Personal Statement - Too short?

[SimonSez]

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Hey Guys,

I'm in the process of writing my personal statement. I finished the first draft and it is 354 words long. I read a couple of other threads about people having trouble keeping their personal statement under one page. So naturally I am concerned that my personal statement is way too short. However, I said pretty much everything I wanted to say in it. I don't really have any life changing or pivotal moments that propelled me towards medicine. I just did it because I thought it was interesting. It's pretty boring I guess, but it's true.
My questions are:
Would it reflect negatively on me if my personal statement is too short (~ 350 words)?
If yes, what is a reasonable word limit to aim for?

Thanks

 

[Wolvering]

I have the same concern. Could someone with more experience please comment. Thanks.

 

[twilightdoc]

..I'm in the process of writing my personal statement. I finished the first draft and it is 354 words long. I read a couple of other threads about people having trouble keeping their personal statement under one page. So naturally I am concerned that my personal statement is way too short. However, I said pretty much everything I wanted to say in it. I don't really have any life changing or pivotal moments that propelled me towards medicine. I just did it because I thought it was interesting. It's pretty boring I guess, but it's true...Would it reflect negatively on me if my personal statement is too short (~ 350 words)?

"Too short" is in the eye of the beholder. And the "beholders" are the people who may not know you and may not have interviewed you but who may be involved in creating a rank list, etc. for a given program. So I would try for a personal statement that is at least 2/3 or 3/4 of a page. Is shorter than that necessarily bad? No, but it might be interpreted as reflecting a lack of depth, interest, enthusiasm, goals, etc. You can adjust side margins and font size (maybe a max of 12 point), but would need more than 350 words.

 

[atsai3]

Hey Guys,

I'm in the process of writing my personal statement. I finished the first draft and it is 354 words long. I read a couple of other threads about people having trouble keeping their personal statement under one page. So naturally I am concerned that my personal statement is way too short. However, I said pretty much everything I wanted to say in it. I don't really have any life changing or pivotal moments that propelled me towards medicine. I just did it because I thought it was interesting. It's pretty boring I guess, but it's true.
My questions are:
Would it reflect negatively on me if my personal statement is too short (~ 350 words)?
If yes, what is a reasonable word limit to aim for?

Thanks

If your reasons for wanting to go into medicine can be described in 350 words, then write 350 words. Don't try to tell me what you think I want to hear or read, just write what is true about your life.

-AT.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I've only seen 1 that was too short; being too long is much more of a problem.

The one that was too short was literally a few lines. I felt like the guy didn't even try - when I met him, his cocky demeanor told he me hadn't tried and assumed his pedigree would get him a residency.

 

[Philoso]

While I was sharing my personal statement with a program director, I was told to make it as short as possible -- with a page as the very upper limit. They have too many applicants and do not particularly like it when they are made to read tons of stuff. Pertinent positives and reasons are all they care about.

 

[Doctor Bob]

I've only seen 1 that was too short; being too long is much more of a problem.

Amen.

Reading through the personal statements becomes a chore after a while because they all say essentially the same thing. Sure there's variations on a tune but there comes a point where you can read the first line of a paragraph and know exactly what's coming.

"My love for medicine started when my family member..."
"I didn't really understand why people wanted to be doctors until I met..."
"That day I woke up as usual, and found an unusual growth on my..."

So, sometimes brevity is a refreshing change... you're still going to say the same things as everyone else, you'll just hopefully say it in fewer words.

 

[atsai3]

All applicants should read Aran Kadar's classic Salon essay on his experiences as a residency application essay reader:
http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2002/02/26/essays/index.html

-AT.