* * 2009-2010 Personal Statement Thread * *

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I am applying to both MD and DO schools this June and I was wondering if the DO schools asked more specifically "why do you want to go into osteopathic medicine?" rather than generally asking "why do you want to go into medicine?" This is because I would then have to figure out if I need to change around my personal statement at all for the DO primary. Thank you.
 
If I remember right, AACOMAS gives you less space than AMCAS does for the personal statement. Other than that, you should address pretty much the same question. You'll have MORE THAN enough of a chance to explain "why osteopathic medicine" in your secondaries/interviews; save it for then.
 
I did explain "why DO" in my PS somewhat. Verdict: it doesn't really matter if you do or do not explain it in the PS. At least address "why medicine"...
 
to make your life easier, i'd write the MD personal statement and then take somethings out so it fits into the DO personal statement. you'll address the "why DO" later for sure.
 
I used the same ps for both applications. I figured id save the "why DO" for the secondary apps. You'll definitely be asked about it on secondaries and on interviews
 
soisauce said:
to make your life easier, i'd write the MD personal statement and then take somethings out so it fits into the DO personal statement. you'll address the "why DO" later for sure.
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I think its way easier to add things than to take them out. I wrote the DO one first and then added stuff for the MD one, but for the most part they were identical. It doesnt really matter either way, whatever is easier for you! I too saved the "why DO" for later.
 
just to add to what everyone else said (because i'm bored at work and need something to kill time)... i pretty much wrote the same thing for my AMCAS as well as my AACOMAS personal statements. as long as you show you have a sincere interest in medicine in your PS, they can ask you more about "why DO" in particular at your interview.
 
Same for both

I tailored my PS to be generic and fit within the DO character length, then used it for MD. That way it would be a little shorter than the max characters for making it a little more readable for the allopathic. Altogether, I was about 2 characters from the DO limit 😎 I can't say it worked that well for allo, but I'm fairly certain that my late app (8/26) and mcat (26P with 7vr) spoiled that.

I saved all of my DO-specific portions for the school...it must have worked..9 interview invites for only 6 secondaries =)

BTW - plan on editing it about 10 more times that what you think you would. Seriously...I must have worked on that off and on for about 5 months and about 35 times. I found it easiest just to really think about "why" for about 2 months then sit down one night after everyone went to bed and just type until you couldn't think of anything else. I sat on it for another week and mentally re-ran through all of the stories/events/elements and hit it again. My best PS-checker was my Vr Kaplan instructor who actually tore it apart like I hoped everyone else would do...

:luck:
 
So I wanted to get some opinions on my aacom eassy, which my pre-med adivisor said was a little off the mainstream and may not be recieved well by the application committee. Bascially my eassy is about the some of the flaws of the current healthcare system. In short, I write about how healthcare of become somewhat of a business and use the hippocratic oath to illiustrate some of the shortcoming of the promises made. I go on further to explain how as a physcian I will keep promises made and treat every as a fellow human being, with care a concern. My adivsior feels as though it may insult the people reading the application... Any ideas or comments on my idea? Thanks...
 
I think it's a bad idea. Technically, you're not answering the question. The question is: why medicine? Your answer is because of the problems? That doesn't make much sense. Even if you did answer the question and said that you hope to change things from the bottom up, I don't think it would be well received. You're not in the profession yet so you're not really a notable source on its problems from a doctor's point of view, not to mention that getting into a profession just to change it rarely goes over well with those currently in the profession.

It would be like the manager of Burger King interviewing you and asking you, "why do you want to work at BK?" and you replying, "because you guys are doing a crappy job and I want to whip you in shape!"

How do you think the manager is likely to respond to that?
 
Pinser555 said:
So I wanted to get some opinions on my aacom eassy, which my pre-med adivisor said was a little off the mainstream and may not be recieved well by the application committee. Bascially my eassy is about the some of the flaws of the current healthcare system. In short, I write about how healthcare of become somewhat of a business and use the hippocratic oath to illiustrate some of the shortcoming of the promises made. I go on further to explain how as a physcian I will keep promises made and treat every as a fellow human being, with care a concern. My adivsior feels as though it may insult the people reading the application... Any ideas or comments on my idea? Thanks...
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yeah I agree with the previous poster, it really doesn't seem to answer the question WHY medicine for you, because you need to be able to back up statements with personal experiences. Talking about the problems of the healthcare system really aren't "personal" experiences that have shaped your to desire to pursue medicine. But I mean you could stick with your topic if you have such experiences.
 
Pinser555 said:
So I wanted to get some opinions on my aacom eassy, which my pre-med adivisor said was a little off the mainstream and may not be recieved well by the application committee. Bascially my eassy is about the some of the flaws of the current healthcare system. In short, I write about how healthcare of become somewhat of a business and use the hippocratic oath to illiustrate some of the shortcoming of the promises made. I go on further to explain how as a physcian I will keep promises made and treat every as a fellow human being, with care a concern. My adivsior feels as though it may insult the people reading the application... Any ideas or comments on my idea? Thanks...
Click to expand...

As a general rule, my advice is NOT to listen to your pre-med advisor and think for yourself; they're only there to discourage you and let you know that you're not good enough (usually). I don't think it's wrong to mention the problems of healthcare in your PS, but it really depends on the extent and breadth of your mentioning of it. I would say that you should keep it relatively low, but that if it's a major reason for your choosing the medical field, you should definitely try to turn it around to make it a driving force for yourself, but don't get preachy. 😉
 
Just wondering if you folks wrote a standardized personal statement for all DO schools, or did you tailor them to the school/program?

Thank you.
 
Chilanga said:
Just wondering if you folks wrote a standardized personal statement for all DO schools, or did you tailor them to the school/program?

Thank you.
Click to expand...

well, if you're referring to the primary AACOMAS application, then you only get 1 personal statement section, so i guess that counts as "standardized." for the secondaries, you'll be able (and you should try) to tailor your essays so that the admissions people can see why you'd be a good fit for their particular school.
 
Chilanga said:
Just wondering if you folks wrote a standardized personal statement for all DO schools, or did you tailor them to the school/program?

Thank you.
Click to expand...

If you're talking about the personal statement you put into your primary, it's a general statement that concerns your motivation towards osteopathic medicine. You will get the chance to talk about your motivations towards specific schools in their respective secondaries.
 
Pinser555 said:
So I wanted to get some opinions on my aacom eassy, which my pre-med adivisor said was a little off the mainstream and may not be recieved well by the application committee. Bascially my eassy is about the some of the flaws of the current healthcare system. In short, I write about how healthcare of become somewhat of a business and use the hippocratic oath to illiustrate some of the shortcoming of the promises made. I go on further to explain how as a physcian I will keep promises made and treat every as a fellow human being, with care a concern. My adivsior feels as though it may insult the people reading the application... Any ideas or comments on my idea? Thanks...
Click to expand...

Terrible, terrible idea. For one, you can't have a really good idea about some of the flaws in the system until you've really worked in it. For two, there's a good chance they're probably going to disagree with you (especially if you mention anything about socialized medicine). For three, they're part of the system you're ripping. For four, they've ACTUALLY taken the hippocratic oath. For five, you'll break your promise. You won't treat every patient with care and concern (I'm positive you're going to call someone a mother ******). For six, a PS is supposed to be why you're cut out for medicine, not what's wrong with medicine.

I know I'm busting your balls here, but A PS like that resembles the "actress" that gets off the bus in Hollywood all wide eyed. Her innocence and naivete are cute, but we all know she's going to end up in porn.
 
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Back to subject - I did address why DO in my primary. I did this because two of the schools that I applied to (one of which I was accepted and the other I got an interview, but declined) said that the adcoms really like to see that in the primary. I'm n=1 so take it for what it's worth, but "why DO" can't hurt.

Chandu
 
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ChandutheMagici said:
Back to subject - I did address why DO in my primary. I did this because two of the schools that I applied to (one of which I was accepted and the other I got an interview, but declined) said that the adcoms reallylike to see that in the primary. I'm n=1 so take it for what it's worth, but "why DO" can't hurt.

Chandu
Click to expand...

It can if you're using the same PS for AMCAS. 😀
 
I would like to know whether I should mention briefly or explain in detail why I choose D.O. in my primary essay or reserve it for secondaries. I really want to get to the interview so please give me some advice on this!!
 
I left it for the secondaries and interviews.

DMU, which had a form application, I believe did not ask "Why DO?" on their secondary. I never had the chance to give them my motives; however, I was still offered an interview.
 
Athens said:
I would like to know whether I should mention briefly or explain in detail why I choose D.O. in my primary essay or reserve it for secondaries. I really want to get to the interview so please give me some advice on this!!
Click to expand...

You CAN do this if you wish, but if the school wants to know why you chose osteopathic medicine, they'll ask you on the secondary. It's best to just answer "why medicine" and save your material for the more important steps.
 
Hi,

I can't find a thread that posts secondary questions so I'd like to ask whether all D.O. schools (with exception of DMU) ask "why D.O?" on secondaries...
 
thethethe said:
CB, how would I do that? I am also interested?
Click to expand...

Scroll up to my first post on this page (#6), and look at the links in my signature.

Also, I add all of my signature links to the FAQs thread which is "stickied" (forced to stay at the top of the forum) in the Pre-Osteo forum.

I'd just link to it, but this should help you get a bit more familiar with a few things. Let me know if you can't find something. 🙂
 
Hi,
THanks again, CB!
Do the schools ask the same questions every year ?
Do DO schools screen before sending secondaries ?
 
So how about starting a list of those willing to read 09-10 applicants' PS's...

Please post if you are willing 🙂
 
So how about starting a list of those willing to read 09-10 applicants' PS's...

Please post if you are willing 🙂
 
I'm in the middle of writing my personal statement and am curious what all I should include. I am applying to Pikeville (my number 1 choice) who prefer Ky applicants and prospective FP docs. Is this something I should metion in my PS? Should I mention that I want to be a family doc and stay in the state of kentucky? Or is this something that will be addressed in secondaries. Is there anywhere I can find sample statements just to get a ballpark idea of the sound/format.
 
I would advise against mentioning wanting to stay in Kentucky. Its ok to mention a passion for family practice but elaborate why. You don't want to be narrow-minded in case you become interested in other schools later on or Pike doesn't even consider you despite your interest. The personal statement is meant to be a short story about your life, and the events that led up to why you want to be a doctor (specifically a DO doctor if you can elaborate). If you google sample medical personal statements, there are a few good ones to read and get an idea. THere are also books at bookstores with samples. The DO personal statement is the same thing with more focus on "why DO"? Hope that helps. Good luck.
 
your ps goes to all the schools you apply to, so if you decide to apply to more than just that school, the others are going to be like "ok this student clearly isn't interested in us, why should we be interested in them?" and that won't be good.
 
justh0ang said:
I would advise against mentioning wanting to stay in Kentucky. Its ok to mention a passion for family practice but elaborate why. You don't want to be narrow-minded in case you become interested in other schools later on or Pike doesn't even consider you despite your interest. The personal statement is meant to be a short story about your life, and the events that led up to why you want to be a doctor (specifically a DO doctor if you can elaborate). If you google sample medical personal statements, there are a few good ones to read and get an idea. THere are also books at bookstores with samples. The DO personal statement is the same thing with more focus on "why DO"? Hope that helps. Good luck.
Click to expand...

That's not necessarily true at all. Plenty of people use the very same personal statement for both AMCAS and AACOMAS. Personally, I think that "why DO" should be saved for secondaries...
 
My personal statement has gone through 5 revisions and I haven't even had anyone else read it yet. Every time it comes off the same--rough. I do not wish to scare people who read it, but I endured extensive torture (my prefferred word for "child abuse) throughout my childhood and while I was in college (I was 13 when I started college, and still with my abuser, ran away from home during my undergrad, etc.). The abuse made me very different, and in my opinion, makes me more durable than average. I think I could use what happened to me to be a better doctor--obviously, this is the tac I'm taking in the PS. Also, my personal problems have affected my grades slightly, though I still hold a 3.4.

Anyway, describing (even briefly) my experiences always comes off very harsh. How... expressive is too expressive? Do I need to try and set aside the emotions in the PS and be more distant, or is the emotion helpful? I am very attached to my writing and open about my experiences, so I write in a very personal tone by default. I would have to make a conscious effort to tone it down.
 
Exalya said:
My personal statement has gone through 5 revisions and I haven't even had anyone else read it yet. Every time it comes off the same--rough. I do not wish to scare people who read it, but I endured extensive torture (my prefferred word for "child abuse) throughout my childhood and while I was in college (I was 13 when I started college, and still with my abuser, ran away from home during my undergrad, etc.). The abuse made me very different, and in my opinion, makes me more durable than average. I think I could use what happened to me to be a better doctor--obviously, this is the tac I'm taking in the PS. Also, my personal problems have affected my grades slightly, though I still hold a 3.4.

Anyway, describing (even briefly) my experiences always comes off very harsh. How... expressive is too expressive? Do I need to try and set aside the emotions in the PS and be more distant, or is the emotion helpful? I am very attached to my writing and open about my experiences, so I write in a very personal tone by default. I would have to make a conscious effort to tone it down.
Click to expand...

In a lot of my applications/secondaries I talked about my grandma's battle with breast cancer and how it affected me and my family. It was very personal and I got a lot of comments about it. However, in retrospect I think your past is such a big part of you, you should definitely keep it in there. Keep it vivid and emotional. However at the end you need to make sure that you display some perspective on your experiences and realize that EVERYONE has had some sort of challenge. (Not downplaying yours at all). Just saying make sure you get the point across that you understand people go through hard times so perhaps you can better relate to people because you may have experienced something similar. The other thing is to end it on a POSITIVE note. This can be very difficult to do after discussing experiences as rough as yours but it is essential. You want the readers to come away feeling positive/uplifted/motivated, not depressed. State how it has contributed to you as a person and what you intend TO DO with this knowledge.

Best of luck and glad to hear you are pursuing your dream!👍
 
Exalya-

First of all....I hope you as impressed with yourself for everything you have been able to accomplish throughout your abuse. It is truly amazing what you have been able to overcome and I hope you know what a survivor you are.

I am going to start at Nova in the fall. Currently I do crisis intervention work for domestic violence and sexual assault. I know many people who have experienced similar pasts as you have and I know that you may be concerned that your PS comes off as "too much reality" for others. I know that what you have been through will make you a better doctor because, I hope, you will use to it empathize with others as well as look out of the signs of abuse. Doctors are often first responders in abuse situations and you will have a powerful effect in your community.

Personally, I had a lot of my childhood in my PS. Both of my parents are drug addicts and my mother died my last semester of college of an accidental drug overdose. This has taught me a lot about what I am able to endure, and how you may be able to help some people as a doctor, but you can't help people who don't want to help themselves. I also am able to be less judgmental in most situations because I am aware of the possible underlying issues that may be present.

If you need someone to talk to, or run your PS by, let me know and I would be happy to read it as someone who has gone through the med school application cycle (successfully yay!) and someone who helps survivors on a daily basis. I am happy to help. Good luck and don't be afraid to be personal. Your goals to become a doctor are personal!
 
I'm having a hard time writing a personal statement. I've worked in medicine (in various positions) for about 5 years now and the "epiphany" moment I had I'm worried may not be the best.

I realized I wanted to be a doctor after working as a receptionist in a large family medicine and urgent care center. They didn't take any patients without insurance, or patients that were on medicaid and medicare. At least 10 times per day, I would have to turn away people with medicaid/medicare/no insurance, and I wasn't able to give them any options besides the ER (because no other options for these people existed to my knowledge)....

Anyway, it really upset me that I was constantly turning away sick and hurting people who would tell me they couldn't find any where else to go. So long story short, I want to work with underserved populations more than anything...not saying I can solve this enormous problem on my own by any means, but at least I could help.

My concern is that I would be calling out "flaws" in medicine and it may come across offensive. Is it possible to word in a "non offensive" manner? Or is it too sensitive of a topic and I should just steer clear? What do you guys think?
 
Oxygen206 said:
I'm having a hard time writing a personal statement. I've worked in medicine (in various positions) for about 5 years now and the "epiphany" moment I had I'm worried may not be the best.

I realized I wanted to be a doctor after working as a receptionist in a large family medicine and urgent care center. They didn't take any patients without insurance, or patients that were on medicaid and medicare. At least 10 times per day, I would have to turn away people with medicaid/medicare/no insurance, and I wasn't able to give them any options besides the ER (because no other options for these people existed to my knowledge)....

Anyway, it really upset me that I was constantly turning away sick and hurting people who would tell me they couldn't find any where else to go. So long story short, I want to work with underserved populations more than anything...not saying I can solve this enormous problem on my own by any means, but at least I could help.

My concern is that I would be calling out "flaws" in medicine and it may come across offensive. Is it possible to word in a "non offensive" manner? Or is it too sensitive of a topic and I should just steer clear? What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

I'm having a hard time writing my PS too. I think you have a very good starting point. You are right that it shouldn't be so negative or calling out the situation. I would focus on how you saw a severe need in your medical community and you want to fill that need.
 
beckhunter116 said:
I'm having a hard time writing my PS too. I think you have a very good starting point. You are right that it shouldn't be so negative or calling out the situation. I would focus on how you saw a severe need in your medical community and you want to fill that need.
Click to expand...

Good point! Thanks, I guess I just needed a little reassurance on the topic. Now I have to find a way to make it all fit. Ughhh.

PS has definitely been one of the bigger challenges for me lately. Let me know if you have any ideas you may need some tips/advice on...it's always nice to have a second opinion 🙂
 
I think it depends on the circumstances. I kept mine brief, but very powerful.

"Unexpectedly, my father took the lives of my mother, her boyfriend, and then his own. In the whirlwind that followed, ..."

...

"The second experience involved someone very close to me who overdosed on a considerable amount of sedative. When I arrived at the intensive care unit, I discovered that my friend was unresponsive after being exposed to, ironically, a powerful veterinary tranquilizer. ..."

I followed HIPPA even though anyone with half a brain could look at me and my application, biography, etc and figure it out :laugh:
 
Exalya said:
My personal statement has gone through 5 revisions and I haven't even had anyone else read it yet. Every time it comes off the same--rough. I do not wish to scare people who read it, but I endured extensive torture (my prefferred word for "child abuse) throughout my childhood and while I was in college (I was 13 when I started college, and still with my abuser, ran away from home during my undergrad, etc.). The abuse made me very different, and in my opinion, makes me more durable than average. I think I could use what happened to me to be a better doctor--obviously, this is the tac I'm taking in the PS. Also, my personal problems have affected my grades slightly, though I still hold a 3.4.

Anyway, describing (even briefly) my experiences always comes off very harsh. How... expressive is too expressive? Do I need to try and set aside the emotions in the PS and be more distant, or is the emotion helpful? I am very attached to my writing and open about my experiences, so I write in a very personal tone by default. I would have to make a conscious effort to tone it down.
Click to expand...


I was told explicitly by several people on admissions boards not to write about "things like your rape". If i were you I would make it short and sweet. Instead of describing what happened, I would make it a few brief paragraphs and then concentrate on how you OVERCAME it. I'm sure that going through abuse as a child (or any age) is tough. But concentrating on how you overcame it, would give the whole essay a more positive outlook.

If you'd like, I volunteer to read it. I graduated with a journalism degree and write for a living. PM it to me, and i'd be happy to give it a going over.

That goes for anyone else out there who needs some personal statement help.
 
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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