Personal Statement

[baylorbear333]

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Hey all, just a thread about personal statements. What did you write about in yours, how you feel about them, anything! 👍

 

[SB25]

I framed my PS around an experience I had shadowing an oncologist. While the main focus of the paper was that experience and specifically facing my fear of dealing with death as a physician, I was also able to intertwine other stuff about me, like what led me to medicine, what characteristics I have that are good for doctors to have and how I developed those traits through my activities, that I was offered a research position but had to refuse it due to some extenuating circumstances, ect. I feel like it was good. It was good enough to get me in, anyway!

I think the key to a good PS is finding a good frame to work with where you can talk about other things while still maintaining the theme of your paper. I don't know if that makes any sense. For example, I originally tried to write my PS using my experiences as a hockey player as a frame. I tried to incorporate all the same things that I just talked about, but it just didn't flow right. I said the exact same things in my final draft as that original, but by changing the frame, it sounded a thousand times better. Hope this helps!

 

[swamprat]

i hate this part of the application. i've been working on mine for like a month, had a finished copy.. hated it so im starting fresh again. i have 1 sentence. i really thought this would be easier, i definitely underestimated it.

 

[987]

It is very IMPORTANT!!!! I wrote mine about the sacrafices that have been made by others to get me where I am and why I want to be a doctor.

 

[GoSpursGo]

This thread is really more appropriate for the general Pre-Allo forum. I'll move it there 🙂

 

[Artful Dodger]

Don't have the feeling of dread when you write your personal statement!

Structure it the way you want, but make sure it says exactly what you want it to say. Write from your heart; not from your mind...I wrote one for pharmacy school not too long ago...and really, the main things I addressed were a short description of where I'm coming from (volunteering, investigation of the field, my perception), why I wanted to go into a particular school of training (so here it would be "why medicine?" - 1 paragraph should do it), and what I can bring (personally - exclusively and inclusively)...It's very easy to write. Just make it unique...sit down a few hours every day (for a week) making lists & outlines...then write the 1 pager!

Finally, enjoy this part of the application. It's hard to write about yourself. Sometimes, what I do, is pull out a voice recorder & talk instead of write...Then, I rewind & transcribe everything on paper or computer. I guess if you really hate writing, you should try this! Best way to get your words down on paper, in my opinion. And honest to God, I'm not a gifted writer: All I need is confidence & ideas when I write...most Adcoms are not english majors, so I'm sure they're willing to overlook some things (I'm sure they'll let a "&" or hypen slide...don't panic if it isn't the most perfect paper. Like I said, make it say what you want it to say, and you're A-Ok!)

Good luck.

 

[drelizabeth292]

i talked about my childhood in the dominican republic and how i learned important lessons from my mom and about health care in general. i then went on to discuss my volunteer experiences in a free clinic, followed by a little bit of shadowing/research and then ended with a reflection back to the story that i discussed in the first paragraph.

recap-i pretty much talked about my childhood and then the most important premed activities that i was involved in while still relating it to my motivation for a career in medicine. sounds easier than it actually was!

 

[spelledout]

this is the one area of your application where you get to show a little of your personality before being invited for an interview (unless you count your activites section - we're all premed, we've overloaded on volunteer and research and shadowing).

i framed mine around a musician and compared my attributes and qualities to his playing style. i did this because i didn't have any wonderful thing that set me apart or any realization moment where i discovered my desire to be a doctor. i think that as long as you are able to explain why you want to be a doctor and can show your personality clearly through the statement, you should be fine.

you're starting your statement early, which is great. you've got plenty of time to think about it and rewrite it and revise it.

 

[TexasPhysician]

I wrote about one of my medical mission trips.

 

[riceman04]

I framed mine around an experience I had while taking a clin research in emer. med class and how it made me reflect on my path towards pursuing a career as a physician and how the most recent experience added a "piece to the puzzle" (if you will).