Looking for some input on PS content ideas!

[M.MD]

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Thanks for reading! I'm starting to draft my PS for this upcoming cycle and I'm curious to see what you guys think about some ideas I had. Regarding the introduction, I wanted to start with an interesting anecdote to grab the reader's attention before I transition into my main talking points. After thinking about it for quite a while, I've narrowed it down to 2 choices. Help me decide which might be better!

Experience 1: I feel like I can write more passionately and genuinely about this topic, but the problem is it has absolutely nothing to do with medicine (it's a hobby of mine). It would be difficult to transition well into talking about why I want to be a doctor in the body of the PS, but I'm confident I can make it work.

Experience 2: Writing passionately about this experience will be more difficult, but not impossible. However, it is medically relevant, so it fits more in line with what I imagine a "traditional" PS should sound like. It will also be easier to transition into talking about my motivation for becoming a doctor.

Thoughts? Is there even a right or wrong answer in this case? Thanks again!

 

[hmockingbird]

It's hard to say without knowing what the hobby is, but I would venture to say that if it has nothing to do with medicine or why you want to be in medicine, it's not relevant to your PS (topic=why medicine)... so I would go with #2.

 

[M.MD]

It's hard to say without knowing what the hobby is, but I would venture to say that if it has nothing to do with medicine or why you want to be in medicine, it's not relevant to your PS (topic=why medicine)... so I would go with #2.

That's what my gut is telling me. I think it would be riskier to write about experience #1, even though I feel it would be much easier to write about. I may just have to look deep down to come up with some better ways to describe experience #2 so it's more interesting and attention-grabbing. Thanks for your input.

 

[hmockingbird]

That's what my gut is telling me. I think it would be riskier to write about experience #1, even though I feel it would be much easier to write about. I may just have to look deep down to come up with some better ways to describe experience #2 so it's more interesting and attention-grabbing. Thanks for your input.

You could always include the hobby as an EC if you have room on your AMCAS. Most of what I talked about in my interviews was the more unique stuff on my app... I included writing/literary journal publication and that came up a lot.

For part of my statement, I thought I had better anecdotes, but they were from high school so I went with the ones from college. As long as the experience is relevant and you can write/speak (in interviews) about it convincingly, I don't think it necessarily has to be this big game-changer moment in your life or anything, sometimes you just have to pick what works.

 

[popopopop]

Get a book on personal statements. I think mine is from Princeton. I read several in there that related experiences of their hobbies to medicine. In fact, the best one I read so far related the intricacies of Indian (from India) dancing to practicing medicine. It was really well written, so it can be done!

 

[Pacna]

I'll give you the same advice I have given others in the past (and which helped me a lot): Think of your PS like a novel with yourself as the protagonist. Have a build up, challenge, overcome the challenge, and wrap up. It'll flow well, and you already know the components; it's your life after all.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

If you can't express at this point why you want to be a doctor, you should be concerned. Personal statement shouldn't be something to over think.

 

[Chillywilly]

I'd go with Experience #2. Think about it: Some ( if not most ) of the medical schools you will apply to will have secondaries without an essay component. Therefore, those secondaries that are just "fill-ins," really don't give you a chance to explain yourself further. In this sense, your PS is your one and only chance at explaining why you are ready for medical school, and why you want to be a doctor. You will have schools that will have essays on their secondaries.... most of them let you talk about yourself (such as hobbies or explaining red flags). But for those schools that only have "fill-in" secondaries with no essays, your PS is your last chance at explaining yourself before the interview. You have so much time to write your essay...you have a solid two months to get the juices flowing. Good luck!

 

[Chillywilly]

And btw, if you're out of school like I was when I applied...go to a library and ask a librarian to help edit your essay. I asked a librarian and he gave me really good advice! If you're still in school, ask your English professor or pre-health advisor for tips.

 

[Pacna]

If you can't express at this point why you want to be a doctor, you should be concerned. Personal statement shouldn't be something to over think.

I don't agree with this. It's hard for some people to express themselves. It took me many attempts to construct a coherent PS, and I used the help of an editing service.

Some of us aren't great writers.

 

[boomshaketheroom]

If you can't express at this point why you want to be a doctor, you should be concerned. Personal statement shouldn't be something to over think.

I believe i read in a book called "gut feelings" that when someone has to give specific reasons and examples for a preference, they often experience a weakening of that preference.

 

[M.MD]

A lot of great feedback here, thank you! I think I'll make #2 work. I don't want a hobby that isn't relevant to medicine, no matter how important it is to me, to be the focus of a "why medicine" PS. I will just make sure to include it on my AMCAS.

I'll give you the same advice I have given others in the past (and which helped me a lot): Think of your PS like a novel with yourself as the protagonist. Have a build up, challenge, overcome the challenge, and wrap up. It'll flow well, and you already know the components; it's your life after all.

I'm sure I've seen you post this before, and I've actually taken this advice to heart! I'm definitely trying to construct a narrative of my experiences.

If you can't express at this point why you want to be a doctor, you should be concerned. Personal statement shouldn't be something to over think.

You must have misunderstood my post. I'm not having difficulties expressing my desire to become a doctor. In fact, it's just the opposite. I have a lot of good reasons and I can articulate them well, I am just trying to find the right narrative to tie all those reasons together.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I don't agree with this. It's hard for some people to express themselves. It took me many attempts to construct a coherent PS, and I used the help of an editing service.

Some of us aren't great writers.

What I'm trying to say is that you should know what you want to write. If you have difficulty writing eloquently, that may just be about revisions. Maybe I go about my essays differently, but I usually just jot down what I want to say about an activity in a paragraph or a few sentences. Then about the next. At the end I worry about connecting them in a smooth way.

 

[Pacna]

What I'm trying to say is that you should know what you want to write. If you have difficulty writing eloquently, that may just be about revisions. Maybe I go about my essays differently, but I usually just jot down what I want to say about an activity in a paragraph or a few sentences. Then about the next. At the end I worry about connecting them in a smooth way.

I'm saying that some of us don't know what we want to write. I have many compelling reasons why I want to become a physician. I can't write about them all. How do I choose? Apparently I should just know? It took a lot of thought to both explain myself well and communicate what I had to determine was most important.

The OP isn't saying they don't know what they want to talk about. They are saying that they have two possible directions to go and wants some guidance as to which would be more compelling. I think you're fortunate to have the self-awareness and writing skills to not need that. Many of us do need help, and I don't think this is cause for "concern."

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I'm saying that some of us don't know what we want to write. I have many compelling reasons why I want to become a physician. I can't write about them all. How do I choose? Apparently I should just know? It took a lot of thought to both explain myself well and communicate what I had to determine was most important.

The OP isn't saying they don't know what they want to talk about. They are saying that they have two possible directions to go and wants some guidance as to which would be more compelling. I think you're fortunate to have the self-awareness and writing skills to not need that. Many of us do need help, and I don't think this is cause for "concern."

Write down all your reasons. If you have stories that go along with it (e.g. you have always wanted to work with kids, so you volunteered at a children's hospital), you should focus on those. There's nothing wrong with having too much at the beginning. I think a lot of writers don't realize how messy writing can and should be. The final structure is a product of the foundation -- not the other way around.