ARRRRGHHHH. Personal Statement

[stoic]

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So I'm only about the 15th incarnation of my personal statement. Everytime get started and then go back and read it, I'm so disgusted by what I read that I start over. I feel like if I had to read this sappy
why I want to go into medicine" crap all day I'd shoot myself. And 5 or 6 of the nearest bystanders.

Anyone else feel this way?

Off to version 16.

 

[(nicedream)]

I wouldn't stress too much over the statement. Unless your GPA and MCAT scores are really low, it's not going to make a difference.

 

[ih8biochem]

Hell yeah it'll make a difference! This is bad advice. The PS is the only way adcoms can the person behind the numbers and it's gotta be perfect, rewritten over and over again.

I know how you feel... I think I may be at about that # of drafts too and probably more if you add all the drafts from last year. I'm sick of the "Why I went into medicine" sap too, so in my most recent draft, I made a unifide theme of physicians making tough decisions and have the reasons why I want to enter medicine sprinkled in. Hopefully, adcoms would rather I illustrate and simply just telling.

Hope this helps

 

[Amy B]

I have to disagree with you nicedreams.

It will make the difference, so you are right to be worried about it being the best it can be. It is your way of showing the schools why they should chose you over all the other qualified applicants.

I would suggest sitting down and writing anything that comes to your mind about why you want to go into medicine. Was there someone who influenced you, were you touched by a personal tradgedy, ect.... Just start writing without thinking about it AND without being worried about grammer, sentance structure, flow, etc. Write as if you and I were talking in person and I asked you "So what made you want to be a doctor." It is how you feel, it is your personal and deep thoughts.

After you have a bunch of thoughts on paper, read through them and see if you can put those thoughts together in a nicely worded, nicely flowing essay. It sounds like you are trying too hard now, that you are trying to force the words and that makes it rough and mechanical sounding.

 

[Aaron Earles]

So I'm only about the 15th incarnation of my personal statement. Everytime get started and then go back and read it, I'm so disgusted by what I read that I start over. I feel like if I had to read this sappy
why I want to go into medicine" crap all day I'd shoot myself. And 5 or 6 of the nearest bystanders.

Anyone else feel this way?

Off to version 16.

stoic, if you want me to look at your PS, you can email ([email protected]) it to me or PM it to me. I am sure it is not as bad as you think it is. You are always tougher on yourself when reviewing stuff like that.

Aaron

 

[dollarbincommon]

ARRRRGHHHH same here.

I wished I could invoke William Shakespeare....... 🙁 makes me wish I was a english major instead of bio.

 

[Amy B]

ARRRRGHHHH same here.

I wished I could invoke William Shakespeare....... 🙁 makes me wish I was a english major instead of bio.

Adcoms know most applicants aren't english majors so that will work in your favor. 🙂

Just say what you want to say without worry about it sounding like works from a famous writer. Really, just be yourself. You all will be fine. 🙂

 

[discusdan]

What get sme is that we only have 3000 characters to use. The AMCAS Personal Statement can be 5300. It is almost like we have to write two totally different statements. Has anyone been in the same predicament and can give any advice?

 

[EastCoaster78]

Dont kid yorselves, the schools never even read it, other than a quick skim while you are waiting outside the interview room.

 

[Amy B]

Don't kid YOURSELF, They do read the personal statments.

 

[michDO'08]

In my experience...

My interview at WVSOM only lasted about 20 minutes from start to finish, by far the shortest of the 4 interviews that day, and most of what we talked about came from my personal stmt.

I did as Amy B said in her post, and just started writing from the heart until I had almost 2 pages, and then went back and organized it all into a nicely-flowing essay.

When you are writing it and realize that you don't have enough room to say what you really want, try wording it in a way that will generate certain questions you would like to be asked, so that you can add to and clarify specific aspects. I hope that makes sense, and good luck to all!

~Michelle 😎
WVSOM Class of 2008

 

[scubadiva]

Just keep writing, and THEN worry about it being entirely cohesive. If you write from the heart and allow your stream of consciousness to work, it will have very good ideas which will (in the end) only require some fine tuning.

My mistake initially was wanting it to be perfect the first time through, but when I just kept writing what I felt, it was much easier to edit and revise. try that approach. Good luck!

 

[Ginz20]

With the space limitations on the AACOMAS application it is difficult to elaborate on all of the topics that I would like. Thus, would it be more beneficial to use the personal statement to discuss why you want to go into medicine or what makes you a good candidate for medical school? The current draft that I am on focuses more on what sets me apart and sprinkles in my motivation. Any words of wisdom?

 

[dre_rae]

Ginz20,
I would say that you are on the right track by telling what sets you apart from other applicants and what motivates you. This is what I did in my PS and I really think that is what they are looking for. When it gets down to it, the PS is what sets you apart from everyone else and gives you a personality instead of just numbers. They want to know why you think you should be given an acceptance, why you will be a good physician, not just that you want to be a physician. Keep up the hard work and good luck!! I think I was somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 drafts myself before I said uffffffgggg.....i took some time away from writing and my next draft was the golden one. 👍

 

[scubadiva]

I'm with Ginz20. The AACOMAS ps should be pretty much why you want to be an osteopathic physician and why you want to go into the medical profession. 3000 characters will be perfect for that approach.

It's in the secondaries that you can "personalize" your ps with the reasons/experiences that influenced you to want to become a physician/

 

[RasputinDO]

Definitely....what sets you apart. The PS from what I have gathered isn't necessarily a "why I went into medicine" like many people interpret but should be alook at your personal experiences, thus what sets you apart and what has led you to be the individual sitting before them. I think how much it weighs really varies, but I do have to also say that the basis for several of the questions and a way to certainly loosen the interview (and to kind of be more in control of it) was based off of my PS.

Josh

 

[adennis]

I've been told by several people not to put why you want to go into medicine into your PS....
it seems that the vast majority of people do put this in their statements.. and adcomes are, well, bored and tired of reading this approach.

I agree with everybody on trying to set yourself apart in the PS..

I'm on my 4th or 5th draft of mine.. and starting all over from scratch.
My first approach was trying to list all of the influences in my life that have led me to the place that I am at now.. this was very hard.. because when I just sat and wrote it.. it was 4 types pages long.. almost 4 times the length it was supposed to be....

I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to approach this draft... but it's definitely taking more of the "why am I different" approach.. I hope to spend a good amount of time working on it this weekend.

good luck to all!
Andrea

 

[stoic]

Thanks for your replies,

I think I finally figured out how I want to write my PS, both AMCAS and AACOM.

I want to talk about how I've focused my undergrad career on experiencing different things that have helped shape me into the person I am today. These experiences also had the unintended - but not unwelcome - effect of turning me onto a career in medicine.

I'm thinking of going with the theme of "taking the scenic route to med school."

What do you guys think?

P.S. As, much as I value SDN input, I finally have an idea/start that I like. So I'm sticking with it.

 

[(nicedream)]

Seriously, the personal statement is a joke. It's about as meaningful to the committees as the writing sample on the MCAT. What do you think, some people write "I want to be a doctor because of the money, I'm an dingus, I hate sick people"?? Everyone writes the same BS - what's the point of "setting yourself apart" when everyone does the same thing? Then all you have is a bunch of "set apart" people. Like I said, unless you have bad grades/MCAT score, it won't make a difference. If you are questionable in other areas, then maybe it will be necessary in order to make up for it in some way, or give them a reason to consider you. Other than that, it's TP. This is all assuming you can write reasonably well and not sound like an idiot. Essentially, don't give them a reason NOT to accept you based on the statement. Belaboring over it is a waste of time though.

 

[Amy B]

Seriously, the personal statement is a joke. It's about as meaningful to the committees as the writing sample on the MCAT. What do you think, some people write "I want to be a doctor because of the money, I'm an dingus, I hate sick people"?? Everyone writes the same BS - what's the point of "setting yourself apart" when everyone does the same thing? Then all you have is a bunch of "set apart" people. Like I said, unless you have bad grades/MCAT score, it won't make a difference. If you are questionable in other areas, then maybe it will be necessary in order to make up for it in some way, or give them a reason to consider you. Other than that, it's TP. This is all assuming you can write reasonably well and not sound like an idiot. Essentially, don't give them a reason NOT to accept you based on the statement. Belaboring over it is a waste of time though.

I used to meet with a dean of admissions on a regular basis. During one of our meetings she started talking about the PS and its importance to the whole application process. She was telling me that each year they get applications from people that have scored over 36 on their MCATs and who have 4.0 GPA and it was because of their personal essays that they have been REJECTED!! She said their essays were empty, detached adn some down right arrogant. SHe said they had no reason in them to choose them for med school except they were smart.

What you choose to put in it is your choice but make it show the adcoms that they want to meet you. It should be personal, hence the name "personal essay". It should talk about what personal reason or reasons have driven you into wanting to become a doctor.

The essay is IMPORTANT. And that is all I am going to say about it.

 

[CaMD]

I just wanted to drop a note to you stoic, and sympathize. I'm in personal statement hell right now. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

The personal statement BETTER matter, for all the self-inflicted suffering I've subjected myself to. 🙂

 

[Aaron Earles]

The Personal Statement is important. Every school that I have interviewed has asked me something about my personal statement. It does not have to be anything fancy, but it needs to be as honest as possible and describe what you think the ADCOMS should know about you that you cant place in the rest of your application.

Please dont overlook the Personal statment as just "another section". It could come back and haunt you.

Aaron

 

[adennis]

The Scenic Route it is... sounds like a plan to me..

When I presented my idea for my personal statement to my husband... which is something on the order of why/how I am different than every other applicant.. he laughed and asked me how many pages I have to write this..

I wish I could actually sit and write the thing... ARGH!
I'm with everyone else who is in PS hell!
Andrea

 

[kaikai128]

I just wanted to drop a note to you stoic, and sympathize. I'm in personal statement hell right now. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

The personal statement BETTER matter, for all the self-inflicted suffering I've subjected myself to. 🙂

Just think of how much better you will feel when you finally come up with that "magical idea" and figure out how you are going to present the information. It took me 4 weeks of solid thinking about the PS, 2 weeks to write the 1st two sentences, then 1 hour to write the rest. I am finally revising...I would be willing to be that the PS hell is only be beginning of applicant hell.

 

[taylor92107]

Even if its not important (as nicedream thinks), why would you want to risk writing a shi**ty PS? Everyones different. Some schools may think its important and some schools may not (although I doubt that). The point is: why take a risk with your PS. Just take the time and write it the best you can. It would be pretty stupid to just 'assume' their not going to look at it.