personal statement

[rnnpmaybe]

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when did you start writing your PS? I have two years of pre-reqs before I apply, but I'm worried about it and I have ideas when I'm laying in bed trying to sleep at night....

 

[FutureDrB]

I initially wrote mine about 2 years ago and have been modifying it ever since. I still have another 2 years before I apply so I'm sure it'll continued to get modified. Although, I am satisfied with it now.

 

[ChandutheMagici]

when did you start writing your PS? I have two years of pre-reqs before I apply, but I'm worried about it and I have ideas when I'm laying in bed trying to sleep at night....

I wrote mine in a day. Nope, not kidding 😀

 

[LingoLaine]

I wrote mine when I was trying to decide whether or not to go to medical school. Being able to write a convincing personal statement is what helped convince myself that I had a shot.

 

[NTF]

I wrote a draft in April before AMCAS opened in June. Reworked the draft a week before I submitted.

 

[orbiter104]

starting to put together ideas now. not applying until 2011 for fall 2012 so i have plenty of time...so it seems.... 😀

draft, visit, update, revisit, update, start over, new draft, update, draft, revisit, scratch, start over, draft, visit, revisit, update, start over...

 

[Phrenic]

I was having major writer's block so I recruited some help from Jack Daniels and Coca-Cola. I probably had three or four over the course of a few hours while I wrote it (nothing too over the top), then I set it aside for a couple days. When I came back to revise I actually liked the majority of what I had written (with the exception of a few spelling errors) and just had to tweak a few things around.

 

[CultureDoc]

when did you start writing your PS? I have two years of pre-reqs before I apply, but I'm worried about it and I have ideas when I'm laying in bed trying to sleep at night....

I'd defintiely jot down your ideas somewhere (maybe keep a notebook by your bed?). You may want to try writing a draft, but given that you still have a couple of years to be out there, gaining experiences, going through the pre-reqs, etc., I woudl think that draft would change significantly by the time you actually apply.

I've applied twice and both times my PS took me far longer than I ever thought it would to write (and yes, I totally scrapped my first one and rewrote for the second try). How long? 2 months the first time and 3ish the second . . . and that was while trying very hard to get it done quickly. My husband totally didn't get it - he thought I should have been able to knock it out (like a college paper) in a couple of hours. Writing about yourself is hard stuff, though, and you defintiely want to make sure you get it right.

Sooo, I say the more you write and think about the issues at stake now, the easier it will be later. And if nothing else, whatever you write now might not make it into your PS, but it might give you lots of good material for secondary essays! (That would have been a God-send! Particularly when you're doing 20+ apps!) Good luck!

 

[DrJosephKim]

If your phone has a voice recorder feature, use that to take audio notes. Sometimes the best ideas come about when you're driving or walking around.