personal statement: does it even get read?

[Sammich81]

When I thought I was going into surgery, my advisor said not to spend more than a few days on my personal statement and that they only read them occasionally for a laugh. Is this also true of anesthesia? I drafted a statement that mostly told them interesting things about myself illustrating some of the things that make me a good fit for anesthesia, and one short paragraph specifically about what I love about the field.

Is anyone going to give a crap? Is it worth drafting and redrafting, beyond the obvious things like spelling and grammar?

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[UTSouthwestern]

When I thought I was going into surgery, my advisor said not to spend more than a few days on my personal statement and that they only read them occasionally for a laugh. Is this also true of anesthesia? I drafted a statement that mostly told them interesting things about myself illustrating some of the things that make me a good fit for anesthesia, and one short paragraph specifically about what I love about the field.

Is anyone going to give a crap? Is it worth drafting and redrafting, beyond the obvious things like spelling and grammar?

You have a chance to make a strong positive impression, but usually it's difficult to make a negative one unless you write like you just learned English (or as one friend of mine likes to say "Engrish") yesterday.

Grammar is lost art among health professionals. Over the last two years, I have reviewed almost a hundred personal statements for advice on how to modify them and only ONE had perfect spelling and grammar.

 

[DrRobert]

Just make it coherent and grammatically solid. Don't try for a Pulitzer prize here. If the rest of your application is solid, there is no reason to try to hit a homerun with the PS.

I was asked specific questions from my PS on every single one of my 12 interviews. So they do read them.

It's not going to bump you up or down a ranklist unless it is unbelievably good or bad.

Aim for the middle of the fairway.

 

[cutdacheese]

The personal statement is a waste of time... you will spend countless hours rewriting it and then scrapping it altogether, etc. The point is everyone does this because a few people will read them on the interview trail. However, in my experience most people didnt give a rat's ass.

 

[Pooh & Annie]

I think it really does help to say something interesting about yourself. Don't blow smoke up their booties talking about how anesthesiology is your lifelong dream and blah blah blah. They already know you want to do anesthesiology, and they'll ask you why during your interviews. You're way more likely to stand out if you're interesting for some reason, like wrestling alligators or hosting chicken fights. I do agree that it should be coherent and maybe a little conservative in tone. But I GUARANTEE that at most programs out there there is some applicant who gets offered an interview just because the personal statement made them sound so interesting that the commitee had to meet them.

 

[jennyboo]

Many people said they enjoyed reading mine, and asked me about various things I'd mentioned in it.

In anesthesia, they seemed to read it and ask me about the experiences I'd written about. More for gathering information and forming interview questions than anything else.

I also applied for medicine prelims. Those internal medicine docs DO read it, and I would say a well written statement that conveys good insight into stuff like the doctor-patient relationship can just about convince those internists that you're exactly what they're looking for.

Maybe the differences of opinion depend on the statement itself. If it's memorable, they'll mention it. If not, they won't.

 

[Sammich81]

Many people said they enjoyed reading mine, and asked me about various things I'd mentioned in it.

In anesthesia, they seemed to read it and ask me about the experiences I'd written about. More for gathering information and forming interview questions than anything else.

I also applied for medicine prelims. Those internal medicine docs DO read it, and I would say a well written statement that conveys good insight into stuff like the doctor-patient relationship can just about convince those internists that you're exactly what they're looking for.

Can you be more specific? Some people have advised against recounting specific patient interactions, since every single applicant has those. I unfortunately can't say I've wrestled alligators or chased chickens, though I did include some personal interests in mine.

 

[MedicinePowder]

Personally I think the personal statement will NOT play a significant enough factor to suede decision-making on one's ranking or interview invitation. there might be handful of programs that do pay attention to the personal statement (which is proabably a wise idea); however, I would reckon it's a very small contingency.

 

[pgy13]

and it can make a difference, particularly for an interview invitation if I'm otherwise on the fence about inviting someone.

 

[badgas]

To help out us third years who are about ready to start working on theirs, could some of you comment on what is important to include in the personal statement? I have a case of writers block and my underwater basket weaving hobbies don't seem to fit in!

 

[jennyboo]

To help out us third years who are about ready to start working on theirs, could some of you comment on what is important to include in the personal statement? I have a case of writers block and my underwater basket weaving hobbies don't seem to fit in!

I did a Google search for advice about what to write in personal statements for residency. A few medical schools have actually posted suggested outlines, questions to answer and sample essays (some of them not that great) online.

Mine just described how I made the decision about going into anesthesiology, and I wrote it as a story/essay thingy. Sometimes it's not what you include but how you present it that makes a personal statement interesting. I then submitted the same essay to both residencies and prelims.

Is it worth drafting and redrafting, beyond the obvious things like spelling and grammar?

Probably not, unless you write unusually well. If you naturally tell good stories, it may be worth tweaking until you get it right, but if that's not your forte, redrafting it probably wouldn't do much to make it better.

 

[chicamedica]

Actually i think the ps really does get read. A lot of my interviewers had commented on things directly from my essay, either with a question based on it, or just straight out comment. Often they had not read my entire application, because sometimes the answer to the question from the essay was answered/clarified in the application, but they DID read the ps. If it's well written and sincere, it will get read. I feel, with a lot of applicants choosing this field for superficial reasons, the essay is going to be especially important in anesthesiology applications (if it isn't already, which i think it is). Like people here have already said, if it's just average run of the mill what everyone writes, it wont make or break your app. If it's total bs with glaring errors and insincerity, it may actually hurt you; however, if it stands out in a good way, it will contribute to your total package to strengthen your candidacy. Just think of it as a chance to demonstrate the rest of "you" that doesn't come out from the rest of the application. It takes a lot of introspection, and that's quite a challenge. Took me 2 weeks to brainstorm, write and revise it, but i love writing so maybe that's just me.

p.s. And thanks to the awesome UTSouthwestern for his feedback on my essay when I fell into a writing rut.

 

[chicamedica]

To help out us third years who are about ready to start working on theirs, could some of you comment on what is important to include in the personal statement? I have a case of writers block and my underwater basket weaving hobbies don't seem to fit in!

Make a list of things you love about anesthesiology. Then, make a list of the major themes in your life that define you, and tie those in to how they will contribute to making you a better anesthesiologist (if applicable). Also include any other career interests you might have, e.g. do you see yourself as an anesthesiologist in the community? in academics? doing pain? peds? CCM?

 

[Sammich81]

All right guys...

Those of you who have seen my other posts know that I was on the fence between surgery and anesthesia. After a month on medicine and a lot of time alone to think, I an 99% sure I've made up my mind, in no small part because of reading this posting board.

ANESTHESIA baby!!!

That being said- I would like to know how to improve my personal statement. I'm on my 2nd draft; it's along the lines chicamedica and jennyboo suggested. If any of you could offer suggestions or tell me if I sound way off base I would greatly appreciate it. It's about a page typed. PM me if you'd be willing.

 

[jennyboo]

I enjoy looking at personal statements, you can feel free to send it my way if you'd like. =)

 

[vecuronium]

do you ever have those sleepless nights when you're really calm and serene and at one with the universe, and you don't want to go to sleep because you're seeing so much beauty in the world, and you feel like you're being serenaded by the quiet sounds of the dark night, and you want to just open your body and soul and take it all in...?

i recommend writing your personal statement during one of those nights. it will flow from through you effortlessly, and it will be the best, truest thing you can ever write.

best of luck!

 

[bulletproof]

do you ever have those sleepless nights when you're really calm and serene and at one with the universe, and you don't want to go to sleep because you're seeing so much beauty in the world, and you feel like you're being serenaded by the quiet sounds of the dark night, and you want to just open your body and soul and take it all in...?

i recommend writing your personal statement during one of those nights. it will flow from through you effortlessly, and it will be the best, truest thing you can ever write.

best of luck!

Yes, unfortunately I ran out of kind bud two weeks ago. Dammit!. J/k .

 

[patau13]

The best way to write a personal statement is to read a bunch first. This time last year I scoured the internet for examples of personal statements. I found that most of the examples followed a standard 4-5 paragraph format. Start with an attention getter, then introduce yourself, then something about anesthesia, then state your plans for the future and end by explaining why/how anesthesia will help you meet these goals. That's basically it.

I would say about 60% of the people that interviewed me actually read my application, and the ones that did read it often asked me questions about my PS.

Just keep it simple and short. Mine was about 3/4 of a page. Just crank out a few drafts, keep the best sentences/paragraphs from each draft, put it all together and have a couple friends proof read it. Done.

 

[rn29306]

Maybe this can help you:

http://www.usmleweb.com/showarticle44.html