Personal Statement Re-Use?

[UseBandaids]

I applied to an Early Assurance Program last year and worked rather hard on the personal statement. I made sure to get it read by various people and the final result was something everyone liked. In addition, i went through my school's Pre-Med Committee so i gave them this Personal Statement as well. In anycase, i did not get into the program, so now i am applying through regular admission. The problem now, however, is whether i should re-use the personal statement? i have given it to other professors and they have been pleased with it, but since my advisor knows i am pretty much using the same one, she is suggesting i change it saying "med school will think you are unmotivated" or "youd be surprised what the committee remembers." I am a little confused as to what i should do because i did tweak it a little but i kept most of the main aspects the same bc they worked well with my paper. Im not sure if shes just saying that or if med schools really do look down upon that, bc it would be only one school, besides the pre-health committee who would possibly recall it being the same. Even then? is it really that big of a deal? Sorry for typing such a boring paragraph, but i would appreciate ANY input regarding this dilemma! Thank you in advance!

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[LO281OK]

Did you contact the admissions program after not getting in last year? If you really dont think you could improve your ps (not just change to change it) then I would call the admissions people, tell them you think it is spot on for you and ask them if they need you to change it? It's not like asking them, "What should I say in my PS." This may be something better posed to a non-md admissions director or someone with similar insight that is not actually the head honcho. Just a thought.

 

[Mobius1985]

If your PS is so memorable that anyone remembers it from among the other thousands submitted the the last cycle, then it is probably very good (or really horrible). If it's expressed well and still reflects how you feel, by all means use it again. If you've done some minor tweaks, you've changed it and satisfied your advisor's suggestion (however minimally). It will be new information for all the other schools you apply to anyway.

 

[gman33]

Since you didn't get in, I'd say you need to look at all parts of your application including your PS. Contact the admissions dept and get some feedback. If nothing else you can talk about what you've been up to since you applied.

 

[Bravofriendly]

I'm on the waitlist for my first choice and attended the "reapplicant workshop" that they offer. The Dean of Admissions was most emphatic that they do not want to see the old personal statement copied and pasted into the new application. They want to see a new personal statement that includes a discussion of how the reapplication process has changed you/your perspective. Keep in my that this particular school keeps the applications from previous years in your file and provides them to your interviewers along with the new cycle's application. I'm unsure whether or not this is a standard policy at most schools.

I, too, feel that my personal statement expressed precisely what I intended to convey, that I'm not significantly changed as an applicant, and that reworking my statement is likely to detract (or at least distract) from my initial message. Good luck to you.

 

[Sartre]

This is my second time applying, and I, too, had worked very hard on my first PS. It conveyed my motivations exactly, and my advisor loved it. It really hurt to have to write a new one, but I'm glad I did. One of my interviewers this year directly asked me if I had written a new PS, or just kept the old one.

My new PS still conveyed the same motivation and goals, but I used a different experience (that I had in the year since first applying) to do so. I did not directly address the reapplication process -- I was actually advised not to do so. This probably varies between schools?

Anyway, definitely write a new statement -- I think schools want to see that you're willing to put in the work (no matter how great your first PS, it's going to look pretty lazy if you just copy/paste). Good luck! You were able to write a beautiful PS the first time, so have faith that you can do it again

 

[UltraRunner]

you should definitely write a new personal statement. i actually did address the reapplication process in my second ps...but it worked for my specific theme. whatever you do, make sure you address what has changed since last time...

 

[Blade28]

PLEASE don't just reuse your old personal statement! At the very least, update it with what you did in the year-long interval!

 

[Orthodoc40]

When I reapplied, everyone said re-write, and it was frustrating to agree to, because I had felt good about my original PS. But once I really focused on it, I was able to write a much more effective PS that even more clearly made the points I was hoping to make. In the end I would say that the second PS was much better than the first.
So don't be put off by the sense that it is a huge task. Usually, it is just a big deal until you sit down and start it.

Don't assume that because you and a few other people liked your PS last time, that it couldn't be better. It didn't do enough to get you in before, did it? Something has to have changed in your life over the last year!!

Those who read application essays will notice your effort or lack thereof. So just do it.

 

[Blade28]

To put it another way - if you're reapplying to med schools, wouldn't it behoove you to try and improve ALL aspects of your app? That includes the PS.

To not do is rather foolish, IMHO.

 

[UseBandaids]

Thank you to EVERYONE for their suggestion! I ended up writing up a new one altogether and granted it needs to go through the whole editing process, it feels good...for now It's just a matter of sitting yourself down and doing it. Thanks once again!

 

[Boardrider32]

I would assume that submitting the same personal statment for secondary applications is even more taboo. Any thoughts?

 

[Kernal83]

I am guilty of pretty much reusing my first personal statement in my reapplication. Granted, it pretty much only resulted in me getting two interviews. One was at a school where the director of admissions told me to just submit my primary/secondary as soon as possible and they would shuttle me through. I'm pretty sure it didn't help me anywhere else though...