Personal statement advice?

[clocks123]

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In high school my Grandma, who I was extremely close to and fond of, passed away due to cancer. It was my first experience with death and was wondering if it is too common to write about in a personal statement? Obviously this will not be my whole essay, but I was planning to use it as an introduction story to say that this event sparked my interest in medicine and that it taught me that physicians can't save every patient. Then I would go into experiences from undergrad like volunteering, shadowing...etc.

 

[frochocinco]

Seems a little pessimistic IMO to start talking about why you want be a doctor by describing how they're unsuccessful...doesn't seem like a good tone to set.

 

[TREDWISE]

It also sounds like you're getting a little "creative" in order to make a good story. Besides, it's well known that using your deceased relatives to get into medical school will raise them from the dead.

 

[gyngyn]

In high school my Grandma, who I was extremely close to and fond of, passed away due to cancer. It was my first experience with death and was wondering if it is too common to write about in a personal statement? Obviously this will not be my whole essay, but I was planning to use it as an introduction story to say that this event sparked my interest in medicine and that it taught me that physicians can't save every patient. Then I would go into experiences from undergrad like volunteering, shadowing...etc.

A dead grandma is the most frequent single component seen in a medical school PS. It neither helps nor hurts...

 

[Dr.Freedman MedEdits]

If the experience was pivotal and transformative for you, then writing about your grandmother could, indeed, make for a captivating opening for your personal statement. Even if a topic has been used by other applicants in the past, it doesn't mean that your story and path will be trite. Every applicant has his or her own path, motivations, and exposures. No two stories are ever exactly the same. What matters is HOW you write about your experience - that is what will make your personal statement distinguished.

 

[Goro]

I see these sorts of things mentioned in, oh, about half of the PS's I read. if it's an important part of "why Medicine?" then leave it in.

In high school my Grandma, who I was extremely close to and fond of, passed away due to cancer. It was my first experience with death and was wondering if it is too common to write about in a personal statement? Obviously this will not be my whole essay, but I was planning to use it as an introduction story to say that this event sparked my interest in medicine and that it taught me that physicians can't save every patient. Then I would go into experiences from undergrad like volunteering, shadowing...etc.

 

[clocks123]

In the end, it was my grandma's physician that had the influence on me, but I'm sure that's been done a million times as well 🙁

 

[ProMed13]

If it's unique then you should include it in some way. Now, how much you want to include will be dependent on how much the experience impacted you. I wrote my personal statement like a map of how I went about my life that led me to choose medicine as my career choice. The information I included in the beginning mentioned an experience long ago, but it was not detailed much since it didn't really impacted me...just "assisted" in my career choice. Then again I am a non-trad and have unique ECs that were included. The best advice I had received about my personal statement after many revisions is to write from your heart. Once I did that, my personal statement just flowed together and worked perfectly for the Adcoms viewing it.

 

[JVav]

A dead grandma is the most frequent single component seen in a medical school PS. It neither helps nor hurts...

In my PS, I talked about losing one of my grandmother's this summer and how it made me realize how important spending time with my last remaining grandma (who has been a huge part of my life) is. I wanted to go to a school that would allow me to remain close to her, as her health is deteriorating and I am not sure how long she will really live for. I got into the closest school to her!

 

[gyngyn]

In my PS, I talked about losing one of my grandmother's this summer and how it made me realize how important spending time with my last remaining grandma (who has been a huge part of my life) is. I wanted to go to a school that would allow me to remain close to her, as her health is deteriorating and I am not sure how long she will really live for. I got into the closest school to her!

Congratulations on your acceptance.
Attachment and loss of a loving grandparent figure prominently in the minds of applicants. It certainly appears frequently in the PS.