Contractions in Personal Statement

I think contractions are fine -- in fact, I think the writing in a lot of personal statements is too formal and stiff. (I'm an editor in my current job, so I spend a lot of time evaluating writing.) If your writing is clean and easy to read, I think you'll be in good shape.

MedStudentWanna said:

Heard these were a no-no. Any thoughts? My character count right now is at 5343 which I still have to cut down by 43. If I take out the contractions, it'll be more.

Click to expand...

What I had to do was take another look at my PS and decide if I really wanted them to know about certain activities. I think in the end, you get more points for quality of writing instead of quantity of activities. Contractions will just make you seem like an amateurish writer, if not lazy. Not worth it.

Contractions are unacceptable in formal writing. You could get lucky and have committee members who don't care, but it is a roll of the dice.

Contractions are unacceptable in your PS and in any other formal writing. You'll be much better off editing a couple of sentences.

On another note, the previous poster is correct. I removed my double spaces in between sentences in favor of single spacing, and it helped.

Double spacing is antiquated and is not formally required anymore. (Check with an English professor on any papers, though.)

By "contractions" are people talking about stuff like "won't" for " will not" or just what are you guys saying?

flip26 said:

By "contractions" are people talking about stuff like "won't" for " will not" or just what are you guys saying?

Click to expand...

Yes, as well as:
"I'm" for "I am"
"wasn't" for "was not"
"can't" for "can not"

Etc.

Is there really nothing you can reword to make your PS shorter?

I wouldn't switch to contractions. You can take out the double-spacing after periods, no one will notice.

MedStudentWanna said:

Can we get verification from an adcom -- REL or Lizzy are you out there? I'm applying to AACOMAS as well and their limit this year is 4500 characters. Do adcoms care about a few contractions (as long as the thing isn't littered with them?).

Click to expand...

They may or they may not, but it's not worth the risk. Shaving characters by changing your grammar is a bad idea. Everything should be written grammatically correctly and in the manner that makes it sound the best. If you need to cut space, cut down on content. Usually cutting out content will actually make your essay better.

Stay away from contractions. This isn't some casual conversation with a friend. It is a formal essay for an admissions committee.

The best thing you can do to shorten your essay is to see if you can make your essay more succinct and to-the point. Doing this generally makes your essay stronger compared to wordy, flowery filler prose.

F'real? I can't think of any instances where I've thought that someone's writing's less formal when they've used contractions. I think if it's a place where they're fitting, use them. Substance, ease of reading, and interest>>>>>>>>>>than being perfectly formal. Write like you would talk if you were having a conversation with someone who was important. This is just more typical pre-med neuroticism.


*edit: I admit that I had no desire to apply to a lot of the schools that I considered to be uptight, and might care about this kind of thing*

GreenTomato said:

I think contractions are fine -- in fact, I think the writing in a lot of personal statements is too formal and stiff. (I'm an editor in my current job, so I spend a lot of time evaluating writing.) If your writing is clean and easy to read, I think you'll be in good shape.

Click to expand...

I might be inclined to agree, but 1) I think your point is only valid for people who are very skilled writers -- not all applicants fall into this category, and 2) regardless of what "sounds better," there are certain expectations in place throughout the admissions process. Sort of like dating in the old days... it's a courtship, and the rules of decorum must be followed!

DoctorDreamer said:

Contractions are unacceptable in your PS and in any other formal writing. You'll be much better off editing a couple of sentences.

On another note, the previous poster is correct. I removed my double spaces in between sentences in favor of single spacing, and it helped.

Double spacing is antiquated and is not formally required anymore. (Check with an English professor on any papers, though.)

Click to expand...

yea, this is a tradition that has been carried over from the days of the typewriter. Actually, formal writing now calls for single spacing after the period, though people still seem hung up on hitting that space bar twice. However, this is a blessing in disguise. If you wana make it appear longer, go double. If shorter is your goal, go shorter.

Single spacing after periods is now the standard. That should shave quite a few characters.

Contractions may be appropriate within quoted segments. You won't get the punch you want if you type, "The frail lady cried, 'Help! I have fallen, and I cannot get up!'" Avoid contractions in your narrative.

HumidBeing said:

Single spacing after periods is now the standard. That should shave quite a few characters.

Contractions may be appropriate within quoted segments. You won't get the punch you want if you type, "The frail lady cried, 'Help! I have fallen, and I cannot get up!'" Avoid contractions in your narrative.

Click to expand...

haha very true

"To" has fewer characters than "too". Why don't you go ahead and make that change while you are adding the contractions?

Several people read my personal statement and not one of them said anything about contractions. Honestly, I think that without contractions, it just doesn't sound natural. This is a formal essay, but it isn't a technical writing seminar. You still have to sound natural.

Revilla said:

Several people read my personal statement and not one of them said anything about contractions. Honestly, I think that without contractions, it just doesn't sound natural. This is a formal essay, but it isn't a technical writing seminar. You still have to sound natural.

Click to expand...

Using formal style is a sign of respect. It's like wearing a suit and tie to your interview. You might not feel "natural" wearing it, but you know that it is a formal situation which requires formal dress.

You aren't shooting an email to a buddy. You are writing a professional essay to an admissions committee.

cpants said:

Using formal style is a sign of respect. It's like wearing a suit and tie to your interview. You might not feel "natural" wearing it, but you know that it is a formal situation which requires formal dress.

You aren't shooting an email to a buddy. You are writing a professional essay to an admissions committee.

Click to expand...

And would you refrain from using contractions in an interview because it's a formal interview and you want to show respect to the interviewer? I think we could both agree that would be silly. Use contractions where writing out the words seems awkward. Write well, and write stylistically, the people reading you app will appreciate it. Don't avoid a contraction just for the sake of avoiding contractions.

TheBlueBlazer said:

And would you refrain from using contractions in an interview because it's a formal interview and you want to show respect to the interviewer? I think we could both agree that would be silly. Use contractions where writing out the words seems awkward. Write well, and write stylistically, the people reading you app will appreciate it. Don't avoid a contraction just for the sake of avoiding contractions.

Click to expand...

Written language has different rules than spoken language. Obviously. However, yes, you should use formal language on your interview. For example, you shouldn't call your interviewer "dude". You shouldn't use the word "like" inappropriately. You shouldn't mix up "good" and "well". These are the little things that make you come off as an articulate person, just as proper use of contractions makes you come off as a good writer.

cpants said:

Using formal style is a sign of respect. It's like wearing a suit and tie to your interview. You might not feel "natural" wearing it, but you know that it is a formal situation which requires formal dress.

You aren't shooting an email to a buddy. You are writing a professional essay to an admissions committee.

Click to expand...

As a former journalist, I think that not using contractions is the sign of a stuffy writer. You're not writing a legal document. You're not filing a grant with the NIH. You're telling a medical school why you want to be a doctor. It's called a *personal* statement for a reason. They don't want an essay you'd write for Technical Writing 101. They want to get to know you.

By the way, to whomever suggested it, contractions aren't a form of poor grammar. They are standard, assuming you're not using text messaging abbreviations. It's expected and assumed that most people are going to write "it's" instead of "it is" and "can't" instead of "cannot."

cpants said:

Written language has different rules than spoken language. Obviously. However, yes, you should use formal language on your interview. For example, you shouldn't call your interviewer "dude". You shouldn't use the word "like" inappropriately. You shouldn't mix up "good" and "well". These are the little things that make you come off as an articulate person, just as proper use of contractions makes you come off as a good writer.

Click to expand...

There's a difference between colloquial, correct, and formal that I think you're missing. You should definitely avoid colloquial, and by all means be correct, but I don't think there is a need to be formal/technical. I didn't even think when writing my personal statement to avoid contractions, and at every interview I have been on, my interviewer has commented on how much they enjoyed reading it.

Eliminate passive voice constructions: rephrase "My interest in medicine was kindled by _____" to "________ kindled my interest in medicine" and you get rid of seven characters and a stronger sentence.

Here's a good (if longish) explanation with more examples:

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/passivevoice.html

cpants said:

Contractions are unacceptable in formal writing. You could get lucky and have committee members who don't care, but it is a roll of the dice.

Click to expand...

That was my first thought. Definitely do not use contractions.

From AMSA's pre-med guide:
"Do not use contractions."
http://www.amsa.org/premed/premedguide/pstatement.cfm

From Stanford's pre-med advising site:
"Avoid contractions"
http://www.stanford.edu/~siegelr/applyms.html

From KU's pre-med site:
"Avoid using contractions. The essay is a formal enough work that most writing guides suggest using full words rather than contractions (e.g., don't use "don't"). I have, however, seen a couple of essays in which the tone was so informal that contractions were a better fit."
http://www.medadvising.ku.edu/essaytips.shtml

From Missouri State's pre-med advising site:
"Watch for common writing mistakes. Use everyday vocabulary. Avoid using the word "I" except for emphasis. Make sure your verbs agree with your nouns. Avoid contractions. Do not leave too much space blank at the end."
http://www.missouristate.edu/bms/30559.htm

These are only from the first Google results page.

of course you're going to get those kinds of results on a search if there is any sort of debate because things will be skewed toward the negative- there aren't going to be any sites that say "go ahead and use contractions" so when you search, you're only going to find things that say to avoid them

I'm bowing out at this point and saying "agree to disagree" because we're never going to see eye-to-eye here. I think as long as you don't talk as if you're texting on a cell phone, you don't need to be so formal. This is the one place where you get to show off your personality before an interview, and you should write comfortably. If you can write well using contractions, I say go for it. I sure as hell know it's not going to make or break you.

I read this while in an English class and asked the prof. He strongly suggested against using contractions in the application because the adcoms are looking for reasons to exclude you, less formal writing style is an excuse to do so. Go with the herd as it were.

I was wondering what people were planning on doing as far as indentation for paragraphs. Does the text box allow for tab? If not, should I enter spaces to indent my paragraphs? What will you all do?

MedStudentWanna said:

I heard a while back that it's better to skip a line instead of indent. I don't know though.

Click to expand...

I didn't use contractions and I skipped a line between paragraphs. I got interviews at 9 out of 11 schools and had plenty of compliments on my PS.

I'm not saying I wouldn't have if I had used contractions and not skipped a line, but what I did clearly worked.

Use contractions where otherwise the flow of the essay would be stilted and awkward. As long as your essay isn't speckled with poor grammar and spelling errors and contains at least a tiny hint of professionalism, you'll be fine.

Frankly, I think ADCOMs get sick of reading the same stuffy essays about how one is dedicated to the medical field. I've read some grammatically perfect essays that were so bland and wooden that I hated the author with every fiber of my being by the end. People will say that their grammatically perfect essay on the skills and motivation they developed in biology lecture got them into medical school.... um, no. More than likely, the 34 MCAT was what got them to medical school. The fact that they could write out "I am a motivated individual" rather than "I are motivated" was just an added bonus.

On the other hand, a personal statement that is interesting and flavorful (but not offensive!) might make an ADCOM take an extra look at an average applicant.

LikeClockWork said:

Medical admissions committees always struck me as stuffy organizations in and of themselves...

Click to expand...

yep, i think medicine in general leans to the more conservative side. i don't think the "boomers" were taught that contractions are part of the culture and acceptable.

think about your target audience here; a committee made up mostly of middle aged conservative doctors/scientists. i think that would immediately clear up any ambiguity on the issue.

i'd like to add that grammatically correct does not equal stuffy necessarily.

I used contractions where it made things flow more smoothly, there might have been 3 or 4 in the PS in all. A residency adcom member had advised me to make it sound genuine and like me, he didn't care or notice if there was a contraction or two. Especially if it meant it sounded like me, and not like an old English man giving a speech. There are instances where not using the contractions would have ruined the tone of the sentence.

Anyways, that's the advice I got and followed, thought I'd share. I didn't do too shabby is this process either despite being complete late Sept, got offered interviews at 12/18 schools including a lot of top 20's, so contractions can't be that bad of a deal breaker.

Give me an example where using a contraction makes a sentence "flow" better. Give me an example where using proper English makes a sentence sound "stilted and awkward". What a load of crap. Writing out the words does not make you sound like "an old English man giving a speech".

There is no advantage to using contractions in your essay. It does not make it "flow" better. It does not help the adcom get to know you better. There is, however, a disadvantage to using contractions. If there is an old-timer or grammar-stickler on the adcom, it could make a difference in what he thinks of your essay. Why take the risk when there is no benefit?

cpants said:

Give me an example where using a contraction makes a sentence "flow" better. Give me an example where using proper English makes a sentence sound "stilted and awkward".

Click to expand...

In my PS -- which I won't post here -- I start by telling a very personal story that I think is emotional in a good way. My first line after the story is: "that's when I decided to start this incredible journey." I think it flows much, much better, given the context, than "that is when I decided..."

That's just an example. My PS is hardly formal because I didn't want it to be. I wanted them to get to know me and my reasons for entering medicine on a personal level so I didn't treat it as an essay. I treated it as a question that I was asked and am answering.

Revilla said:

In my PS -- which I won't post here -- I start by telling a very personal story that I think is emotional in a good way. My first line after the story is: "that's when I decided to start this incredible journey." I think it flows much, much better, given the context, than "that is when I decided..."

That's just an example. My PS is hardly formal because I didn't want it to be. I wanted them to get to know me and my reasons for entering medicine on a personal level so I didn't treat it as an essay. I treated it as a question that I was asked and am answering.

Click to expand...

Yes, but there are plenty of other ways to word that sentence that avoid contractions, e.g. "at that moment I decided to start this incredible journey."

It may not bother some people, and it may really tick others off. It just isn't worth the gamble. I can't believe people are still arguing about this.

MedStudentWanna said:

Honestly? I think Revilla's wording sounds much better. This is one of those times when not using the contraction sounds stuffy and impersonal and that wasn't what she's going for. And I highly doubt anyone's going to get "ticked off" about a contraction for crying out loud.

Click to expand...

I did that in 2 seconds, and the context is far more important anyway. There are ways to phrase everything that don't use contractions.

If you "highly doubt" that anyone's going to get ticked off, then why did you start this thread? Oh, I know why, you wanted lots of validation from complete strangers like me who may or may not be idiots. Sorry the majority of us aren't telling you what you want to hear.

If you want to sound professional, do NOT use contractions in your writing. Think of it as a journal article. Try to be on the safe side. Limit contractions to personal letters, self-help books, and paperbacks.

MedStudentWanna said:

Actually, I started it because I was asking about way more than just one contraction. My PS was full of them.

Click to expand...

Right, and you want people with unknown credentials telling you that it's OK to do something that you've heard - correctly - is incorrect. Great strategy.

But in Revilla's case, that one sentence doesn't work unless it's informal with a contraction.

Click to expand...

You have no idea whether or not it does, because the context, as I've already mentioned, is far more important than one or two words.

But thanks for your snippiness anyway.

Click to expand...

You should be thanking me and the several other people for saying "best to avoid it." But instead you made a thread with your mind already made up. Great use of bandwidth!

MedStudentWanna said:

Yes, thank you. Thank you truly for your condescending tone.

Click to expand...

The point is this: a lot of students come here looking for advice and suggestions from people who have been through the process. You started a thread asking for opinions and then tried - weakly - to repudiate those that implicated your personal statement. If you're going to waste our time with such a thread, you can expect the condescending tone.