it is lame to mention mundane experiences in personal statement?

[batista_123]

I have gained admiration for doctors and appreciation for medicine through regular doctor visits. one time i had a finger infection, red, hot throbbing finger. doctor made an incision, removed pus, sent me home with antibiotics.
For me, this was an amazing experience, my finger was hurting so bad, but after going to the doctor, its a normal finger again.

or this other time i had an ear infection and took antibiotics and the infection was gone.

i dont have any experiences that would make the reader cry, just mundane, regular experiences that everyone has had, like infections, falling and cutting yourself and getting stitches, things like that.

is it lame to include these in the personal statement?

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[JJMrK]

I think those things are OK to include, but I don't think an adcom would be convinced that those things made you pick medicine. You should also probably include your clinical volunteering/work experience, or anything else that answers the question "Why medicine?"

 

[red10]

I think those things are OK to include, but I don't think an adcom would be convinced that those things made you pick medicine. You should also probably include your clinical volunteering/work experience, or anything else that answers the question "Why medicine?"

agreed. hundreds of thousands of people have taken antibiotics and felt better but they don't go into medicine. better detail what you did to confirm your interest. otherwise it's like they said in caddy shack "i've always dreamed of becoming a golf club..."

 

[dd128]

People mistakenly think that their desire to go to med school has to have some miraculous, amazing, and otherwordly trigger. Truth of the matter is a great deal of people applying to med school do not have this. You put what makes you want to become a doctor, sometimes it's just the sum of a lot of small experiences. Your only other options would be to put nothing or make something I suppose

 

[Narmerguy]

People mistakenly think that their desire to go to med school has to have some miraculous, amazing, and otherwordly trigger. Truth of the matter is a great deal of people applying to med school do not have this. You put what makes you want to become a doctor, sometimes it's just the sum of a lot of small experiences. Your only other options would be to put nothing or make something I suppose

+1. People also feel inclined to point to one instant when they realized "and that's when I knew" etc. It doesn't have to be a Eureka moment either. But then again, people want to make theirs stand out so it's hard to tell someone not to try.

 

[LizzyM]

I once had an applicant who was grateful to a physician for curing his constipation (which was caused by drugs prescribed by a physician but I digress). Compared with that, a pus filled finger seems like polite dinner conversation.

You aren't applying to be a patient. I hope you aren't doing this to be a hero or to get the accolades of grateful patients.

Talent, empathy and a desire to get the training that will put your talent and empathetic nature to the service of others should be, IMHO, what you should be going with there.

 

[girlofgrace7]

I once had an applicant who was grateful to a physician for curing his constipation (which was caused by drugs prescribed by a physician but I digress). Compared with that, a pus filled finger seems like polite dinner conversation.

You aren't applying to be a patient. I hope you aren't doing this to be a hero or to get the accolades of grateful patients.

Talent, empathy and a desire to get the training that will but your talent and empathetic nature to the service of others should be, IMHO, what you should be going with there.

Oh, dear, what the admissions committee have to sift through...
I agree completely with LizzyM's take on things.
I am completely against people including "Eureka" moments in their personal statement because, in reality, who decides to become a doctor after one specific experience (e.g. "That's when I knew...")? Chances are that the person would not know what he is truly getting himself into.
On the other hand, I would have trouble reading a personal statement about a minor medical problem with a straight face (I have trouble believing anyone would seriously pay to submit an application with a personal statement about constipation or an ear infection). Stories in which the writer is the patient rarely come across well (though there are certainly exceptions). Write about a volunteering or shadowing experience or something else common place (I've heard wonderful examples of people using their love for gardening) to show why you would make a wonderful doctor and are committed to becoming one. Don't try to fabricate a life-altering experience or turn something minor into a defining event.

 

[naijaboi]

I have nothing to add. LizzyM and girlofgrace7 are both on point. A patient does not a doctor make.