personal statement...how long is too long?

[Bee09]

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so my personal statement is slightly less than 2 pages (8 paragraphs)....i tried and tried but could not figure out what to take out.. the problem is i had a lot of 'splainin to do with regard to a leave of absence, bad grade in a clerkship, and then add to that the time i spent talking about my specialty choice and career goals and you just get a really long statement.

is this too long? do i absolutely need to find things to take out?

 

[tetris]

I have 2 pages too, with similar 'splainin as you (gaps, etc.). I think it's fine, and I've been advised that it's important to go into those issues in the statement rather than leave them wondering. Over 2 pages would be too much.

 

[Blesbok]

Depends on your specialty, if it is psych it is required that it be within 10 words of the maximum to ensure that you will be able to properly fill the novels that are their notes.

I keed, I keed.


I agree that in your case it is more important to explain than to cut down on length. I would normally say 1 page no matter what, but in a case like yours I would say 1 page for normal stuff then add on whatever is required to adequately explain your situation.