No Personal Statement in Primary

[rahulkghosh]

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Um... Does this hurt? I really didn't realize people used the Personal Comments section to write giant essays... I thought that was for secondaries.

 

[howdy2u]

😱

 

[jochi1543]

You didn't write a personal statement?😱

 

[nick_carraway]

Dude I can't blame the OP. Unless you read between the lines, it's hard to interpret a full blown essay from the vague instructions. I remember that when I read the instructions, I couldn't help but laugh because I figured some people wouldn't notice at first glance.

 

[WurangBlang]

...I don't know what to say to that. Your PS is very very important.

 

[ZagDoc]

Your school didn't offer an advice towards this? We were first harped on about the importance of our personal statements sophomore year.

 

[Adradr]

Is this for real?

OP, weren't you posting a few months ago about how you were freaking out about your 36 MCAT as too low? Kind of hurt my feelings, pal ...

Oh, here's another gem from OP: "I got a 3.65 with a 36 MCAT. =(. Damn, I really want to go to USC. But their median GPA is a 3.67!"

I'm tentatively calling troll. If that's not the case, I wish you the best of luck in this cycle, Rahul, and encourage you to calm down a little...

 

[theNEWgirl]

Are you a bio major by any chance? There's absolutely no way the school have not talked to you about this before if you're bio. My class was nagged so many times by so many ppl about med application and essay.

i don't want to mislead you but you are at a huge disadvantage for not having one

 

[greg1184]

Another vote for: 😱

 

[mints of b]

Another vote for: 😱

 

[howdy2u]

I'll call it...

 

[jochi1543]

Is this for real?

OP, weren't you posting a few months ago about how you were freaking out about your 36 MCAT as too low? Kind of hurt my feelings, pal ...

Oh, here's another gem from OP: "I got a 3.65 with a 36 MCAT. =(. Damn, I really want to go to USC. But their median GPA is a 3.67!"

I'm tentatively calling troll. If that's not the case, I wish you the best of luck in this cycle, Rahul, and encourage you to calm down a little...

Yeah, after reviewing the post history, I'm with you on that one.

 

[rahulkghosh]

Well, I'm working on University of Chicago and Case. The essays are like personal statements I guess, right? So that can make up for it. But for the Pitt and Emory applications and oh yea DMS, I don't think their is anything equivalent. Is there anyway I can have an addendum of some sort?

 

[HoboCommander]

i don't think you have to write personal statements for med school apps. they just want you to write about why you want to go to med school.

 

[rahulkghosh]

i don't think you have to write personal statements for med school apps. they just want you to write about why you want to go to med school.

Well, I'd say that's good for Case and Chicago then. But yea. Ugh. I hope that lack of personal statement won't hurt me. Like, I had a lot to talk about. I'm 16. =). I really didn't realize that we were supposed to have our PS in the Primary until I saw Pitt and Emory secondaries. I was like... where the hell is the space for the personal statement?

 

[se2131]

My question is how you can be 16 and applying to med schools through AMCAS...

If you're in high school and applying to BS/MD programs, shouldn't you be going through their individualized applications (which are not through AMCAS)? And most of those schools don't even have a BS/MD program.

 

[howdy2u]

Well, I'd say that's good for Case and Chicago then. But yea. Ugh. I hope that lack of personal statement won't hurt me. Like, I had a lot to talk about. I'm 16. =). I really didn't realize that we were supposed to have our PS in the Primary until I saw Pitt and Emory secondaries. I was like... where the hell is the space for the personal statement?

I'm gonna have to go w/ a double

 

[rahulkghosh]

My question is how you can be 16 and applying to med schools through AMCAS...

If you're in high school and applying to BS/MD programs, shouldn't you be going through their individualized applications (which are not through AMCAS)? And most of those schools don't even have a BS/MD program.

Oh, I'm in my 4th year at UCLA.

 

[mints of b]

Well Rahul, you're more than likely going to have to put off medical school till 17. There are a lot of things medical schools will let slide, but two things they find particularly important are: 1) personal statements, and 2) pubic hair.

 

[rahulkghosh]

Well Rahul, you're more than likely going to have to put off medical school till 17. There are a lot of things medical schools will let slide, but two things they find particularly important are: 1) personal statements, and 2) pubic hair.

Well, the #1 I can easily make up with essays for at least some of the secondaries. The #2... I know numerous people who've been able to get into med school at 19 or younger.

 

[howdy2u]

Well Rahul, you're more than likely going to have to put off medical school till 17. There are a lot of things medical schools will let slide, but two things they find particularly important are: 1) personal statements, and 2) pubic hair.

Either I've been on SDN for too long or this is just f^ing hilarious

 

[167649]

Well Rahul, you're more than likely going to have to put off medical school till 17. There are a lot of things medical schools will let slide, but two things they find particularly important are: 1) personal statements, and 2) pubic hair.

Yes. OP, if you are for real about not including the personal statement, I hate to say it but then you are basically screwed regardless of what you put in your secondary essays. The PS is one of the most important parts of your application and cannot be made up with anything else. It's like "forgetting" to include your gpa on the amcas. Screwed.

 

[rahulkghosh]

Yes. OP, if you are for real about not including the personal statement, I hate to say it but then you are basically screwed regardless of what you put in your secondary essays. The PS is one of the most important parts of your application and cannot be made up with anything else. It's like "forgetting" to include your gpa on the amcas. Screwed.

...

Can I make an addendum or something somehow?

 

[sportstownusa]

Well Rahul, you're more than likely going to have to put off medical school till 17. There are a lot of things medical schools will let slide, but two things they find particularly important are: 1) personal statements, and 2) pubic hair.

does the grooming of the pubes matter as much as my facial hair? should i go clean or go for the scruffy look? going clean might mean weeks of itching after the interviews.

 

[mints of b]

...

Can I make an addendum or something somehow?

I'm nearly certain that once you submit your primary, you're locked in. It gets a little more subtle than that though. The fact that you didn't know enough about the application to write a personal statement is going to speak volumes to admissions committees about your preparation for a career in medicine. Your application is going to look hasty and uninformed at best. Dude, the PS is fundamental.

 

[mints of b]

does the grooming of the pubes matter as much as my facial hair? should i go clean or go for the scruffy look? going clean might mean weeks of itching after the interviews.

In my experience, there's a 73% chance that your facial hair looks like pubes. You may be one of the few than can sport it, but I'd say you're better safe than sorry.

 

[spicedmanna]

Um... Does this hurt? I really didn't realize people used the Personal Comments section to write giant essays... I thought that was for secondaries.

D'oh! 😱

Yeah, it's probably going to impact your application. As was mentioned previously, the omission is likely to be glaring.

Pray for the best.

 

[rahulkghosh]

D'oh! 😱

Yeah, it's probably going to impact your application. As was mentioned previously, the omission is likely to be glaring.

Pray for the best.

I'm just thinking though now. Should I even bother following up on secondaries for USC, UCLA and stuff?... or should I just scrap it and wait until next year?

 

[167649]

...

Can I make an addendum or something somehow?

Im still not sure if I can believe anyone would just forget to write a ps, or not know that they needed one, regardless of their age. But assuming you are being honest:

Unfortunately you cannot change the amcas once it is submitted.
If you do not have a ps on the amcas, the adcoms will have no idea why you are choosing medicine, and will wonder (especially if your not BSing about being 16) if you have really thought about why you want to be a doctor and if you have the life experiences to support your decision to pursue medical school. And since you blatently left out such a glaring, extremely important part of the application they will question your maturity, responsibility and readiness at age 16 to enter medical school given the fact that you made such a huge, irreversable mistake on the amcas.

 

[muruKun]

Oh, I'm in my 4th year at UCLA.

do you take bigblue bus 1 back home?
i think i know who you are..

 

[rahulkghosh]

Im still not sure if I can believe anyone would just forget to write a ps, or not know that they needed one, regardless of their age. But assuming you are being honest:

Unfortunately you cannot change the amcas once it is submitted.
If you do not have a ps on the amcas, the adcoms will have no idea why you are choosing medicine, and will wonder (especially if your not BSing about being 16) if you have really thought about why you want to be a doctor and if you have the life experiences to support your decision to pursue medical school. And since you blatently left out such a glaring, extremely important part of the application they will question your maturity, responsibility and readiness at age 16 to enter medical school given the fact that you made such a huge, irreversable mistake on the amcas.

Oh come on, don't 99% of the people write what the adcoms "want" to read about you "wanting" to pursue medicine.

 

[MarySue99]

Oh come on, don't 99% of the people write what the adcoms "want" to read about you "wanting" to pursue medicine.

I think that you are severely underestimating the amount of time and energy that should go into the PS. You do not simply say you want to be a doctor; you discuss your life, your experiences and where they have led you, hopefully in a coherent, logical and convincing manner. The adcoms use it to get a sense of who you are. If everyone simply wrote what adcoms "want" to read, it wouldn't be a big deal, but the idea is to show them your personality- which is why it's a personal statement.

 

[se2131]

Oh come on, don't 99% of the people write what the adcoms "want" to read about you "wanting" to pursue medicine.

Whatever it is, the secondaries for UChicago and Case are not substitutes for the personal statement. If that were the case, why would they even have an essay on the secondary.

As everyone as already said, the PS is a very important part of the application, and you already have a gigantic red flag w/ being 16 years old. Med schools in general accept students that are so young only if they have shown great maturity. And frankly, leaving out the personal statement AND your activities section on the AMCAS (referring to your other thread) is not a good start. AND you're starting to get late in the process as it is, assuming you just turned in the AMCAS. AND your undergrad has a lot of pre-meds, so you can't really claim that the pre-med resources weren't there to inform you of this stuff.

But honestly, why are you going to an internet forum for answers. Call the schools and get the answers from them as to whether you can do anything to fix the situation!

 

[silverlining1]

Whatever it is, the secondaries for UChicago and Case are not substitutes for the personal statement. If that were the case, why would they even have an essay on the secondary.

As everyone as already said, the PS is a very important part of the application, and you already have a gigantic red flag w/ being 16 years old. Med schools in general accept students that are so young only if they have shown great maturity. And frankly, leaving out the personal statement AND your activities section on the AMCAS (referring to your other thread) is not a good start. AND you're starting to get late in the process as it is, assuming you just turned in the AMCAS. AND your undergrad has a lot of pre-meds, so you can't really claim that the pre-med resources weren't there to inform you of this stuff.

But honestly, why are you going to an internet forum for answers. Call the schools and get the answers from them as to whether you can do anything to fix the situation!

👍 to everything said in this post.

 

[MystA RavE]

Do they even have a birth year on the dropdown menu for these ages?

 

[Picklesali]

Do they even have a birth year on the dropdown menu for these ages?

It's possible for someone to matriculate into college as early as age 11 through one of these programs
http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/eep/index.php?page=Description_Packet

Although, I still find it hard to believe that this person could have planned to apply to medical school but had absolutely no idea about the personal statement...

Also, looking though the backposts, the OP once planned to retake the MCAT in January to improve on his...36. Did you change your mind, since you submitted your AMCAS this year? If not, I hope you know that you will be pressed to find a school that would look at a January MCAT for this application cycle.

 

[Jacks Mannequin]

I thought they don't even let you submit it without writing something in the PS section. I say BS as well.

 

[FutureeMD]

In Light of Post History evaluation, this committee (just me) will consider this issue .

Seriously tho, How can you skip the personal statement part? I find it hard to believe that can happen. Lastly, seeing from your post history that you have a 3.65/36 (given that's the truth), I am sure you're smart enough to ask questions about things y0u don't understand.

 

[rahulkghosh]

In Light of Post History evaluation, this committee (just me) will consider this issue .

Seriously tho, How can you skip the personal statement part? I find it hard to believe that can happen. Lastly, seeing from your post history that you have a 3.65/36 (given that's the truth), I am sure you're smart enough to ask questions about things y0u don't understand.

Okay, I'll send hte med schools updates today via email and see how they respond. I'll put something in the area... "I submitted my personal statement on the AMCAS, however, I just checked and it doesn't appear, maybe some sort of glitch happened during the processing of it. As a precaution, I'm attaching it."

Do you guys think that will float their boat? Especially considering how unexpected it is that someone DOESN'T submit a personal statement?

 

[blurry]

I thought they don't even let you submit it without writing something in the PS section. I say BS as well.

I thought that this was the case too. I remember the PS being the last thing I filled out on AMCAS and the menu wouldn't let me leave without putting at least some text in the box; I just put a period in it, allowing me to come back to it later.

I'm going to have to join the mob on this one.

 

[mfpullen]

Okay, I'll send hte med schools updates today via email and see how they respond. I'll put something in the area... "I submitted my personal statement on the AMCAS, however, I just checked and it doesn't appear, maybe some sort of glitch happened during the processing of it. As a precaution, I'm attaching it."

Do you guys think that will float their boat? Especially considering how unexpected it is that someone DOESN'T submit a personal statement?

Yeah, lying is always your best bet in a situation like this....😴😴😴

 

[Cataract]

Let's assume your entire 3.65/36 business is an honest inquiry. So you weren't aware of the importance of a personal statement? You're attempting to lie about it to get into med school? You're stubbornly refusing to gain more experience after just 16 years of age before applying?

Listen jack, in all honesty, that's immaturity at its finest. Grow up.

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

...I don't know what to say to that. Your PS is very very important.

Not according to Robert Ruiz, Director of Admissions at U of M. He said 90% of the personal statements they get don't matter and that this is by far the most overrated portion of the application, however, I don't know what not having one would do.

 

[lacesoutdan]

do you take bigblue bus 1 back home?
i think i know who you are..

Akuma! Awesome avatar.

 

[LikeClockWork]

I feel like this situation is just crazy enough to be true. The OP sounds exactly like the guy I'd expect him to be: always the smartest, can get away with just about anything, and expects to be able to just tell the schools whatever he feels like to get them to fix his mistake. Sorry, but I don't think the schools will believe much of what you say or bend over backwards to give you a shot at something you're pretty obviously not prepared for. Go get a MS or a PhD and when you get out, you'll probably still be younger than most applicants, but with mounds more maturity.

 

[2008orbust]

Oh come on, don't 99% of the people write what the adcoms "want" to read about you "wanting" to pursue medicine.

NO. That is a deathwish. If it's not true, you won't be able to sell it. You'll come accross as phony and creepy at your interview if your PS is BS and you try to talk about it.

PS I applied to only one school and they are known for Family practice. I was advised to write a PS stating that I wanted Family Med even though I absolutely do not. I decided to write a truthful PS about my passion for surgery against everyones' suggestions. It seems to have worked in my favor to be honest.

 

[MD not MRS]

Are you a bio major by any chance? There's absolutely no way the school have not talked to you about this before if you're bio. My class was nagged so many times by so many ppl about med application and essay.

i don't want to mislead you but you are at a huge disadvantage for not having one

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you here. I'm a bio major, and no one at my school ever said a word about personal statement - or really much of anything to do with the med school app. process. our pre-med advising is practically non-existant, so we all have to scrounge up info by talking to people who've done it before - in my case, my brother in law. So.. it is actually possible to be in this situation (regardless of whether that's the case here.. I'm reserving judgment).

 

[rahulkghosh]

Let's assume your entire 3.65/36 business is an honest inquiry. So you weren't aware of the importance of a personal statement? You're attempting to lie about it to get into med school? You're stubbornly refusing to gain more experience after just 16 years of age before applying?

Listen jack, in all honesty, that's immaturity at its finest. Grow up.

I was well aware that I was supposed to type up a personal statement and that it would be important, I had to also for my admission to Berkeley, UCLA and USC. However, I didn't seem to recognize that the "Personal comments" section was reserved for this purpose. When I noticed that there was no Personal Statement section on the AMCAS, I assumed that it would probably be in the secondaries.

At any rate, I think I'll just explain the scenario to medical schools.

 

[Cataract]

I was well aware that I was supposed to type up a personal statement and that it would be important, I had to also for my admission to Berkeley, UCLA and USC. However, I didn't seem to recognize that the "Personal comments" section was reserved for this purpose. When I noticed that there was no Personal Statement section on the AMCAS, I assumed that it would probably be in the secondaries.

At any rate, I think I'll just explain the scenario to medical schools.

The section is titled "Essay(s)" and it asks for you to explain why you want to go to medical school. 😕

That's probably the best thing you can do at this point. If you're going to continue with this cycle, you should explain why you don't have a PS.

 

[rahulkghosh]

The section is titled "Essay(s)" and it asks for you to explain why you want to go to medical school. 😕

That's probably the best thing you can do at this point. If you're going to continue with this cycle, you should explain why you don't have a PS.

Well, I do have a PS that I worked on, I thought I was supposed to send it in during secondaries. But it was when I looked at Pitt's secondary and saw no space for us to add our personal statement... it really hit me that something was going wrong.