personal statement predicament

[Sweet Tea]

Most books/sources I've consulted have said to steer clear of including anything about religion in your personal statement. However, my main activity in college was centered on my campus ministry group and there's no way I can explain who I am and my motivations for becoming a physician without discussing the role my faith and my campus group had in shaping me. I am able to discuss the role witout getting into too much detail, but I feel it's something that I need to talk about in my PS.

Any suggestions, guys? Am I effectively killing myself by discussing the role of religion in my life? Or should I discuss it because it IS so important to me?

Thanks!

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[Keroberos]

I must admit-that's a hard call. On the one hand, most admissions committees are very conservative and one does not want to risk offending them in any way - say perhaps the person reading your statement is of a different religion? However, I do believe that if your religion is as important to you as you claim it to be and you have evidence of your dedication to it through campus activities, etc....then you should write about it, since it a significant factor in your life and it offers a viewpoint into who you are--and that's basically what the personal statment seeks to accomplish as the committee just thinks you are a bunch of numbers until they read your personal statement, right? I think talking about your religion and your commitment to it will reflect positively on you, as you have a dedication that you hopefully will apply to humanity and the pursuit of medicine. Aite. Hope this helps.

 

[deva]

I think you should mention your religious activities... they mean too much to you to do otherwise. Be careful, though - discuss the *general* values of your religion and how these values make someone a better doctor, but do not focus on anything that could be seen as specific to one religion. For example, if you are Muslim, don't say that praying five times a day is essential to your character - it may seem like you would have less empathy for patients who weren't Muslim.

 

[blackbird03]

I was wondering what you guys thought about doing an autobiography as a personal statement. My cutural background is very important to me and I feel like writing a cute anecdote wouldn't encompass my whole person fully. At the same time, an autobiography might seem a little dull and might be seen as an oversimplistic approach to the personal comments. Has anybody had this predicament?

 

[kreno]

Hey Sweet Tea.. why don't you just start your personal staement like you started your message? Well, not exactly... but somethign like that.. be honest in it.. talk about it, and include your problem of being reluctant of not putting it in... i think it would make it unique.

"While pondering what to write in this small section which should explain to you why I want to become a life-long caregiver, I have heard countless times to steer clear of including anything about religion. However, my main activity in college was centered on my campus ministry group and there's no way I can explain who I am and my motivations for becoming a physician without discussing the role my faith and my campus group had in shaping me. I am able to discuss the role witout getting into too much detail, but I feel it's something that I need to talk about in my PS."

 

[Sweet Tea]

Thanks for the suggestions guys-- y'all rock!!

I am going to talk about my faith in my PS, and I'll be sure to do it in general, non-offensive terms about how it influenced my decision to become a physician. I couldn't be preachy even if I wanted to be, so steering clear of theological controversy shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Thanks again!!

 

[relatively prime]

Hmmm... do you think you could cleverly word your personal statement such that you mention your "faith" but don't mention what religion you are? I think mentioning a specific religion would be a really really bad idea. For one reason already mentioned... the person reading your paper might not be of the same religion.

And secondly, the person reading it might view you as having identified yourself too much with one group... they might start to wonder how you would treat a patient of a diffferent religion... ALSO... they might wonder in what way you plan to bring your faith into practicing medicine... they might think "um... so do you plan in praying with patients?"

I would avoid mentioning religion at all costs... it's just too risky. You can always mention it in a secondary or under the post-secondary experiences section.

 

[vyc]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by kreno:
[QB]Hey Sweet Tea.. why don't you just start your personal staement like you started your message?

"While pondering what to write in this small section which should explain to you why I want to become a life-long caregiver... [QB]••••i would recommend not starting out like this.
it's a personal statement, just dive right into it.
no need to go about it by announcing the very act of thinking about what to write in your PS.

 

[vyc]

an autobiography?

that sounds too vague. i think it's important to focus on one or two specific life experiences and how they impacted you and how you developed into this person who wants to become a physician.

a life history isn't exactly what they're looking for, i would say.

•••quote:•••Originally posted by blackbird03:
•I was wondering what you guys thought about doing an autobiography as a personal statement. My cutural background is very important to me and I feel like writing a cute anecdote wouldn't encompass my whole person fully. At the same time, an autobiography might seem a little dull and might be seen as an oversimplistic approach to the personal comments. Has anybody had this predicament?•••••

 

[Spudster]

A couple of comments:

1) If you feel that it is truly a significant part of your life, and that your experiences somehow better qualify you to be a compassionate physician, then it would be a mistake to leave it out. I certainly included in my PS how my religiously-affiliated experiences helped me to develop certain abilities, etc. It was very well received by all of the schools as far as I can tell, and it often served as a centerpiece of my interviews since it was such a significant part of my preparation. This leads me to my second point...

2) Don't assume that ADCOMs are as narrow minded as many seem to indicate. Just because one's religious affiliations are not the same as those of the members of the committee doesn't mean you won't be accepted. I think most people are very tolerant other's beliefs. It is a small minority that would discriminate against you for your beliefs, and if that is the way things go, then I for one would not want to attend such a school.

 

[uncwalley]

Sweet Tea, I sent you a PM. Totally unrelated.