**List of PS readers for AACOMAS 2008**

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spicedmanna

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Hi, folks,

Yes, it's that time of year, again. In anticipation of the flood of requests and need for readers of personal statements for the AACOMAS, I created this thread. If you are interested in being a reviewer of personal statements for members on SDN, please reply to this thread and provide any conditions, if any. Thank you for your service. 👍


***2008 AACOMAS PERSONAL STATEMENT READERS***

1. grinchick5
2. zipmedic
3. Depakote -- Unavailable; no longer accepting new requests --
4. poormansDO
5. Kateb4
6. Jpc984
7. Orthodoc40
8. nascardoc
9. dr.kicia
10. Kappy1

Make sure to click on the reader name to see individual conditions for reviewing essays before contacting the reader. Thanks and good luck!

Disclaimer
 
I'll gladly review personal statements. I have quite a bit of writing & editing experience, and I 😍 to cut!!!

Conditions:
1) Statement must be a complete draft.
2) I need at least 24 hours to turn around a statement the first time I read it. I may well be quicker, but I make no guarantees.
 
I will also read.

MY conditions:
1. Ask me first, don't just send me your stuff. If I'm busy, I'm busy.
2. Must be a complete draft.
3. As with grinchick5, please give me 24 hours. If I need more, I'll say so.
 
EDIT: I am declaring myself temporarily unavailable to accept new PS for review. (possibly permanently unavailable as I prepare to move and start school). I will re-post if I am able to review again. I will still look at the statements of people I have already reviewed and help them continue to revise.



PM me for my e-mail address. (edit: Please don't just PM me your whole PS)

I am usually pretty good about turn-around but if there's already one in the queue it might take a little longer.

Same as above, if I'm busy, I'm busy.

I'll probably pull myself off the list once I get closer to moving for school (Mid-July).

EDIT: I'm also a pre-allo PS reader, so it might help if you specify AMCAS v. AACOMAS in your PM and e-mail.
 
You can count me in also and with these conditions being met:

1. Complete draft of PS.
2. Amount of time it takes depends on how busy I am.
3. I will not fix grammar
4. I will give my impression about the overall PS such as what should be added/deleted.
 
Sorry, must retire from reading....

All of my free time is taken up with the new baby and biochem!

Best of luck to everyone working on their applications!
 
Oh my God. I've been looking at these forums for a few years now, and I've seen my share of silly stuff, but this takes the cake. I just can't be quiet anymore.

Please, for anyone writing a personal statement out there, think twice before you send it to / listen, to anyone on this board. Especially this board. This is the pre-osteopathic forum. This is a board for people who are either applying, or have recently applied. What would make you think that any of them have any idea what makes a successful PS? Most of the people volunteering are class of '11, meaning they haven't even started yet. They're the same person you are, just a few months later.

I majored in history, wrote more papers than I care to remember, edited even more of them for other people, scored the highest possible letter on the MCAT writing section, and had PhD programs (in history) clammering for me in large part because I'm a gifted writer. On top of that I've been in medical school for a year, and worked in the admissions office of one of the country's most selective colleges, and guess what? I HAVE NO IDEA what these schools want to see you write. Unless one of the people volunteering here is the son or daughter of the dean of admissions at whatever school you're interested in, I doubt very much they'd be able to hazard any more educated a guess than I could. And the only guess I'd hazard would be to say this- AACOMAS wants a 4500 character statement. That's much less than a page. They don't care all that much about the PS. I'm almost certain they just want to be sure you're mostly fluent in English, and can actually string a couple of coherent thoughts together. So write something. Make sure it makes sense, have a friend who is an English major (or history, or whatver) check the grammar, and then relax. 4500 characters is hardly worth stressing about.

And that's all these volunteers who think they know better than you do, some of whom won't even check your grammar, are going to make you do- stress more at an already stressful time.
 
I can be a reader as well... with the same reservations as zipmedic.
 
Oh my God. I've been looking at these forums for a few years now, and I've seen my share of silly stuff, but this takes the cake. I just can't be quiet anymore.

Please, for anyone writing a personal statement out there, think twice before you send it to / listen, to anyone on this board. Especially this board. This is the pre-osteopathic forum. This is a board for people who are either applying, or have recently applied. What would make you think that any of them have any idea what makes a successful PS? Most of the people volunteering are class of '11, meaning they haven't even started yet. They're the same person you are, just a few months later.

I majored in history, wrote more papers than I care to remember, edited even more of them for other people, scored the highest possible letter on the MCAT writing section, and had PhD programs (in history) clammering for me in large part because I'm a gifted writer. On top of that I've been in medical school for a year, and worked in the admissions office of one of the country's most selective colleges, and guess what? I HAVE NO IDEA what these schools want to see you write. Unless one of the people volunteering here is the son or daughter of the dean of admissions at whatever school you're interested in, I doubt very much they'd be able to hazard any more educated a guess than I could. And the only guess I'd hazard would be to say this- AACOMAS wants a 4500 character statement. That's much less than a page. They don't care all that much about the PS. I'm almost certain they just want to be sure you're mostly fluent in English, and can actually string a couple of coherent thoughts together. So write something. Make sure it makes sense, have a friend who is an English major (or history, or whatver) check the grammar, and then relax. 4500 characters is hardly worth stressing about.

And that's all these volunteers who think they know better than you do, some of whom won't even check your grammar, are going to make you do- stress more at an already stressful time.

Funny, I was not aware that anyone here claimed to be an expert? I am sure people are aware of all the things you said here, no one has said they can give you an acceptance by reading or helping with your PS. Thanks for trying to be the savior of sdn though...

You could have shortened your entire statement down to one line: Do not let people tell you what to write.
 
You could have shortened your entire statement down to one line: Do not let people tell you what to write.

Well, they didn't say they were any good at helping you trim essays. :meanie:

Seriously, KMG365, lighten up. You talk about how no one knows what medical schools want to see in a PS. Let me answer you - they want to see what you want to write about. What you write tells as much about the applicant as how they write it. You begin by talking about how no one on SDN knows the 'right way' to write a PS, but then by the end of your post you're talking in absolutes. Relax. If you don't want to proofread and offer help, then don't.

Affectionately,
-z
 
Funny, I was not aware that anyone here claimed to be an expert?

I claim to be an expert.

I hear the voice of A.T. Still in my left ear... he tells me what to tell people to put in their statemtents. Together, my homeboy A.T. Still and I shall chisel the marble of your statement into a parthenon of osteopathic expression.
 
I'll read. My credentials are that I am old. Everyone knows old people like to read. 😆
 
Oh my God. I've been looking at these forums for a few years now, and I've seen my share of silly stuff, but this takes the cake. I just can't be quiet anymore.

Please, for anyone writing a personal statement out there, think twice before you send it to / listen, to anyone on this board. Especially this board. This is the pre-osteopathic forum. This is a board for people who are either applying, or have recently applied. What would make you think that any of them have any idea what makes a successful PS? Most of the people volunteering are class of '11, meaning they haven't even started yet. They're the same person you are, just a few months later.

I majored in history, wrote more papers than I care to remember, edited even more of them for other people, scored the highest possible letter on the MCAT writing section, and had PhD programs (in history) clammering for me in large part because I'm a gifted writer. On top of that I've been in medical school for a year, and worked in the admissions office of one of the country's most selective colleges, and guess what? I HAVE NO IDEA what these schools want to see you write. Unless one of the people volunteering here is the son or daughter of the dean of admissions at whatever school you're interested in, I doubt very much they'd be able to hazard any more educated a guess than I could. And the only guess I'd hazard would be to say this- AACOMAS wants a 4500 character statement. That's much less than a page. They don't care all that much about the PS. I'm almost certain they just want to be sure you're mostly fluent in English, and can actually string a couple of coherent thoughts together. So write something. Make sure it makes sense, have a friend who is an English major (or history, or whatver) check the grammar, and then relax. 4500 characters is hardly worth stressing about.

And that's all these volunteers who think they know better than you do, some of whom won't even check your grammar, are going to make you do- stress more at an already stressful time.

Couple of things:

1) As stated before, none of us are experts and we can't guarantee anything. We give our best opinions to the writers and they can take it for what its worth. I've read several PS's within the last few weeks and I know some of them took my advice and others may not have, but that is up to the writer.

2) Why are people like this always from "one of the country's most selective colleges" and feel like that have to brag about themselves? 🙄

3) I think anyone who has applied to med school knows that the PS is more than just 4500 characters in a fluent paragraph. The PS is an important pieve of the application and should be taken seriously by applicants. If not, why the hell include it in the first place? Why waste the adcom's time reading a PS when they could get the same information from the writing sample on the MCAT?



I am also willing to look at PS's, but with the same reservations as zipmedic.
 
i also am volunteering but keep in mind:
a) I am an ESL so if you want to make sure your spelling and gramar is right i am obviously not the right person....but if you want me to give you more of the "philosophical" kind of feed back, then go ahead and pm it to me.

b) I am rediculously buisy this summer so give me at least two days to get back to you...if i need more time i will let you know.
 
Couple of things:

1) As stated before, none of us are experts and we can't guarantee anything. We give our best opinions to the writers and they can take it for what its worth. I've read several PS's within the last few weeks and I know some of them took my advice and others may not have, but that is up to the writer.

2) Why are people like this always from "one of the country's most selective colleges" and feel like that have to brag about themselves? 🙄

3) I think anyone who has applied to med school knows that the PS is more than just 4500 characters in a fluent paragraph. The PS is an important pieve of the application and should be taken seriously by applicants. If not, why the hell include it in the first place? Why waste the adcom's time reading a PS when they could get the same information from the writing sample on the MCAT?



I am also willing to look at PS's, but with the same reservations as zipmedic.


"...people like this..." What does that even mean? One post and you think you know me?

I'm not bragging about anything. I was just trying to say that I've been in the admissions office of a place that gets many, many, many more applications than they have available spots. This isn't true everywhere. That's all I was trying to say. Maybe you should ask yourself why you see such an innocuous comment as someone bragging.

All I was trying to do in my post is offer some perspective. No one was clarifying how much they did or didn't know, and what their advice may or may not be worth. I was just trying to make that a little clearer.

And yes, it is my opinion that the PS isn't all that important. I think we want to believe that it's important. I think that many people want to believe that there's some qualitative thing that can be communicated in 4500 characters, that just doesn't come across in the numbers, that makes them a better applicant. But unless you're on the cusp, the feather's edge, the bubble of an acceptance, then it's probably just 4500 characters that no one really cares about. Just my semi-educated-but-by-no-means-for-sure opinion.
 
"...people like this..." What does that even mean? One post and you think you know me?

I'm not bragging about anything. I was just trying to say that I've been in the admissions office of a place that gets many, many, many more applications than they have available spots. This isn't true everywhere. That's all I was trying to say. Maybe you should ask yourself why you see such an innocuous comment as someone bragging.

All I was trying to do in my post is offer some perspective. No one was clarifying how much they did or didn't know, and what their advice may or may not be worth. I was just trying to make that a little clearer.

And yes, it is my opinion that the PS isn't all that important. I think we want to believe that it's important. I think that many people want to believe that there's some qualitative thing that can be communicated in 4500 characters, that just doesn't come across in the numbers, that makes them a better applicant. But unless you're on the cusp, the feather's edge, the bubble of an acceptance, then it's probably just 4500 characters that no one really cares about. Just my semi-educated-but-by-no-means-for-sure opinion.

geeez relax...this is a thread to help people...if you need your own thread for confidence boosting go to the lounge...don't trash this into a fight or the insecurity show.
We are really tired of people doing this and getting good threads locked.
 
...this is a thread to help people...

👍

Thread Disclaimer: Please note that the people who are offering their services here in this thread are not verified and are not claiming expertise. They are simply attempting to be of benefit to applicants who seek a peer opinion on their personal statement, something that members do annually. Take any feedback offered by reviewers with a grain of salt, and as always, it is not a substitute for professional advice. Keep in mind that SDN is only one source of information and feedback. It is advisable to take advantage of feedback from other sources as well, such as experienced, verified sources, like an experienced editor, a University writing center, or an English professor. Lastly, it is a good idea to get your grammar checked by a reliable source before submitting your personal statement.
 
Just my semi-educated-but-by-no-means-for-sure opinion.

You've got that right. The whole point of your original post was to diminish the value of SDN'ers volunteering to help others by reading their personal statement and offering their visceral reaction. What does that accomplish? None of us purport ourselves to know what any medical school wants (except Depakote 😀), and we all would like that extra assurance. Certainly, since you admit you're 'semi-educated-but-by-no-means-for-sure', you could be completely wrong about the value of a PS. Try to avoid purely negative comments, especially when you're not 'for-sure'. Thanks.
 
Hi, folks,

Yes, it's that time of year, again. In anticipation of the flood of requests and need for readers of personal statements for the AACOMAS, I created this thread. If you are interested in being a reviewer of personal statements for members on SDN, please reply to this thread and provide any conditions, if any. Thank you for your service. 👍


***2008 AACOMAS PERSONAL STATEMENT READERS***

1. grinchick5
2. zipmedic
3. Depakote
4. poormansDO
5. Kateb4
6. Jpc986
7. Orthodoc40
8. nascardoc
9. dr.kicia

Make sure to click on the reader name to see individual conditions for reviewing essays before contacting the reader. Thanks and good luck!

Disclaimer

jpc986 should be jpc984
 
I would be willing to read PS's as well. Only send it to me if you PM me first and I tell you to send it. I will try to get it back to you ASAP. (I have a life and will not be reading PS's all day. Please be patient and don't constantly PM to finish it. I will get back to you as fast as I can. If it takes longer than 24hrs I will try to update you as to where I am upto.) I will try to give suggestions on what you should improve or what I feel should be discussed.
 
I have free time and would be willing to read and critique your personal statement. I feel you can never have to many eyes looking it over. Just email me at

[email protected]
 
Bump

Not sure if anyone on the list is still able so if active people would like to start a new list under this post I'll move it to the top. Thanks!
 
Wow -- this person is such a sweetie! And I think he/she is incorrect.

A personal statement gives substance to an applicant... and lets the adcom have a detailed and personal (ie personal statement) look into your life.

I feel the statement is very important to an application, so please do not follow KMG's advice. (Although how impressive they felt the need to talk about all their accomplishments!)

My personal experience was that every school I interviewed at mentioned my statement, and many interview questions came from that topic. Frankly, I feel its why I got accepted, hands down

Furthermore-- I was an admissions counselor at a selective undergrad school for 2 years, and have read countless essays.. and have been "schooled" on what to look for, so I feel I could add thoughtful ideas to a PS.. because I DO have an idea what makes a good essay great.

That being said, I would love to read some essays... email me at [email protected]

Oh, and I too received a T on the mcat... not that that really matters (but moreso that I would have a vested interest in helping out applicants)

I'd need about 24 hour turnaround... and please not a first draft without some of your OWN editing prior 👍


Oh my God. I've been looking at these forums for a few years now, and I've seen my share of silly stuff, but this takes the cake. I just can't be quiet anymore.

Please, for anyone writing a personal statement out there, think twice before you send it to / listen, to anyone on this board. Especially this board. This is the pre-osteopathic forum. This is a board for people who are either applying, or have recently applied. What would make you think that any of them have any idea what makes a successful PS? Most of the people volunteering are class of '11, meaning they haven't even started yet. They're the same person you are, just a few months later.

I majored in history, wrote more papers than I care to remember, edited even more of them for other people, scored the highest possible letter on the MCAT writing section, and had PhD programs (in history) clammering for me in large part because I'm a gifted writer. On top of that I've been in medical school for a year, and worked in the admissions office of one of the country's most selective colleges, and guess what? I HAVE NO IDEA what these schools want to see you write. Unless one of the people volunteering here is the son or daughter of the dean of admissions at whatever school you're interested in, I doubt very much they'd be able to hazard any more educated a guess than I could. And the only guess I'd hazard would be to say this- AACOMAS wants a 4500 character statement. That's much less than a page. They don't care all that much about the PS. I'm almost certain they just want to be sure you're mostly fluent in English, and can actually string a couple of coherent thoughts together. So write something. Make sure it makes sense, have a friend who is an English major (or history, or whatver) check the grammar, and then relax. 4500 characters is hardly worth stressing about.

And that's all these volunteers who think they know better than you do, some of whom won't even check your grammar, are going to make you do- stress more at an already stressful time.
 
Please use this format to add your name to the list:

1. DO dreamin - email to [email protected]
2. Shaniqua14 - email to [email protected]

Make sure to click on the reader name to see individual conditions for reviewing essays before contacting the reader. Please click reply to post and remove the [ quote ] or just copy the list and paste it into a new post.
 
I would be willing to look at PS. I have volunteered at the writing center at my university, and I am very good at flow, wording, and grammar, but not as strong at critiquing style.

PM me as well, so I know to check 🙂.


Also, I will be brutally honest, please don't PM me if you don't want honest feedback.
 
I guess the thing to keep in mind is that schools do not look at the PS until after you have already received an interview i.e. the personal statement does not get you the interview and often times does not get you the acceptance (your interview does that). Really, the personal statement is a means by which your interviewer, and those on the admissions committee that do not interview you, can get a clearer understanding of your unique background and find out what interests you; it basically opens up another avenue of communication. The PS will not weigh very heavily (if at all....unless it is just a real piece of crap) in the actual decision of whether or not to accept you so just sit-back and relax and really try to give those people you will never meet a clear idea of who you are.

:luck::luck:


PlAnEjaNe
 
Wow -- this person is such a sweetie! And I think he/she is incorrect.

A personal statement gives substance to an applicant... and lets the adcom have a detailed and personal (ie personal statement) look into your life.

I feel the statement is very important to an application, so please do not follow KMG's advice. (Although how impressive they felt the need to talk about all their accomplishments!)

My personal experience was that every school I interviewed at mentioned my statement, and many interview questions came from that topic. Frankly, I feel its why I got accepted, hands down

Furthermore-- I was an admissions counselor at a selective undergrad school for 2 years, and have read countless essays.. and have been "schooled" on what to look for, so I feel I could add thoughtful ideas to a PS.. because I DO have an idea what makes a good essay great.

That being said, I would love to read some essays... email me at [email protected]

Oh, and I too received a T on the mcat... not that that really matters (but moreso that I would have a vested interest in helping out applicants)

I'd need about 24 hour turnaround... and please not a first draft without some of your OWN editing prior 👍

Yeah, reading KMG's statement and having him work in a "selective" undergrad institution, how do you not have an idea of what they want to hear? I worked for 2 years at an IVY in undergrad admissions and my old boss ended up moving on to the med school as I left for my post bacc ironically. And while subjectively, no one knows what is exactly expected, it's pretty obvious how an well written, honest and earnest PS can land you into a school. It's one of the better ways for a school to know who you are. If your school was so selective, you probably would have been trained in doing so yourself.
 
I guess the thing to keep in mind is that schools do not look at the PS until after you have already received an interview i.e. the personal statement does not get you the interview and often times does not get you the acceptance (your interview does that). Really, the personal statement is a means by which your interviewer, and those on the admissions committee that do not interview you, can get a clearer understanding of your unique background and find out what interests you; it basically opens up another avenue of communication. The PS will not weigh very heavily (if at all....unless it is just a real piece of crap) in the actual decision of whether or not to accept you so just sit-back and relax and really try to give those people you will never meet a clear idea of who you are.

:luck::luck:


PlAnEjaNe

I'm curious how you know this? So you're basically telling me the adcom only looks at the numbers before inviting you for an interview? What's the point of an admission's consuler then? Anyone can look at grades and send it off to an interviewer. In my experience, in undergrad admissions, the admissions counsoler reviews the entire application and sends it off for several reads before a committee meeting and acceptance. I'm sure some reads are left out, but I don't think it's much different.
 
Add me to the list, as I said above 🙂
 
I'm curious how you know this? So you're basically telling me the adcom only looks at the numbers before inviting you for an interview? What's the point of an admission's consuler then? Anyone can look at grades and send it off to an interviewer. In my experience, in undergrad admissions, the admissions counsoler reviews the entire application and sends it off for several reads before a committee meeting and acceptance. I'm sure some reads are left out, but I don't think it's much different.


Yes, essentially it's the numbers that gets you the interview. I have talked with several people on admissions committees and they basically told me that the only way they can filter through the applicants to decide who gets the interview is through numbers (and URM/disadvantage status). A lot of schools have a computer system that filters the applicants as they get them so that those that do not even meet whatever they set the minimum to (a different number than the minimums posted on their webpages...the minimums are usually a 3.0 and a 22/23) are screened out and their applications are never even looked at by the committee. The difference comes at the interview stage, this is where they scrutinize every aspect of your application, read your letters of rec, essays, and all your activities. If you are a well-rounded applicant, have a good interview, and have solid numbers then you are accepted. Of course, all schools are different and have their own way of screening out applicants, but the PS is definitely not one of those 'on the fence' factors that will make or break you. You know, it is much harder to get the interview than it is to get the actual acceptance.


PlAnEjaNe
 
Yes, essentially it's the numbers that gets you the interview. I have talked with several people on admissions committees and they basically told me that the only way they can filter through the applicants to decide who gets the interview is through numbers (and URM/disadvantage status). A lot of schools have a computer system that filters the applicants as they get them so that those that do not even meet whatever they set the minimum to (a different number than the minimums posted on their webpages...the minimums are usually a 3.0 and a 22/23) are screened out and their applications are never even looked at by the committee. The difference comes at the interview stage, this is where they scrutinize every aspect of your application, read your letters of rec, essays, and all your activities. If you are a well-rounded applicant, have a good interview, and have solid numbers then you are accepted. Of course, all schools are different and have their own way of screening out applicants, but the PS is definitely not one of those 'on the fence' factors that will make or break you. You know, it is much harder to get the interview than it is to get the actual acceptance.


PlAnEjaNe

is it just me or does that sound like a defeat of the osteopathic philosophy? Interesting about the computer system thing as I haven't filled out one secondary online. Just AACOMAS, which I always assumed they printed out and kept in a folder like in undergrad.
 
is it just me or does that sound like a defeat of the osteopathic philosophy?


It's really difficult to look at, and evaluate, 6000 personal statements in the time they have. They have to have a way of making it more manageable.
 
is it just me or does that sound like a defeat of the osteopathic philosophy? Interesting about the computer system thing as I haven't filled out one secondary online. Just AACOMAS, which I always assumed they printed out and kept in a folder like in undergrad.

Not necessarily, their cut-offs are lower, which is in line with the philosophy. I don't think above a 3.0 cum AND a 22 on the MCAT are unreasonable or outlandish expectations. The MD schools will set the cut-off around 3.2 and 32. Again, not unreasonable for an MD school. You don't have to have both, but you can't have neither i.e. you need either above a 3.0 OR above a 22 to make it past the screening. I think they do it manually if it's not online. Also, like I mentioned before, every school is different and what I am saying is from the schools that I have spoken with. I do think it is safe to say that the PS will not get you an interview and it will not get you an acceptance and it is not weighed as heavily as other things such as EC's and such. I just don't want people thinking that the PS is the end-all be-all of the application and if yours has a couple of grammatical errors (not rampant throughout the PS) or isn't the most amazing piece of writing you have ever created don't stress about it because there are so many other things that will be considered even before it is read by admissions.


PlAnEjaNe
 
I don't know a single school that sets its cutoff at 32, considering the average matriculant has around a 31 🙂.
 
I don't know a single school that sets its cutoff at 32, considering the average matriculant has around a 31 🙂.

I do, it's the UC's in California, the director of admissions told me him/herself. Like I said though, you don't have to have both, just one or the other. Therefore, if you have a 3.6 and 31, you will still make it past the screening. Make sense? Like I said before, all schools are different and I was only speaking about the ones in which I know about. 🙂


PlAnEjaNe
 
I would be willing to read/edit your PS. My own PS got a lot of good feedback from my interviewers. I am a nontrad with an R on the MCAT WS, journalism degree, and several years' experience editing papers. I can help with spelling, grammar, flow and content.

Please also PM me if you email me since this is not my primary email: [email protected]
 
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