpreted as somebody who was broken by these events and damaged. On paper, I probably sound like a wreck. In person, people would probably not even believe these things about me.

I hope OP does not take this too harshly. This was blunt but nevertheless very good advice.

This book was extremely helpful to me during the brainstorming process:
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-That-Will-Medical-School/dp/1438002742
Most of the sample essays were unimpressive except for maybe 3 or 4 of them, but the book has some solid tips!
e.g. Don't use a "sob story" as the premise for your PS because admissions officers know when they are being emotionally manipulated, and they hate it.

Not taken harshly at all. Also, I wasn't intending to write a sob story, but I can see now how any of these events would simply be construed as such. I was trying to convey enduring through difficulties, but it doesn't appear likely with these incidents.

Candid but, IMHO, great advice. I too could have written about many (though not all) of the issues you stated above. After some consultation with friends and family, however, I decided against mentioning any of it. Instead, I thought about how these experiences have provided me with a very strong set of values that I cling too, all of which relate to medicine in some (if occasionally tangential) way. My PS was about me and medicine, not me and middle/early high school. I really think I made the right decision.

Think about your values, most of which will likely derive from your history, and how they apply to medicine. Then write your PS with the goal of convincing a senior, skeptical admissions committee that you will make a fantastic physician.

Thanks, I will. Don't personal statements need to be mainly about experiences that you have had though? I have beliefs and personality traits that I believe would make me more qualified to go to medical school, but these beliefs and traits do not necessary correlate with any specific incidents or experiences.

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

i'd personally be worried if i read any of that in a PS. empathetic sure, but I don't want a potential train wreck of a student in my class.

 

[ShadyLane]

This isn't my opinion but rather advice from a physician who spoke at a panel I attended: one lady from Harvard Med who has served on the admissions committee said that she'd rather read a boring personal statement than one containing red flags, those red flags being struggles that suggest you have been emotionally/mentally unstable in the past. I was pretty shocked when I heard this, since I thought honesty might be appreciated in a personal statement, but I can see why med schools wouldn't want to take someone who will potentially struggle with recurring problems in med school.

The academic struggles topic might be more okay to talk about, but I'm not sure.

 

[NickNaylor]

No, the personal statement is not about "what you've been through." The personal statement is about making your case for 1) why you want to be a physician and 2) how you came to that conclusion. It's not to talk about why you're a special snowflake. It's not to talk about your "disadvantaged" upbringing. It's not to talk about how you're going to save the world.

Yes, this will likely result in a boring and formulaic PS. That's not the end of the world. As long as it's sincere and truthful, then that's the best you can hope for. Very few people will write a truly extraordinary PS. You probably won't be one of them. Don't make that your goal.

 

[mfcjdwoyah]

I think any mention of trouble with the law will seriously count against you, maybe even rule you out.

 

[Susanoo]

i'd personally be worried if i read any of that in a PS. empathetic sure, but I don't want a potential train wreck of a student in my class.

Agreed. Even though I am not a "train wreck of a student", writing about these delicate topics can only strongly imply such a conclusion.

This isn't my opinion but rather advice from a physician who spoke at a panel I attended: one lady from Harvard Med who has served on the admissions committee said that she'd rather read a boring personal statement than one containing red flags, those red flags being struggles that suggest you have been emotionally/mentally unstable in the past. I was pretty shocked when I heard this, since I thought honesty might be appreciated in a personal statement, but I can see why med schools wouldn't want to take someone who will potentially struggle with recurring problems in med school.

The academic struggles topic might be more okay to talk about, but I'm not sure.

Makes sense. I would have thought the opposite, but I understand where she is coming from. You're really taking a gamble with any student who has any red flags, why take that gamble at all?

No, the personal statement is not about "what you've been through." The personal statement is about making your case for 1) why you want to be a physician and 2) how you came to that conclusion. It's not to talk about why you're a special snowflake. It's not to talk about your "disadvantaged" upbringing. It's not to talk about how you're going to save the world.

Yes, this will likely result in a boring and formulaic PS. That's not the end of the world. As long as it's sincere and truthful, then that's the best you can hope for. Very few people will write a truly extraordinary PS. You probably won't be one of them. Don't make that your goal.

Gotcha. Love how straight forward and to the point you were. I appreciate the honesty and not sugar coating things, that's why I'm here, to get realistic perspectives on things.

I think any mention of trouble with the law will seriously count against you, maybe even rule you out.

Agreed. There seems to be no real way to spin that in a positive manner worth trying.



Thanks again everyone, I think I have a better idea of what to write about now. It will probably not be magnificent, but it should be sufficient in catching somebody's attention. My stats are relatively low anyways so it doesn't really matter what I write anyways.

 

[Silverflash]

I'll add one thing: many schools have secondaries that ask about hardship. I think it would be fine to talk about your childhood struggles (sans law run-ins) or your friend's suicide in such an essay.

 

[mehc012]

Thanks again everyone, I think I have a better idea of what to write about now. It will probably not be magnificent, but it should be sufficient in catching somebody's attention. My stats are relatively low anyways so it doesn't really matter what I write anyways.

I think you mean 'so it matters more what I write'.

 

[LizzyM]

Anyways, I am writing my personal statement and I was wondering what is too personal for one? It seems ironic, but almost every major obstacle I have overcome in my life is not really mentionable in a personal statement, at least I don't think it is. I am also not sure how to relate them to medicine, but I will try to outline how it helped me grow as a person. Here are some true examples. Note: A lot of these issues seem to be an extension of the first one that I am about to list.

Why are you writing a personal statement in October?? Are you applying in Spring/Summer 2015 and getting ahead of the game? If that's the case, carry on and good luck to you.

I hope you are not applying this month to start school in 2015. If you are planning to start med school in 2015 you are way behind schedule and should strongly reconsider whether applying in this cycle is a good use of your time and money.

 

[sat0ri]

So, not for the personal statement, but what about the secondaries that are sure to ask about adversity and diversity?

 

[Hermione L Knope MD. Ph.D]

So I know the general consensus is to not write about such things, but I personally wrote about issues pertaining to abuse and depression in my PS. The reason is it was what inspired me to pursue medicine and I'd be lying if I said anything else. Although I haven't been accepted, I don't think it has been held against me at (most) places. In fact, I contribute many of my interview invitations to talking about it because I'm definitely not that stellar of an applicant stats wise.

EDIT: I think it all depends on exactly how you talk about it, which is hard to do in such a way that conveys strength rather than "train wreck" If anyone is interested in reading my PS, pm me I suppose, as long as you aren't going to try to copy it exactly lol.

 

[mehc012]

So I know the general consensus is to not write about such things, but I personally wrote about issues pertaining to abuse and depression in my PS. Although I haven't been accepted yet, I don't think it has been held against me at (most) places. In fact, I contribute many of my interview invitations to talking about it because I'm definitely not that stellar of an applicant stats wise.

EDIT: I think it all depends on exactly how you talk about it, which is hard to do in such a way that conveys strength rather than "train wreck" If anyone is interested in reading my PS, pm me I suppose, as long as you aren't going to try to copy it exactly lol.

It absolutely matters how you talk about it...the issue here is that in the glimpse we're given, the subjects aren't being tied at all to medicine, so it's just a stand-alone sob story.

These, like so many of the other subjects labelled 'risky' to put in a PS, are labelled so because they have to be done well or they could hurt you. The standard, boring, normal PS subjects won't help you if done poorly, but they won't bomb you. Subjects like this, while they can be done well, can also hurt you if done poorly, which is what makes them risky.
That being said, props to you for pulling them off. I hope OP is able to do so as well, but it is really hard to assume they will be, as most people have a poor perspective on their essays. Ask all the premeds you know how they'd rate their PS, and I would bet that far fewer than 50% of them would honestly rate theirs as 'below average'. Odds are, of course, that many of them actually are.

 

[NickNaylor]

So I know the general consensus is to not write about such things, but I personally wrote about issues pertaining to abuse and depression in my PS. The reason is it was what inspired me to pursue medicine and I'd be lying if I said anything else. Although I haven't been accepted, I don't think it has been held against me at (most) places. In fact, I contribute many of my interview invitations to talking about it because I'm definitely not that stellar of an applicant stats wise.

EDIT: I think it all depends on exactly how you talk about it, which is hard to do in such a way that conveys strength rather than "train wreck" If anyone is interested in reading my PS, pm me I suppose, as long as you aren't going to try to copy it exactly lol.

This has been mentioned before on this board, but the problem is that the advice given here should be general. It's good that you had a positive experience, but you need to remember that you're by far in the minority in this regard. How do I know? I've read what amounts to probably a couple of hundred of PSs and have seen a pretty wide gamut of what people throw on the page. I've seen what works well and what doesn't. As a general rule, our generation is absolutely terrible at writing, and to make things worse people tend to overestimate their skills tremendously. Thus, I can't in good faith tell random people on the internet - who, not knowing any better, may very well take whatever they read here as gospel - that they should do something when the probability of success is low.

Again, the point is not to say that this stuff shouldn't under any circumstances be discussed. The point is that you should really, really consider whether it's appropriate and pertinent to what should be said, and if you do decide to discuss these things, make sure that your PS is looked over by people that know what a PS should and shouldn't be.

 

[Hermione L Knope MD. Ph.D]

This has been mentioned before on this board, but the problem is that the advice given here should be general. It's good that you had a positive experience, but you need to remember that you're by far in the minority in this regard. How do I know? I've read what amounts to probably a couple of hundred of PSs and have seen a pretty wide gamut of what people throw on the page. I've seen what works well and what doesn't. As a general rule, our generation is absolutely terrible at writing, and to make things worse people tend to overestimate their skills tremendously. Thus, I can't in good faith tell random people on the internet - who, not knowing any better, may very well take whatever they read here as gospel - that they should do something when the probability of success is low.

Again, the point is not to say that this stuff shouldn't under any circumstances be discussed. The point is that you should really, really consider whether it's appropriate and pertinent to what should be said, and if you do decide to discuss these things, make sure that your PS is looked over by people that know what a PS should and shouldn't be.

Totally understandable to keep things general, but that is why I offered to let future applicants facing this dilemma read my PS. Perhaps if they are able to see how to turn it into a positive, it will help their application.

 

[luvtoski]

I am not an ad com, merely a lowly pre-med who is currently interviewing. I did actually speak about one the 5 issues you highlighted above and tied it into medicine highlighting (a) how my experiences would make me a more compassionate physician and bring an added dimension to their school of medicine & (b) how I persisted despite odds and how that perseverance will serve me well as I run the somewhat grueling gauntlet of med school, internships and residency. I have 10 interviews so far, so I don't think it hurt me. I ran it by someone who was recently an adcom before retirement and was told that it was a positive thing to discuss in the manner in which I presented it.

Your story is very compelling and you are to be commended that you overcame great obstacles and are on target to achieve great things in your life. I think that subjects 1, 2 or 5 (don't do all, pick one) are all something that you can discuss and tie into why you want to be a physician and how it has impacted the type of physician you will become. I also would not be too graphic or dwell on these adverse topics to the point that a red flag pops up. Don't make the stresses in your life the center of your essay, make it a jumping off point to the rest of the essay. I think that most essay readers want to be grabbed in the first few minutes of the essay with something that holds their attention. You have that in your life story. Now go and figure out how you can tie it into something that will make the adcom understand why your life story compelled you to choose medicine as a career. Then run it by your pre-health advisor and several other knowledgable people & get their opinions. Again, no one else seems to agree with me, other than MSTP hopeful 2015, so I may be wrong. You might opt instead to use your experiences in the secondary essay. Good Luck!!

 

[LizzyM]

I would also strongly recommend being somewhat vague about your relationship to the family member who abused you or not to list the names of your parents on your application (it is optional). I did not think highly of an applicant some years ago who stated that his father abused his mother and sibling and then named his father and mother on the application (the father was a professional and the mother was a person in a high profile job!!). This just seemed to be indicative of a lack of discretion to "out" one's parent by name in an application, particularly when it was likely that people who knew the parents would be reading the application.

Be respectful of people, even those who don't seem to be deserving of much respect; as a physician you will be expected to protect the privacy of even vile criminals in some circumstances.

 

[gyngyn]

I would also strongly recommend being somewhat vague about your relationship to the family member who abused you or not to list the names of your parents on your application (it is optional). I did not think highly of an applicant some years ago who stated that his father abused his mother and sibling and then named his father and mother on the application (the father was a professional and the mother was a person in a high profile job!!). This just seemed to be indicative of a lack of discretion to "out" one's parent by name in an application, particularly when it was likely that people who knew the parents would be reading the application.

Be respectful of people, even those who don't seem to be deserving of much respect; as a physician you will be expected to protect the privacy of even vile criminals in some circumstances.

We had a child of a faculty member vilify him in the application only to have that parent demand an interview for the child. Awkward.

 

[Susanoo]

I think you mean 'so it matters more what I write'.

I suppose that counts too. What I was specifying was that my stats are bad so my chances of acceptances are already know, thus, regardless of what I write, I will probably not get accepted anywhere.

Why are you writing a personal statement in October?? Are you applying in Spring/Summer 2015 and getting ahead of the game? If that's the case, carry on and good luck to you.

I hope you are not applying this month to start school in 2015. If you are planning to start med school in 2015 you are way behind schedule and should strongly reconsider whether applying in this cycle is a good use of your time and money.

I am doing the former that you listed. I literally have no constructive contingency plan for not at least trying to apply this cycle. I am either going to apply late this cycle or not, but either way, I will apply to SMP programs mostly, as that is my main goal right now. I do not expect any acceptances anyways, so I am sort of just going through the motion just to know that I left no stones unturned in this regard. Whatever the case is though, I am not taking a year off to do nothing. I graduate this coming summer, so I plan on starting an SMP in the fall or (less likely) medical school in the fall.

Regarding SMP performance, I think I can do well in one, and it would prepare me for medical school as well as expose me towards what it would be really like, since most of them have classes with their actual medical schools, and sometimes you're graded on the same curve as their med students. Likewise, I understand poor performance wrecks my chances of getting into medicine after wards. However, if I do poorly in an SMP, and I believe this applies to everyone, then why should I pursue medicine anyways?

Doesn't poor performance in an SMP basically guarantee that you would have done poorly in medical school as well? At least under the same circumstances. If I do the SMP and bomb it while trying my best, then I will know that it is not the field for me, regardless of how much I want to do it. Some people simply do not have the predisposition towards the topics covered in medicine, such as the ability to rote memorize massive amounts of information and sustained mental focus for long periods of time.

Notably, I still have 3 semesters (this semester, spring, and summer) to improve my study habits, and so far it is working. I am improving literally each summer. I just received a 4.0 this summer while taking a full load of classes and studying for the MCAT. I know this is nothing special, as my classes were not difficult, and I only scored a 28, but in contrast to how I performed in the past, this is a major improvement. ALso, I know many people have much more rigorous schedules than the one I outlined, such as having a family, working, research, volunteering, shadowing, studying for the MCAT, and classes, so I know what I did was nothing significant in an objective sense. Just a good barometer of how I've improved and how I think I can start getting 4.0's in hard science courses for the remainder of my degree. If that is the case, I think my GPA could be raised from a 3.4 to a 3.6 (ideally, I'm estimating completely, so I could be entirely off), and my science GPA could be raised from a 2.8 to a 3.0 (again, random estimation).

It absolutely matters how you talk about it...the issue here is that in the glimpse we're given, the subjects aren't being tied at all to medicine, so it's just a stand-alone sob story.

These, like so many of the other subjects labelled 'risky' to put in a PS, are labelled so because they have to be done well or they could hurt you. The standard, boring, normal PS subjects won't help you if done poorly, but they won't bomb you. Subjects like this, while they can be done well, can also hurt you if done poorly, which is what makes them risky.
That being said, props to you for pulling them off. I hope OP is able to do so as well, but it is really hard to assume they will be, as most people have a poor perspective on their essays. Ask all the premeds you know how they'd rate their PS, and I would bet that far fewer than 50% of them would honestly rate theirs as 'below average'. Odds are, of course, that many of them actually are.

Agreed. Not sure how I could pull these issues off, there is a thin line when mentioning such topics.

I would also strongly recommend being somewhat vague about your relationship to the family member who abused you or not to list the names of your parents on your application (it is optional). I did not think highly of an applicant some years ago who stated that his father abused his mother and sibling and then named his father and mother on the application (the father was a professional and the mother was a person in a high profile job!!). This just seemed to be indicative of a lack of discretion to "out" one's parent by name in an application, particularly when it was likely that people who knew the parents would be reading the application.

Be respectful of people, even those who don't seem to be deserving of much respect; as a physician you will be expected to protect the privacy of even vile criminals in some circumstances.

Agreed. I do not plan to specify who it was. Just like my original post on here, I did not specify who it was or what they specifically did, outside of one extreme example just to give an idea of what other incidents could have occurred.

 

[mehc012]

I suppose that counts too. What I was specifying was that my stats are bad so my chances of acceptances are already know, thus, regardless of what I write, I will probably not get accepted anywhere.

I am doing the former that you listed. I literally have no constructive contingency plan for not at least trying to apply this cycle. I am either going to apply late this cycle or not, but either way, I will apply to SMP programs mostly, as that is my main goal right now. I do not expect any acceptances anyways, so I am sort of just going through the motion just to know that I left no stones unturned in this regard. Whatever the case is though, I am not taking a year off to do nothing. I graduate this coming summer, so I plan on starting an SMP in the fall or (less likely) medical school in the fall.

Regarding SMP performance, I think I can do well in one, and it would prepare me for medical school as well as expose me towards what it would be really like, since most of them have classes with their actual medical schools, and sometimes you're graded on the same curve as their med students. Likewise, I understand poor performance wrecks my chances of getting into medicine after wards. However, if I do poorly in an SMP, and I believe this applies to everyone, then why should I pursue medicine anyways?

Doesn't poor performance in an SMP basically guarantee that you would have done poorly in medical school as well? At least under the same circumstances. If I do the SMP and bomb it while trying my best, then I will know that it is not the field for me, regardless of how much I want to do it. Some people simply do not have the predisposition towards the topics covered in medicine, such as the ability to rote memorize massive amounts of information and sustained mental focus for long periods of time.

Notably, I still have 3 semesters (this semester, spring, and summer) to improve my study habits, and so far it is working. I am improving literally each summer. I just received a 4.0 this summer while taking a full load of classes and studying for the MCAT. I know this is nothing special, as my classes were not difficult, and I only scored a 28, but in contrast to how I performed in the past, this is a major improvement. ALso, I know many people have much more rigorous schedules than the one I outlined, such as having a family, working, research, volunteering, shadowing, studying for the MCAT, and classes, so I know what I did was nothing significant in an objective sense. Just a good barometer of how I've improved and how I think I can start getting 4.0's in hard science courses for the remainder of my degree. If that is the case, I think my GPA could be raised from a 3.4 to a 3.6 (ideally, I'm estimating completely, so I could be entirely off), and my science GPA could be raised from a 2.8 to a 3.0 (again, random estimation).

Agreed. Not sure how I could pull these issues off, there is a thin line when mentioning such topics.

Agreed. I do not plan to specify who it was. Just like my original post on here, I did not specify who it was or what they specifically did, outside of one extreme example just to give an idea of what other incidents could have occurred.

If you want to apply to SMPs first, now is the time to start looking into that...they pretty much set up their app schedule so that you can apply at the very end of the MD cycle when you realize you're not getting in. Alternatively, if you want to apply MD first, go ahead and do that next year, but focus all of your energies on that, because the SMP part can come later. I applaud your attitude towards SMP performance, though...not asserting that you will do well, and accepting what it means if you do not.

It's also important to be aware that 3.4 to 3.6 is a very generous estimate. If you pull a 3.9 for the rest of your credits, that would get you to a 3.6 only if you take as many credits in the next few semesters as you have taken total to date (average of 3.4 and 3.9 is 3.6). You are more than halfway done with college, so odds are you will have trouble hitting that goal. You may be able to make more progress on your sGPA, depending on how many credits of BCPM courses you have take/plan to take.
That being said, 3.4-3.5 is not an app-killing GPA range if you do well on the MCAT and have good ECs, LORs, and a compelling story. So for now, focus on those aspects, and on acing as many science courses as possible in the next 3 semesters. Maybe take a 1yr gap year and take postbacc courses on your own (cheaper and less all-or-nothing than an SMP).

 

[HinduHammer]

We had a child of a faculty member vilify him in the application only to have that parent demand an interview for the child. Awkward.

That is...hilarious. I assume he was not given an interview, but was the faculty member ever given a reason as to why?

 

[gyngyn]

That is...hilarious. I assume he was not given an interview, but was the faculty member ever given a reason as to why?

It got complicated. The student had low stats for our school but the faculty member went to the dean demanding "justice." The kid eventually got in somewhere else, but not until after the "courtesy interview" where everyone got to read about the faculty member's alleged misdeeds.