2007-2008 Personal Statement Question Thread

[mshheaddoc]

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For those of you who are lost on what to do about personal statements please post on this thread. Also note if you want a list of those who will read your personal statement, please visit:

**List of PS readers for AACOMAS 2008**

If you start your own thread it will be merged in with this compilation thread. So you mine as well save our time and just post here 😉

Thanks and good luck!

 

[ilovelucy]

In the DO personal statement do I have to directly have to address why I want to be a DO? I have my MD essay which is in fine shape and could just be cut down, but obviously it does not address why I want to be a DO.

If I describe why medicine, why med school, motivation, experience, etc. will that be enough.

Has anyone not written specifically about becoming a DO in their essay?

Thanks! 😀

 

[CJY85]

Of the few DO personal statements I've read from friends who got accepted/ are still applying, they all did specify at least what inspired them to want to be DO. In doing so, be sure not to give the generic, cliche' response of "holistic approach blah blah" Try and make it believable cuz I'm sure they get a bunch of those cliche' letters.

 

[Dr.Inviz]

In the DO personal statement do I have to directly have to address why I want to be a DO?

God no.

I have my MD essay which is in fine shape and could just be cut down, but obviously it does not address why I want to be a DO.

Doesn't matter.

If I describe why medicine, why med school, motivation, experience, etc. will that be enough.

Sure.

 

[CJY85]

my question to everyone out there, is in your personal statements, did you just write about some inspiring experience, or did u mention a bunch of your credentials in trying to sell urself along with the inspiring experience?

 

[Dr.Inviz]

my question to everyone out there, is in your personal statements, did you just write about some inspiring experience, or did u mention a bunch of your credentials in trying to sell urself along with the inspiring experience?

Conglomerate of everything.

 

[bkpa2med]

Conglomerate of everything.

I concur! 👍

 

[ilovelucy]

The way I thought of my personal statement was that it is my opportunity to stand out. Whether that is one experience for you or several - describe what is unique about your motivation to become a physician. The experience section is your opportunity to be listy and describe the other wonderful things you have done.

 

[Dr.Inviz]

The way I thought of my personal statement was that it is my opportunity to stand out. Whether that is one experience for you or several - describe what is unique about your motivation to become a physician. The experience section is your opportunity to be listy and describe the other wonderful things you have done.

Thank you Ms. Obvious ...

 

[spicedmanna]

In the DO personal statement do I have to directly have to address why I want to be a DO? I have my MD essay which is in fine shape and could just be cut down, but obviously it does not address why I want to be a DO.

If I describe why medicine, why med school, motivation, experience, etc. will that be enough.

Has anyone not written specifically about becoming a DO in their essay?

Thanks! 😀

Well, use your own judgment, but I think it would be prudent to at least touch on why you want to pursue osteopathic medicine, and/or reasons why it would be a good fit for you, because it is a question that most DO schools will specifically ask in their secondary essays and on interviews. You don't have to address it explicitly; I don't think I did. However, it was written into the context of my personal statement. Remember, the most powerful messages are examples, demonstrating the characteristic you are trying to convey. Your PS is essentially a 4500 character calling card/advertisement on why DO schools should interview you and ultimately accept you. Be very authentic and please don't try to sell adcoms a bunch of crap, if that's all it is; they'll be able to see right through it.

my question to everyone out there, is in your personal statements, did you just write about some inspiring experience, or did u mention a bunch of your credentials in trying to sell urself along with the inspiring experience?

What I did was to tell them an engaging story, using a poignant example that demonstrated a lot of stuff about me that I wanted to highlight and which spoke to both my motivation to pursue medicine and more specifically, osteopathic medicine. I interwove my story about a particular client that I had worked with in the past around my main points and let it develop from there.

 

[scpod]

The way I thought of my personal statement was that it is my opportunity to stand out. Whether that is one experience for you or several - describe what is unique about your motivation to become a physician. The experience section is your opportunity to be listy and describe the other wonderful things you have done.

There have been hundreds of threads that answer this question. Do a search and you'll get tons of ideas. However, your personal statement should show something about your character. Don't tell why you want to be a DO. Every secondary is going to ask that question. If you waist that on your PS, then you won't have anything new to add. Above all, don't make it a biography of your accomplishments. They know about everything you've done (clubs, awards, grades, etc.) from your primary app. They've already read that and they want to know something about you now. It's called a PERSONAL statement, so give them something that's personal, unique, and describes your character.

 

[scpod]

Thank you Ms. Obvious ...

Where did the new, kinder Dr. Inviz go?

 

[Dr.Inviz]

Where did the new, kinder Dr. Inviz go?

Disappeared for the moment when I had read that post.

 

[CJY85]

Wuts annoying is the word limit. I mean my experience does captivate the reader, but all the details take up space. Of a four paragraph essay, two and a half are about my experience, and one and a half are about my personal desire to be a D.O. Hard to mention all the other "well yea i did this and that" Also, Because my gpa is subpar, I wanted to be bold enough to confront that in a positive way in my PS, showing them that I've used my senior year to build it back up to where it is and that my upward trend was due to the solidification of my serious decision to pursue medicine. Thoughts??????

 

[Dr.Inviz]

Wuts annoying is the word limit. I mean my experience does captivate the reader, but all the details take up space. Of a four paragraph essay, two and a half are about my experience, and one and a half are about my personal desire to be a D.O. Hard to mention all the other "well yea i did this and that" Also, Because my gpa is subpar, I wanted to be bold enough to confront that in a positive way in my PS, showing them that I've used my senior year to build it back up to where it is and that my upward trend was due to the solidification of my serious decision to pursue medicine. Thoughts??????

Leave that out. Focus on doctor/medicine.

 

[NickRiviera]

Leave that out. Focus on doctor/medicine.

👍 Alright, so this has been said quite a bit in this thread. You will likely get the opportunity to answer "Why D.O.?" in your secondaries and if not, most likely in your interviews.

 

[nlax30]

Yeah, I'd say you can take out the heavy DO-focused stuff and save it for the 2ndary essays.

For my AACOMAS personal statement I just played around with my AMCAS essay a bit (shortened for length, a few edits for content here and there) but didn't really specifically do into why DO. It wasn't on purpose but while talking about one of my experiences in the essay I did very casually touch on a couple points that hit me that just happened to resonate with the DO philosophy as a coincidence, but at least at the school I applied to one of the 2ndary essay prompts was asking about qualities that'd make me a successful osteopathic physician.

 

[Dr. Josh]

my question to everyone out there, is in your personal statements, did you just write about some inspiring experience, or did u mention a bunch of your credentials in trying to sell urself along with the inspiring experience?

Since I do have an inspiring experience I have no choice but to write the boring bunch of credentials.👎 🙁

 

[Dr. Josh]

Where did the new, kinder Dr. Inviz go?

you mean he's gone already and I never met him? 😱

 

[FENDERGUITARMAN]

I am very confused after some advice I recieved from a friend. I wrote my personal statement based on a very personal experience I had. My girlfriend had cancer and it was what motivated me to become a doctor. Back to the friend...He told me that I should not write about an experience like that because so many people write about a friend or loved one that was sick. I am not sure what to do now???? Any advice?

 

[Taty]

I am very confused after some advice I recieved from a friend. I wrote my personal statement based on a very personal experience I had. My girlfriend had cancer and it was what motivated me to become a doctor. Back to the friend...He told me that I should not write about an experience like that because so many people write about a friend or loved one that was sick. I am not sure what to do now???? Any advice?

I wrote about it, main point is to describe what you learned from your experience and how it made you a better person.The other thing to consider : will you be able to discuss that experience on interviews if you'll be asked...for some people it is painful to talk about it again.

AND No, I did not write why DO in my essay...

 

[scpod]

I am not sure what to do now???? Any advice?

Write a new one. That same scenario was done 923,234,765,234,098,123,345 times in the last two weeks alone. Use that story as a personal catharsis or save it for some other event...because it will NOT be original.

Again, don't write the "why I want to be a doctor" story. Save it until someone specifically asks that question. Write something that details your character.

 

[scdocusc]

what about reapplication? I really believe that my personal statement was damn near perfect and I dont want to change anything on it (sans maybe some grammar). Are there any people out there who have had to deal with writing a new one? I dont even know where to start?

oh yea i disagree with the "not writing about death experiences" posters. If it is original and actually impacted you then do it. What "other time" would you need to save that story for?????

 

[scpod]

oh yea i disagree with the "not writing about death experiences" posters. If it is original and actually impacted you then do it. What "other time" would you need to save that story for?????

There are millions of personal statements that say my grandmother, aunt, father, mother, uncle, sister, brother, mechanic, librarian, teacher, first pet, etc. died and now I want to be a dcotor because of it. If you can thing of anything else at all..try to be original. Very, very, few people can get away with that PS and do a good job with it.

 

[Dr JPH]

Let me just throw something out there for some of you to think about.

I know the overwhelming advice here is that "it doesnt matter" but not one of them has ever evaluated a student applying to DO school. All they have done is apply to DO schools themselves.

Do DO schools like to read why an applicant is chosing to apply there? Absolutely.

Do the people who sift through applications and sit in on interviews want to know why you are applying to a DO school? Absolutely.

You can listed to the advice above or you can try to get the perspective of someone who has been through the application process from the other side of the table.

 

[Taty]

I agree with JP 🙂
You have to write about why do you want to be a doc and if it was a "hardship story" write it...if that story was a push that made you to come up with the decision to apply to DO school write it...For me it was...

I basically wrote how my life experiences made me to discover that I want to be a doctor. When I went for the interviews at MD schools I was told that it was my personal statement which got me there.

I chose DO because I liked the school and I wanted to stay in NY 🙂

Good luck!!!

On interview I was asked why DO - you better have a good answer 🙂

 

[CJY85]

I agree with JP 🙂
You have to write about why do you want to be a doc and if it was a "hardship story" write it...if that story was a push that made you to come up with the decision to apply to DO school write it...For me it was...

I basically wrote how my life experiences made me to discover that I want to be a doctor. When I went for the interviews at MD schools I was told that it was my personal statement which got me there.

I chose DO because I liked the school and I wanted to stay in NY 🙂

Good luck!!!

On interview I was asked why DO - you better have a good answer 🙂

Wut is a good answer for that question

 

[Pansit]

In the DO personal statement do I have to directly have to address why I want to be a DO? I have my MD essay which is in fine shape and could just be cut down, but obviously it does not address why I want to be a DO.

If I describe why medicine, why med school, motivation, experience, etc. will that be enough.

Has anyone not written specifically about becoming a DO in their essay?

Thanks! 😀

I used the exact same essay from my amcas and the aacomas, except I had to cut down the aacomas to fit the character limit...they will usually ask the question of why D.O in the interview if they dont specifically see it in your essay

 

[ocwaveoc]

I thought that AACOMAS application specifically asks you to discuss the applicant's interest in osteopathic medicine....some something similar to it.

 

[spicedmanna]

I thought that AACOMAS application specifically asks you to discuss the applicant's interest in osteopathic medicine....some something similar to it.

Nah, not to my knowledge. Here's the exact wording on the application:

Please enter a personal statement of 100 to 4500 characters on this page. You may use a text editor or word processor to write your statement but note that the character count may not exactly match the count if entered directly into the box.

Click the SAVE button to save the statement and return to the Application Checklist.

Not all colleges require the personal statement – however if you anticipate applying to any colleges that do require the personal statement, you are encouraged to complete it before submitting you application. Once an application is submitted to AACOMAS it is not possible to add a personal statement.

 

[Taty]

Wut is a good answer for that question

I think any HONEST answer is a good answer...

I told my interviewer that I want to be a physician and stay in NY. I told him I liked the school and I like living in Long Island ( have been living here for 3 years). I dont think my interviewer wanted to hear about DO philosophy and stuff like that because everyone talks about it, I told him that I had a good experience with DO as a patient and it was really inspiring 🙂 He asked me what speciality I want to be I told him that I want to be transplant or trauma surgeon and I told him that better knowledge of muscsltl system may help me to know human body better...he started telling me that 40 % of NYCOM students are specializing and it is a very good school,he also told me about research opportunities.

 

[DiverDoc]

What is the character limit? Is that number with or without spaces. Thanks

 

[Juneau]

The Personal Statement must be between 100 and 4500 characters in length, including spaces.

 

[mdille2]

What is the character limit? Is that number with or without spaces. Thanks

"Please enter a personal statement of 100 to 4500 characters on this page. You may use a text editor or word processor to write your statement but note that the character count may not exactly match the count if entered directly into the box.

Click the SAVE button to save the statement and return to the Application Checklist.

Not all colleges require the personal statement – however if you anticipate applying to any colleges that do require the personal statement, you are encouraged to complete it before submitting you application. Once an application is submitted to AACOMAS it is not possible to add a personal statement."

This is directly from my application and it is with spaces.

Marcia

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

"Please enter a personal statement of 100 to 4500 characters on this page. You may use a text editor or word processor to write your statement but note that the character count may not exactly match the count if entered directly into the box.

Click the SAVE button to save the statement and return to the Application Checklist.

Not all colleges require the personal statement – however if you anticipate applying to any colleges that do require the personal statement, you are encouraged to complete it before submitting you application. Once an application is submitted to AACOMAS it is not possible to add a personal statement."

This is directly from my application and it is with spaces.

Marcia

Is that the instructions for this year or last year? I have heard that the character limit is going to be reduced this incoming year.

 

[doinmybest5840]

Hey everyone. I'm currently working on my personal statement, but I have a question. I know the length requirement for last year's application was 100-4500 characters, but are there any specific topics I need to cover? I've been told to talk about osteopathy in particular and holistic medicine, but I'm not sure how specific schools would prefer applicants to be.

Also, is it important that I write in particular about my experience shadowing a DO if I also shadowed a few MDs? As of now, I just have a paragraph talking about my shadowing experiences as a whole.

Thanks!

 

[mdille2]

I talked about what led me to become a doctor, and saved the osteo stuff for secondaries. They will ask why osteo and why this school in most secondaries. So just tell them about yourself.

Marcia

 

[Depakote]

Hey everyone. I'm currently working on my personal statement, but I have a question. I know the length requirement for last year's application was 100-4500 characters, but are there any specific topics I need to cover? I've been told to talk about osteopathy in particular and holistic medicine, but I'm not sure how specific schools would prefer applicants to be.

Also, is it important that I write in particular about my experience shadowing a DO if I also shadowed a few MDs? As of now, I just have a paragraph talking about my shadowing experiences as a whole.

Thanks!

Just talk about what drives you to become a physician. You really don't need to hammer on the holistic side of things unless you want to, I highly recommend not forcing it. If you have MD experiences that influenced you, by all means include them, it won't be held against you.

 

[DiverDoc]

In my PS when talking about my decision to pursue a career in medicine I breifly mentioned it. Something along the lines of " in the summer of my soph year, I had the oppertunity to shadow a doctor of osteopathy, I found the experience to be blah blah blah....... you get the idea. I didnt dwell on it or anything, just mentioned it, hit the highlights and moved on. 😎

 

[SunshineNYC]

It's a good thing to talk about any community service that you've been involved in even if it's not related to the medical field. It will show your commitment to the community and to helping others and that you have interpersonal skills... because your grades and shadowing experience will all be listed and speak for themselves in how you are strong in the sciences. Talk about something you are passionate about and show something good about yourself (how you are driven, how you are caring, how you are a leader) in your PS and somehow tell them that you want to bring those good qualities to their school and to the field of medicine. You can touch upon the medical stuff, but you really want your PS to stand out and so make it as personal as possible and don't be concerned with getting in all of the typical pre-med stuff... it's all in your application anyway.

 

[scpod]

..but are there any specific topics I need to cover? I've been told to talk about osteopathy in particular and holistic medicine, but I'm not sure how specific schools would prefer applicants to be...

I disagree with a lot of the things that you will be told. I think a personal statement is the time to put in something about your character. I’ve commented on this so many times before, but maybe I’ll just leave an example of what I’m talking about this time. Please don’t start out with just a “I want to be a doctor because…” kind of thing. 17,000 other people are writing that essay. Don’t tell about your grades, classes, and accomplishments. Your primary app already has a biography about you. People don’t want to read a biography. Tell them a story about you and about your character. Make it something that is totally different from anyone else’s PS. Make it memorable and interesting—that way, your essay will stand out above all the others. You want to get the reader involved. I’ll give you an example from what I wrote. It begins:

The first night out I learned why you never put the opening of your tent uphill. Not that I’ve ever been much of an outdoorsman, but I read the manual, and figured that an idea this important should have been included just before, “Be careful not to hit your hand with the hammer when you pound the tent pegs into the ground.” About 3AM, as my mind drifted amongst cheeseburgers that I wouldn’t be eating for at least another week, the cold, hard chill of a Smoky Mountain rain began to seep through the opening of our three-person “home away from home”. Within minutes, that simple downfall reached deluge proportions and formed a yet unnamed river, with our tent the sole obstacle in the path of least resistance. I learned a lot that week, such as how a three pound sleeping bag can hold forty pounds of water tighter than a covalent bond, and why fresh underwear ought to be kept in a water-tight bag. Most of all, though, I was exposed to a culture that lacked the basic necessities of life. I had volunteered for the trip to get an exposure to the lack of healthcare in rural areas of the US. Little did I know that there was more missing than just a local doctor.

The rest of the essay describes the things that some people in the US are missing out on and goes on to relate that medicine should focus on ALL of the problems that these people have—lack of food, water, hygiene, etc., not just ear infections. It doesn’t say that this is why I want to be a doctor. It doesn’t say that I want to be a DO because of xyz. It doesn’t tell about any of my accomplishments, grades, clubs, awards, etc. It just tells a story that relates a revelation in my life and how I dealt with it. It shows something about my character. That’s what you want to show. Your application will tell them all about your past. Your secondary will tell them why you want to be a DO. Use this opportunity to tell something truly personal about yourself. Make it a real “Personal” Statement, not just a cliched synopsis of your life.

 

[nascardoc]

I disagree with a lot of the things that you will be told. I think a personal statement is the time to put in something about your character. I’ve commented on this so many times before, but maybe I’ll just leave an example of what I’m talking about this time. Please don’t start out with just a “I want to be a doctor because…” kind of thing. 17,000 other people are writing that essay. Don’t tell about your grades, classes, and accomplishments. Your primary app already has a biography about you. People don’t want to read a biography. Tell them a story about you and about your character. Make it something that is totally different from anyone else’s PS. Make it memorable and interesting—that way, your essay will stand out above all the others. You want to get the reader involved. I’ll give you an example from what I wrote. It begins:

The first night out I learned why you never put the opening of your tent uphill. Not that I’ve ever been much of an outdoorsman, but I read the manual, and figured that an idea this important should have been included just before, “Be careful not to hit your hand with the hammer when you pound the tent pegs into the ground.” About 3AM, as my mind drifted amongst cheeseburgers that I wouldn’t be eating for at least another week, the cold, hard chill of a Smoky Mountain rain began to seep through the opening of our three-person “home away from home”. Within minutes, that simple downfall reached deluge proportions and formed a yet unnamed river, with our tent the sole obstacle in the path of least resistance. I learned a lot that week, such as how a three pound sleeping bag can hold forty pounds of water tighter than a covalent bond, and why fresh underwear ought to be kept in a water-tight bag. Most of all, though, I was exposed to a culture that lacked the basic necessities of life. I had volunteered for the trip to get an exposure to the lack of healthcare in rural areas of the US. Little did I know that there was more missing than just a local doctor.

The rest of the essay describes the things that some people in the US are missing out on and goes on to relate that medicine should focus on ALL of the problems that these people have—lack of food, water, hygiene, etc., not just ear infections. It doesn’t say that this is why I want to be a doctor. It doesn’t say that I want to be a DO because of xyz. It doesn’t tell about any of my accomplishments, grades, clubs, awards, etc. It just tells a story that relates a revelation in my life and how I dealt with it. It shows something about my character. That’s what you want to show. Your application will tell them all about your past. Your secondary will tell them why you want to be a DO. Use this opportunity to tell something truly personal about yourself. Make it a real “Personal” Statement, not just a cliched synopsis of your life.

Very well said.

 

[Lamont]

personal statements. having helped several people with theirs and toiling through mine which I feel is the best thing I have ever written. A few (ok a lot of) points.

1. Be succinct in everything you say, but not too succinct.
2. Use normal language - do not try to impress them with jargon, do not get all romantic, you need to conserve space and be efficient
3. if the sentence is not making a point or supporting a point, can it!
4. 500 words is typically the unofficial limit, as thats about 1 page single spaced. treat this as a resume - number of pages is inversely proportional to how interested they are in it. If you give an HR person a 10 page resume, they will kindly show you to the door.
5. talk about what would make you a CAPABLE doctor, not a great doctor or any of that - you dont know if you will be one or not. your goal is to save lives, not be americas top physician (i mean that can be a goal, but keep the main goal in sight here).
6. what in your life has made you choose medicine? dont say lifestyle, pay, any of that. its a nice benefit, but be real about it.
7. what qualities do you have, and how can you explain through example? examples are key to this thing, otherwise you are just rambling. If you put your money where your mouth is, you get a better response
8. Do not, whatever you do, be negative about anything. If your GPA sucks and you have awesome EC's, well, your willingness to serve got the best of you at times. it happens, cast a positive light. If freshman year was awful, you grew up (and you need a trend to prove this, once again examples)
9. make sure you proofread this thing about 8 times, have 5 friends PR it, and print it out and read it aloud before you send it. if you dont like something, the adcom wont either.
10. relax. its a personal statement, its you. Can you answer the question "tell me about yourself"? if you can do that, you can write this thing. Make many many rough drafts, find out what you like, keep everything you write in some folder.
11. write it, edit it, leave it for 3 days and come back. its amazing how critical you can be of yourself then.
12. if you are tight with an english prof and an older pre-med type prof (the real hardass bio prof is good) then ask them if they would be willing to critique it. If you can get that, you are golden.
13. Get off of this forum and start writing! you can never be too early.

Good luck, and focus on #10, its the best piece of advice you can get.

 

[doinmybest5840]

personal statements. having helped several people with theirs and toiling through mine which I feel is the best thing I have ever written. A few (ok a lot of) points.

1. Be succinct in everything you say, but not too succinct.
2. Use normal language - do not try to impress them with jargon, do not get all romantic, you need to conserve space and be efficient
3. if the sentence is not making a point or supporting a point, can it!
4. 500 words is typically the unofficial limit, as thats about 1 page single spaced. treat this as a resume - number of pages is inversely proportional to how interested they are in it. If you give an HR person a 10 page resume, they will kindly show you to the door.
5. talk about what would make you a CAPABLE doctor, not a great doctor or any of that - you dont know if you will be one or not. your goal is to save lives, not be americas top physician (i mean that can be a goal, but keep the main goal in sight here).
6. what in your life has made you choose medicine? dont say lifestyle, pay, any of that. its a nice benefit, but be real about it.
7. what qualities do you have, and how can you explain through example? examples are key to this thing, otherwise you are just rambling. If you put your money where your mouth is, you get a better response
8. Do not, whatever you do, be negative about anything. If your GPA sucks and you have awesome EC's, well, your willingness to serve got the best of you at times. it happens, cast a positive light. If freshman year was awful, you grew up (and you need a trend to prove this, once again examples)
9. make sure you proofread this thing about 8 times, have 5 friends PR it, and print it out and read it aloud before you send it. if you dont like something, the adcom wont either.
10. relax. its a personal statement, its you. Can you answer the question "tell me about yourself"? if you can do that, you can write this thing. Make many many rough drafts, find out what you like, keep everything you write in some folder.
11. write it, edit it, leave it for 3 days and come back. its amazing how critical you can be of yourself then.
12. if you are tight with an english prof and an older pre-med type prof (the real hardass bio prof is good) then ask them if they would be willing to critique it. If you can get that, you are golden.
13. Get off of this forum and start writing! you can never be too early.

Good luck, and focus on #10, its the best piece of advice you can get.

Thanks so much for the advice! I did have a not-so-good freshman year, but have improved pretty consistently from then to now (2.56 first semester, now a 3.34 overall). Also, I'm applying to both MD and DO schools, so I wrote my MD PS first, since that application came up first. However, the limit for DO is smaller, so now I'm having trouble cutting stuff down. I feel like everything in it is important. Would you suggest just starting all over for the DO schools, or just working on cutting unimportant/unsupportive sentences? I've got it down to about 4997 characters now, but last I checked the limit is 4500 for DO. Thanks!

 

[Animus]

Thanks so much for the advice! I did have a not-so-good freshman year, but have improved pretty consistently from then to now (2.56 first semester, now a 3.34 overall). Also, I'm applying to both MD and DO schools, so I wrote my MD PS first, since that application came up first. However, the limit for DO is smaller, so now I'm having trouble cutting stuff down. I feel like everything in it is important. Would you suggest just starting all over for the DO schools, or just working on cutting unimportant/unsupportive sentences? I've got it down to about 4997 characters now, but last I checked the limit is 4500 for DO. Thanks!

I used almost the exact same PS, it definitely does not have to be just "DO" oriented or anything. I agree with scpod more than anyone here. Just say who you are and tell how that relates to your future in medicine.

 

[leila767]

Speaking of personal statements, I have been working on secondary questions. Did anyone apply to VCOM? And if so, where exactly did you find information about problems facing healthcare in America today? I found a lot of insurance issues, which is a huge concern, but physicians unforutnately don't control the insurance companies that create such high standards for health insurance. For those who did apply to VCOM, how did you answer the question: Describe what you feel are the most important problems facing healthcare in America today and what you, as an osteopathic physician, would do to help find the solutions? Any feedback would be great.

 

[emaj1n]

Also, is it important that I write in particular about my experience shadowing a DO if I also shadowed a few MDs? As of now, I just have a paragraph talking about my shadowing experiences as a whole.

Personal statements are tough stuff. I spent two years helping pre-professionals write their statements in my undergrad's writing center, and by the time I was ready to apply, I was still struggling. There are a few basic things to keep in mind, however.

A personal statement is just that--a statement of your personal dreams, desires, thoughts, and goals. There is no formula for writing a personal statement, and the last thing you want is your personal statement to read like a formula. You need to pour yourself into the few words you have. This sounds really idealistic and satin-lined, I know, but it's the truth. I'll try to be brief.

A good way to start is to just talk to yourself, whether in a mirror, the shower, the car. Why do you want to be a physician? This is the backbone of your statement. You build the rest of the story by talking about your experiences. The end result is building a picture of yourself in the present and future, with the lens through which you focus ideas being a career in medicine.

If you are applying to an osteopathic school, it wouldn't be a bad idea to mention, at least briefly, why you are attracted to osteopathy. I've heard the "wait until secondaries" strategy, which says don't go into detail about why you want to be a DO until you receive secondary applications. My response is this: if you want to be an osteopath, why in the world would you wait to talk about it? You want to get a secondary and you want to interview. Talk about your interest in osteopathy now. Waiting to talk about your interest in osteopathy would be like a basketball player saying they're going to wait until the last five minutes, when it really counts, to start sinking free throws, No one promises basketball players free throws late in a game, just like no one promises you a secondary application before they read your personal statement.

Personal statements aren't necessarily about knowing what to include because each one is different. Think about the image you want to portray to medical schools, and then build that image. If you want to portray the image of a mature student with solid interests in holistic healing and osteopathic medicine, then you probably want to talk about these things.

Good luck!

 

[emaj1n]

Did anyone apply to VCOM? And if so, where exactly did you find information about problems facing healthcare in America today?

I applied to VCOM, and I can tell you they aren't looking for you to research the answer. If you are applying to medical school, you should have a general idea of the problems American healthcare is facing. Furthermore, if you are interested in osteopathic medicine, you should have a good idea about how osteopathy presents a unique set of principles that could help solve those problems.

If you are truly drawing blanks, check out my blog. I reference a book that reads easy and might help you.

VCOM is an amazing school. I hope you get the chance to interview there. Just know they aren't looking for cookie-cutter responses. Several faculty members are very "non-traditionalists." They want to know your ideas, not those of other people on this board.

Good luck. Go Hokies!

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Go Hokies!

Just out of curiosity (and I apologize for the transient derail)....what the heck is a hokie precisely? Isn't VT's mascot a giant turkey? I don't see the connection exactly......

 

[emaj1n]

Just out of curiosity (and I apologize for the transient derail)....what the heck is a hokie precisely? Isn't VT's mascot a giant turkey? I don't see the connection exactly......

A Hokie is essentially a loyal Virginia Tech supporter. The HokieBird, our mascot, is a turkey. A turkey is not a Hokie.

"Hokie" was once part of a spirit chant, and it was adopted as the nickname. A VT football fan used to bring his pet turkey to games, and the turkey was adopted as the mascot. Both events were separate and happened a very long ago.

I don't see the connection exactly......

Unless you attended the University, no one would expect you to find an immediate connection.