*~*~*~*Official Personal Statement Guide and Reader List 2012-2013*~*~*~*

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aSagacious

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This thread is for this year's applicants (for the class of 2017) who are beginning to work on their personal statements. If you're looking for someone to read your PS, check out the list of volunteers below In the most recent post ONLY!!

If you need help getting started, check out the second post in this thread.


If you are willing to volunteer, the thread will be self regulated this year. Respond below, following the instructions at the end of this post (and in the third post), with your credentials and specific things you are willing to edit for (content only, grammar only, etc). Please read the full list of rules posted below before you volunteer or contact a reader, and good luck to the 2012 applicants. :thumbup:

Specific comments, questions, or complaints can be addressed to me via PM. If I can't answer them they will be forwarded to the rest of the Pre-Allopathic moderator staff.



Rules for Writers:

  • Please refer to the list in the LAST post only. Do not contact anyone who is found elsewhere in this thread but does not appear in the list at the end.
  • Use caution in deciding who you send your personal statement to. In an anonymous web forum, information can be easily plagiarized.
  • This is not the place for you to get others to write your personal statement. If you need help getting started, check out the Official Personal Statement Guide thread and Depakote's Personal Statement Guide/Tips.
  • If you are looking for feedback on your personal statement, it is better to PM individual users here whose strengths are better suited to your needs rather than posting a response in this thread.
  • Once you contact a reader and they agree to read your personal statement, please email it to them as a Word document with your SDN username in the title. Including your SDN username makes it easier for the readers to keep track of who they've already read for and who they still need to read. DO NOT JUST PM YOUR STATEMENT TO A READER.
Rules for Readers:

  • If you would like to be added or deleted from the list, please make sure that you follow the directions below, and add or delete yourself.
  • As a volunteer, you may read as many or as few personal statements as you'd like or have time for. If you will be unavailable for a certain time or have been inundated with requests, simply take yourself off of the list using the instructions below
  • If you receive a request and are unable to fulfill it, please respond to the writer so he/she is not waiting for a response and can request help from elsewhere.
  • For your protection, we will not allow you to post your email addresses here. All email addresses will be edited out of the list and any further posts containing email addresses will be edited to remove them. Writers will contact you via PM and you can exchange email addresses privately.
  • As this is on a volunteer basis, absolutely NO solicitation of money for your services will be tolerated. Volunteers who violate this policy will be removed from the list and subject to further disciplinary action.
This thread is brought to you by the Pre-Allopathic Volunteer Staff


Please remember that these people are volunteering their time. Be nice to them!



DO NOT ERASE THESE INSTRUCTIONS!
1) Click "quote" on the most recent post.
2) Add your SDN screen name,
your credentials, and specific things you are willing to edit for (content only, grammar only, etc). DO NOT post your email address.
3) Delete the quote tags at both the top and the bottom.
4) If you are unable to read any more personal statements, please come back and remove your name from the list.

EXAMPLES:

BobTheReader| M.A. In English, PhD in Creative Writing|Willing to edit for grammar and content

JoeTheReader|Got amazing feedback on my PS when I applied; non-trad especially willing to read non-trad PS| Willing to edit for content only.

JillTheReader|Student Adcom Member; 2nd Year Med Student|Happy to read PS and help with ideas. Will do some reading for content.

Members don't see this ad.
 
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Let the PS exchanging begin. :thumbup:

If you would like to change your status, please make a new post in the thread instead of simply editing your first one.


Helpful hints:

Article on writing your personal statement:
http://jintus.blogspot.com/2011/06/t...-personal.html

braluk said:
Seeing that there is a rise in questions about the personal statement and how to go about writing one since its time that students should have already begun to write one for this year's cycle- these tips on how to write one should be fruitful for the up and coming applicants for the Class of 2012.

Before I go on- I suggest reading through published literature about how to go about writing a personal statement. There are myriads of books that come to mind. Two come to mind:

SDN's own official medical school admissions guide
https://www.millcitypublishing.com/o....aspx?SiteID=7

And

Essays That Will Get You into Medical School (Barron's Essays That Will Get You Into Medical School) by Daniel Kaufman.

Both are helpful to read through. On that note- feel free to add your own tips into the thread :)

Writing a personal statement is a bit like a defendent accused of a crime he or she did not commit, and has to convey to the jury that he is innocent. That is, a personal statement must reveal everything that you want to tell medical school admission's committees to convince them of your goals to become a doctor. Having written two entirely different drafts of personal statements over the course of several months- I understand that the hardest part is finding a way to start one, and finding a way to end one. Here are some tips to begin to write one

Before you begin- I suggest taking some time out of your day, and just freeflow a personal statement and see where that takes you. Believe it or not, this works for many people to get ideas written down for later brainstorming. Write your thoughts and feelings out. They're more helpful than you can possibly imagine, as they are personal after all.

1) Plan and organize: As with any good paper, one must learn how to organize a paper in order to allow the task at hand, to flow in a coherent, efficient, and eloquent manner.
2) Figure out the general theme: Many good personal statements tend to follow some type of theme. Some of these themes are centered around things such as life changing experiences, personal problems, profound research that you are involved in, family, grades, anything you find interesting really.
3) Structure: How will you write your personal statement based around this theme? Are you going to write it in a chronological manner? In a flashback type of way. Perhaps describing in vivid detail about a particular day as you remember it? Break down each paragraph and structure each of them. Make sure each paragraph can flow with each other and aren't random tangents.
4) Begin Writing: Follow some of the suggested pointers below
5) Revise and Rewrite: Have others look over it, and revise revise revise.


Pointers:
A) Remember to address any insufficiencies or lapses in your grades (or any major weaknesses in your application)
B) Do not make excuses, provide explanations and acknowledge your shortcomings. Stay positive not negative.
C) BE HUMBLE. Hints of arrogance and entitlement are grounds for rejection at many schools.
D) Try to describe vividly. People tend to remember better when stories are visually described, not textually.
E) Start off with something interesting. Not a catch phrase, cliche opening line, but something that can grab the reader and keep them interested without having them roll their eyes.
F) Keep in mind that medical schools see over thousands of applications and you are only one. Everyone, in one form or another, will talk about why they would make a good doctor, the qualities they have as a doctor, and will most likely talk about very similar things that you will talk about. BE UNIQUE. If you have a talent or trait or expertise in some area that you believe makes you unique, write about it.
G) If you talk about research, do not write about it like a journal article. Remember, this is a personal statement. Write about how it is significant to YOU and how you feel about it and why. Do not talk in detailed specifics.
H) Try to tell a story- stories make things interesting. Stay away from writing a personal statement like it is a personal ad.
I) Make the things you talk about relevant in one shape or another.
J) Stay away from cliche. That is... "I want to become a doctor because I want to help people", "I am compassionate", "I am a hard worker" are things that are cliched and are better demonstrated by storytelling and through examples rather than explicitly saying so. Actions speak louder than words.
K) Try not to exaggerate (and of course, do not lie). One statement Ive come across before talked about the profoundness of a particular shadowing experience and how he wanted to become a doctor because of it. Granted this may be true, but most adcoms would smell it as BS a mile away. One doesn't want to suddenly enter into a lifelong, rigorous profession, while going through hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, with no sleep, 80+ hour workweeks, at least a solid decade of schooling with just one short-lived experience. Going into medicine requires that the applicant is well informed, and had built his or her passion for medicine as time went on. Some build it by having relatives, or themselves, go through a significant and painful medical experience, some build it by shadowing. To only focus on one experience without elaborating on further methods to come to the conclusion that you want to be a doctor may be counterproductive.
L) If you have a family legacy of doctors, make sure you convey (without explicitly saying so) that you are going into the career not because of pressure to fill someone else's shoes, or because you have to, but because this choice rested on your own shoulders. Family is a great influence, and many have built their desires on medicine because of it, but make sure if that is the case, that you let the adcoms know, that you are going into medicine for your own personal reasons.
M) Do not hold the adcoms' feelings hostage. That is, its one thing to talk about a significant, emotional experience (family death, illness, tragedy, etc..), but its another to lament it in order to try to capture the emotions that you know should make the adcoms feel guilty and sad. For example, continuing to talk about the death of a close one for the entire personal statement may not be advisable. Instead, talking about its significance to you, its effects, your methods of coping, moving on and becoming stronger is a better way to frame this.
N) Again, don't make excuses- sounding whiny is not the way to go.
O) Have several people read it over and give you constructive criticism. Have people from all spectrum read it, but try to have objective readers.
P) Do not write what you think you want the adcoms want to hear. I made the mistake of doing this for my first personal statement. After getting torn apart by my advisor I completely rewrote my personal statement (with what I wanted to say, not what I thought I wanted to say) the night before with glowing remarks by the committee and my advisor. Since then, at interviews, my personal statement has always been brought up with glowing remarks. You don't necessarily have to make a laundry list of all the medically related things that you've done to prove that you more qualified than even a doctor.
Q) Write about something that may not be covered in the rest of your applications. Keep in mind that you will have the opportunity to write about your extracurriculars on the AMCAS in a separate section. You will be allowed to write about a paragraph about each and can discuss why each is important to you. Try not to overlap, you want to convey as much information about you as possible.
R) Do not sound preachy. Again modesty is probably the best policy. Humility (this does not mean you cannot be confident) is a quality that seems to be a good one. Remember, adcoms will often roll their eyes at students and often ask "what does this kid know to make such an assertion?". Personally acknowledging that you are only premed (albeit informed about the profession) is a good way to stay away from the label of the "know-it-all".
S) You can write about "controversial" topics such as religion, politics, beliefs, abortion, etc..etc.. but understand that you are treading on dangerous grounds. You do not want to express strong opinions that may offend the reader or rub the adcom the wrong way. It's one thing to say that religion or politics has helped me find peace and guidance, but another to write something that can be argued with heatedly. Remember, keep in mind, try to stay away from assertions on topics that are hot topics of debate. As long as you frame things correctly, you should be safe.
T) Do not be a suckup. Writing about how you admire doctors for their hard work and nobility is not getting you anywhere. This goes for secondaries too when answering questions that deal with each particular school.
U) Make sure you end your personal statement by wrapping up everything you've said in a manner that gives closure. Stay away from things like "in conclusion" and other various conclusion disasters. Keep the conclusion concise, but interesting. To end something is just as important as starting it. You want to leave a good aftertaste after the adcom has digested it. Sometimes, it may be helpful to refer back to something you started with so that you come full circle.
V) Try not to be gimmicky. I think this is self explanatory but writing a PS like it were a movie may be considered gimmicky. Or having your PS written as a series of flashbacks as part of a dream and then waking up at the end is gimmicky.

AND FINALLY, Last but not least,

W) DO NOT WRITE IN ANYTHING MORE THAN YOU NEED TO. Writing for the sake of writing, or "filler", is most likely not going to get you anywhere. You want to get your point across and not have it lost or diluted in things that are "empty calories". If they have no value, and are things that people can pick up on without having to be told so, then you probably do not need it.

Finally when done writing (keep track of length) revise revise revise. And then revise again. Have it be seen by multiple readers and have professionals look over it (there are writing centers at colleges for example). Take their comments into serious consideration but remember, this is your own piece and not someone else's.

Anyhow, I hope to add on more information and tips to this as time goes on. Feel free to add more comments in :) Good luck to everyone! Hopefully by the end of it all, you will have convinced the "jury". :D
-Brandon

Depakote said:
First let me apologize to everyone that already submitted their AMCAS applications. Yes, it's late June, this is too late to help those of you that got your stuff in early. That said... STOP READING HERE IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SUBMITTED. There's no sense in looking for mistakes/beating yourself up if you've already pulled the trigger.

Second, I am doing this as a service to Pre-Allo, drawing on the statements I have read over the past few years and the many mistakes I made composing my own personal statement(s). Unfortunately, I do not have time to edit personal statements this year. If you contact me, I will have to politely refuse... just telling you now.


On to the issue at hand.

I know most of you are scientists, not writers. But you should still be able to pull off some of these basics.

Themes

A personal statement works best if it has some unifying element to pull it together. This doesn't have to be an overt parable, just something simple that you can allude to in your intro and conclusion showing a nice point A->B flow of ideas.
A rudimentary example of this would be equating your path to medicine to a growing child and your significant experiences developmental milestones (like learning to talk, going to school, etc. with medicine being your final destination and the child striking out on his/her own.) Side note: Don't do what I did (I'm not even linking you to it), that was a bit of a 3rd round Hail Mary that paid off.

Intro and conclusion
I was always one for the flashy hook intro. But there's a fine line between a hook and melodrama. It's ok to draw the reader into a scene using descriptive and vibrant language, but make sure what you're discussing is worth the attention it's getting. Basically, don't try to make a papercut sound like a severed artery.

Conclusion, refer to the theme you set up in your intro and restate your answer to the "why medicine?" question (which you answered through the body of the personal statement) using your thematic imagery.

What should you be discussing?
This is where most pre-meds start missing the mark. Your personal statement is supposed to demonstrate your personal motivation for a career in medicine. You should answer the "why medicine?" question and give your best support possible. What many, many, many pre-meds do is fall into the Extra-Curricular trap. Rather than discussing why they are motivated to pursue medicine they simply state that they are motivated and then start talking about their extra-curricular activities. (I've done it, and it happened frequently in statements I helped edit) If the EC shows up in your ECs section and you talked about it there, there's no need to talk about the details of what you did in your personal statement. I'm pretty sure performing bench research counting drosophila did little to help your motivation to become a physician, don't throw in a line telling me it did just so you can remind me about that 4 weeks of research experience you've got.

you want to cut anything that does not directly address the following:
  • intro
  • "why medicine?"
  • support for "why medicine?"
  • any problems/gaps in education along the way that really should be addressed in PS
  • conclusion


This doesn't mean your ECs are off limits, it just means that you should discuss specific experiences that actually affected your motivation. It's better to use a single detailed example and illustrate how it drove you to medicine than to try to say you did X here which made you want to be a doc, then did Y there which made you want to be a doc, etc.

Other Mistakes:
-You are a pre-med. In general it is a bad idea to tell the admissions committee what makes a good Med Student/Doctor. You may identify your own positive qualities and say they will help you, but don't start defining what makes a good "doctor" that's their job.

-Don't belittle yourself. Your personal statement is a time to show your good qualities, if you must address negative aspects of your application, do so, but watch for passive and negative wording that hurts the way you represent yourself.

-Don't bash other schools/teachers/doctors/etc. This is a big no-no. You may have disagreements with another institution/party but the best way to handle this situation is to objectively present the facts and let the admissions committee draw their own conclusions. If you start criticizing an institution, it makes them wonder if you'd criticize them like that after you leave their school. Not a huge incentive to accept you.

-Don't work other agendas. "Why Medicine?" is enough. You can mention an interest in research or other career goals (public health, etc) if you want to perform that, but don't spend a paragraph talking about socialized medicine, abortion, stem cell reseach, or other issues in medicine that do not directly affect your application.

-Try to keep an open mind. It's fine to have an inkling of what you might want to do after you graduate, but be aware of the fact that you'll probably change your mind a few times in med school. It would be unwise to base your personal statement on a career goal of pediatric cardio-thoracic surgery.

-Recognize your own self-unimportance. This goes along with the papercut comment above, don't portray your role to be anything more significant than what it was. People weren't looking to you with awe and heart-felt gratitude after you gave them a band-aid.

-Previous mistakes:
If you've made mistakes previously, own up to them and take responsibility. Don't try to blame someone else or something else. You want to show that you've moved on and matured. Don't try to make excuses.

-Cliches:
Yes, avoid making cliche statements, but you don't need to pretend you're going into medicine because you think your reasons might be cliche. Most pre-meds are motivated for the same reasons (wanting to help people, love science, early experience with medicine, etc). You don't need a unique reason, just try to discuss it in a way that is unique as possible.



Other Advice:
Wording:
-Don't use the word "fascinating". Probably 80% of statements I reviewed last year used it, very cliched and got to be vomit inducing.

Technical:
-just use a single line between paragraphs, don't try to indent
-don't use more than 1 space between sentences (no one will notice and this is a huge character saver)
-re-read it for any sentences that could be re-worded more efficiently, then have someone else do it. Brevity is key.

Reads:
-Get your PS into as many hands as possible before you submit it, have your mom, brother, school's writing center, adviser, dog, everyone look at it if possible. You want good, honest feedback from multiple sources.
 
Feel free to start it off with this format, folks!! And again, good luck!!:)

Official Personal Statement Reader List
DO NOT ERASE THESE INSTRUCTIONS!
1) Click "quote" on the most recent post.
2) Add your SDN screen name,
your credentials, and specific things you are willing to edit for (content only, grammar only, etc). DO NOT post your email address.
3) Delete the quote tags at both the top and the bottom.
4) If you are unable to read any more personal statements, please come back and remove your name from the list.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Character limit's 5300 w/spaces.
 
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Hey everyone,

So, as the title explains, I really need to write my personal statement since it will be playing a major role in my application. I have a really good story to tell(according to some of the Med School Admins that I have talked to) and really need to cut it short to 500words. Can anyone guide on where I should start or if someone that can help me write it?

Thank you,
Rod :)
 
403413_353305758068836_268330443233035_961853_1362231287_n.jpg
 
Hello 2012-2013 applicants. From the personal statements I have read so far, I have one really important general comment. Many people have done a good job explaining what it is about medicine and doctors that they admire. While it is important to touch on that, I think it is also important to state why YOU are a good fit for medicine. Expressing admiration of qualities does not mean that you have these qualities. Explain the things that would make you a good physician. Good luck to all!
 
Y'all,

Don't effff up the format!!

Leave the bold font and colors in it. Otherwise, it becomes really hard to read.
 
I have PM'ed people that are not in red status, and not heard back from them since.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
quick question about the personal statement!

How personal is TOO personal for the statement ?
 
quick question about the personal statement!

How personal is TOO personal for the statement ?
This really depends on the topic you're talking about. In general, if it's relevant to your journey, you shouldn't be afraid to mention it (within reason). Are we talking about something like a family member's death or illness? If so, this is okay to talk about if you don't go overboard and try to fish for sympathy. I would avoid topics like previous depression and suicide attempts (a very extreme example) though. That would be a bit "too personal" imo as it can reflect very poorly on you (even if you try to spin it positively).
 
just a reminder for the PS readers to please update if you are open to accept more essays at the moment.
 
Kind of new at this...how can I contact one of the readers to look over my PS? Trying to get my application out sooner than later just want to make sure I'm sending out a quality PS without stupid grammar errors etc.
 
My school said just to write what can be put on one page, but that was nowhere near the 5300 character count for me. Should I expand more or just leave it brief? Basically, my question is do most people use as close to 5300 characters as possible?
Thanks! :D
 
You only get 5300 characters to tell the person reviewing your app as much about yourself as possible.. why would you want to use less??
 
I agree, if you could use all 5300 characters well, and each word is indispensable, then why not?
 
I'm new to this, so i hope no one is offended by my question. I'm looking for someone to edit my personal statement but are we sure that these users are actually who they say they are and not just looking to plagiarize someones statement? if someone can clear this up for me it would be great thx
 
I'm new to this, so i hope no one is offended by my question. I'm looking for someone to edit my personal statement but are we sure that these users are actually who they say they are and not just looking to plagiarize someones statement? if someone can clear this up for me it would be great thx

This is an anonymous forum, so there's only so many precautions you can take (short of not sending it to anyone). Check their post history, join date, etc. If they've been contributing to the forum and have already been accepted somewhere (posting about acceptances in school specific threads, etc.), it's unlikely they're out to steal your stuff.
 
In an effort to reduce frustration for our users who have removed their name from the list but still get PMs, I have gone through and deleted all old versions of the PS Readers list.

Shoot me a PM if you remove your name and want the old list deleted sooner than I get to it on my own.

Also, remove your name (instead of adding a note in red) if you really don't have time and want to stop the PMs.

Hopefully these changes will ease frustration for both readers and writers.
 
What is the consensus on using abbreviations to save space? Examples: EMT (emergency medical technician), IV (intravenous)? I would like to use the abbreviations to save (a lot of) characters, but I'm not sure if this would be seen as informal or unprofessional. Not sure if anyone has said anything about this before. If so, please direct me to the correct information. Thanks.
 
What is the consensus on using abbreviations to save space? Examples: EMT (emergency medical technician), IV (intravenous)? I would like to use the abbreviations to save (a lot of) characters, but I'm not sure if this would be seen as informal or unprofessional. Not sure if anyone has said anything about this before. If so, please direct me to the correct information. Thanks.

If virtually everybody (in the medical or academic field) understands what the abbreviations mean, use them.
 
So everyone has their inboxes full already, if anyone could offer some insight into my personal statement, I would very much appreciate it! PM me, thanks in advance SDN crew!
 
Anyone available to read? My advisor told me to rewrite my entire PS a few days ago. I need as much honest criticism as possible on my newest PS. I want to be able to submit ASAP.
 
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Don't know if I'm supposed to be doing this directly on the thread, but i see that a lot are full on PS's to read.

Is there anyone that is left to help me with correcting/editing my PS???
 
I would also be grateful if someone was available to take a look at or edit my personal statement. Thanks
 
Anyone available to proofread my personal statement? I tried to message the people on the list but no one responded :(
 
I'm in the same boat :(

If anyone is interested in reading my PS, send me a PM. I'd GREATLY appreciate it. Thanks!
 
I'm writing my personal statement to apply for medical school this year. I need some help with editing it and it is due to my premed advisor this week! Any kind of help will be appreciated :) Let me know if you can read and edit my personal statement!

Thanks,
Kirra
 
I'm writing my personal statement to apply for medical school this year. I need some help with editing it and it is due to my premed advisor this week! Any kind of help will be appreciated :) Let me know if you can read and edit my personal statement!

Thanks,
Kirra

same with me, so anyone interested in reading an engineering -> medicine statement. It will be fun :)
 
I know its a little late but if anyone could help me with my personal statement Id appreciate it.

I do not need grammar and spelling (if you want to be my guess :D)

I am mostly looking for content and clarity issues. Even if you can just read it and say "yah I get where you go" or "no I am completely lost" I would appreciate it because my main issue is if people will "get" the story.
 
I would like to have my PS read over for general flow as well as grammar. Would it be possible to have anyone willing to help PM me, or should I PM everyone who is not red?

Thanks in advance.
 
DrLecter, Gerudo- do you guys wanna trade statements? I just about finished mine. I got an S on the writing section of the MCATs so I think i can be at least somewhat helpful
PM me yours and I can send mine as well =)
 
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Hi hellocubed!

I was wondering if you could evaluate my PS for content, I have submitted it to an English prof so I hope he will get back to me soon with grammar and spelling corrections. A little about myself: my GPA is a little low (3.3), MCAT score pending until the end of this month, and loads of work experience and clinical experience (Treasurer for a martial arts club, one year of undergrad research, work as an IT consultant on campus, volunteer in the Emergency Dept, and I am currently shadowing 3 docs). Thanks in advance and let me know if you need anything!
 
DO NOT ERASE THESE INSTRUCTIONS!

1) Click "quote" on the most recent post.
2) Add your SDN screen name, your credentials, and specific things you are willing to edit for (content only, grammar only, etc). DO NOT post your email address.
3) Delete the quote tags at both the top and the bottom.
4) If you are unable to read any more personal statements, please come back and remove your name from the list.

----------

ppfizenm: successful applicant at more than one school, former science teacher, current science adviser for a law firm handling intellectual property, content and grammar, NOTE: I WILL NOT READ/EDIT PERSONAL STATEMENTS ON WEEKENDS. If it is an emergency please contact one of the other readers.

check1212: matriculating fall 2012 into a "top 20" MSTP; not sure how to sell myself...i've edited lots of admissions essays for friends? took a few english/humanities electives and have always received positive feedback on my writing; content and grammar. also willing to read research statements if you're an MD/PhD applicant. (<< whaa?) not taking any more at the moment - will update when available again!

mduck: matriculating fall 2012, 8 interviews/5 acceptances. non-traditional student, 2 Master's degrees, former high school teacher. will edit for grammar and content. on hiatus until May 22nd.

phnerd1105: Matriculating Fall 2012 MD.Spent a great deal of time writing my PS, and was complimented on it by those who read it and at interviews. Currently in a Master's program that places a heavy emphasis on writing, and was also was an editor of a journal. Received a S and Q on the writing sections of the MCAT. Feel free to send me your PS, and I'll PM you back giving you an estimate of the time it will take to get back to you. Will edit for grammar, structure, content, and overall flow. PLEASE DO NOT PM ME YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT. Instead, ask me if I am available to read it and I will let you know of my schedule. On hiatus for a few weeks due to finals. Backed up with personal statements as well as school work. Will update when I can read again (second week of May, most likely)

beekachu: Matriculating Fall 2012 MD. I have taken a few English (writing/literature courses) and a number of writing intensive humanities. I've also edited personal statements before for friends and through SDN. I can edit for content and grammar (let me know what your concerns are). I will not be able to take any more personal statements for the next couple weeks.

MegMurry: Matriculating Fall 2012 MD - non-trad with finance background and S/T on MCAT WS, especially willing to read other non-trads' PS. I've been an editor in the past for science journals. Willing to edit for both content and grammar and will give you an estimate of when I can turn things around. I'm currently NOT taking new essays. If you have sent me a PS already, I will get around to yours, but am dealing with some backlog.

darmalee: Matriculating Fall 2012 - non-trad also. I've done quite a bit of PS editing both this year and last. Willing to edit for content, grammar or both. I've done a lot of writing in many different capacities since I was young and I can usually edit and return your PS within a day or two, as long as I'm not completely inundated with requests. I have a pile to read. I'm taking a week or so off to get caught up. I'll be back when I have an empty inbox once again.

iwtgtms38:Matriculating fall 2012- traditional student. Had trouble writing my personal statement first couple of times after which, I decided to write it from my heart and since then I have been complemented on it at alot of interviews. Willing to edit both content and grammar.

robertch8: Matriculating Fall 2012 MD-- finishing up Master's program, did health related service before that for 2 years. I am a reapplicant so I know what seemed to work for me this year versus the previous year; I went from 1 waitlist to multiple acceptances. Received a R on the MCAT Writing Section. I have experience with MD and DO applications, and I applied to a high number of schools. I can read for grammar and content. Also feel free to ask any general questions about the process, schools you're looking at applying to, and if you need any help with writing a secondary. My strength in my application was my commitment to community service in the healthcare field for anyone looking for a reader with similar interests. Unfortunately I can't take any new requests at this point for the next couple of weeks maybe longer. I need to spend the next couple of weeks working on my Master's paper and presentation.


Optoed: Incoming M1. Science and Social science background. Non-traditional applicant. Founded a pre-med club in undergrad and current member of Toastmasters (like personal statement, speech writing emphasize on organization, descriptiveness and persuadability). Received R on MCAT Writing Section. For my own personal statement, I read many books on how to write effective personal statements, rhetorics and effective writing. I've also edited a number of applications for my friends. Grammar isn't my forte, but I can comment on content and streamline the style of your essay. Can read for MD or DO.

bluebird478: Writing tutor at college, English major, received Writing score of 6 out of 6 on the GRE and R on MCAT writing, and have helped edit many of my peers' writing statements. Happy to edit your personal statement and help in any way I can! Email me at [email protected]

Avoidthetiger | Just finished M1 year (wo0t), non-trad (grad school 2-years in biology), biology and history major in undergrad, S on the MCAT writing section. Received 13 interview invites with average stats (32, 3.6/3.5) | Can edit for content, tone, flow -- and minor grammar and spelling mistakes. I let you know if your paper is overall excellent, needs work, or would toss it. I got a lot of good feedback when I was applying, so I want to give back.

house vs god Matriculating this fall. Non-trad with a masters degree and lost of clinical experience. Happy to help for content. Please PM me your PS. On vacation! Available again in mid-July.

LilMick-- I am a freelance writer and editor, Phi Beta Kappa, have several publications in creative writing and journalism, received a top score on the MCAT and GRE writing sections, was accepted to several MD/PhD programs, and read many PS last year. Because of being swamped with requests last year, this year, I am only reading essays for MD/PhD applicants or applicants addressing legal issues and/or addiction recovery. Please send it in a PM with the title of MD/PhD or Legal Issues... I will delete any other requests.

Pebbles808: Matriculating Fall 2012 (11 interviews/7 acceptances). Double majored in English & Biology, Master’s in Public Health. Scored a 38T on the MCAT. Willing to read/edit for content, grammar, etc. I’m pretty specific, so I assure you that you will get excellent feedback.

MedPR: Worked in graduate writing help center as an undergrad. Will edit for grammar mostly.

PlatypusMD: Matriculating Fall 2012 with a full merit scholarship. Dual undergraduate degrees in business and cell biology with a focus on business communications. Have done extensive writing as an undergraduate on both scientific and interpersonal fronts. Will read for spelling, grammar, flow, and content. As a forewarning, I do tend to rip things apart when reviewing. That's a good thing, right? :laugh: Please do NOT just PM me your statement. PM me with a request, and I'll get back to you with my email address. For clarity, I make my comments/edits directly on Microsoft Word.

quarrelsometofu Matriculating Fall 2012. Edited around 10 personal statements last year through SDN (different username). Willing to edit for content, grammar, and flow. I did a significant amount of reworking on my own PS, and ended up getting interview invites at all 16 schools I applied to. Not accepting any more right now. I will finish the ones I've received and update when I'm available.

TheMightySmiter: Matriculating fall 2012, two acceptances and ten interview invites. Majored in social science/philosophy in undergrad with tons of essay and paper experience. I have a pretty good eye for writing style and will edit for content, flow, spelling, grammar, and overall impression. I will need about a week to get caught up with all the essays I have in my inbox. I will update this thread when I am ready to start accepting more requests.

Oxygen206 Lots of writing and editing experience during college. I am matriculating this fall (2012). Spent a long time writing and editing my PS, have been told by a few well known PS editors it was one of the best they've ever read. I think I have a pretty good idea what a PS should/should not include (feel free to glance over mine in my MDapps). Will read for content and overall impression. PM me with some information about yourself, and I will respond with my email address if I feel I am an appropriate editor for your situation. Cheers!
Apologies to everyone who has sent me requests, I have received an overwhelming amount and unfortunately I can't respond to everyone. I will post when I get caught up. Best of luck :luck:

SEE13 I am matriculating this fall, and I had 12 interview invites and 7 acceptances during the 2011-2012 cycle. I was the working editor for my college's undergraduate science journal, I completed an incredibly long written thesis for my college's honors program, and I took several writing-intensive courses in college. I also spent a long time revising and editing my own PS last year. I am willing to edit for grammar and flow in detail, and I will also give comments on content and overall impression. I am not accepting any new personal statements at this time! I will post again when I can accept more.

Total180: Just finished my first year at LMU-DCOM. I applied through both AMCAS and AACOMAS so I am willing to read for both DO and MD applications (mine was only slightly different between the two). Before I decided on medicine I attended a school where we didn't take tests...we just wrote papers, so I have a lot of experience in all different forms of writing. I will do my best to catch any grammar errors as well as look it over for content/flow. If it makes a difference my PS was centered around my desire to work in underserved hispanic communities, as I have had a lot of experience working in those areas. Just send me a PM and I will see what I can do! Since posting this, I have gotten a ton of requests and I am getting backed up. I will get back to the people who have messaged me already, and would be happy to do those, but until I catch up I can't take any more.

Chir0nex: Matriculating Fall 2012. Graduated with BS in Clinical Psych, I have taken a lit and writing courses and was editor for a school paper. Will give feedback on content and general structure of essay. Due to a personal emergency I have been away from my computer for the past week. As a result I am flooded with requests and will be working through the back log. Please don't send me any new requests, if you already have asked me to read I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.

Linebacker57: Matriculating in Fall 2012 to a top 20 MD program. Despite having a low GPA and high MCAT, I received 7 MD interviews, multiple acceptances. NCAA athlete. Willing to read PS and give feedback relating to more unique EC's (varsity athletics, SAAC, ect) and how to parlay those into qualities med schools are looking for. I also would be helpful to anyone coming from a low GPA standpoint, and how to spin it. Received an 'S' on the MCAT writing. Have a background in writing rhetoric. Feel free to PM me you personal statement.I will not be accepting any more personal statements for review because I am preparing to start school. If your PS is in my inbox, I may get around to reading it, but I cannot give you any assurances

impact2d: I was a journalism major with english minor in undergrad. I enjoy peer editing to keep my skills sharp. I have a couple more weeks of MCAT studying and won't be able to take more than a couple of essays a week until after that. I can edit for grammar, style, creative ideas. I can't take anymore until after my MCAT July 06, for those who sent it already I am working through them in the order I received them during my limited free time.

Biomaj: Current pre-med student, review and reconstruct presonal statements for students at my college. I'm in honors. I work as a medical assisting in a prestige hospital clinic that also has a medical school. Can read whenever just PM me.

DocHawk117: Just finished M1 year, previously a high school teacher, UG major in Interdisciplinary Studies with multiple creative writing and English courses, published writer, S on MCAT writing, tutor. I enjoy reading these and I am willing to help with content and idea development. PM me your PS and I will try to get back to you with feedback asap. Wowzer! Pretty swamped. Hold off on sending them my way until I delete this beautiful red sentence.

Jemeni: Incoming M1. Pretty proud of my previous PS. Was told it was "exceptional", "incredible" and that I'm an "outstanding writer" by several readers on here, my career center, as well as several of my medical school interviewers. Feel like I have a good grasp on what's needed, as well as the solid writing skills, to provide some meaningful critique. Will do content and grammar. Gimme a week, but I'll try to get back to you asap. Ok, these came in faster than I expected haha. No more for the moment, let me get to what's on my plate first.

eam208: Incoming M1. Nine interviews, three acceptances (all on my mdapps profile). Took me about a 1.5 months to complete my personal statement with a lot of opinions from friends and family. Graduated this May with a B.S. in Molecular Biology but I did receive A's in all my English classes. PM me with PS and we'll go from there. I am taking no more personal statement essays due to the flood already in my inbox. If you don't get a response, just be patient. I will eventually get to you.

happyinnyc | Incoming MS1. Worked as proofreader for a professional writing service for 2 yrs, humanities major in college, current academic researcher. Low MCAT/GPA, but very strong ECs and personal statement, which I was told was what set me apart from the other applicants. SORRY, NOT ACCEPTING NEW REQUESTS AT THIS TIME. For those who already sent me their requests, I will work through them in the order received.

eleventwelve: Incoming M1. English/neurobio double-major. 15 VR/ T WS on MCAT. Willing to edit for content and grammar . Spent ~2.5 months on my PS and was complimented on it at almost every interview. Was a newspaper editor in HS and college. Took 1 year off after college to work for a nonprofit.

muhali3: Applying this cycle. Biology major. Scored 36 on MCAT. Have one publication and 2 years of teaching experience at my school. Will edit for content and grammar.

Manbearpig11: Incoming M1. English/biochem major. Published in "Stem Cells" 2 articles. I was the go to for editing at Tulane university. Okkk Ive got a fat stack of statements to work on no more for now.

regularbobj: Just finished up own PS. Willing to help others with their PS on content and/or grammar.


hellocubed: Just finished my application. Biology Major. I can help with content and general grammer.
 
88dentist

I wanna edit my SOP ( grammer correction, flow, content)
 
I desperately need some editing / proofreading assistance with my personal statement. If anyone is willing to help, please respond...

Thank you!
 
I hope im not late to the party. Can some one read my PS and give me feed back corrections? any help will be greatly appreciated :D
 
I'm also in need of some help with my personal statement, and not having much luck finding anyone to help me. I'm a re-applicant who wasn't too happy with my statement last time I applied, and I really need all the help I can get this time. If anyone is able to help please PM me!!!
 
Help anyone? I need to submit my primary on tuesday :/
 
Is anyone still available as a reader? I'd really like to some feedback on mine if possible! Please reply here or PM me. Thank you! :xf:
 
Same here, was wondering if there are still any active readers, would love any advice/feedback on my PS!
 
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