Conflicting Advice on PS what to do?

[LostLost]

I am getting conflicting advice and comments on my PS. Some people, including two pre-med advisers, really like it, and some don't. I don't know who to listen to now. For instance, one adviser said I spend too much time talking about my experiences before college; i spent about one third of the space talking about it because i am an immigrant and had to overcome many difficulties to become a competitive pre-med. But then another adviser said i should talk about overcoming language barriers etc because it is my unique strength. Any advice?What the hell should i do?

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[ChubbyChaser]

I am getting conflicting advice and comments on my PS. Some people, including two pre-med advisers, really like it, and some don't. I don't know who to listen to now. For instance, one adviser said I spend too much time talking about my experiences before college; i spent about one third of the space talking about it because i am an immigrant and had to overcome many difficulties to become a competitive pre-med. But then another adviser said i should talk about overcoming language barriers etc because it is my unique strength. Any advice?What the hell should i do?

Ive also gotten conflicting advice...I would just go with your gut feeling. Chances are some ADCOMs are gonna like it and others arent, thats why you apply broadly.

 

[sushichopstickz]

Hi, I am also going through the same process. I find editing the personal statement a harder task to accomplish than the task of writing the first draft. My sister, who is already in medical school, says that its best if you write what you think is right readers will always disagree and comment differently. Good luck on your PS. Hang in there.

 

[pride4jc727]

I would suggest talking about your impetus in getting into medicine, but also what significant influence the challenges you had to overcome. It's hard, I know, but you want to integrate both of them together in a way that is flowing, personal, and reflective. Talk about how those challenges has made you the person you are today and how that has allowed you to become a competitive med school applicant. That's all I have for right now. I am going to think about this at further and share ideas if they come to me.

 

[nick_carraway]

Based on what you said, I don't necessarily see a disconnect between their advice. One said not to write too much about your background, the other said to mention it because it makes your personal statement more personal.

Can't you simply write about your background, but write less?

 

[bozz]

Dammit... how have you guys already finished your PS?

 

[sushichopstickz]

I haven't finished. I wrote it over winter break and have barely worked on it since. I have a heap of school work that I have to finish before I can even touch the PS. Grumble...

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Dammit... how have you guys already finished your PS?

I applied EAP to a school last year, and only refined it lol.

 

[bozz]

lol correction:

How have you guys found time to START your PS? With classes and everything.

 

[iA-MD2013]

lol correction:

How have you guys found time to START your PS? With classes and everything.

start, yes. But it needs a ridiculous amount of work...maybe even throwing it away completely. I plan on working on it after the semester is over.

 

[bozz]

Are you guys getting professors to take a look at it? I'm done with exams after the first week of May.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Are you guys getting professors to take a look at it? I'm done with exams after the first week of May.

Ive given it to all of my LOR writers, and i got an eng. professor to read it over.

 

[iA-MD2013]

Are you guys getting professors to take a look at it? I'm done with exams after the first week of May.

I'm gonna get some english majors to look it over, but no profs. The only profs I'm close to are science, and they would be pretty much useless.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I'm gonna get some english majors to look it over, but no profs. The only profs I'm close to are science, and they would be pretty much useless.

I gave it to my lors, so that they could get a better understanding of why I want to go into medicine. I agree with that they would probably be useless and providing advice on it though.

 

[iA-MD2013]

I gave it to my lors, so that they could get a better understanding of why I want to go into medicine. I agree with that they would probably be useless and providing advice on it though.

ohh yeah, I did the same. Just for a reference in writing LORs, but I didn't ask for advice nor would I care for their advice.

 

[Chuckwalla]

Ive also gotten conflicting advice...I would just go with your gut feeling. Chances are some ADCOMs are gonna like it and others arent, thats why you apply broadly.

I concur. Although I have no applied to medical school yet I had a similar experience when applying to undergrad. My stats were low for the school and my counselor told me that they were too low and that my personal statement would not help me. I went with my gut and got in. I give my personal statement complete credit for compensating.

 

[[pj]]

You'll often get conflicting advice and you have to take a lot of things with a grain of salt. In your specific case, if talking about your background and how you got to where you are now will help convey your desires to enter medicine, then it's good to have. If that's the thing that you want ADCOMs to read and know about you, then that'll be fine. Maybe a few more people could read it to build a better consensus (assuming you let people who know a thing or two about med school PSes read it).

 

[ashmarj]

I know this is probably old news, but I'll throw it out there anyway. The big thing is to 'show' and not 'tell'. Maybe in your PS you're doing too much telling. What I did in my PS (and I got comments...good ones...on the interviews I went on that had an open file) was use an experience to illustrate why I want to go into medicine but also incorporated to an extent some of my experiences. As someone with less than spectacular stats (boy is that even an overstatement) I believe that my PS is one of the big factors that got my foot in the door.

I started off with actually describing the experience what I hope was a vivid manner and used it as a central 'point' if you will that allowed me to branch off but then always come back to so that there was some cohesiveness. I didn't ever come right out and say "this is why I want to go into medicine"; instead, I showed why.

Wow, I don't know if any of that made sense...I hope some of it did. If you'd like a reader, feel free to PM. I'd be happy to look at your PS.

 

[NewAndImproved]

I didn't have lots of people read my PS. The one person I did have read it really disliked it. I disagreed and went with it anyway. It worked out fine and landed me several acceptances. You have to trust yourself.

For what it's worth and without having read the thing, I'd keep the immigration stuff. Assuming it reads well and doesn't seem out of place with the rest of your content, overcoming that kind of hardship is an asset.

EDIT TO ADD: I don't think that the examples of "conflicting" advice are at odds with each other. It seems to me that immigrating and overcoming a language barrier are part of the same story and could (should) both be included.

 

[goosie]

to OP (and anyone else writing a PS)

Regardless of what you're writing about- DON'T make it too long. I'm talking do not max out- or even come close to maxing out- the character limit.

ADCOM's have a very limited time to look at your application- say what you feel you need to say and be done with it.

(sorry if this was said already, I didn't read through all the replies)

 

[bozz]

I'm really comtemplating randomly emailing profs. from the English department and asking them if they can read my essay. I have never taken a class with any of them before.

or ?

What do I have to lose