Personal Statement

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AA|FCB|DOC

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Hi all,

I am trying to get started on the difficult process of writing a personal statement. I was wondering if people have access to some examples. I know the Carver College has some, but I do not have access to their website so I wanted to see if anyone can PM me those or any other excellent examples.

Also, do you guys think writing a personal statement without some crazy amazing creative story will automatically make it difficult to write. I do not have some insanely unique story like traveling abroad and helping people who are going blind, or personal history of some ophthalmic disease. So I am trying to think of ways to approach this. Any help is appreciated!

Thanks

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Boards study break. Forgive me if this post is just a stream of consciousness.

I think personal statements for the most part are meant to be pretty ordinary unless you're an amazing creative writer. What you don't want is to be noticed for having an inappropriate or off the wall personal statement. You also don't want to come off as arrogant or eccentric.

Some people have a personal story with something happening near and dear to them, others have some mission trip where they watched pretty cool surgery or helped give out glasses, but many have something that happened in med school or exposure to a mentor that just got them really interested. This is totally fine. Most people write a chronological statement about why Ophtho? what activities they did that furthered that interest. and then what they want going forward. Others take it as a biographical sketch where they write why Ophtho and a lot about who they are and tie that together. Obviously it varies person to person.

If you're not on the list to winning a Pulitzer Prize and don't have this amazing story of adversity or a particularly unique background, then I recommend starting by answering the following questions:
1) How did I get interested?
2) Why do I like the field?
3) Are there other activities that I do that help back up my interest?
4) Are there other activities or experiences that indicate I would be well-suited for this field?
5) What am I looking for in a residency program?

If you start with those things, that should give you a sense of who you are and why you are interested and then maybe a starting point.

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Probably the least important part of the application, but the one that everyone understandably ends up spending the most time on (except the time waiting for your reference letters!). Some faculty make a point in not reading the personal statement at all. Most will at least skim through it, and very few place emphasis on it. Generic is totally fine, and what I would recommend. Being "too creative" can hurt you. Amazing stories are nice, but never try to fake one.
 
The personal statement is almost a trap. Everyone wants to be "noticed," but in my experience reviewing applications people are most often noticed for the wrong reasons. The risk/reward ratio for a unique personal statement isn't favorable in my opinion unless you have some amazing story. I have definitely read a handful of statements that blew me away. That said, most are forgettable...but that's fine. No one is going to choose you based on your personal statement. It is more of a control in the process to screen out weird/out of touch people imo.
 
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