!Exclamation Points in Personal Statement!

[jchap]

Is it ill-advised to use an exclamation point in a personal statement?

The SDN editing guide I found said that they should only be used in dialogue. It seems like there must be a few other circumstances in which an exclamation point would accurately reflect the sentiment carried in a sentence.

At one point in my essay, I include a statistic relating to a personal accomplishment. When I follow it with a period, it sounds kind of cocky to me, as if to say, "I did blah blah blah, and I'm not even surprised." I know that I need to exude confidence, but I also want to write with a bit of modesty and gratitude, which I think the exclamation point does better.

What do you think?

I'm happy to give more info, too, if that would help.

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[LJ1000F]

Not to hijack this but I was wondering what peoples opinion were on the & symbol. Every 2 characters spared is a lot to me so I was hoping to use it in place of and in Track and Field, so Track & Field. I feel if ever there was an appropriate time to use & in place of and it might be here. Thanks

 

[FattySlug]

Is it ill-advised to use an exclamation point in a personal statement?

The SDN editing guide I found said that they should only be used in dialogue. It seems like there must be a few other circumstances in which an exclamation point would accurately reflect the sentiment carried in a sentence.

At one point in my essay, I include a statistic relating to a personal accomplishment. When I follow it with a period, it sounds kind of cocky to me, as if to say, "I did blah blah blah, and I'm not even surprised." I know that I need to exude confidence, but I also want to write with a bit of modesty and gratitude, which I think the exclamation point does better.

What do you think?

I'm happy to give more info, too, if that would help.

The use of ! makes it look like you are calling attention to your accomplishments which might rub people the wrong way. It is a huge "look at me" signal. Furthermore it makes you sound like a cheap salesman "Discount for buying two!"

 

[jchap]

"Discount for buying two!"

Won't I be saying that to patients one day?

 

[Astarael]

Keep in mind that this is basically professional correspondance that you are writing. In normal dialogue, it might sound like you are being falsely modest about something if you don't show your own excitement over it, but the same is not true of a personal statement. I'd leave out the exclamation point. If it still feels weird to you, reword the sentence so that it doesn't need an exclamation point.

LJ1000F you definitely should not use an ampersand. It might make it easier to fall under the character limit if you do, but it will look tacky.

While we're talking about symbols, both of you should keep in mind that you should not use contractions. I'm not sure if the SDN editing guide includes that, but in professional correspondance, contractions should be written out as both words.

 

[RookTookIt]

I disagree with most of the posters. I think that exclamation points and contractions are fine and left them in my PS (and a couple secondary essays) even though editors told me to take them out. I got great feedback on my PS from my interviewers and I really think it's because the tone stood out to them. Then again, I wouldn't use more than one exclamation point or very sparse contractions.

This is a personal statement, not a CV, and while I agree it should be mostly professional sounding, I don't see any problem with putting in a few more quirky touches. (Also, I don't find contractions or excitement unprofessional, but I guess that's a different discussion.)

 

[RookTookIt]

But I do agree that & should not be used. I think that exclamation points and contractions can improve the flow of the writing, but & will only break it up.

 

[Tapepsi]

If the SDN editing guide told you not to, I'd leave it out. I just read the PS I wrote last year (it seems so long ago) and I didn't have any "!"s anywhere.

You can still have a personal and meaningful statement without the exclamation points being in there.

 

[Astarael]

I disagree with most of the posters. I think that exclamation points and contractions are fine and left them in my PS (and a couple secondary essays) even though editors told me to take them out. I got great feedback on my PS from my interviewers and I really think it's because the tone stood out to them. Then again, I wouldn't use more than one exclamation point or very sparse contractions.

This is a personal statement, not a CV, and while I agree it should be mostly professional sounding, I don't see any problem with putting in a few more quirky touches. (Also, I don't find contractions or excitement unprofessional, but I guess that's a different discussion.)

I don't mean to be disrespectful here, but the fact that you got away with including contractions and exclamations in your personal statement does not in any way make them more appropriate. A personal statement is a formal letter from you to the admissions committee, and it should follow style conventions as much as possible. That doesn't preclude you from showing excitement or letting some of your personality show in your writing. It just means that you should do so in a professional way.

 

[Suncrusher]

I disagree about a blanket ban on exclamation points in formal/business writing. There are always people who want to make rules about what is formal and what is not. Those are the same dunces who have propagated the idea that ending a sentence with a preposition is poor grammar. Do you know the only reason behind that? It's because Latin, by convention, never places a preposition at the end of a sentence. There's not actually any good reason why ending a sentence with a preposition should be frowned upon whereas twisting the phrasing around so that the preposition falls earlier in the sentence is "correct."

A PS may be formal writing, but it is also telling a story. And in telling a story, you need to be concerned with the reader's experience--which means mixing up sentence structures and flow. Most of the time you will want to eliminate contractions, but there will be certain times when using a contraction both makes a sentence flow better and also makes it easier to read (as well as being a nice change of pace from the rest of the PS where you are not using contractions)...and at those certain times, you shouldn't be freaking out that using a contraction here and there will make the reader think you are too informal and unsuitable for a professional career. You want to be professional, but you don't want to sound like a robot who has no writing skills, always uses the same sentence structure, and sounds boring because every single contraction was expanded in the most formal and monotonous way.

In the same way, I think an exclamation mark can be very sparingly used in formal writing outside of dialogue. If you are telling a story that involves admiration of or surprise at an action of a doctor you have observed and this is a part of why you want to be a doctor, then that might be one example of a place you might want to use an exclamation mark in a PS. Using more than one is unlikely to be a good idea. You don't want a tone of constant surprise or bubbliness, and neither do you want a PS that sounds like it is full of exciting twists and turns like an awful M. Night Shyamalan movie.

With that said, I do not think the use of an exclamation mark that OP is considering is a good idea. If at all possible, use your PS to talk about your journey to med school and use your activities section to talk about your accomplishments--they will sound less cocky there, and you won't have to use an exclamation mark.

 

[mauberley]

My opinion about exclamation marks: context-dependent. I'd suggest leaving them in for your initial drafts and then see what your reviewers think (assuming you're going to have it reviewed).

My opinion about ampersands: almost never should they be used in narrative writing.

 

[phnerd1105]

I think exclamation marks are grossly inappropriate. They sound really cheesy to me. Yes, they can convey enthusiasm, but you can do that in other ways, such as by expanding upon a motivation.

Regarding contractions-I'm split on this. I had some in my PS in a scene I was recalling, which I thought was appropriate. It was a conversation, therefore I used conversational language. There were no other contractions in my statement. Some editors corrected them for me, which just made it sound awkward. I personally would never say "could not" over "couldn't". I guess the use of contractions is just situationally dependent. Get someone else to look at your work and see if they agree.

 

[jchap]

use your PS to talk about your journey to med school and use your activities section to talk about your accomplishments

Yeah, this is where I'm leaning. I could use the character reclamation, anyway (I'm over 5,300).

Thanks for all the wisdom, everyone.

 

[jchap]

Every 2 characters spared is a lot to me

Have you considered having someone from SDN (or anywhere else) read your statement solely for conciseness? If you haven't already done that a few times, I bet you could free up a lot more than 2 characters.

Then you can write "and"! <--oops, my post just became unprofessional. 😱

 

[MonicaMelquiade]

I'm with suncrusher here. I think people that think there is absolutely no place for an exclamation point in formal writing haven't read enough good formal writing. I'd say definitely no more than one exclamation point, but I can think of several cases in which it would be appropriate (and more appropriate than leaving it out) to use one, including the examples suncrusher offered. Exclamation points are a tool in writing the English language just like any other - and the English language (even "formal writing") is dynamic and fluid. If you want the *personal* statement to be personal, to sound like you and to make an impact, then use the English language to your advantage.

However, ampersands are another story. An ampersand doesn't add any inherent meaning that the word 'and' doesn't, and so it simply looks like a shortcut, which can come across as lazy and informal.

 

[Andnosoupforyou]

¡Hola amigo! If you can usar an upside-down spanish exclamación, you will be muy diversidad.

¡jk! Use grammar as you see fit.

 

[glikegrandpa]

This is completely non-thread related, but I just have to say that I have seen about a total of two posts from this nosoup guy and they are both hilarious. 👍

¡Hola amigo! If you can usar an upside-down spanish exclamación, you will be muy diversidad.

¡jk! Use grammar as you see fit.

 

[Biebs]

Do whatever you see fit, whatever makes your PS flow better. Remember, your PS is PERSONAL, it's about you, your experiences, and most importantly why you want to become a doctor. If you feel you need to use an exclamation point somewhere in there--do it. It's kind of like the whole debate on using contractions or not in your personal statement. Some do, many don't. Will it keep you out of medical school? Can't say for sure, but I can't imagine it would.

 

[eli20]

I'll vote even though I think some of this is being over-thought and that most likely your interviewers are the only people who spend more than 2 minutes reading your ps (and even that is a maybe).

Exclamations: context dependent, although absolutely no more than 2 total. You don't want to seem overly excited about everything!

Contractions: I've never really understood the war against contractions. In my opinion a PS is closer to an essay than to a formal letter and you could use them if you wanted as long as they aren't 1) excessive, 2) jarring, 3) not real (ain't).

&: This I am against, mostly because its jarring. When you're reading an essay and hit the symbol - it breaks up the essay, slows down reading speed, and just feels awkward in my opinion.

If you're writing your PS like a formal letter I can only imagine that your tone is going to come across as dry, boring, and possibly standoffish.

 

[Seven of Nine]

i wouldn't use contractions/the ampersand. long ago, someone stressed to me using shortcuts like that in a really important piece of writing is a really bad idea. from what i remember, the sentiment behind that line of thought was if you cared about what you're writing and your audience, you would write the word out. so, you could come off as lazy using shortcuts.

with how diverse the people who will be reading your PS are, i would rather be safe than sorry. especially because some of these people are definitely sticklers for little rules like that. i wouldn't want my PS/app tossed for something i think is silly. if using the un-contracted form of the word sounds funny, just reword the sentence to avoid using a contraction while protecting the sentence's flow.

just this past week, i was in clinic with a fairly well-known physician. he is absolutely the most mellow and laid-back guy around. however, he interrupted his fellow during her presentation of a patient to clarify and "explore" the difference between two very similar words for a couple minutes. the words are often interchanged in colloquial conversation but actually do have very nuanced verb tenses/definitions. he even shared a story about someone else he remembers misusing the word(s). he then apologized for himself in his jolly good way, explaining this is just one of his idiosyncrasies, that it really bothers him when people misuse those two words.

moral of the story: people still do care. those that do care are often sticklers.

 

[Melodyy]

I think there's a really fine line between being professional or just plain tacky.

"&" I'm completely against, but "!" and contractions are more context independent. Maybe not in the context of: "I want to help er'one!!" But if you use it in a quote while telling a story, I think it will enhance the story, provided it's used in the right context.

 

[mauberley]

I think there's a really fine line between being professional or just plain tacky.

"&" I'm completely against, but "!" and contractions are more context independent. Maybe not in the context of: "I want to help er'one!!" But if you use it in a quote while telling a story, I think it will enhance the story, provided it's used in the right context.

I think you mean "dependent."

 

[Barcu]

I would avoid exclamation points and contractions outside of dialogue.

This is a formal essay, not a "tell me about yourself" essay in a creative writing course. Try your best to conform. This isn't a time to take risks.

 

[Melodyy]

I think you mean "dependent."

Ah sorry.

 

[mauberley]

I would avoid exclamation points and contractions outside of dialogue.

This is a formal essay, not a "tell me about yourself" essay in a creative writing course. Try your best to conform. This isn't a time to take risks.

On one level, it's a formal essay, but at the same time, the personal statement is an opportunity for your voice to come through. I think there's some leeway to use a more conversational style of writing. (Obviously anecdotes equal data, but in having my essay reviewed by two of my friends -- a law school faculty/adcom member and a former med school adcom member as a student -- neither of them flagged my use of contractions as an area of improvement.)

Ultimately, it boils down to the preference of whoever is reviewing your statement, but I can't possibly imagine someone would toss out an application solely on the use of contractions in writing.

 

[Barcu]

On one level, it's a formal essay, but at the same time, the personal statement is an opportunity for your voice to come through. I think there's some leeway to use a more conversational style of writing. (Obviously anecdotes equal data, but in having my essay reviewed by two of my friends -- a law school faculty/adcom member and a former med school adcom member as a student -- neither of them flagged my use of contractions as an area of improvement.)

Ultimately, it boils down to the preference of whoever is reviewing your statement, but I can't possibly imagine someone would toss out an application solely on the use of contractions in writing.

I agree with you to some extent. Honestly, I don't mind contractions at all, and I can be pretty strict when it comes to grammar. They shouldn't break you. And you do want to use your own voice and style, which will make a more fluid and compelling essay. Still, in this process of med school admissions, it's important to play the game and to limit things that could hurt you. Don't push it.

 

[jchap]

Ultimately, it boils down to the preference of whoever is reviewing your statement

On the one hand, my inclination is to fall back on that old self-filtering thought-process of, "if they don't want me, then i don't want them."

What does that tell you about the institution if they see an exclamation point or a contraction and then mentally discard the entire candidate?

And on the other hand, what does that even tell you about the institution? How representative is one reader?

 

[mauberley]

Still, in this process of med school admissions, it's important to play the game and to limit things that could hurt you. Don't push it.

I'm just of the opinion that use of contractions isn't going to hurt one's application, while seeming overly formal isn't going to help because it doesn't allow the reader to get a sense of who the applicant is. (Unless one is actually that formal in real life, in which case it may just make it seem like he or she has a stick up his or her ass. 😉)

Our argument about use of contractions aside, the OP would do well to have his or her statement reviewed by others to see if it's truly a problem or not.

 

[mauberley]

What does that tell you about the institution if they see an exclamation point or a contraction and then mentally discard the entire candidate?

All I know is how I'd respond:

[YOUTUBE]z5tZMDBXTRQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Barcu]

I'm just of the opinion that use of contractions isn't going to hurt one's application, while seeming overly formal isn't going to help because it doesn't allow the reader to get a sense of who the applicant is. (Unless one is actually that formal in real life, in which case it may just make it seem like he or she has a stick up his or her ass. 😉)

Our argument about use of contractions aside, the OP would do well to have his or her statement reviewed by others to see if it's truly a problem or not.

👍

That is good advice for the OP and EVERY SINGLE APPLICANT.

 

[eli20]

I think it's a risk for your personal statement to be indistinguishable from thousands of others. Write, review, edit and rewrite - but don't edit out your voice/tone. There are fine lines but I don't think the answer is to choose to write the prototype premed ps in excessively formal language.