Our clients are bright, accomplished people—who make these mistakes all the time. Here's what to avoid in your writing.
Having too many readers: “How many people should read my Personal Statement before I submit it?” This isn't a
question we get from a lot from clients, but it should be— because having too many readers is a common mistake. If
you're an Apply Point client, maybe ask two people besides your two AP advisors (who work as a team) to read your
essays. If you're not working with a consultant, you could ask up to four people to read your work but make that the
maximum just so you won't be overwhelmed by input.
This is certainly not us saying that you shouldn't have any readers at all. You want eyes or ears on this, especially if
they're attached to someone you respect who knows you well. In fact, the top question you should ask them is: "Does
this sound like me?" Friends, family members, or a mentor can confirm if your essay gets your personality and best
qualities across.
That said, maybe send them the edited, polished draft that we've discussed together rather than your raw first draft. This way their suggestions and questions won't psych you out because you already have a good idea of what you want to present in your statement. When you're trying to please everyone, you might lose your own voice.
We worked with one talented applicant who had his mentor, dad, brother, best friend, girlfriend, and his girlfriend's two friends read his first draft before it came to us. It was not helpful. He was completely overwhelmed by the amount of input he received and in trying to please everyone with his new draft, he strayed far from his very solid outline. The result was a disjointed and confusing essay. (The girlfriend's friends were bold—they made edit suggestions for his career goals!) Don't worry, we helped him get back on track.
One more note on having too many readers: Never post your essay in an online forum, such as Reddit. Sharing thoughts and advice on the overall application process online with other prospective students is great, but if you post your essay, you'll have too many strangers giving input and be vulnerable to plagiarizers.
Follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn and check out our blog for more medical school school news, trends, and application tips!
Having too many readers: “How many people should read my Personal Statement before I submit it?” This isn't a
question we get from a lot from clients, but it should be— because having too many readers is a common mistake. If
you're an Apply Point client, maybe ask two people besides your two AP advisors (who work as a team) to read your
essays. If you're not working with a consultant, you could ask up to four people to read your work but make that the
maximum just so you won't be overwhelmed by input.
This is certainly not us saying that you shouldn't have any readers at all. You want eyes or ears on this, especially if
they're attached to someone you respect who knows you well. In fact, the top question you should ask them is: "Does
this sound like me?" Friends, family members, or a mentor can confirm if your essay gets your personality and best
qualities across.
That said, maybe send them the edited, polished draft that we've discussed together rather than your raw first draft. This way their suggestions and questions won't psych you out because you already have a good idea of what you want to present in your statement. When you're trying to please everyone, you might lose your own voice.
We worked with one talented applicant who had his mentor, dad, brother, best friend, girlfriend, and his girlfriend's two friends read his first draft before it came to us. It was not helpful. He was completely overwhelmed by the amount of input he received and in trying to please everyone with his new draft, he strayed far from his very solid outline. The result was a disjointed and confusing essay. (The girlfriend's friends were bold—they made edit suggestions for his career goals!) Don't worry, we helped him get back on track.
One more note on having too many readers: Never post your essay in an online forum, such as Reddit. Sharing thoughts and advice on the overall application process online with other prospective students is great, but if you post your essay, you'll have too many strangers giving input and be vulnerable to plagiarizers.
Follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn and check out our blog for more medical school school news, trends, and application tips!
