does it look bad to not use all the characters in PS?

[azhockey]

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[doctorshateher]

I don't think so. As long as you aren't wayyyy under. Mine was just about 5000 characters.

but. If you are using the same PS for DO and MD schools, make sure that it's actually appropriate for both.

 

[phltz]

It think it would kick ass if you had a good, high impact PS without using a common symbol, a la "A Void".

 

[Phlox]

My personal statement that I used last year was around 3500 characters. If you can get your point across with less than 5300 characters, that's perfectly fine; sometimes less is more.

 

[macsta]

I would be more worried about copying and pasting a DO ps to your MD app.

 

[Kekeirda]

I would be more worried about copying and pasting a DO ps to your MD app.

Is that a real issue?, cause if so I'm in trouble.

 

[azhockey]

thanks guys. My personal statement doesn't refer to the DO philosophy at all (looked around, some DO students catered it to it, some didn't). I talked about how my upbringing, short stint in military, a couple of my volunteering gigs gave me a unique view of the vulnerability of people and that this has inspired me to become a physician - something I hope MD schools don't frown upon.

 

[macsta]

Is that a real issue?, cause if so I'm in trouble.

DO and MD philosophies are different.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

DO and MD philosophies are different.

Do go on...

 

[GoodGame]

Many schools use computerized software to screen your PS, and if you are under 5,000 characters they automatically reject you. Recommend that if you're at 4,700 characters, you fill the rest of the space with "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..."

OMG!!! I filled mine with BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB. Am I screwed? I won't be able to get into medical school now!

 

[ILikeDrugs]

*sigh*

 

[kpcrew]

it's okay to be short, just don't fill it with random filler. it's real people reading your stuff, they don't want to waste their time when they have a bunch of apps to look at.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I have a personal statement that I spent weeks on for D.O. schools that is just under 4,700 characters. I am deciding to apply M.D. as well (scored well enough on MCAT)...where the character max is 5,300. I think this difference only comes down to a few sentences? While I do understand the PS is a place to sell yourself and talk about your experiences, I don't feel like I can add more without taking away from the flow of it. Does it look bad to adcom's to not use up all of the characters?

Do adcoms really see a character count of your PS? That seems stupid. Anyway, no, I think you're fine. If you have said all you want to and your PS flows well, it would look dumb to add a few extra lines that are out of place and add nothing to your statement.

And I think it's fine to use the same essay for DO and MD. You can go into any DO-specific thoughts you have on secondaries or in interviews, I would imagine. In the end, you'll be a doctor either way, so showing your devotion to medicine as opposed to DO or MD specifically seems like it would make a better statement.

 

[Barcu]

You're fine not using all the space. You don't want to just put in filler.

Being concise is good for med school applications and life in general.

 

[JESSFALLING]

OMG!!! I filled mine with BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB. Am I screwed? I won't be able to get into medical school now!

I'm surprised no one used BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS