Personal statement topic

[cbdblmad]

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I am in the process of editing together ~three pages of rambling about my life into a slightly less rambling draft of my personal statement. From my brain dump, I've confirmed that my major drive to become a doctor is my mother, who is a nurse. While there are several specific situations I could think of, the most important (and I think easiest to integrate into my PS) is an event from my childhood where she went out of her way to help a man who had fallen and injured his head. That moment has always stuck with me, we were kind of far away but she still went out of her way to help the man. Looking back, I feel like a lot of my natural inclination to help people in everyday life comes from that moment. My question is how do I: 1) integrate that story into what is supposed to be an essay about myself and 2) do that without sounding like I am over exaggerating the impact of an event from when I was 8?

I feel like I am liable to just end up with a page of bragging about what are really rather small events where I too have gone out of my way to help in situations I didn't need to.

 

[theKingLT]

I am in the process of editing together ~three pages of rambling about my life into a slightly less rambling draft of my personal statement. From my brain dump, I've confirmed that my major drive to become a doctor is my mother, who is a nurse. While there are several specific situations I could think of, the most important (and I think easiest to integrate into my PS) is an event from my childhood where she went out of her way to help a man who had fallen and injured his head. That moment has always stuck with me, we were kind of far away but she still went out of her way to help the man. Looking back, I feel like a lot of my natural inclination to help people in everyday life comes from that moment. My question is how do I: 1) integrate that story into what is supposed to be an essay about myself and 2) do that without sounding like I am over exaggerating the impact of an event from when I was 8?

I feel like I am liable to just end up with a page of bragging about what are really rather small events where I too have gone out of my way to help in situations I didn't need to.

I think that's fine for a jumping off point but really should not be the focus. Surely you must have had other experiences in medicine that confirmed your desire to work in the field. Preferably stuff more recent that also says something about yourself and why you are a good candidate

 

[cbdblmad]

I think that's fine for a jumping off point but really should not be the focus. Surely you must have had other experiences in medicine that confirmed your desire to work in the field. Preferably stuff more recent that also says something about yourself and why you are a good candidate

I have been a scribe since last year, which has been the primary way I have confirmed to myself that medicine is what I want to do. I love the environment. Also, because of the clinic I am in I will often see the same patient at their first visit, over the course of their treatment, and at follow-up several months later. Seeing the patients at the various points in their disease process has really cemented the ability of a physician to make a meaningful change in somebody's life.

As far as why I am a good candidate, I guess that is where I struggle. I'm not great at selling myself nor do I feel like I have a unique story. Because of how I was raised I always felt that you should do something that has a chance to do something good. Late into college I realized that the path I had chosen was not going to be as satisfying as I would like. I have specific reasons for why I decided medicine would be "better" but they are not particularly unique either.

 

[theKingLT]

I have been a scribe since last year, which has been the primary way I have confirmed to myself that medicine is what I want to do. I love the environment. Also, because of the clinic I am in I will often see the same patient at their first visit, over the course of their treatment, and at follow-up several months later. Seeing the patients at the various points in their disease process has really cemented the ability of a physician to make a meaningful change in somebody's life.

As far as why I am a good candidate, I guess that is where I struggle. I'm not great at selling myself nor do I feel like I have a unique story. Because of how I was raised I always felt that you should do something that has a chance to do something good. Late into college I realized that the path I had chosen was not going to be as satisfying as I would like. I have specific reasons for why I decided medicine would be "better" but they are not particularly unique either.

You don't have to be unique. You just need to show that you know what you're getting into and I think scribing experiences are a great way to show thay.

For showing you're a good candidate just show that you possess some of the qualities that make for good physicians.

To get you started here are some that come to mind:
-perseverance
-adaptability
-time management
-ability to work as part of a team
-ability to make tough decisions
-ability to compromise
-humility
-benevolence
-social conscience
-intellectual curiosity

The list goes on and I'm sure you can think of more. Think of situations where you learned or expressed these traits and talk about them

 

[Rachapkis]

It is fine to use an episode from childhood as the basis for your personal statement. What qualities of your mom's did you admire when she sprang into action? Leadership? Empathy? Her medical knowledge and skills? Have you tried to acquire (or improve) these traits/skills as you progressed in life? Can you show (rather than tell) the reader through examples?

 

[LizzyM]

Your experience with your mom was the seed. When you came to the realization that the work you'd been preparing for was not what you wanted to do, you looked back on that experience and something took root and began to grow. You explored the profession a bit more, took the necessary coursework, found that you had an aptitude for it and the desire and work ethic to do what was needed to be done and so here you are.... It seems like a completely reasonable approach to the "why medicine" essay.