Personal Statement Discussion/Questions

[acm318]

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I understand admissions reads 1,000s of personal statements and your statement has to push through that reader fatigue to stand out and grab their attention.

What is really that "it-factor" for personal statements? Is it your narrative? Is it the reason you want to become a doctor? Is it the length? Are they looking to see if you've grasped the premed competencies through your experiences? Is it a combination of everything? If you tell a story of your experiences that show why you would be a good doctor and build up to the finale of wanting to be a doctor at the end, is there a chance they will actually stop reading it and throw it out before they get to the end? Are they skimming the statement for the reason you want to be a doctor?

What actually truly matters in your personal statement for those in admissions reading them?

Thank you!!!

 

[polymerization]

My approach was to look at it as an essay with subtext, and then subtext under that subtext, on and on forever.

I think most people understand the PS simply as a statement about why you want to be a doctor. And, I mean... it is that. Necessary but not sufficient.

For me, it had to be an essay that also explained my background; my activities, experiences, and motives for doing them; my insights and reflections about the field; my aspirations for the future; establishing myself within a niche; and arguing that medicine is just the next logical step in my journey.

That was a lot to ask of 5300 characters. Every sentence has to mean something, and with so few words, every word has to be doing operative work. Of course, you can't economize too much without losing meaning.

And so, exploring the dialectic between telling the story you're trying to tell, and telling it within the constraints of the application... it is one hell of an assignment that took me several months to write, with all the reading and rereading for tone, distributing to readers (who all had conflicting advice, of course; I ended up doing my own thing).

So, to your question, what is the "it" factor?

I think "it" is just understanding the genre and understanding the psychology. You've got to know yourself and you've got to know your audience. Being a good writer is helpful, but having something to say is even more important. Of course, none of this matters if you do not have the hours to make your stories believable.

This is not just about having the right "hook" or using the right rhetorical device in the first paragraph. All of it has to be both informative and enjoyable to read.

It's not rocket science. But it does feel like philosophy class sometimes.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Sign up for Workshop 2 (next week, no recordings will be released):

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[Goro]

A good PS explains who you are, and why Medicine.

There is no such thing as a hook. There is no it factor. The PS is not a magic device which will get one an II. It's the entire app which does that.


It should not begin like a movie script, not be what a great guy your grandfather was and how he had to live with no Healthcare, not be a form of catharthis, and not be an essay on Healthcare in the US.

 

[LizzyM]

I don't read many personal statements anymore but there was a time where I read two or three per day, seven days a week for 20 weeks. What wore me out were stories of grandparents who had died, the desire to treat others who had the same medical condition the applicant had (as if everyone with your condition will respond as you did), or medicine being your destiny because of family history or a knack you had with your Fisher-Price doctor kit.

What did stick with me was the good old 5 paragraph essay where the first paragraph presents a theme, the middle three each describe an activity and the final paragraph sums up and states that you want to go forward into a career in medicine. One example: applicant says my preparation for medical school can described in one word: ice.... the applicant goes on to describing doing first aid while working at an ice rink, laboratory research that involved keeping samples in ice baths, and serving in a leadership position to decrease alcohol abuse on campus (drinks on ice). Tying things together, even with a bit of a wink, was easy for me to remember and showed me that the applicant had experience helping people with injuries, research experience, and community service (of course, there were more complete descriptions and other activities in the other section of the application.

 

[acm318]

My approach was to look at it as an essay with subtext, and then subtext under that subtext, on and on forever.

I think most people understand the PS simply as a statement about why you want to be a doctor. And, I mean... it is that. Necessary but not sufficient.

For me, it had to be an essay that also explained my background; my activities, experiences, and motives for doing them; my insights and reflections about the field; my aspirations for the future; establishing myself within a niche; and arguing that medicine is just the next logical step in my journey.

That was a lot to ask of 5300 characters. Every sentence has to mean something, and with so few words, every word has to be doing operative work. Of course, you can't economize too much without losing meaning.

And so, exploring the dialectic between telling the story you're trying to tell, and telling it within the constraints of the application... it is one hell of an assignment that took me several months to write, with all the reading and rereading for tone, distributing to readers (who all had conflicting advice, of course; I ended up doing my own thing).

So, to your question, what is the "it" factor?

I think "it" is just understanding the genre and understanding the psychology. You've got to know yourself and you've got to know your audience. Being a good writer is helpful, but having something to say is even more important. Of course, none of this matters if you do not have the hours to make your stories believable.

This is not just about having the right "hook" or using the right rhetorical device in the first paragraph. All of it has to be both informative and enjoyable to read.

It's not rocket science. But it does feel like philosophy class sometimes.

Thank you!! I have over 15,000 hours of clinical experience (non-trad). I have also spent months writing my personal statement. And I am getting all of the conflicting advice and feedback on it right now, and it's just making me second-guess it entirely.

 

[acm318]

A good PS explains who you are, and why Medicine.

There is no such thing as a hook. There is no it factor. The PS is not a magic device which will get one an II. It's the entire app which does that.


It should not begin like a movie script, not be what a great guy your grandfather was and how he had to live with no Healthcare, not be a form of catharthis, and not be an essay on Healthcare in the US.

Thank you!! That is what I suspected, I am just getting a lot of conflicting advice right now and was starting to question what my PS was even supposed to be about.

 

[acm318]

I don't read many personal statements anymore but there was a time where I read two or three per day, seven days a week for 20 weeks. What wore me out were stories of grandparents who had died, the desire to treat others who had the same medical condition the applicant had (as if everyone with your condition will respond as you did), or medicine being your destiny because of family history or a knack you had with your Fisher-Price doctor kit.

What did stick with me was the good old 5 paragraph essay where the first paragraph presents a theme, the middle three each describe an activity and the final paragraph sums up and states that you want to go forward into a career in medicine. One example: applicant says my preparation for medical school can described in one word: ice.... the applicant goes on to describing doing first aid while working at an ice rink, laboratory research that involved keeping samples in ice baths, and serving in a leadership position to decrease alcohol abuse on campus (drinks on ice). Tying things together, even with a bit of a wink, was easy for me to remember and showed me that the applicant had experience helping people with injuries, research experience, and community service (of course, there were more complete descriptions and other activities in the other section of the application.

I love your perspective, thank you so much. It helps reaffirm that I'm on the right track.

 

[Moko]

I understand admissions reads 1,000s of personal statements and your statement has to push through that reader fatigue to stand out and grab their attention.

What is really that "it-factor" for personal statements? Is it your narrative? Is it the reason you want to become a doctor? Is it the length? Are they looking to see if you've grasped the premed competencies through your experiences? Is it a combination of everything? If you tell a story of your experiences that show why you would be a good doctor and build up to the finale of wanting to be a doctor at the end, is there a chance they will actually stop reading it and throw it out before they get to the end? Are they skimming the statement for the reason you want to be a doctor?

What actually truly matters in your personal statement for those in admissions reading them?

Thank you!!!

I echo what my colleagues have said. This is what I look for when I read a personal statement:

1. Did I get a good sense of who you are as a person? Y/N
2. Did I get a good sense of why you are pursuing medicine and how you have tested this career choice? Y/N
3. Are you someone who I would want as my peer? Y/N
4. Is your personal statement easy to follow? Y/N
5. Did your personal statement show humility, maturity, genuineness, confidence, and avoid negativity? Y/N

I generally spend just a few minutes reading a personal statement. If I can answer "Yes" to all 5 questions, then the personal statement was successful and served its purpose; and if I can't, usually the rest of writing in the application only goes downhill... Your goal should not be to show an "it factor", because quite frankly, most of us do not have one. The only personal statements I still remember now are the ones that were bad.

So, prioritize substance over style. You are applying to be a future physician, not an author or show writer. Save the fluff and drama for another occasion.

 

[HuskyMD Emeritus]

I echo what my colleagues have said. This is what I look for when I read a personal statement:

1. Did I get a good sense of who you are as a person? Y/N
2. Did I get a good sense of why you are pursuing medicine and how you have tested this career choice? Y/N
3. Are you someone who I would want as my peer? Y/N
4. Is your personal statement easy to follow? Y/N
5. Did your personal statement show humility, maturity, genuineness, confidence, and avoid negativity? Y/N

I generally spend just a few minutes reading a personal statement. If I can answer "Yes" to all 5 questions, then the personal statement was successful and served its purpose; and if I can't, usually the rest of writing in the application only goes downhill... Your goal should not be to show an "it factor", because quite frankly, most of us do not have one. The only personal statements I still remember now are the ones that were bad.

So, prioritize substance over style. You are applying to be a future physician, not an author or show writer. Save the fluff and drama for another occasion.

Agree with what everyone said. The most memorable personal statement I have read had all the above points, plus genuine gratitude for the help and opportunities received along the way. The format of the statement was also very creative but I can't tell you what it was, other than it demonstrated their gratitude in a unique way.
Usually, when a personal statement started off with some type of hook, it became cringey.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Writing a Personal Statement - Family Medicine

med.virginia.edu

 

[Med Ed]

One example: applicant says my preparation for medical school can described in one word: ice....

That one might not work so well these days.

 

[LizzyM]

That one might not work so well these days.

lower case is not as threatening unless you are walking across it 😉

 

[LizzyM]

Among the "what not to do" recommendations:
start with "lights and sirens"
start with a dialogue (like a movie script)
use a lot of technical language related to medicine (not everyone reading the applications is a physician and not every physician recalls the details of material they learned in med school and have not used since)
use the poor or people you've met in other countries as props in your story

or just read this:

My Personal Statement | PANDA BEAR, MD

pandabearmd.me