Help with Personal Statement? Professional Services??

[orwhatever]

A number of my premed friends are using professional writing services to help with their personal statements. Has anyone here used a consultant for this? Was it worth it?

I feel very conflicted about this as I want to write my own statement but how in the world will it compare to one that has been guided by a professional!? and not to mention it costs money!! (though I did find one service that offers steep discounts for those qualifying for Pell grants, so that's nice)

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[JimKimSlim]

I have a family friend who is an attorney and edited my PS (he normally charges money for others). My PS looked more clean and professional, but I thought it wasn’t worth paying for. If you have a lawyer friend around you, you can ask them.

 

[deleted1032897]

I would at bare minimum write your own drafts first. Figure out what YOU really want to say and what your voice sounds like.

 

[lumya]

It's definitely super useful to have lots of people edit it for you. I convinced a couple lawyer friends, someone who works in writing standard operating procedures, and an English teacher friend to give me a thorough edit all for the cost of a couple pizzas and some Starbucks. I know lots of people on SDN/Reddit are willing to give you some edits too. Personally I don't think a professional service is worth it - I wrote my own and relied on friends, family, and some strangers for edits and I really like how it turned out.

 

[deleted1088954]

You can also buy the book "Premed playbook, guide to the personal statement." I'm reading that right now and it seems like a very good read. It teaches you how to uncover your own story and develop one by yourself without showing a linear approach on the surefire way on how to make it good. It doesn't tell you what to put, rather how you can find what to put.

 

[Rachapkis]

PM me. I will review your personal statement for free. I suspect that you will get more from me that the "professional". If you disagree after-the-fact, you can always go to a professional down the line.

 

[WhoTellsYourStory?]

If you want some basic editing help, websites like Fiverr have people you can hire to edit papers for $5. You can also find some people on there that have experience with personal statements. But I don't generally think it's necessary to hire someone for PS help.