Personal Statement Readers for Entering Class of 2013

I'd be happy to help out by being a reader. I can't really do much besides proof reading, but I'll be more than happy to give grammar and proof reading advice.

Is there a book that goes over what a good ps should look like, provides actual essays in whole etc?

I know there are probably a ton of books like this, but anything that SDNers have liked a lot?

Some people posted their personal statements on their MDApps profile. You should check out their profile first to see if it's worth paying for additional samples. NickNaylor's profile is very complete from what I remember.

Sign me up.

Engineering background. I'll give anyone a tough love, honest opinion with my own perspective. Grammatical fixes too. Just PM me.

thlaxer said:

Some people posted their personal statements on their MDApps profile. You should check out their profile first to see if it's worth paying for additional samples. NickNaylor's profile is very complete from what I remember.

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I hadn't thought of putting the whole personal statement on MDApps. Seems like it might be helpful for us non-trads though, so just uploaded mine a second ago.

http://mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=23645

My PS is awfully targeted... I wasn't seeking to become a generic doctor; I had a very specific goal in mind and figured schools would either love me or hate me. Ironically I got zero love from medical schools that specialize in creating my type of physician, but strong encouragement from a unique medical school that was amused by my attitude (even though they don't really have any programs to support my stated goals).

Anyway, my PS starts with a painful cliche opener but quickly transitions into an explanation of why medicine (i.e. why not some other mid-level field), how my decision was not a whim, and what my unusual experiences will bring to my eventual practice. My overall plan for my PS was to answer the question "why medicine" and nip annoying and doubtful interview questions in the bud.

I'm willing to be a reader. I helped several kids I know from school with theirs this past cycle and found it tremendously helpful to have multiple readers for mine as well. Let me know

I'm working on my PS right now so I would be both open to reading others as well as asking others to read mine. Also, I'm having trouble finding example PS's posted on SDN. Could someone point me in a direction?

I just finish working on my PS so i am happy to review personal statements

x

Slev said:

I also highly recommend every one who is going to be applying this coming cycle to watch the below videos from the University of Washington Dean of Admissions. I think they have wonderful advice about personal statements and filling in amcas activities. The "Exploring Medicine" video is most relevant for personal statement/activities.
http://uwmedicine.washington.edu/Ed...pplicants/Pages/AdvicefromAdmissionsDean.aspx

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Those videos are awesome. Pritzker also has similar podcasts on iTunes that I found very helpful.

Also congrats on your recent JHU acceptance

I don't mind reading and offering general feedback. Since I'm not entirely sure what most interests adcoms, I would instead be able to tell you if I feel it's well-written and if it reads like something I would remember by the end of a stack of apps.

I'm a non-trad post-bacc with a B.S. in Bio. Former high school science teacher and English tutor. Currently Kaplan Pre-College Instructor.

One caveat: I won't read until May, when I have already submitted my TMDSAS and am working on AMCAS. That way I won't be influenced by other personal statements and start second-guessing my own!

If you can wait until then, feel free to PM, and I'll be happy to help.

I thought I had a good personal statement my first application cycle until I visited this website to get some pointers in how to frame the story I was trying to tell about myself.
http://www.accepted.com/medical/sampleessays.aspx

I found the examples to be very helpful and I didn't just stop with my personal statement but also wrote most of my experiences in the same type of format.

I hadn't thought of putting the whole personal statement on MDApps. Seems like it might be helpful for us non-trads though, so just uploaded mine a second ago.

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Okay, went ahead and posted mine to my profile as well.

LingoLaine said:

Okay, went ahead and posted mine to my profile as well.

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Thanks, everyone! Very helpful to see more strong personal statements.

craftyconqueror said:

I don't mind reading and offering general feedback. Since I'm not entirely sure what most interests adcoms, I would instead be able to tell you if I feel it's well-written and if it reads like something I would remember by the end of a stack of apps.

I'm a non-trad post-bacc with a B.S. in Bio. Former high school science teacher and English tutor. Currently Kaplan Pre-College Instructor.

One caveat: I won't read until May, when I have already submitted my TMDSAS and am working on AMCAS. That way I won't be influenced by other personal statements and start second-guessing my own!

If you can wait until then, feel free to PM, and I'll be happy to help.

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Submitted my app this past week, so I am up for reading if anyone would like some feedback.

Nm

Bumping for current applicants who are looking for PS reading help, as I have gotten several PMs from random people who want someone to read their PS. Those of you who are willing to help can post your name and availability in this thread. Likewise, those who want help can request it here.

Please note that I am *not* signing up to be a PS reader. I'm happy to know that some of you have found my posts useful, but please respect my request that you not PM me for PS help. My adcom days are over, and residency keeps me more than busy enough to where I'm not looking for more work to do in my spare time. There are already multiple volunteers who have posted to this thread that they are available to help you.

I also want to request that those of you who applied in the previous cycle and are now accepted to medical school should please sign up to be readers. Especially if you had other people read your essay a year ago, it is only fair that you help the next guy or gal this year.

Best of luck to all of the current applicants.

Here are the official threads for this topic.

Pre-Allo: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=12587164
Pre-Osteo: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=914810

QofQuimica said:

Bumping for current applicants who are looking for PS reading help, as I have gotten several PMs from random people who want someone to read their PS. Those of you who are willing to help can post your name and availability in this thread. Likewise, those who want help can request it here.

Please note that I am *not* signing up to be a PS reader. I'm happy to know that some of you have found my posts useful, but please respect my request that you not PM me for PS help. My adcom days are over, and residency keeps me more than busy enough to where I'm not looking for more work to do in my spare time. There are already multiple volunteers who have posted to this thread that they are available to help you.

I also want to request that those of you who applied in the previous cycle and are now accepted to medical school should please sign up to be readers. Especially if you had other people read your essay a year ago, it is only fair that you help the next guy or gal this year.

Best of luck to all of the current applicants.

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Well. I think your posts are Amazing. And I'd like you to hear my spoken word recordings that they inspired.

The tape's in the mail. It's got all my favorite Cure tunes in the background. Make sure to write a full critique. Thanks. You're the best.

Alternatively, Q, instead of projecting constancy, responsibility, and authority. You could do what I do. Stomp on some toes, dip your privates in the bunch bowl, and grab a hand full of cheetos and shove them in your mouth while yelling imcomprehensibly as who you snatch the hosts lap dog and leave.

Then. No one puts you in charge much less writes you Dear Ms. Landers letters.

But, doubtless, my superb advice is wasted.

I have never liked writing but have always managed to be able to pull together a decent paper. However, I feel like writing the personal statement for AMCAS is going to make me grey before long. I have so much I want to say, advice I am trying to adhere to, and all of a sudden I feel like my abilities as a writer are leaving me. How to be concise, original, have a central theme and supporting details without going over the character space is really no simple task. I am an education major who realized more than half way through my degree that education was not my calling. I am finishing my education degree this fall along with my physical science minor which covered my prereqs for med school. I am nontraditional in the sense that I will be 28 when entering med school (provided a school offers me a spot this application cycle) and have a spouse and two children.

If anyone is willing to read my PS and provide some thoughts on it, let me know. I would truly appreciate some feedback and would send you what I have written.

addiekm07 said:

I have never liked writing but have always managed to be able to pull together a decent paper. However, I feel like writing the personal statement for AMCAS is going to make me grey before long. I have so much I want to say, advice I am trying to adhere to, and all of a sudden I feel like my abilities as a writer are leaving me. How to be concise, original, have a central theme and supporting details without going over the character space is really no simple task. I am an education major who realized more than half way through my degree that education was not my calling. I am finishing my education degree this fall along with my physical science minor which covered my prereqs for med school. I am nontraditional in the sense that I will be 28 when entering med school (provided a school offers me a spot this application cycle) and have a spouse and two children.

If anyone is willing to read my PS and provide some thoughts on it, let me know. I would truly appreciate some feedback and would send you what I have written.

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I;d be willing to read it. I'm a nontrad reapp. PM me if you want

I can volunteer to be PS reader for mostly content and flow- nontrad here.

oops.double post.

I'm willing to read/critique. Just PM me. Give me a couple days to respond though.

Editing to add that since I posted this in the non-trad forum, it implies that I am only interested in reading non-trad statements. If you're a traditional student then you have plenty of resources available to you at your university; use them.

I start school August 1st and won't be accepting any more statements at that point. If you want me to read it then you have to give me a couple days before that.

I'm looking for feedback and suggested cuts to get it down about 2,500 characters.

Non-trad applicant (obviously), with an entirely different first career. Post bacc done at a CC, MCAT of 30, current job in healthcare. Tons of ECs.

I'm a third year medical student that was a non traditional applicant with a 14 yr career in something different than healthcare. I will take a look at it if you want.

just one said:

I'm a third year medical student that was a non traditional applicant with a 14 yr career in something different than healthcare. I will take a look at it if you want.

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Would you be willing to take a look at a fellow Okie and OU hopeful's?

So I am trying to fine tune my personal statement before submitting, and I am really struggling with something I feel like I have to address but am not sure how to go about doing so.

I am currently 24 years old, and applying after working for a few years in behavioral health. I followed a premed curriculum in college for the first 5 semesters and was recognized for my academic efforts, before deciding that medicine was not right for me at the time. At that point I turned my focus to neuroscience, before determining that a future in neuroscience was NOT for me. However, as a side effect of this, I ended up getting a D in my neuroscience capstone course because I had zero motivation to continue the work for the class.

My personal statement is mainly concerned with my experiences in behavioral health and how they reinvigorated my passions for medicine. Still, I feel like I have to bring up the lackluster end to my college career, and explain why I turned away from the path of medicine once before, despite the fact I would have been a competitive applicant. Perhaps the fact my grade in the capstone was so bad is still weighing on me heavier than I like to admit, but I feel like if I don't at least mention this, it will look at least mildly suspicious.

How do you think I should go about mentioning this? Or is it more worthwhile to not mention it to have more space on my experiences in behavioral health (as well as shadowing, volunteering, etc)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I am willing to read, too. I am good with grammar and will evaluate content and flow. Your best bet is to PM me before Aug 3rd because I'll be starting OMS-II a few days later and I can't guarantee a prompt turnaround after school starts.

Edit: As of 8/06/2012 I am starting OMS-2. I can still read but can't guarantee a prompt turnaround. If you need something read really fast, as in within a few days, I may not be able to do it. It's ok to PM and ask, though!

Edit: As of 10/13/2012 I am having a crazy year and really busy. Sorry but I can't give appropriate focus to anyone's PS right now.

thanks for moving my thread here, I did not see this thread when in my searches.

I am wondering if anyone is available to take a look at my PS? I know that many people in the thread said they were willing to read earlier, but that was months ago and I didn't want to PM people out of the blue without checking here first.

Thanks!

I know its late, but I'm applying to post-bac schools. Anybody still left willing to read a PS?