How to re-write personal statement

[melissaliss]

Ok, so I'm a re-applicant. I am currently on 3 wait lists but I am preparing to submit my application in early July if I have to. I felt extremely confident with my PS from last year, but of course I know people say you should completely re-do it. However, obviously the experiences and factors motivating me to become a doctor haven't changed. Does anyone have advice on re-writing it? I tried to send messages to some of the people listed as readers in the PS sticky, but haven't heard anything yet. Hopefully someone responds. My adviser wasn't especially helpful and I've exhausted all of my other resources in terms of people to read it, but I still know it could be better. I know that it would NOT be better if I completely started over and wrote something different because the content that I have is good. Advice?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[emno]

Ok, so I'm a re-applicant. I am currently on 3 wait lists but I am preparing to submit my application in early July if I have to. I felt extremely confident with my PS from last year, but of course I know people say you should completely re-do it. However, obviously the experiences and factors motivating me to become a doctor haven't changed. Does anyone have advice on re-writing it? I tried to send messages to some of the people listed as readers in the PS sticky, but haven't heard anything yet. Hopefully someone responds. My adviser wasn't especially helpful and I've exhausted all of my other resources in terms of people to read it, but I still know it could be better. I know that it would NOT be better if I completely started over and wrote something different because the content that I have is good. Advice?

I used my PS same as it was last year. As you said the reason/motivation to become a physican are same so I did not feel to change the PS.

 

[mommy2three]

Ok, so I'm a re-applicant. I am currently on 3 wait lists but I am preparing to submit my application in early July if I have to. I felt extremely confident with my PS from last year, but of course I know people say you should completely re-do it. However, obviously the experiences and factors motivating me to become a doctor haven't changed. Does anyone have advice on re-writing it? I tried to send messages to some of the people listed as readers in the PS sticky, but haven't heard anything yet. Hopefully someone responds. My adviser wasn't especially helpful and I've exhausted all of my other resources in terms of people to read it, but I still know it could be better. I know that it would NOT be better if I completely started over and wrote something different because the content that I have is good. Advice?

i had to do some slight tweaking to change tenses and references to years but otherwise i am using the same PS....i finally have one i love and i think it demonstrates everything about me that i want to portray and i do not want to change it

 

[cabinbuilder]

You can send me your PS. I love doing essays and could look at it for you.

 

[Forven]

I would change your PS. It shows that you realized that you were not accepted this year, and you are changing your PS as a reflection of your renewed intentions to be accepted.

I would not write about why you want to be a doctor, but why you are staying the course. Talk about what motivates you so much about becoming a physician that you would spend an extra year trying to get into a medical school.

Honestly my stats/experiences are not so great, but I truly believe that my non-traditional PS helped me gain acceptance.

Good luck!

 

[edharian]

Did you get any exit interviews? I was able to talk to the admissions office from my state school and found out that my PS was one of my issues. So, obviously, I am going to rewrite mine.

 

[melissaliss]

Did you get any exit interviews? I was able to talk to the admissions office from my state school and found out that my PS was one of my issues. So, obviously, I am going to rewrite mine.

I was only able to get 2 exit interviews. Those 2 schools said completely different things. 1 school, which put me on pre-interview hold, and later rejected me, said that my MCAT was good (25- not really) but that my chemistry and physics grades could be better. I thought that was strange, since my science GPA was pretty good. The other school, rejected me post interview, said that my MCAT wasn't high enough. Neither one mentioned the PS, good or bad. I was hoping to get some feedback from the schools where I am currently on wait lists, but no such luck.

 

[Forven]

Did you get any exit interviews? I was able to talk to the admissions office from my state school and found out that my PS was one of my issues. So, obviously, I am going to rewrite mine.

what is an exit interview?

 

[sedaniel]

I would change your PS. It shows that you realized that you were not accepted this year, and you are changing your PS as a reflection of your renewed intentions to be accepted.

I would not write about why you want to be a doctor, but why you are staying the course. Talk about what motivates you so much about becoming a physician that you would spend an extra year trying to get into a medical school.

Honestly my stats/experiences are not so great, but I truly believe that my non-traditional PS helped me gain acceptance.

Good luck!

This. While things like GPA are not necessarily that easy to change in one year, your PS is one component of your application that you absolutely have every opportunity to change and improve. I think that to not do so is unwise. I am a reapplicant as well, and all three current adcomms that I met with said that my PS was good because it was not the traditional, generic "why medicine" essay. The premed advisor I met with at my school said to scrap the whole thing and start over, of course. No offense to him, but I'm going with adcomm opinions over his

 

[melissaliss]

This. While things like GPA are not necessarily that easy to change in one year, your PS is one component of your application that you absolutely have every opportunity to change and improve. I think that to not do so is unwise. I am a reapplicant as well, and all three current adcomms that I met with said that my PS was good because it was not the traditional, generic "why medicine" essay. The premed advisor I met with at my school said to scrap the whole thing and start over, of course. No offense to him, but I'm going with adcomm opinions over his

I have heard that it is better to not mention that you are a re-applicant in the PS, since the schools you didn't apply to the first round don't know that ...

 

[Forven]

I have heard that it is better to not mention that you are a re-applicant in the PS, since the schools you didn't apply to the first round don't know that ...

hmmm...that is a good point.

i guess this would apply if you are applying to different schools. but if a school you already applied to sees that you didn't change your PS after getting rejected it makes you look lazy and arrogant IMHO. so i guess the "safest" this is to change your PS without mentioning you are a reapplicant.

 

[Helen Wheels]

I didn't change my PS, either. I debated about this but decided to leave it as is. I literally spent years working on my PS (LOL no kidding, I wrote some of it several years before I applied) and I really thought it showed why I wanted to become a physician and what kind of person I was. People keep saying you should write about how you've "grown since last year" but really, one year is not that long (maybe it seems that way to me only because I am old ). I have certainly done some new things that are listed in my ECs but I don't think I am that much different of a person than I was 12 months ago. I agree also that if you are a reapplicant and applying to any new schools you don't want to draw attention to the fact you are reapplying.

 

[MN premed]

Based on your exit interviews and your stats, it'd probably be a good idea to retake the MCAT. Even if you don't get your scores back until early fall, it's better than reapplying again with a mediocre score. Then at least it shows you're doing something to improve your application, especially if you don't rewrite your PS. I'm guessing the chem and physics are on the lower end (C to B-). If you don't get in this next cycle, I would maybe retake those low grades. But if your sgpa is fine it's probably not necessary!

 

[Forven]

I didn't change my PS, either. I debated about this but decided to leave it as is. I literally spent years working on my PS (LOL no kidding, I wrote some of it several years before I applied) and I really thought it showed why I wanted to become a physician and what kind of person I was. People keep saying you should write about how you've "grown since last year" but really, one year is not that long (maybe it seems that way to me only because I am old ). I have certainly done some new things that are listed in my ECs but I don't think I am that much different of a person than I was 12 months ago. I agree also that if you are a reapplicant and applying to any new schools you don't want to draw attention to the fact you are reapplying.

i hope you get in so it proves my theories wrong.

good luck!

 

[melissaliss]

Based on your exit interviews and your stats, it'd probably be a good idea to retake the MCAT. Even if you don't get your scores back until early fall, it's better than reapplying again with a mediocre score. Then at least it shows you're doing something to improve your application, especially if you don't rewrite your PS. I'm guessing the chem and physics are on the lower end (C to B-). If you don't get in this next cycle, I would maybe retake those low grades. But if your sgpa is fine it's probably not necessary!

Well, I do know that taking the MCAT again is a wise decision but when I tried to sign up for a June or July test (after finding out the accepted wait list at Touro might not be such a sure thing), I found out all the MCAT seats are full. So it comes down to taking the August MCAT again and potentially not getting a better score, which means I wouldn't be complete until September, which is much later than I'd like, or applying now, with the same score. I applied much too late last year (like November) and I'm afraid to submit late at all this year. I am re-doing many of the aspects of my personal statement though and overall just trying to make it stronger and better reflect who I am.

 

[MN premed]

Well, I do know that taking the MCAT again is a wise decision but when I tried to sign up for a June or July test (after finding out the accepted wait list at Touro might not be such a sure thing), I found out all the MCAT seats are full. So it comes down to taking the August MCAT again and potentially not getting a better score, which means I wouldn't be complete until September, which is much later than I'd like, or applying now, with the same score. I applied much too late last year (like November) and I'm afraid to submit late at all this year. I am re-doing many of the aspects of my personal statement though and overall just trying to make it stronger and better reflect who I am.

Couldn't you submit now though and just put that you are planning to retake the MCAT in August? Were you complete in November before or did you submit your app then? Because I would think that them getting your score in September and then offering you an invite really wouldn't be all that late. And if you get a good MCAT score then they probably will offer you an interview fairly quickly! Last year I wasn't complete at Touro until late Sept and they sent me the interview invite the same day.

 

[melissaliss]

Couldn't you submit now though and just put that you are planning to retake the MCAT in August? Were you complete in November before or did you submit your app then? Because I would think that them getting your score in September and then offering you an invite really wouldn't be all that late. And if you get a good MCAT score then they probably will offer you an interview fairly quickly! Last year I wasn't complete at Touro until late Sept and they sent me the interview invite the same day.

Lol, I was complete at Touro in like February ... hence being on the accepted wait list. I was one of the last people to be interviewed. Most schools won't look at your application until everything, including newest test scores and secondaries are in. September is much later than July when there's no guarantee that I will get a good MCAT score.

 

[MN premed]

Lol, I was complete at Touro in like February ... hence being on the accepted wait list. I was one of the last people to be interviewed. Most schools won't look at your application until everything, including newest test scores and secondaries are in. September is much later than July when there's no guarantee that I will get a good MCAT score.

Yea I can see your point since there is no guarantee of a good score. If September is much later than July, then September is also much, much, much earlier than February. Just something to think about

 

[aza]

I'd also be happy to take a look

 

[startswithb]

I'd like to re-emphasize the importance of having someone else read your statement. I almost submitted something that was really mean and terrible. It was like a severe, determined reapplicant esssay instead of a flowery description of why I want to be a doctor. Much better now.

 

[just one]

I'd like to re-emphasize the importance of having someone else read your statement. I almost submitted something that was really mean and terrible. It was like a severe, determined reapplicant esssay instead of a flowery description of why I want to be a doctor. Much better now.

When I got waitlisted, I attended my schools reapplicant workshop. I came off the waitlist so I can't say I ever reused a PS, but at the workshop the administration was very adamant about not using the same PS. Even to say they kept your old file and if it was exactly the same, you would be denied. They also mentioned that how you learned or bettered yourself in the year off was crucial to the PS.