Anybody else in PS hell?

[mrsmotivation]

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I was just wondering who else was having trouble with their personal statements. I try to make mine interesting, but it still reads blah, blah, blah. Let's just pray the adcoms don't fall asleep reading it. 😡

 

[tulips]

I'm having the same stupid problem. I think I'm going to hope that other parts of my application are strong enough to make the adcoms disregard my incredibly dull personal statement.

 

[Doc Martins]

I thought I had an interesting idea for mine, but once I started writing it I realized that it's probably as unique as 10,000 other applicants' essays.

 

[Alexander99]

I went through the same thing and it took me about 2 weeks to get it to sound interesting. There's only two questions you need to ask yourself when writing the PS. Would people care about what I'm writing (is it interesting) and could this PS apply to anyone else (e.g. is it generic)? As long as you can say yes to the first question and no to the second, you're golden.

 

[OnMyWayThere]

I'm going to start writing my 5th one tomorrow because the previous 4 all suck.

 

[IcedCube]

I'm going to start writing my 5th one tomorrow because the previous 4 all suck.

someone deliver me from procrastination. isnt june approaching fast???

 

[NonTradMed]

I'm going to start writing my 5th one tomorrow because the previous 4 all suck.

I'm on my fifth rewrite.

My PS is so boring that I fall asleep writing it....my life is so BORING. I realize the cure to our problem is go GET A LIFE! 😉

 

[Scubadoc]

I thought I had an interesting idea for mine, but once I started writing it I realized that it's probably as unique as 10,000 other applicants' essays.

I'm having the same problem! I thought mine was sounding good until I started reading sample essays of other people who have gotten accepted and I realized how badly mine sucked! 😱

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

I'm going to start writing my 5th one tomorrow because the previous 4 all suck.

Ha try 11 serious revisions AND now I totally started over and am on my third revision of that statement.


I can't wait to submit this application and get it out of my hair!



Adrian

 

[sunflower79]

hey, easy there. It might help to compare yourself to other pre-meds you know or even just your friends, and ask what makes you different from them, what makes you tick.

Yes I know tons of ppl have done the same volunteering activities, research, etc. etc. Try to put your own spin on it -- this is where good descriptive writing becomes important. You need to describe a specific moment, paint a picture with words if you will. No one else will have that particular experience. Please, please do NOT write in platitudes!

Another approach might be to reflect on your formative experiences. You might have to dig deep -- in fact you might even want to. I wrote about alcoholism in my family because I realize that was a huge force in shaping who I am.

good luck 🙂

 

[gildas]

Hey mrsmotivation, are you still planning to go to Yale this summer for the MSEP?

 

[Lochmoor]

someone deliver me from procrastination. isnt june approaching fast???

You dont necessarily need to start the actual writing to begin work on your personal statement. Since I took a year off, I watched all my friends work on their applications and helped them when I could, so it gave me a lot of lead time to think about what I wanted to talk about.

You should do the same. Just brainstorm ideas of the points and major topics you want to hit--I suggest 3, maybe 4 major events, activities to write about. Think about the various little things you've done, anecdotes from your life. That's what will make your personal statement unique, personal, and show who you are. Another thing that may help is a book of personal statements. I'm definately not a good writer --that's why I was a engineer-- so I got a book with lots of exceptional personal statements of individuals that went to top medical schools. It really helped get the creative jucies flowing and helped me determine my approach.

Also, to get you into gear, if you dont get your app in early, your chances of acceptance decline rapidly. I applied very late and I know I am certian I would have recieved at least 1 or 2 more interviews. (Wake said I was at the top of the list to be interviewed....but ran out of time)

If you really dont want to do it, maybe you should rethink your decision to go to med school.....now write your ps!!!

 

[UCLAstudent]

I'm actually really happy with mine. It's pretty much all finished.

 

[chickenpotpie]

I'm actually really happy with mine. It's pretty much all finished.

😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

 

[mentoz]

hey everyone ..

hang in there ..

i wrote 4 essays .. the first 3 took months and months ... i was never happy with it .. DON'T EVER SEND ANYTHING IN THAT YOU'RE NOT HAPPY WITH!

finally, one day, i was sitting in class and wrote a few sentences .. then the ball started rolling, and i was outta control! i finished it that day ...... this is what authors go through .. sometimes you can't force yourself to write .. just jot things down and one day you'll get a bright idea ...

i started too late so that bright idea never came until September! but i would've waited until September to submit an excellent essay than submit an OK one months earlier .....



and have everyone read your essays .. and let them tell you if the essay is a good reflection of you.

 

[Stupendous]

I haven't started writing mine yet 😀. Well, I've done a lot of brainstorming but I don't like what I've come up with that much.

I thought about writing how I used to be a very selfish individual and how one school project that I turned into a community service project changed my outlook on life. Then building off that. I like the idea but it sounds sort of risky to me.

And I'm not too worried about when I hit submit because I'm already guaranteed an interview where I'm applying.

 

[size_tens]

My advice to all you neurotic pre-meds revising your personal statements a million times is to try not to be so anal. Just write what you feel and don't worry about how it will impact others. In other words rather than trying to sell yourself, use your personal statement to give adcoms a window into who you are. Good luck to everyone applying for this upcoming application cycle

 

[DReject]

I'm in the same pool as you guys. I keep trying too hard to make it as unique as possible, yet it's hard. In my composition classes, I always knew what I wanted to write about. Yet, now where it counts the most, I have a block. For someone who's outspoken, I have can't get a good lead. I ripped my first drafts and am thinking of starting from scratch.

I have a few leads- when I was 16 my friend lost her finger in a freakish accident and I remember going with her to the er and standing by her. That really got me thinking about medicine (I knew I was interested before though).
I spend two months a year with my grandfather who suffers from various diseases. I help him with his medicine, get dressed, and I'm there emotionally for him.

While I volunteer in a cancer hospital, I remember speaking to a family member of a patient going into surgery and I was saying it must have been a long time in the waiting room, then he replied "I have the easy part." Till this day I remember that quote and use it in my life.

So, I didn't want to use these b/c they're cliche..or am I wrong? They are very sincere to me, but I don't know if I'd be able to convey that well, since I'm a little inhibited when talking about my emotions.

Good luck everyone! I know I think about my PS constantly.

 

[cather]

It took me a few weeks to write my personal statement. I sat down and tried to come up with as many ideas as possible. I wrote anything, as crappy as it may have been. I read some personal statements on the internet to try to get a feel for how to write the PS. It is hard to write the PS. It takes time. You got to have some motivation for wanting to be a doctor and even if it's similar to other people's motivations, that's okay. Think about what makes you unique as a person- your family background, your childhood, hobbies, personality, likes/dislikes and how these things might have shaped your inclination to medicine.

 

[vtucci]

I am happy with most of my essay. There is one paragraph, though, that I am trying to rework.

Ah well... it is the secondaries that I am most concerned about.

 

[Lochmoor]

I'm in the same pool as you guys. I keep trying too hard to make it as unique as possible, yet it's hard. In my composition classes, I always knew what I wanted to write about. Yet, now where it counts the most, I have a block. For someone who's outspoken, I have can't get a good lead. I ripped my first drafts and am thinking of starting from scratch.

I have a few leads- when I was 16 my friend lost her finger in a freakish accident and I remember going with her to the er and standing by her. That really got me thinking about medicine (I knew I was interested before though).
I spend two months a year with my grandfather who suffers from various diseases. I help him with his medicine, get dressed, and I'm there emotionally for him.

While I volunteer in a cancer hospital, I remember speaking to a family member of a patient going into surgery and I was saying it must have been a long time in the waiting room, then he replied "I have the easy part." Till this day I remember that quote and use it in my life.

So, I didn't want to use these b/c they're cliche..or am I wrong? They are very sincere to me, but I don't know if I'd be able to convey that well, since I'm a little inhibited when talking about my emotions.

Good luck everyone! I know I think about my PS constantly.

It all depends on how and what you write about those experiences to convey the insights you gained. If you say "My grandfather was sick and I helped take care of him. blah blah" Definately cliche. You need to tell a story let them know about your insights and how you have been affected by those experiences. (It's like when you read a book. You can read the words, but it means nothing unless you can comprehend what you've read.)

This may still be cliche, but hopefully you'll get something out of it.
"'I have the easy part.' said one patient to me as he gazed towards his family. As they all sat together consoling each other I wheeled him into the OR."

That's really not worth keeping. You've got perfect experiences to form a great hook to make it interesting. You can start with something funny that happened to you during those experiences the somehow switch to a more serious tone.

Good luck!! I forgotten what a pain writing is.

 

[nachoDoc]

After 27 tough revisions, it provides a glimpse into the unique package, called "me", highlighting my skills, experiences, and qualifications.

Just waiting now for AMCAS to open the submission gate.
All transcripts (9) received, schools selected, ready to go.

Good luck everyone.
👍

 

[leechy]

I like the avatar, GrandPa. Who knew Bert was so virile?

But yeah... I can relate to PS woes. I'm basically floundering... how cliche is cliche? Can we write about wanting to make an impact? It seems cliche, but it's true! Blah...