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Last edited:
Personal statement editing services
- Thread starter Thepassageofgas
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It's very, very expensive. Get some friends/profs you know well who are good at editing, take it to your university's writing center - these things are free and will likely result in an equally good statement.
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Yes, get a handful of very competent friends or professors of yours to proof read them. You can thank them with a $10 starbucks card or something. I received very good input from a a friend of mine who was an english major.
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Hi Everyone,
For those applying to residency or fellowship, do NOT subscribe to DLA Proofers or Editors. You will end up wasting hundreds of dollars for no real good outcome. Read below to find out why. Feel free to message me with any personal questions. If you truly want input and feedback regarding your personal statement, go to a mentor WITHIN your field or specialty of choice. Below I have described my very bad experience with these editors:
So I sought ought these editors to review a personal statement for a fellowship program. My first editor made a lot of suggestions to make my personal statement "emotional and flowery." This editor thought that my initial personal statement, which discussed my research interests in detail, did not quite "cut it" for fellowship programs. I changed my personal statement around 180 degrees according to this editor's suggestions, which were honestly vague, and consisted mainly of saying, "show this, don't tell it." Yea, not helpful. I tried to incorporate this editor's changes and send it back for review, but this editor would NOT give me any other advice than the following, "you still have not incorporated a lot of my changes, but to get more specific feedback you will have to pay for a second edit." Stupidly, I paid for a second edit, and got a much better editor who was really able to work with me and give me helpful and very specific suggestions.
At the end, however, I was left with a very sappy personal statement, that almost read like an emotional novel. I had my research mentor look at it, who almost vomited because the statement was so flowery, like a trashy beach novel. I agree with my mentor 100% when looking back on things. I went back to my original research-focused personal statement, doing basically everything that these editors had told me not to do. What was the result? I got 25 interviews, and many at top tier programs that I could not even imagine would consider me.
Moral of the story? While these editors may be excellent at English, remember one thing. They cannot see from the perspective of people in your own field. Remember, if you are a doctor, lawyer, engineer or other professional applying for a job or fellowship, remember that these editors cannot see from the eyes of other people in that profession.
The first editor ripped me off by saying I didn't incorporate enough of the initial suggestions, because I had actually done that (and the second editor agreed with me on this point).
I would advise you all, that, instead of using this service, go to your mentor or someone else in your field who actually knows what admissions committees are looking for, and ask them to edit your statement. I wasted several hundred dollars on this.
For those applying to residency or fellowship, do NOT subscribe to DLA Proofers or Editors. You will end up wasting hundreds of dollars for no real good outcome. Read below to find out why. Feel free to message me with any personal questions. If you truly want input and feedback regarding your personal statement, go to a mentor WITHIN your field or specialty of choice. Below I have described my very bad experience with these editors:
So I sought ought these editors to review a personal statement for a fellowship program. My first editor made a lot of suggestions to make my personal statement "emotional and flowery." This editor thought that my initial personal statement, which discussed my research interests in detail, did not quite "cut it" for fellowship programs. I changed my personal statement around 180 degrees according to this editor's suggestions, which were honestly vague, and consisted mainly of saying, "show this, don't tell it." Yea, not helpful. I tried to incorporate this editor's changes and send it back for review, but this editor would NOT give me any other advice than the following, "you still have not incorporated a lot of my changes, but to get more specific feedback you will have to pay for a second edit." Stupidly, I paid for a second edit, and got a much better editor who was really able to work with me and give me helpful and very specific suggestions.
At the end, however, I was left with a very sappy personal statement, that almost read like an emotional novel. I had my research mentor look at it, who almost vomited because the statement was so flowery, like a trashy beach novel. I agree with my mentor 100% when looking back on things. I went back to my original research-focused personal statement, doing basically everything that these editors had told me not to do. What was the result? I got 25 interviews, and many at top tier programs that I could not even imagine would consider me.
Moral of the story? While these editors may be excellent at English, remember one thing. They cannot see from the perspective of people in your own field. Remember, if you are a doctor, lawyer, engineer or other professional applying for a job or fellowship, remember that these editors cannot see from the eyes of other people in that profession.
The first editor ripped me off by saying I didn't incorporate enough of the initial suggestions, because I had actually done that (and the second editor agreed with me on this point).
I would advise you all, that, instead of using this service, go to your mentor or someone else in your field who actually knows what admissions committees are looking for, and ask them to edit your statement. I wasted several hundred dollars on this.
