* * 2009-2010 Personal Statement Thread * *

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Unlearner said:
if i'm writing about one of the work experiences in the essay, how detailed should I write about that particular job (responsibility/tasks, etc) if that’s already on the work experience section of the application?

specifically speaking, do they tend to have our resume/application out while reading the essay and go back and forth to check details? if so, it may sound redundant to briefly explain about the job experience in the essay??? it would be nice to leave that out, because my essays litte too long. any help is appreciated. :)

thanks in advance!
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Keep the description brief (especially since you've noted that your PS is getting a bit lengthy). Make it just detailed enough so that the reader can understand what the job/activity was and how it relates to what you learned through it.
I'm not exactly sure, but I think that if they are looking at your essay and want to know more about the experience, they most likely have your whole file out (so they can take the 2 seconds to flip the page to the activities section or what not). Hope this helps.
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Titans said:
I was diagnosed with a diseases my jr year. Should I put it in my ps as a reason to go the medical path, a eye opener of some sort.. Thanks
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Well is that your reason for going into medicine or do you just think it sounds good?

I'm not trying to be sarcastic or mean, I just think it seems like you are trying to sound out what will have the most effect in your application as opposed to your real motivation. If you are writing about it b/c you think it sounds good or looks good I think admissions can see through that. If it really, truly changed your life and that is how you writie it then I think it is good.
 
Could I get someone to review my PS? I have been looking for a while now, but haven't found any takers. If your interested please let me know (PM). Hope to hear from ya soon :D:D
 
hey i am a reapplicant. well on a waitlist, but not sure if it will go through and want to do things earlier this time. how much should i change my ps for this cycle? i applied in late jan and am unsure how much of it i should change or if it would look bad to send in essentially the same thing.
 
Titans said:
yep it was a life changer, I lost more than half my blood and I could have died. Going to talk about how great full I was too the doctor,how it would be great to return the favor and help people and how This experience changed my life were I cherish every day and how it made me a more caring person and so on. How do you think that sounds. Thanks for the reply
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I think it has a good point you just need to make sure you give details about how you are caring, how it changed your life, ect. Also, make sure you have someone (as many as you can find) read over your PS because you have a few typos just on here, so you don't want those in your PS. Good luck!
 
I'm working on my personal statement for time being doesn't have to be perfect for another 2 years. I wanted to know since I was diagnosed with epilepsy in highschool should I add this? Since I want to go into neurology or neurosurgery. I want to add how much I can help people since I have the problem myself and I know what they might be going through.

Would this be wise in anyway? Since it was a life changing moment and also will have 4 years of clinical experience with a neurologist by the time I apply.
 
Mohammed1989 said:
I'm working on my personal statement for time being doesn't have to be perfect for another 2 years. I wanted to know since I was diagnosed with epilepsy in highschool should I add this? Since I want to go into neurology or neurosurgery. I want to add how much I can help people since I have the problem myself and I know what they might be going through.

Would this be wise in anyway? Since it was a life changing moment and also will have 4 years of clinical experience with a neurologist by the time I apply.
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If you ask me, I don't think it's wise to mention what field you're interested in specifically. Even as med students, we are laughed at incessantly for proposing an interest in neurosurgery. I think if you feel you can form a unique and convincing statement out of your story then you should go ahead and do so. But ensure that it does exactly that. Otherwise, adcoms are not easily amused by premeds wanting to pursue medicine because they can relate to it from a personal story. But then again, personal statements are not a make it or break it thing. If you can't avoid sounding cliche but can write truthfully, it doesn't matter if it's repetitious- your sincerity will show and that's the ultimate goal.
 
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Is it okay to use contractions in the PS? Like can't, didn't, wouldn't, etc.? I know that in a business letter it is not proper, but with how little space there is to write, I don't know how to fit everything in without contractions. And I write with contractions naturally anyway - it's not like I'm just putting them in at strange places.
 
Exalya said:
Is it okay to use contractions in the PS? Like can't, didn't, wouldn't, etc.? I know that in a business letter it is not proper, but with how little space there is to write, I don't know how to fit everything in without contractions. And I write with contractions naturally anyway - it's not like I'm just putting them in at strange places.
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I tried to eliminate them from mine... but if it reads better with the contraction, leave it in. Remember, the people reading these PSs are humans just like you and me. They are not the board of MLA formatting. What they want to see is someone who comes across as real, personal, and personable. Do whatever you need to achieve this goal.
 
Exalya said:
Is it okay to use contractions in the PS? Like can't, didn't, wouldn't, etc.? I know that in a business letter it is not proper, but with how little space there is to write, I don't know how to fit everything in without contractions. And I write with contractions naturally anyway - it's not like I'm just putting them in at strange places.
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Just don't use "ain't"...
 
... if I used words like "ain't" I would just shoot myself.
 
Bacchus said:
DO: 4500 characters
MD: 5300 characters

This includes spaces. I didn't explain why DO in my personal statement.
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I didn't either. There's room for that in the secondaries.

My AACOMAS personal statement was exactly the same as my AMCAS personal statement minus one paragraph.
 
Mohammed1989 said:
I'm working on my personal statement for time being doesn't have to be perfect for another 2 years. I wanted to know since I was diagnosed with epilepsy in highschool should I add this? Since I want to go into neurology or neurosurgery. I want to add how much I can help people since I have the problem myself and I know what they might be going through.

Would this be wise in anyway? Since it was a life changing moment and also will have 4 years of clinical experience with a neurologist by the time I apply.
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One I read was from a girl who was a Type I diabetic, and it worked out really well in the personal statement. She got in a lot of places too.
 
maldabrroc777 said:
I didn't either. There's room for that in the secondaries.

My AACOMAS personal statement was exactly the same as my AMCAS personal statement minus one paragraph.
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Yeah save the why DO so you have something unique/original to say during the secondaries and/or the interviews.

And my AACOMAS was identical to AMCAS.
 
Just curious.... do most of you guys hit the 4500 character limit or come really close to it? I finished my PS (for the moment) and its only 3600 charcters, I do have a few other medical related experiences that I've had that I haven't mentioned in my PS but they wern't really all that great learning experiences and I don't think I'll have much to say about them in an interview. I aimed on being really concise in my sentences to avoid being verbose, but does it look bad not taking up most of the alloted space?
 
Black Adder said:
Just curious.... do most of you guys hit the 4500 character limit or come really close to it? I finished my PS (for the moment) and its only 3600 charcters, I do have a few other medical related experiences that I've had that I haven't mentioned in my PS but they wern't really all that great learning experiences and I don't think I'll have much to say about them in an interview. I aimed on being really concise in my sentences to avoid being verbose, but does it look bad not taking up most of the alloted space?
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No, it won't look bad. It's all about quality, not quantity. ;)
 
so is it OKAY to discuss some major experiences you have had that ARE included on ur activities/jobs section?

For example, i have been working for a doctor for the past 4 years, and originally started volunteering there as soon as i decided medicine was the right path for me. I wanted to discuss my experience there in my PS. I also wanted to mention a shadowing experience for a DO at cook county hospital and how extremely diff it is to the place i work at, and maybe mention mentoring youth from lower income area?

Is that too many experiences to mention? And exactly how much detail should i go into without being overkill, but really describing what I take away from the experience?
 
Ari1584 said:
so is it OKAY to discuss some major experiences you have had that ARE included on ur activities/jobs section?

For example, i have been working for a doctor for the past 4 years, and originally started volunteering there as soon as i decided medicine was the right path for me. I wanted to discuss my experience there in my PS. I also wanted to mention a shadowing experience for a DO at cook county hospital and how extremely diff it is to the place i work at, and maybe mention mentoring youth from lower income area?

Is that too many experiences to mention? And exactly how much detail should i go into without being overkill, but really describing what I take away from the experience?
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Talk about an experience if it was relevant to your interest in medicine and helps answer the general question "why medicine?". Otherwise, you can explain what you got out of it in your descriptions and during interviews.

Also, please never use "ur" ever again. :D
 
Semicolon said:
Talk about an experience if it was relevant to your interest in medicine and helps answer the general question "why medicine?". Otherwise, you can explain what you got out of it in your descriptions and during interviews.

Also, please never use "ur" ever again. :D
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thanks!

haha i will try not to...i guess i am used to it from AIM!
 
I've done extensive research over the past 3 years and have been published in a few papers. For the people who wrote about their research experience in their PS, how much detail regarding your research did you discuss? I mentioned in a bit of detail the kind of projects I worked on and the aims of the research projects.... but reading it over, it sounds a bit technical. Is this appropriate for a PS? I know the object of a PS is to describe why you want to be a doctor and what you've learned from your experiences that qualify you to become one and I've explained what I've learned from my research work and I've tied it into why I want to be a doctor. I'm assuming the people who read these essays are professors in medical school or are doctors.... am I wrong in my assumption? I'm not using too much scientific/medical jargon in my essay, but if someone isn't really familiar with science they might have a difficult time understanding what exactly I did at my lab.
 
I have written a very strong personal statement that I am going to use for AAMC or Allopathic. When I apply to D.O. schools should I use a different personal statement that has a more humanistic/D.O feel to it?
 
You can use the same personal statement. Your issue is going to be length. AMCAS allows 5300 characters with spaces, AACOMAS only 4500. Do not cater your PS to osteopathic medicine or allopathic medicine, but rather medicine.
 
nhernandez4 said:
I have written a very strong personal statement that I am going to use for AAMC or Allopathic. When I apply to D.O. schools should I use a different personal statement that has a more humanistic/D.O feel to it?
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Most people use the same one (I did). You can address "why DO" during secondaries or interviews. As the bacchus said, you just need to figure out what you are going to cut out.
 
Bacchus said:
You can use the same personal statement. Your issue is going to be length. AMCAS allows 5300 characters with spaces, AACOMAS only 4500. Do not cater your PS to osteopathic medicine or allopathic medicine, but rather medicine.
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I have heard many different answers to this question. A great deal of people say to talk about osteopathy, while others say save it for the secondaries. I dont know who to listen to.
 
jmanpatsfan said:
I have heard many different answers to this question. A great deal of people say to talk about osteopathy, while others say save it for the secondaries. I dont know who to listen to.
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Depends who's saying it.

Generally, you should only listen to us.
 
i got into school and used some mentioning of osteopathic medicine, but I don't think there is one do or don't scenario. it's up to you
 
jmanpatsfan said:
I have heard many different answers to this question. A great deal of people say to talk about osteopathy, while others say save it for the secondaries. I dont know who to listen to.
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Honestly, it doesnt matter. You are going to talk about it eventually. Its up to you whether you want to work it in in the PS. Its not going to hurt you if you dont, and its not really going to help you if you do in the sense that you would have talked about it later at some point. The main point is to just write about why you want to go into medicine. There isnt a right or wrong with this question.
 
Bacchus said:
I got into PCOM without mentioning it. I told a good story at the interview, however. DO schools aren't stupid, they realize the PS is multi-use.
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I agree. I used the same one as well. Got into PCOM, DMU, and KCUMB, and got several interviews elsewhere. They'll ask you about osteopathic medicine in their secondaries and interview for sure.

I have a feeling that schools give the primary application maybe a total of 45 seconds or so? lol. I think they spend more time on the secondaries. Which most of them send out to applicants anyways.

But I don't know, I'm just speculating lol. :laugh:
 
2 cents: I used basically the same one for allopathic and osteopathic.

I took out a lot of my "exciting, page catching intro" because of the character restriction. Then I added in the keywords here and there... osteopathic medicine, primary care oriented, my interest in OMM because of my muscle phys background, etc.

IMO, if the prompt allows you to do so, you should ALWAYS start talking about "why DO" in your secondaries. Every secondary and interview I had this was a very important point for the adcoms. I think they do a lot of the weeding out here of the people that are trying to fallback on DO and really just want to be an MD.
 
Semicolon said:
Depends who's saying it.

Generally, you should only listen to us.
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:laugh: I wish I was going to school with you.


OP: I copied the AAMC one, pasted into word, deleted some fluff sentences and consolidated a few others, and pasted into the AACOMAS. Its really about you and your goals. My goals and aspirations just so happened to be: "I want to be a physician" and "I have what it takes to live up to the responsibility", and it honestly didn't really matter which road I took so I didn't mention anything about osteopathic medicine. The secondaries, on the other hand, seem to have a litmus test for working in the osteopathic angle. Many schools will prompt 'why osteopathic' or something along those lines, and you have to either explain or make up reasons why DO is the best option for you and why the schools should have you as a student. Hell, KCUMB required a whole new personal statement!! All this to say: If you feel like you are forcing it, wait until secondaries to talk about osteopathic medicine specifically. Your personal statement should flow naturally and reflect who you are as an individual.
 
Hey everyone, I was wondering if in a PS you must explain why you prefer to go DO instead of MD? I have not included anything comparing the two or even mentioning that there are two paths to take.

I hope this hasn't been asked :)

David
 
There is a thread about this, but the summary of it is you can write about it or not. There will be plenty of questions in secondaries that ask why DO so you will get the opportunity to explain there.
 
Bacchus said:
DO: 4500 characters
MD: 5300 characters

This includes spaces. I didn't explain why DO in my personal statement.
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East bound and down! Popping in some Jerry Reed right now!
 
My PS is around 8500 characters and i have been editing for a week. I have no idea how to take out 4000 more characters and still have a cohesive essay with everything i want to say :( Can anyone please please help me?? thanks :)
 
Ari1584 said:
My PS is around 8500 characters and i have been editing for a week. I have no idea how to take out 4000 more characters and still have a cohesive essay with everything i want to say :( Can anyone please please help me?? thanks :)
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Given that you are over by 4000 characters, I think that it may be a bit choppy if you were to just take out almost half of your essay (and still mention all the points you were trying to make originally). How many different ideas do you go into? Understand that in 4500 characters you probably won't be able to say everything you want to talk about.

For example, in mine i spent the 1st third talking about an activity that i am passionate about and how it made me interested in medicine. the 2nd third of it detailing a positive experience in a clinical setting that confirmed my interest; and finally a conclusion that related the two and how they are similar.

I really only touched upon 2 main ideas (a clinical experience and an EC), but I went into detail so that the reader could understand why i want to do medicine. Of course, I have many other experiences that I could've written about that influenced my decision for medicine, but there just isn't the space in the PS. But that's what the secondaries are for, so you can add more details about you as an applicant to their school. (And they will also see everything else you did in the primary)

I know everyone's PS is different, so i'm not saying the way i did it is perfect because its not, but if your PS goes into too many examples you may want to consider trying to rewrite it and limiting yourself to say 3 ideas or so. Because if you had 6 main pts and you edited out all the details (to fit it in 4500 characters) it may come off to the reader as not having any depth or whatnot. Just my 2 cents. I hope this helps somewhat.
 
How amazing or good do you think a PS has to be anyway? I wrote a decent one but it's pretty generic, nothing extraordinary. Lol I think I just answered my own question.
 
Don't worry. I don't think a PS can make up for poor grades or other criteria. You don't need to stand out, either.

But it can only hurt you when it shows that you lack the ability to communicate clearly, or you write something totally outrageous in it.
 
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