Personal Statement. What do people mean when they say you can't write about loving science?

[PreMedStudent55555]

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[Valtun]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the consensus with talking about how much you love science/research and having that be the majority of your PS, they'll question why you don't pursue a PhD instead.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the consensus with talking about how much you love science/research and having that be the majority of your PS, they'll question why you don't pursue a PhD instead.

Oh. Idk. Maybe I'm misintepretting these articles. However, do you know if it's a bad thing to talk about why you love medicine and why you find it so fascinating and combining that with your desire to help others?

 

[chaim123]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the consensus with talking about how much you love science/research and having that be the majority of your PS, they'll question why you don't pursue a PhD instead.

Exactly. You need to show your motivation for medicine (MD), as opposed to any other health care or science career. My essay of course showed aspects of my love for science, but you need to center it around something that shows your passion for this field in particular.

 

[chaim123]

Oh. Idk. Maybe I'm misintepretting these articles. However, do you know if it's a bad thing to talk about why you love medicine and why you find it so fascinating and combining that with your desire to help others?

I often evaluate personal statements for applicants. Feel free to PM me for some idividual feedback.

 

[907914]

I use science as an introduction to the PS, but that’s about it. Like “The lab was my first insight in to the science of the human body...but the application of science was not enough and so I pursued X.”

You can pursue science in many jobs and it is not specific to science.

 

[Dwight Snoot]

I think its more the fact that everyone who is applying loves science and so many people write about it in their PS. You can certainly mention it, but don't write your whole PS about this because you will not stick out to anyone.

 

[LizzyM]

Two basic approaches to the most common PS: 1) you love science and want to apply scientific knowledge to help people. 2) you have known people who have been sick or injured and you felt compassion and a desire to help them and using medical science to do so seems to make sense.

 

[chemdoctor]

Two basic approaches to the most common PS: 1) you love science and want to apply scientific knowledge to help people. 2) you have known people who have been sick or injured and you felt compassion and a desire to help them and using medical science to do so seems to make sense.

But couldn’t any adcom counter both those things with “why not go PA? NP?” They help people and use medical science too. Why do you want to be a DOCTOR?

 

[NYCVillain]

You can write about it as long as you talk about how you want to apply it to help others

 

[dr_kateb]

Aside from the reasons that adcoms don't want to hear/will reject you immediately for, there are pretty much two reasons:

Liking science: specifically the human body. You have to put it in a way that has a lot of thought put into it and can't be something you decided on a whim.

Helping people: not a good reason BY ITSELF. Plenty of professions help other people. You don't go to 4 years UG, 4 years med school, 3+ years residency (also add $200k+ in debt for med school, getting paid jack **** in residency) to help people. No one is that selfless. Gonna have to tie it with something else.

 

[LizzyM]

But couldn’t any adcom counter both those things with “why not go PA? NP?” They help people and use medical science too. Why do you want to be a DOCTOR?

I've never heard an adcom ask that if the applicant is in the top 20% of the applicant pool. (Which is pretty much anyone whose ever gotten an interview at my school.) If you are closer to the median in the national pool of pre-meds, you might get that question and you should think about what your answer would be.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

Two basic approaches to the most common PS: 1) you love science and want to apply scientific knowledge to help people. 2) you have known people who have been sick or injured and you felt compassion and a desire to help them and using medical science to do so seems to make sense.

Are you saying then that an applicant can’t write a PS using those approaches because they’re common?

I used approach 1 but made it personal but adding personal anecdotes to really explain that passion and desire to help people. Is that fine?

 

[theKingLT]

Aside from the reasons that adcoms don't want to hear/will reject you immediately for, there are pretty much two reasons:

Liking science: specifically the human body. You have to put it in a way that has a lot of thought put into it and can't be something you decided on a whim.

Helping people: not a good reason BY ITSELF. Plenty of professions help other people. You don't go to 4 years UG, 4 years med school, 3+ years residency (also add $200k+ in debt for med school, getting paid jack **** in residency) to help people. No one is that selfless. Gonna have to tie it with something else.

I didn't talk about either of those reasons and got plenty of interview invites. Applicants should just be honest and support their statements with anecdotes. It's the experiences that make it good/stand out, not the base argument

 

[LizzyM]

Are you saying then that an applicant can’t write a PS using those approaches because they’re common?

I used approach 1 but made it personal but adding personal anecdotes to really explain that passion and desire to help people. Is that fine?

No, I'm not saying that at all. At least 80% of PSs are ho-hum and are based on common themes but if we didn't take at least some of those essay writers, we wouldn't have much to choose from (about 10% are exceptionally good and 10% are horrid).

 

[chemdoctor]

No, I'm not saying that at all. At least 80% of PSs are ho-hum and are based on common themes but if we didn't take at least some of those essay writers, we wouldn't have much to choose from (about 10% are exceptionally good and 10% are horrid).

What are some of the trends you see in the horrid ones? Anyone that says they are going into medicine for the six figure salary?

 

[LizzyM]

What are some of the trends you see in the horrid ones? Anyone that says they are going into medicine for the six figure salary?

Mostly those who would be better suited to writing screenplays involving lights, sirens and 911 emergencies. Also the "let me give you my biography" which involves every junior high science fair and spelling bee accomplishment or a family history of the practice of medicine going back nine generations.

 

[brownsfan999]

What are some of the trends you see in the horrid ones? Anyone that says they are going into medicine for the six figure salary?

Just search this site, you'll find some gems (beware of trolls). A few weeks ago someone was talking about removing the vaginal canal and poking the cervix of a deceased patient in the opening to their PS.

 

[907914]

Yah, the biggest thing I learned from that is that your university writers center will have a different idea of “show don’t tell” than ADCOMS are looking for. And sometimes, common sense is better than the advice of a writer. Basically, if it is something that you have to question whether or not should be in there, then it probably shouldn’t be in there. As one of the ADCOMS on here likes to put it:

“The best personal statement is one that is pleasantly forgettable.”

Just search this site, you'll find some gems (beware of trolls). A few weeks ago someone was talking about removing the vaginal canal and poking the cervix of a deceased patient in the opening to their PS.

 

[chemdoctor]

Mostly those who would be better suited to writing screenplays involving lights, sirens and 911 emergencies. Also the "let me give you my biography" which involves every junior high science fair and spelling bee accomplishment or a family history of the practice of medicine going back nine generations.

yeah. Best to be concise and straight to the point instead of making it sound all fairy tale-ish

 

[chemdoctor]

Yah, the biggest thing I learned from that is that your university writers center will have a different idea of “show don’t tell” than ADCOMS are looking for. And sometimes, common sense is better than the advice of a writer. Basically, if it is something that you have to question whether or not should be in there, then it probably shouldn’t be in there. As one of the ADCOMS on here likes to put it:

“The best personal statement is one that is pleasantly forgettable.”

Yeah... it’s for why medicine, why you and how you came to that decision to quote @Goro

 

[dr_kateb]

I didn't talk about either of those reasons and got plenty of interview invites. Applicants should just be honest and support their statements with anecdotes. It's the experiences that make it good/stand out, not the base argument

What was your reason, if you’re willing to share?

 

[theKingLT]

What was your reason, if you’re willing to share?

I talked about other aspects of medicine like teamwork, challenges, and constant learning

 

[chemdoctor]

I talked about other aspects of medicine like teamwork, challenges, and constant learning

Oh yeah. I would think that talking about how you love working in a team would reflect well... For me, I just feel like it's hard to come up with a convincing argument that stands out. Any time I think of an example I could include in a hypothetical PS, I think well what if the adcom says "why don't you just go become a nurse? They help people, work in teams, etc" and the truth is I don't really have an answer.

I guess talking about how you like to be a leader and delegate tasks, as well as be in an authoritative role in a team would be better? idk. I'm a year away from applying so...

 

[theKingLT]

Oh yeah. I would think that talking about how you love working in a team would reflect well... For me, I just feel like it's hard to come up with a convincing argument that stands out. Any time I think of an example I could include in a hypothetical PS, I think well what if the adcom says "why don't you just go become a nurse? They help people, work in teams, etc" and the truth is I don't really have an answer.

I guess talking about how you like to be a leader and delegate tasks, as well as be in an authoritative role in a team would be better? idk. I'm a year away from applying so...

There's always a different job you could be doing. I can think of 10 different jobs off the top of my head that I would love doing, and I think the idea that medicine has to be your "one true love" is BS. I also dont think you need a single passion that stands above the rest and draws you solely towards medicine. Just talk about your path towards medicine and show that you know what it's like to work in medicine and why that job suits you. A collection of smaller characteristics that have to do with day to day life of a physician is just as good if not better than some heart wrenching tale about how your X loved one battled Y disease or how you're overwhelming passionate about the human body. That stuff isn't going to keep you going when you're a first year resident just trying to survive to the next day. Finally, don't worry about crafting your PS so that it is "inpregnable" to probing interviewers. If your asked a question like why not nursing just answer honestly and in a way that shows you know the difference between the 2 roles in a clinical setting.

BTW in 12 interviews I've only been asked "why not (insert other profession)" twice. The first because I specifically said I would be a teacher if medicine wasn't an option and the 2nd because I have lots of experience in EMS