Personal Statement abbrev. help Pls!

[Confused&Dazed]

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Hey I know this is going to sound extremely pre-med anal, but does it matter if you write 'don't' instead of 'do not', or 'doesn't' instead of 'does not'?

I was taught (waaaaaaaay back when) that when you're writing it is ( ) better NOT to abbreviate, but heck I could use those extra characters!

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks and good luck to everyone applying, going to start med school or are already there!

C&D

 

[sg4runner]

I don't have a definitive answer for you, but I personally didn't use any contractions because I too was taught that they weren't to be used in formal writing 😀. I know that character limit can be a big pain tho... good luck, whatever you do!

 

[MoosePilot]

I was taught you had to know the rules in order to know when to break them 😀

 

[dhoonlee]

.

 

[LP1CW]

This is not a formal paper. THis is not a research paper. You're not submitting it for publication.

This is an essay. And as such, essays are open. A personal essay is precisely that--personal. This is often debated amongst editors and writers. However, some people say that you should approach this from a colloquial style, colloquial doesn't mean bad English. It means conversational and conversational would use contractions.

It fits my style and it connects to the reader more. However, if there are parts of your essay that could use non conctractions to emphasize a point, then do it.

 

[AlternateSome1]

Contractions - unprofessional. Don't do it. Even if 90% of ADCOMS end up not caring, why hurt your chances with the 10% who do?

 

[chopper]

I had them in, and took them out after a fellow student said the whole unprofessional thing. Then my comittee advisor (pscyh prof with 25 years doing pre-med advising), had me put a couple back in where they just 'fit'. Sometimes it sounded so damn bland without them. If it fits, do it. If it does not fit, do not do it. (Or, if it doesn't fit, don't do it). lol

 

[lorelei]

I used contractions where they were natural. I can't remember but I probably also started a sentence with a conjunction, since I do that pretty often. I figured it's a personal statement, not a piece of formal writing, and I wanted my personality to come through. Had I avoided contractions, it would have sounded stilted. None of my readers (English-teacher/librarian mom, journalist friend) mentioned it, and they did say it gave a good impression of me, so I didn't worry about it.

Actually, it never occurred to me that anyone would care. The consensus of most writers I talk to is that those "rules" of formal writing are what English teachers spew because they don't know how to teach actual writing. It's easy to find plenty of examples in great literature of contractions, split infinitives, sentence fragments, and so forth.

 

[Neuronix]

I would say not to use contractions because that's just my style for the essays, but... NO ADCOM CARES -- Not even 10%! Yet another neurotic pre-med non-issue. Be happy if they even read the thing.

 

[Confused&Dazed]

Thanks for everyone's input. Yeah, got to think about the essay as a whole. And they're contractions not abbreviations. Haha...I'm an idiot. It was late last night and I couldn't remeber their definition for the life of me

Anyway good luck all and all the best!

Ta,

C&D

 

[monopolova]

I used contractions and I'm damn proud of it. lol

Seriously, how can you not? To say "would not" or "do not" can become cumbersome (and uptight in my opinion) and take up necessary characters. No one cares. Also, contractions make your essay relaxed and personal -- hence the personal statement. It's easier to read.

i.e.

I just cannot imagine a life without medicine.
I just can't imagine a life without medicine.


They care about experiences not freakin' contractions. If anyone has specific instance where this is false, I'd really like to know. I will admit I'm wrong if I am, but in my opinion, this is the smallest thing to worry about. 👍

 

[Peter Griffin]

Trivial

 

[Peter Griffin]

You should only use a lot of contractions if you plan on being an OB doc.