ah what to do with PI's response to PS?!?!

[ssee77]

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Okay so my PI asked for my PS so he could write my letter and he I haven't finished it yet- im on 3rd draft - so I just sent him a resume/essay type thing explaining my main two experiences as an undergrad in the medical field and how that influenced my decision and he just responded saying that it was top 3 PS hes read in his whole career and then added hes seen hundreds and has been a PI for like 20+ years

now heres the thing. I wrote this in 20 min... i legit just wrote like a decription not really a PS but I guess he thought it was a PS...

now what?

Do I use the one Ive been working on for a month ?

Or do I just put the email I sent him in PS format and use it?

Idk what to do, I didnt think what I sent him was that profound, it was just me in simple format?

Advice please? 😍

 

[huskydock]

Time to get a second opinion.

Seriously though, I had one trusted advisor tell me my PS was phenomenal while another equally trusted advisor tore it apart, pointing out numerous flaws. It's always best to let a couple of readers, especially MDs and people who have admissions experience, to give you their thoughts.

Take every edit with a grain of salt, because it's ultimately YOUR voice. But just because one PI, even with all of his experience, says one thing, does not mean it's universally true.

 

[ssee77]

Time to get a second opinion.

Seriously though, I had one trusted advisor tell me my PS was phenomenal while another equally trusted advisor tore it apart, pointing out numerous flaws. It's always best to let a couple of readers, especially MDs and people who have admissions experience, to give you their thoughts.

Take every edit with a grain of salt, because it's ultimately YOUR voice. But just because one PI, even with all of his experience, says one thing, does not mean it's universally true.

that is very true! I guess I was just super caught off guard by it since its different than my PS ive been slaving over...

kinda sucks that also that means one adcom might love the PS and the next would hate it

 

[rudziutki]

All due respect to the gracious people on SDN who have read my PS, PS feedback is largely a crapshoot (just like medical school admissions!). Most people have given me favorable opinions on my PS, but one person yesterday basically told me it sucks. Take everything with a grain of salt, and don't take any single opinion personally.

That being said, if most of your feedback is negative, then is the time to think things over.

 

[DrEnderW]

Get another opinion, especially if you don't think it was that great yourself.

One of my professors and PI loved my PS, but my pre-med committee ripped it apart and told me to quite my college sport and remove all athletic references from the statement because it had nothing to do with science and medicine. Point is, opinions can vary wildly.

 

[SilverCat]

When it comes to essay critiques, I've found that I should ignore people who tell me it's great, and listen closely to those who point out numerous problems within the essay. I would definitely get a second opinion.

DrEnderW- I don't see why you have to remove all references to athletics, if they tie in with your desire to go to med school and highlight your personal qualities. The most boring examples of a PS tend to talk only about volunteering, research, and biology. I would think something different would be a nice personal touch.

 

[pepes1lv1a]

If I had only gotten my personal statement by 3/4 SDN readers, I would have thought, "wow I'm awesome." The other one e-mailed me back and forth tearing my original version apart and helping build it into something coherent and much stronger. Don't sit easy just because you've written something that one person likes.


The same concept goes for any encouragement, really. If I followed my parents' logic, I'd be applying to ivies only because they refuse to believe that a GPA can break my chance no matter how strong the rest of my app, and after all I am so smart and well-rounded!! It's insanely frustrating but I know they do it because they're loving, supportive, and clueless.

If this advisor is someone you're close with, he would probably be reading anything you send him with rose-tinted glasses.

 

[Omppu27]

He might be more impressed by the content of which you wrote about. That said, he might like your actual PS just as much...

 

[ssee77]

Got it ! im gunna send both to a few diff people and get opinions.

Thanks all!

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Humble Brag Level: Pro

 

[Mosa]

If I had only gotten my personal statement by 3/4 SDN readers, I would have thought, "wow I'm awesome." The other one e-mailed me back and forth tearing my original version apart and helping build it into something coherent and much stronger. Don't sit easy just because you've written something that one person likes.


The same concept goes for any encouragement, really. If I followed my parents' logic, I'd be applying to ivies only because they refuse to believe that a GPA can break my chance no matter how strong the rest of my app, and after all I am so smart and well-rounded!! It's insanely frustrating but I know they do it because they're loving, supportive, and clueless.

If this advisor is someone you're close with, he would probably be reading anything you send him with rose-tinted glasses.

This is so funny and true! Lol okay but in response to OP, there might be a different side to it. You might just write better under pressure. I know I do. English was one of my undergrad majors and the best papers I wrote were the ones written the morning of day they were due under extreme stress and rushing. I actually spent this whole academic year only writing my English and other humanities papers the day they were due and I got As on all of them. Maybe you are the same way. So either way, you would benefit from a second or third or fourth opinion to make sure your PI's opinion isn't an outlier.

 

[gettheleadout]

Get another opinion, especially if you don't think it was that great yourself.

One of my professors and PI loved my PS, but my pre-med committee ripped it apart and told me to quite my college sport and remove all athletic references from the statement because it had nothing to do with science and medicine. Point is, opinions can vary wildly.

Well it sounds like your premed committee is incompetent.

 

[milkphlegm]

Time to get a second opinion.

Seriously though, I had one trusted advisor tell me my PS was phenomenal while another equally trusted advisor tore it apart, pointing out numerous flaws. It's always best to let a couple of readers, especially MDs and people who have admissions experience, to give you their thoughts.

Take every edit with a grain of salt, because it's ultimately YOUR voice. But just because one PI, even with all of his experience, says one thing, does not mean it's universally true.

Excellent advice.

I gave mine to my assigned advisor and he said it was great, no changes. Then I gave it to a professor I had that was on an adcom and we've been going back and forth with drafts for a month. Perhaps the content is up to par, but watch for grammar and structure. People read for different things!

 

[ssee77]

This is so funny and true! Lol okay but in response to OP, there might be a different side to it. You might just write better under pressure. I know I do. English was one of my undergrad majors and the best papers I wrote were the ones written the morning of day they were due under extreme stress and rushing. I actually spent this whole academic year only writing my English and other humanities papers the day they were due and I got As on all of them. Maybe you are the same way. So either way, you would benefit from a second or third or fourth opinion to make sure your PI's opinion isn't an outlier.

I think this is actually true, I wasn't concerned with trying to make it perfect and so I just naturally wrote and I think I sounded more passionate rather than technical. Might give myself 30 min to try to write an actual PS and see what happens. In the poetry class I took we were given a time limit like that too, so I think it actually works 🙂

 

[rudziutki]

Where are you guys finding adcoms to provide PS feedback? That is a really huge advantage.

 

[sliceofbread136]

Where are you guys finding adcoms to provide PS feedback? That is a really huge advantage.

Not rly, PS barely matters

 

[dahassa]

Not rly, PS barely matters

PS can make a difference, especially at the top schools. I had 3 interviewers reference something in one of essays/PS statement and talk about how much they liked it. And, at my one waitlist, my interviewer pulled up my PS and literary criticized every paragraph. She basically told me she hated it, So, in the end, PS can def make a difference (especially when it comes to fit and interviewers who read the PS), but they can also be variable based on the reader. I legit had 3 different interviewers comment on how much they liked it and one really hated it.

 

[milkphlegm]

Where are you guys finding adcoms to provide PS feedback? That is a really huge advantage.

I did a SMP.

 

[Ambitious2013]

Yes, please tell! My PS is in desperate need of proofreading.

 

[rudziutki]

PS can make a difference, especially at the top schools. I had 3 interviewers reference something in one of essays/PS statement and talk about how much they liked it. And, at my one waitlist, my interviewer pulled up my PS and literary criticized every paragraph. She basically told me she hated it, So, in the end, PS can def make a difference (especially when it comes to fit and interviewers who read the PS), but they can also be variable based on the reader. I legit had 3 different interviewers comment on how much they liked it and one really hated it.

So weird. I never had any comments about my PS, good or bad. I guess it must've been average 😕

 

[mvenus929]

Take every edit with a grain of salt, because it's ultimately YOUR voice. But just because one PI, even with all of his experience, says one thing, does not mean it's universally true.

This. I'm working on my residency PS, and I've had a lot of people look it over, from classmates to advisors to people who have nothing to do with medicine. Some edits are justified, others either change what I was trying to say (indicating that I needed to revise it anyway) or just change my voice (using words I'd never use, etc). Other people say it's great and not to change a thing. Point is, get a lot of people to read over your PS, including people not in the medical field (they can tell you whether or not your point is made, and help with style).

 

[def1]

The amount of time it took you to write it doesn't really make a difference.
I wrote my PS over a few hours even though everyone told me I should try and write it for at least a month. However after writing my first draft I really enjoyed it and didn't end up changing anything and got complements from my interviewers on it.

That said your PS is supposed to be personal. So that means you should send the one you personally like the best as it represents who you are better. That doesn't mean you shouldn't take advice from other people but in the end its up to you and how you want to portray yourself.