How long can a personal statement be? How long is too long? (read instructions)

[Gauss44]

"What is the maximum length of a personal statement?" (In practice, not in theory.)

The answer or relevance of this question might depend on the following questions:

--"What should a personal statement optimally include?" Should it only the answer to the question of, "Why do you want to be a doctor?," or optimally, should it also include, "significant life events that impacted grades"?

--What is the best thing to do if you have a very abnormally large number of huge life-changing setbacks that impacted grades, including many that are unusual and require explanation? If it is not humanly possible for a superb author to gracefully fit these in the space provided, then what is the second best thing you can do?

My adviser told me, "make sure you include every last disadvantage and setback in your personal statement." Given the number and novelty of my setbacks that require explanation, this seems like quite a request....

I know this is not a common situation. Maybe there's someone on this forum who's already dealt with this dilemma?

(Edit: I edited this to help focus the discussion. Original post is below.)

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Original Post:

My question: The instruction booklet says about 1 page, but I'm reading all over the internet that 2 or more pages can be fine. Can anyone clarify?

My situation: I have A LOT of explaining to do, maybe over 30 things that should really be explained, starting from my experiences as an unadopted foster child (very relevant to wanting to be a dr), growing up primarily in a Hispanic family and 60% Hispanic town which was also isolated rural and poor, making it into college without a high school diploma, being unfamiliar with college (not knowing there was such thing as graduate school or any reason to get good grades), having hunger and a lack of school supplies impact my grades in school despite working a full time job and taking a full load of classes and not being able to make ends meet (and not being aware of assistance programs), suffering 3 concussions (having to take time off on disability - even qualifying for ssdi - and recovering!), an endocrine disorder to say the least, volunteering to help homeless teens and the impact that's had on me and my career goals, major accomplishments as a human rights activist, when I learned becoming a doctor was possible (who with my background ever becomes a doctor?) and transitioning into medicine, what I've done since graduating college, etc. Honestly, this is not even the half of it.

Help!

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[ChemEngMD]

Are we talking for AMCAS? If so, you get 5300 characters.

 

[Gauss44]

Are we talking for AMCAS? If so, you get 5300 characters.

Has anyone on here exceeded that?

I know that what they say, but there seems to be rumors about flexibility. Example: http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/04/writing-medical-school-personal-statement-tips-myths.html (Blank spaces count as characters too, per AAMC's instructions.)

If I do get stuck with a page, my personal statement might look more like a list.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

AMCAS uses characters, not pages. You're allowed 5300 characters (including spaces) for the personal statement which comes out to roughly 1.5 pages. Using all 5300 characters is fine as long as you weren't stretching it out with filler.

edit: No, you can't exceed the character allotment. AMCAS will refuse to let you enter anymore characters and throw up an error message telling you you've exceeded the character limit. There is no way around that. The problem you're running into is a common one. Part of the difficulty of writing the PS is deciding what to keep in and what to throw out. You'll need to figure out what you want your theme to be, what points you want to get across, and then only include one or two examples per point. While you may have had many important moments in your life, you'll need to figure out which one showcases X trait or passion the most.

 

[xffan624]

Has anyone on here exceeded that?

I know that what they say, but there seems to be rumors about flexibility. Example: http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/04/writing-medical-school-personal-statement-tips-myths.html (Blank spaces count as characters too, per AAMC's instructions.)

If I do get stuck with a page, my personal statement might look more like a list.

Your personal statement is not a biography of your life. It's about why you want to be a doctor and implied within that is why you will make a good one.

 

[Gauss44]

Your personal statement is not a biography of your life. It's about why you want to be a doctor and implied within that is why you will make a good one.

It's more than that. You can read the instructions on AAMC's website. I assure you I did.

 

[GoPelicans]

There is a disadvantaged box on AMCAS that is 1325 characters IIRC. You can recap some of your personal struggles/tribulations there without really needing to spin it into a narrative.

The PS is supposed to basically be a wholesome and concise story that explains 'why medicine' with some little examples that sort of justify your decision. This book is very helpful to get some ideas bubbling http://www.amazon.com/Essays-That-W...-1&keywords=medical+school+personal+statement

My best advice: don't whine in your essay about how much your life sucked. I did this in some of my secondary essays and in hindsight it just made me come off as bitter. Show gratitude to the people, resources, and experiences that helped guide you along in life and convinced you that becoming a physician was realistic.

 

[Gauss44]

AMCAS uses characters, not pages. You're allowed 5300 characters (including spaces) for the personal statement which comes out to roughly 1.5 pages.

Well, if that's really the limit, I guess I'll have a succinct essay.

EDIT: Scratch the idea below. I doubt I'm going to do that given the feedback.

If my PS is REALLY lacking due to space (and is half the essay it could be with a few more paragraphs), I might compose the shortest version possible that isn't lacking (but is over the space limit) and send it in the mail to medical school admissions offices with a quick 2-3 sentence cover letter. I could give them the option of reading either version. I would only do this if multiple professors agreed with me that the official version pales in comparison.

 

[Gauss44]

There is a disadvantaged box on AMCAS that is 1325 characters IIRC. You can recap some of your personal struggles/tribulations there without really needing to spin it into a narrative.
.

This is helpful. That adds a quarter page or so, I think.

Thank you for pointing that out!

don't whine.

I have a lot of positive things to say about my experiences, if I have room to say it! In fact, I am very fortunate to be where I am considering everything. I often times think about people who I thought were "just like me" and "why was I so lucky?". I am grateful.

 

[AktionPOTENTIAL]

Some of this should be discussed in your activities and it's not a good idea to repeat the presentation of this kind of information. Additionally, complex situations like these, w/ so many moving parts can be strategically and effectively presented w/ limited characters and w/o much compromise. I don't know your full story but I drafted the following on a trip to a neighboring state. You can take a look at it and see if you get what I'm saying. You won't be able to tell your full story but tell the most important parts to get the interview, where you might be given a chance to elaborate.

"It is sometimes said that "circumstances make you who you are" but I prefer "circumstances reveal who you are " by testing the depth of your character, the soundness of your resilience and your ability to be adaptable. As an unadopted foster child in rural and isolated community, tomorrow was always at best uncertain. Having learned quite early to turn each obstacle into a stepping stone, I was able to make it into college w/o a diploma, though ignorant about what to expect. As if arriving wasn't difficult enough, staying there was even tougher since I had to work full time while taking a full course load. This doesn't mean ends met or my grades didn't suffer because I was unable to buy food. These experiences handed me unique and specialized tools that I intend to use to make an impact in society, made evident by the activities in which I got engaged."

 

[Gauss44]

Some of this should be discussed in your activities and it's not a good idea to repeat the presentation of this kind of information. Additionally, complex situations like these, w/ so many moving parts can be strategically and effectively presented w/ limited characters and w/o much compromise. I don't know your full story but I drafted the following on a trip to a neighboring state. You can take a look at it and see if you get what I'm saying. You won't be able to tell your full story but tell the most important parts to get the interview, where you might be given a chance to elaborate.

"It is sometimes said that "circumstances make you who you are" but I prefer "circumstances reveal who you are " by testing the depth of your character, the soundness of your resilience and your ability to be adaptable. As an unadopted foster child in rural and isolated community, tomorrow was always at best uncertain. Having learned quite early to turn each obstacle into a stepping stone, I was able to make it into college w/o a diploma, though ignorant about what to expect. As if arriving wasn't difficult enough, staying there was even tougher since I had to work full time while taking a full course load. This doesn't mean ends met or my grades didn't suffer because I was unable to buy food. These experiences handed me unique and specialized tools that I intend to use to make an impact in society, made evident by the activities in which I got engaged."

Thank you very much! You sound like a good writer.

What I have in mind is even more succinct than that (and very positive in nature). We'll see if it works.

Getting stuck with 1-1.5 pages is far from ideal; if that happens, my goal will be to make them wish it was longer.

 

[battousai]

Well, if that's really the limit, I guess I'll have a succinct essay.

If my PS is REALLY lacking due to space (and is half the essay it could be with a few more paragraphs), I might compose the shortest version possible that isn't lacking (but is over the space limit) and send it in the mail to medical school admissions offices with a quick 2-3 sentence cover letter. I could give them the option of reading either version. I would only do this if multiple professors agreed with me that the official version pales in comparison.

I don't think this is good idea and will probably be frowned upon. Every one else has to abide by the character limit and you are trying to circumvent it.

 

[milkandcereal]

Well, if that's really the limit, I guess I'll have a succinct essay.

If my PS is REALLY lacking due to space (and is half the essay it could be with a few more paragraphs), I might compose the shortest version possible that isn't lacking (but is over the space limit) and send it in the mail to medical school admissions offices with a quick 2-3 sentence cover letter. I could give them the option of reading either version. I would only do this if multiple professors agreed with me that the official version pales in comparison.

Yeah, I would not recommend doing this. The rules are the rules for a reason; everyone else has to play by them, why should they make an exception for you?

 

[BlueLabel]

Some of this should be discussed in your activities and it's not a good idea to repeat the presentation of this kind of information. Additionally, complex situations like these, w/ so many moving parts can be strategically and effectively presented w/ limited characters and w/o much compromise. I don't know your full story but I drafted the following on a trip to a neighboring state. You can take a look at it and see if you get what I'm saying. You won't be able to tell your full story but tell the most important parts to get the interview, where you might be given a chance to elaborate.

"It is sometimes said that "circumstances make you who you are" but I prefer "circumstances reveal who you are " by testing the depth of your character, the soundness of your resilience and your ability to be adaptable. As an unadopted foster child in rural and isolated community, tomorrow was always at best uncertain. Having learned quite early to turn each obstacle into a stepping stone, I was able to make it into college w/o a diploma, though ignorant about what to expect. As if arriving wasn't difficult enough, staying there was even tougher since I had to work full time while taking a full course load. This doesn't mean ends met or my grades didn't suffer because I was unable to buy food. These experiences handed me unique and specialized tools that I intend to use to make an impact in society, made evident by the activities in which I got engaged."

Tomorrow was an unadopted foster child? Dangling modifer, -1

Overall weak writing.

 

[Gauss44]

I don't think this is good idea and will probably be frowned upon. Every one else has to abide by the character limit and you are trying to circumvent it.

Right, could be, especially depending on how it was presented. An alternative interpretation to the "circumventing" one might be that I went above and beyond, and everyone else was free to think outside of the box as well. I will check to see if that's unlikely.

Yeah, I would not recommend doing this. The rules are the rules for a reason; everyone else has to play by them, why should they make an exception for you?

I wouldn't ask for an "exception." I would only provide an option: Use whichever one you prefer, the longer one or the shorter one. Maybe some adcom members don't like the character limit either.

Thanks to you both for the feedback. I am now aware of that potential interpretation, and it might be the more popular one.

 

[xffan624]

Well, if that's really the limit, I guess I'll have a succinct essay.

If my PS is REALLY lacking due to space (and is half the essay it could be with a few more paragraphs), I might compose the shortest version possible that isn't lacking (but is over the space limit) and send it in the mail to medical school admissions offices with a quick 2-3 sentence cover letter. I could give them the option of reading either version. I would only do this if multiple professors agreed with me that the official version pales in comparison.

Yeah, try that and let us know how it works for you. Seems like a rapid way to get funneled toward the nutbag/reject pile or best scenario is they will open it, see what is and throw it in the trash because it doesn't fall within the guidelines of what is allowed to be submitted with your application.

The rules are there for a reason. If you can't express yourself in the character limit prescribed then you're not as good a writer or awesome medical school candidate as you seem to think you are.

ETA: .... hmmm.... getting a faint smell of troll on this whole thread.

 

[kyamh]

Part of the challenge of writing a personal statement is being able to tell the most salient parts of your 'story' in the limits given. If it seems too short, you need to restructure your essay. It's not about cramming as much as possible into the space, it's about writing something engaging and something that shows off your qualities. I'm sure there are many reasons why you want to be a doctor. Pick the 1-3 most important and talk about them well rather than try to talk about everything. It's more impressive if you can bring in new information in secondaries/the rest of your primary/interviews than if you lay out everything you can think to say about your life in the PS.

 

[WillburCobb]

Strong, pithy writting will produce a better personal statement and be viewed more favorably than some melodramatic tome - you're applying to medical school not an MFA program in creative writting. Adcoms read thousands of personal statements and after a page their mind is going to start to wander.

 

[Gauss44]

Yeah, try that and let us know how it works for you....

ETA: .... hmmm.... getting a faint smell of troll on this whole thread.

I'm aiming for schools that value creativity and leadership. Given the feedback on here, I'm leaning against that idea anyway. Regarding that last line, I think you're smelling yourself.

 

[Gauss44]

Part of the challenge of writing a personal statement is being able to tell the most salient parts of your 'story' in the limits given. If it seems too short, you need to restructure your essay. It's not about cramming as much as possible into the space, it's about writing something engaging and something that shows off your qualities. I'm sure there are many reasons why you want to be a doctor. Pick the 1-3 most important and talk about them well rather than try to talk about everything. It's more impressive if you can bring in new information in secondaries/the rest of your primary/interviews than if you lay out everything you can think to say about your life in the PS.

Thank you. I didn't know most of that.

 

[Deadlifts]

Right, could be, especially depending on how it was presented. An alternative interpretation to the "circumventing" one might be that I went above and beyond, and everyone else was free to think outside of the box as well. I will check to see if that's unlikely.




I wouldn't ask for an "exception." I would only provide an option: Use whichever one you prefer, the longer one or the shorter one. Maybe some adcom members don't like the character limit either.

Thanks to you both for the feedback. I am now aware of that potential interpretation, and it might be the more popular one.

Schools are receiving 1000s of applications. I would be surprised if they'd voluntarily read the longer one. If you can't effectively communicate why you want to be a doctor in 5300 characters, you need to be less verbose.

 

[Gauss44]

Schools are receiving 1000s of applications. I would be surprised if they'd voluntarily read the longer one. If you can't effectively communicate why you want to be a doctor in 5300 characters, you need to be less verbose.

If that were all I was writing about I could be done in a paragraph, and almost in a sentence. After reading the instructions on page 70 of the AMCAS instruction manual, and various blogs, I'm under the impression that we are expected to explain any major fluctuations in academic record, and hardships, challenges, and obstacles that influenced educational pursuits. And then there's "What motivates you to learn more about medicine," which could be answered in a sentence, but would be more impressive if I could introduce a compelling idea that most doctors have never heard of. Given the space limit, I'll probably settle for a sentence.

 

[BlueLabel]

Given the space limit, I'll probably settle for a sentence.

Who are you, Charles Dickens?

 

[ChemEngMD]

If that were all I was writing about I could be done in a paragraph, and almost in a sentence. After reading the instructions on page 70 of the AMCAS instruction manual, and various blogs, I'm under the impression that we are expected to explain any major fluctuations in academic record, and hardships, challenges, and obstacles that influenced educational pursuits. And then there's "What motivates you to learn more about medicine," which could be answered in a sentence, but would be more impressive if I could introduce a compelling idea that most doctors have never heard of. Given the space limit, I'll probably settle for a sentence.

Bruh, you're WHOLE essay should revolve around the question "why medicine?" ...show how your life path has led you to medicine and how becoming a physician is the only next logical step in your progression as a human being.

I was able to touch on all of the important parts of my life...from childhood, to early development, to starting in a diff field than medicine, searching for a true calling, to finding medicine, and how medicine fulfilled all of the things I was looking for. It can be done but it will take a long time and lots of re-writes.

My first drafts were all in the 8,000 character range. Then I trimmed and trimmed and cut down on unnecessary parts. Just find a general "theme" to your essay that really wraps your whole mission together and stick to that.

 

[AktionPOTENTIAL]

Tomorrow was an unadopted foster child? Dangling modifer, -1

Overall weak writing.

Personal statements normally go through a few iterations and read by a few people before they are submitted in order to eliminate errors like the one you highlighted. Since you are a strong writer, one that's especially good at picking up dangling modifers , you should volunteer to help SDN members w/ the PS during the application cycle

 

[BlueLabel]

Personal statements normally go through a few iterations and read by a few people before they are submitted in order to eliminate errors like the one you highlighted. Since you are a strong writer, one that's especially good at picking up dangling modifers , you should volunteer to help SDN members w/ the PS during the application cycle

Good point! Sorry for being rather blunt.

 

[Gauss44]

Bruh, you're WHOLE essay should revolve around the question "why medicine?" ...show how your life path has led you to medicine and how becoming a physician is the only next logical step in your progression as a human being.

I was able to touch on all of the important parts of my life...from childhood, to early development, to starting in a diff field than medicine, searching for a true calling, to finding medicine, and how medicine fulfilled all of the things I was looking for. It can be done but it will take a long time and lots of re-writes.

My first drafts were all in the 8,000 character range. Then I trimmed and trimmed and cut down on unnecessary parts. Just find a general "theme" to your essay that really wraps your whole mission together and stick to that.

I find this very helpful. "Why medicine" is easy to answer in almost any amount of space IMO.

Here's the part that had me concerned:

"In addition, you may wish to include information such as:
• Special hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced your
educational pursuits.
• Commentary on significant fluctuations in your academic record that are not
explained elsewhere in your application.
Consider and write your Personal Comments carefully; many admissions committees
place significant weight on this section." - Page 70, AMCAS Instruction Manual

 

[xffan624]

I Regarding that last line, I think you're smelling yourself.

I'm not the one trying to circumvent the rules on AMCAS because I'm that awesome of a writer and my personal story is so amazing it can't possibly fit in 5300 characters including spaces.

My mistake on the troll part, I guess you are that arrogant.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I find this very helpful. "Why medicine" is easy to answer in almost any amount of space IMO.

Here's the part that had me concerned:

"In addition, you may wish to include information such as:
• Special hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced your
educational pursuits.
• Commentary on significant fluctuations in your academic record that are not
explained elsewhere in your application.
Consider and write your Personal Comments carefully; many admissions committees
place significant weight on this section." - Page 70, AMCAS Instruction Manual

The keyword there is "may". The instructions aren't saying you have to include that stuff, just that you can if you so wish. The PS is a versatile essay and can be used to address whatever you want in your background. However, just because you can include whatever you want doesn't mean you should.

The goal of the PS is to explain why you want to be a doctor and give the adcom a better picture of yourself that they won't be able to get looking at the rest of your application. You should be focused on answering that. Anything you take time to explain that isn't relevant to that is wasted space (which is why you should only address academic issues if they're so serious that they risk getting you rejected unless you explain).

Also keep in mind that with the work & activities section, disadvantaged essay, the ocean of secondary essays, and then interview that you will be able to eventually tell adcoms everything you want them to know. The PS doesn't need to be your autobiography.

 

[Gauss44]

I would like to remind everyone that the question in the topic is, "What is the maximum length of a personal statement?" (In practice, not in theory.)

The answer or relevance of this question might depend on the following questions:

--"What should a personal statement optimally include?" Should it only the answer to the question of, "Why do you want to be a doctor?," or optimally, should it also include, "significant life events that impacted grades"?

--What is the best thing to do if you have a very abnormally large number of huge life-changing setbacks that impacted grades, including many that are unusual and require explanation? If it is not humanly possible for a superb author to gracefully fit these in the space provided, then what is the second best thing you can do?

My adviser told me, "make sure you include every last disadvantage and setback in your personal statement." Given the number and novelty of my setbacks that require explanation, this seems like quite a request....

I know this is not a common situation. Maybe there's someone on this forum who's already dealt with this dilemma?

(Of course, as mentioned above, it is possible to fit almost any story or statement into a paragraph, a page, or a novel. There is also a range of optimal, very optimal, non-optimal lengths, etc.)

My question: The instruction booklet says about 1 page, but I'm reading all over the internet that 2 or more pages can be fine. Can anyone clarify?

My situation: I have A LOT of explaining to do, maybe over 30 things that should really be explained, starting from my experiences as an unadopted foster child (very relevant to wanting to be a dr), growing up primarily in a Hispanic family and 60% Hispanic town which was also isolated rural and poor, making it into college without a high school diploma, being unfamiliar with college (not knowing there was such thing as graduate school or any reason to get good grades), having hunger and a lack of school supplies impact my grades in school despite working a full time job and taking a full load of classes and not being able to make ends meet (and not being aware of assistance programs), suffering 3 concussions (having to take time off on disability - even qualifying for ssdi - and recovering!), an endocrine disorder to say the least, volunteering to help homeless teens and the impact that's had on me and my career goals, major accomplishments as a human rights activist, when I learned becoming a doctor was possible (who with my background ever becomes a doctor?) and transitioning into medicine, what I've done since graduating college, etc. Honestly, this is not even the half of it.

Help!

 

[milski]

This year - 5300 characters, including punctuation. The interface on AMCAS will not allow you to enter anything longer for personal statement.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

Once again, you do not include everything. Use one example per point you want to make. The essay should focus on why you want to be a doctor. If you had a really bad semester (got a D or F, semester GPA was less than 3.0) then you can use a small part of the personal statement to explain that. If you weren't involved in many activities because you were too busy working to support yourself, you can explain that. However, your explanations should tie in with the rest of the PS and should be minor points.

And again, there is no need to talk at length about your disadvantaged life in the PS. There is a 1350 character disadvantaged essay for that. There will also be adversity essays on many of your secondaries as well, in addition to diversity essays and other essays that may allow you to go into more about your past. Some secondaries (eg: Vanderbilt and UCSD) even ask you to write an autobiography. You don't have to tell everything there is to tell in the PS, nor should you. You want to have material left over for secondaries.

Also, you sound like you want to list every single thing that's been an obstacle in your life. That's a bad idea. The last thing you want to do is come off as complaining or fishing for sympathy, which is inevitable if you write a laundry list of bad things that have happened to you. This process isn't a pissing contest to see who's had a harder life. As long as you're considered disadvantaged, you do not get bonus points for being more disadvantaged than another disadvantaged applicant.

For the PS, only include the moments of your life that are most important in showing your motivations for wanting to be a doctor. The keyword there is MOST. You obviously have a lot of important stuff you want to talk about, but you can't talk about it all so you need to do some triage.

Make a list of traits you think a physician should have. At the same time, come up with 2-4 experiences that you think most influenced your decision to be a doctor, and also provide a vehicle to show that you have some of the traits you listed earlier. Maybe you can also list off some short examples, one for each trait in case talking about one experience isn't enough. Also, try to come up with an experience to serve as a hook for your intro paragraph, ideally one that can provide a theme for the rest of the essay.

 

[Ismet]

I would like to remind everyone that the question in the topic is, "What is the maximum length of a personal statement?" (In practice, not in theory.)

That has already been answered and it is cut-and-dry. 5300 characters, including spaces. Do not send an "extended" PS or an addendum to individual schools. I don't know where you saw that PS's could be 2+ pages, but whoever said that was not referring to AMCAS.

--"What should a personal statement optimally include?" Should it only the answer to the question of, "Why do you want to be a doctor?," or optimally, should it also include, "significant life events that impacted grades"?

The main purpose of the PS is to convey your reasons for wanting to go into medicine. This can include the things that initially made you interested in medicine, the clinical experiences you've had that have shaped your interests, hardships that you've had to overcome in order to pursue medicine, and others. Many secondaries will have a spot where you can explain any drops in grades. Or you can use the "disadvantaged" essay on AMCAS to talk about that.

--What is the best thing to do if you have a very abnormally large number of huge life-changing setbacks that impacted grades, including many that are unusual and require explanation? If it is not humanly possible for a superb author to gracefully fit these in the space provided, then what is the second best thing you can do?

There's no need to go into a whole life story in your PS, in fact you shouldn't. You can save the explanations for secondary essays (many ask about an obstacle you had to overcome) or again, write about them in the disadvantaged section.

My adviser told me, "make sure you include every last disadvantage and setback in your personal statement." Given the number and novelty of my setbacks that require explanation, this seems like quite a request....

That's unnecessary and completely detracts from the main point of the PS, which is again to demonstrate your desire to become a doctor. You can certainly include a couple setbacks, but this is not supposed to be a biography or a laundry list of your hardships. You also don't need to be verbose with your explanations. Give enough information so that the reader can understand you, but don't explain every last detail of the situation.

Honestly most of the things you listed in your OP can be described either in the disadvantaged section (foster child, Hispanic, rural town, GED, concussions, etc) or in your work/activities descriptions (volunteering with teens, human rights activist, etc).

 

[SN12357]

My adviser told me, "make sure you include every last disadvantage and setback in your personal statement." Given the number and novelty of my setbacks that require explanation, this seems like quite a request....

This is terrible advice, which is sadly not that uncommon from advisers. I know someone who was told by their adviser to not write about why they wanted to go into medicine in their personal statement. They are now a multiple times reapplicant.

The PS is not exhaustive. It is not a comprehensive biography. It is a targeted statement about why you want to be a doctor. You can expand upon many other topics in other parts of the applications and in your interview.

If your life experiences are diverse and interesting, that will be obvious in your application. You're overthinking this and ignoring good advice, which has been repeated many times in this thread.

You seem to assume that you can only gain points by extolling every single hardship you've ever experienced. This just isn't true. You're obviously a qualitatively different applicant than most people applying to medical school. That will make you stand out at the beginning. If you do nothing but try and stuff in every minor detail instead of shaping a narrative, you won't come off nearly as well as if you are judicious and understand that you can't possibly explain every single microscopic thing to the adcom. It's an application, not an autopsy.

 

[Gauss44]

Clarification time:

Once again, you do not include everything

With all due respect, I consider that to be obvious.

If you had a really bad semester (got a D or F, semester GPA was less than 3.0) then you can use a small part of the personal statement to explain that. If you weren't involved in many activities because you were too busy working to support yourself, you can explain that.

I'm not sure I get your point. What if I don't have D's, F's, a lousy GPA, or a lack of EC's? I have had non-optimal performance as a result of multiple events going on all at once, some of which require an explanation to make any sense.

there is no need to talk at length about your disadvantaged life in the PS.

I don't intend to talk about anything, "at length." In my situation, I can't afford to!

There will also be adversity essays on many of your secondaries as well, in addition to diversity essays and other essays that may allow you to go into more about your past.

Pertinent information should not be saved for secondaries in my opinion. I admit that this begs the question of which information is pertinent.

You want to have material left over for secondaries.

Lol, I think I would be the last person to run out of information. I have too much, if anything.

For the PS, only include the moments of your life that are most important in showing your motivations for wanting to be a doctor.

This speaks to me. I figured that I might have to leave out some huge things comparable in impact to being homeless, taking 17 credits, and working a full time job. Considering the magnitude of stuff that might not fit, this may fit the definition of a catch 22. The one way out I can think of is to describe my most trying year of college, and then mention that the other years were "not far behind." This might be the best solution.

Make a list of traits you think a physician should have. At the same time, come up with 2-4 experiences that you think most influenced your decision to be a doctor, and also provide a vehicle to show that you have some of the traits you listed earlier. Maybe you can also list off some short examples, one for each trait in case talking about one experience isn't enough. Also, try to come up with an experience to serve as a hook for your intro paragraph, ideally one that can provide a theme for the rest of the essay.

Thanks for the tips; although, I already have this planned out. My only questions left are the ones in the topic. I assure you my personal statement is not a debacle!

I appreciate your responding.

I don't know where you saw that PS's could be 2+ pages, but whoever said that was not referring to AMCAS.

2 page rumor: The rumor is out there on the internet. Here's the 2 page rumor: http://www.studentdoc.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=46541 I know I saw other, more credible sources, as well. I cannot find them at the moment.

1 page rumor: I think AMCAS says 5300 characters is "approximately 1 page." That information seemed to be questioned by lot of online information.

For example, Kevin MD's blog says: "[A common myth I hear is that,] personal statements must be no longer than one page. Not true. This advice is antiquated and dates back to the days of the written application when admissions committees flipped through pages. If your personal statement is interesting and compelling, it is fine to use the entire allotted space...." Source (see the second #2 on that page): http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/04/writing-medical-school-personal-statement-tips-myths.html I suspected that the instructions that cited the number "5300" were outdated. If the limit wasn't 1 page, and recently changed from 1 page to something else, "What was it?," I asked.

Resolution: I think this forum has concluded that the 5300 character limit is still in effect and is approximately 1.5 pages or slightly less. This assumes that answers have been based on personal experience and not secondary sources. My sense is that 5300 characters limit has been confirmed.

The main purpose of the PS is to convey your reasons for wanting to go into medicine. This can include the things that initially made you interested in medicine, the clinical experiences you've had that have shaped your interests, hardships that you've had to overcome in order to pursue medicine, and others. Many secondaries will have a spot where you can explain any drops in grades. Or you can use the "disadvantaged" essay on AMCAS to talk about that.

I'm not sure why the directions are worded, "can include." I've been told, perhaps inaccurately, that it is expected of those who had significant hardships [that "impacted their decision to go into medicine" and "became an obstacle to pursuing medicine"], that they include them in their personal statement. The directions might use the words, "can include," to indicate that people who didn't have significant hardships don't have to come up with one. The opposite of not having hardships, may be having excessive significant hardships that amass to more than 1.5 pages.

Is it then most advisable to leave out huge obstacles that are impressive to have overcome, and that influenced your decision to go into medicine if they just won't fit? Is there a creative "out of the box" solution, or any alternative, that wouldn't be frowned upon?

Edit: I think you answered that in the next part.

That's unnecessary and completely detracts from the main point of the PS, which is again to demonstrate your desire to become a doctor. You can certainly include a couple setbacks, but this is not supposed to be [...] a laundry list of your hardships.

This really gets to the bottom of my problem. That seems to be my misunderstanding exactly!

It's true that a personal statement is NOT suppose to include ALL your most gigantic hardships relevant to becoming a doctor (or applying to medical school) if there's really really a lot of them? Can anyone confirm? I think we're done here.

Honestly most of the things you listed in your OP can be described either in the disadvantaged section (foster child, Hispanic, rural town, GED, concussions, etc) or in your work/activities descriptions (volunteering with teens, human rights activist, etc).

I hope that the cross-reference the work, school, EC, etc. sections to see how much was going on at one time. That would be really good for me, and probably a lot of other applicants as well. The disadvantages section of one-quarter page definitely does NOT have enough room for me. Hopefully, it won't hurt me too much to leave some large ones out.

Of less importance, I would like to correct that I did NOT get a GED. I was accepted to college as a junior in high school. No one could believe it! I earned that by taking over 12 credits of college coursework, while also taking a full day's worth of high school classes at my local high school, and taking additional correspondence courses through BYU to a total of about 20 classes, and getting an A average. Plus I was in sports and band. I am also of questionable Hispanic heritage. My main foster family was Hispanic and I grew up in a primarily Hispanic town. A lot of my experiences require a little explanation.

Thank you very much for your valuable feedback.

 

[KnuxNole]

If that were all I was writing about I could be done in a paragraph, and almost in a sentence. After reading the instructions on page 70 of the AMCAS instruction manual, and various blogs, I'm under the impression that we are expected to explain any major fluctuations in academic record, and hardships, challenges, and obstacles that influenced educational pursuits. And then there's "What motivates you to learn more about medicine," which could be answered in a sentence, but would be more impressive if I could introduce a compelling idea that most doctors have never heard of. Given the space limit, I'll probably settle for a sentence.

Then you need to take that sentence and blow it up like crazy. Or think harder.

Remember, if you answer the why medicine in 1 sentence and leave it as that, they will spit on the application, shred it, think it's some joke, etc etc. You don't have to devote every aspect of the PS to "why medicine". Remember, the MAIN IDEAS of the essay is why medicine and a brief essay about who you are as a person. The hardships and whatever are the add-ons if they greatly tie in with the main idea of the essay. So, if the hardships and challenges define who you are as an individual and tie in with your immense personal growth, people will love to read about that.

 

[battousai]

Right, could be, especially depending on how it was presented. An alternative interpretation to the "circumventing" one might be that I went above and beyond, and everyone else was free to think outside of the box as well. I will check to see if that's unlikely.

I wouldn't ask for an "exception." I would only provide an option: Use whichever one you prefer, the longer one or the shorter one. Maybe some adcom members don't like the character limit either.

Thanks to you both for the feedback. I am now aware of that potential interpretation, and it might be the more popular one.

There isn't an "above and beyond" for a personal statement. The character limit is there both as a challenge for applicants and to cut down the amount that adcoms have to read (some schools get thousands of applicants; reading hundreds of personal statements is hard enough for an adcom without having someone adding a 50 page manuscript on how their life was so fraught with challenges).

 

[ortnakas]

AMCAS gives you 5300 characters, AACOMAS even fewer (4500 I believe). No way around it.

 

[Doctor Bob]

Please do not send an extended personal statement directly...

People try to send all sorts of "extra" stuff that they hope will influence the decision (extra letters of rec, newspaper clippings, longer personal statements, etc...). The administrative assistants filter all of this stuff directly to the trash.

If your application is good enough to merit an interview, then you will have plenty of time to expound on your life story.

 

[KnuxNole]

Please do not send an extended personal statement directly...

People try to send all sorts of "extra" stuff that they hope will influence the decision (extra letters of rec, newspaper clippings, longer personal statements, etc...). The administrative assistants filter all of this stuff directly to the trash.

If your application is good enough to merit an interview, then you will have plenty of time to expound on your life story.

Newspaper clippings seems a bit tacky

 

[DokterMom]

I would like to remind everyone that the question in the topic is, "What is the maximum length of a personal statement?" (In practice, not in theory.)

The answer or relevance of this question might depend on the following questions:

--"What should a personal statement optimally include?" Should it only the answer to the question of, "Why do you want to be a doctor?," or optimally, should it also include, "significant life events that impacted grades"?

--What is the best thing to do if you have a very abnormally large number of huge life-changing setbacks that impacted grades, including many that are unusual and require explanation? If it is not humanly possible for a superb author to gracefully fit these in the space provided, then what is the second best thing you can do?

My adviser told me, "make sure you include every last disadvantage and setback in your personal statement." Given the number and novelty of my setbacks that require explanation, this seems like quite a request....

I know this is not a common situation. Maybe there's someone on this forum who's already dealt with this dilemma?

(Of course, as mentioned above, it is possible to fit almost any story or statement into a paragraph, a page, or a novel. There is also a range of optimal, very optimal, non-optimal lengths, etc.)

The goal of your personal statement should be to land you the interview.

Address the most debilitating obstacles, the ones that most impacted your qualifications, and one or two highly unusual ones. Then hint that there are many, many more obstacles but that they served to make you even more determined to overcome them and spread your message of resilience and opportunity to other disadvantaged people --

Leave a few stones unturned for interview fodder --

 

[Gauss44]

People try to send all sorts of "extra" stuff that they hope will influence the decision (extra letters of rec, newspaper clippings, longer personal statements, etc...). The administrative assistants filter all of this stuff directly to the trash..

Newspaper clippings seems a bit tacky

Lol, I have a framed newspaper article! It has my picture on it too. I wouldn't really send it though.

I'm also glad I'm not the first one to come up with the "longer personal statement sending" idea since it doesn't seem to be a winner!