personal statment question

[Quickread]

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hey guys-

i've been reading alot about personal statment recommendations here and some other places as well, and i seem to be getting two different ideas of what the personal statment should be. i tried writing my own and found that trying to encapsulate me in that little a space is pretty difficult. so, what do you think, should the statement read "why i want to be a doctor" or "i think i can be a good doctor because of these life experiences..." thanks for your opinions, i'll be sure to take them all with a grain of salt. 😀

p.s. what is the exact limit for the amcas personal statement?

 

[UCLAMAN]

I'd say you want to try and include both...the bottom line being what would make you a good asset to the medical profession.

 

[manicmaven]

I like the second one. I didn't have one line in my personal statement about why I want to be a doctor. It came through in the descriptions of my ECs, but I just wrote about a cool volunteering experience I had. Got me 7 interviews, so it can be done. Just make sure it's interesting and says something about the unique person you are.

 

[canadagirl]

How important is the personal statement, really? I really have no clue, but for some reason I had thought that GPA/MCAT would be most important, then interview, then extracurriculars, then secondary essays, and then LOR's and Personal Statement very last...... am I way off base??

 

[surge]

Your numbers will get you thru the door.

At good schools, however, there will always be people with numbers better than yours. Especially at top schools and very competitive programs (i.e. MD/PhD), there will be more highly qualified applicants than they have room for.

It's going to be your experiences and motivation - and how you talk about them in your statement and interviews - that's going to set you apart from other applicants.

I think underestimating the importance of the personal statement is one of the most common mistakes made.

I'm convinced it was my statement and the interviews that got me in.

 

[Bostonienses]

Well, think about it; medical schools want to accept people who want to be doctors not because they want the prestige or anything like that. I think that they want to know what really drives you to be a doctor. Sure, LOR's and EC's can sort of show them how driven you are and things like that, but you wouldn't BELIEVE the amount of people who volunteer and do other stuff just because that's what you need to do to get into medical school. A personal statement will provide your (possible) future interviewer with an idea of "who are you" and that might get incorporated into your interview and make you stand out. So yeah, I think that your personal statement should be given a lot of thought... What does everyone else think?

 

[XCanadianRagwee]

The AMCAS personal statement length is 5,300 characters (spaces do count).

If you use all 5,300 characters it ends up being 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pages long.

 

[sunflower79]

Originally posted by Quickread
so, what do you think, should the statement read "why i want to be a doctor" or "i think i can be a good doctor because of these life experiences..." thanks for your opinions, i'll be sure to take them all with a grain of salt. 😀

p.s. what is the exact limit for the amcas personal statement?

easy question first: amcas allows 5300 chars I think.

I actually think the first theme is better. It sounds more sincere than the second, and by talking about the first you will actually demonstrate the second.

The most important thing is actually neither of these. As I've said, everyone has a unique story about their interest in/path towards medicine. Find it and tell it.

Good luck!

 

[UCLAMAN]

Originally posted by canadagirl
How important is the personal statement, really? I really have no clue, but for some reason I had thought that GPA/MCAT would be most important, then interview, then extracurriculars, then secondary essays, and then LOR's and Personal Statement very last...... am I way off base??

I'd say you are way off base. The personal statement is very very important. During interviews most questions are derived from you rpersonal statement(if it is open file) and if it is closed file the questions they usually ask deal with the same intangibles people usually write about in their personal statement. The interview is never about the numbers. It usually deals with who you are as a person which is best reflected by your personal statement. GPA and MCAT is certainly the first factor looked at....but then from there...its all about your personal statement, accomplishments, and experiences. Your personal statement is usually what brings life to your accomplishments and experiences. This is what will get you the interview. And even during the interview they still talk about your personal statement.

 

[kreno]

Your personal statement is what you make of it... that is, if it's an average okay personal statement... it won't hurt your admission anywhere. BUt if you really make an effort to make it really good, thought provocating, and unique... it can really get you an edge. For me, it was the starting point of most my interviews...

Also, as a personal note, i really took the personal statement "personally" so to speak. LIke, I have always known I wanted to be a physician, but it wasn't until I sat down and started writing the ps that I really had an opportunitity to do self-reflecting and really realize and organize my ideas on what i wanted to do with my life and why.

Some people write their statements quickly... in a few days, others take a lot longer. I actually started a working draft of my statement well over a year I applied, and it evolved as I had time to think about my motivations, ideals, and such. In the end, it turned out great, and not surprisingly totally different than my first.

kreon

 

[surge]

Kreno, I had the EXACT same experience. I know exactly what you mean.
It took me several months to write mine, and - as difficult as it was - it was a process I gained more from than just an acceptance letter.

 

[sunflower79]

Originally posted by surge
Kreno, I had the EXACT same experience. I know exactly what you mean.
It took me several months to write mine, and - as difficult as it was - it was a process I gained more from than just an acceptance letter.

me too!

in my biased opinion, these make the best essays. They will ooze with sincerity and self-knowledge. And probably they will anchor you when you're studying for boards and beating yourself with the books, asking "what did I sign up for?!!!" 🙂

 

[canadagirl]

Wow, thanks everybody for your comments. That's very helpful!

 

[Quickread]

thanks everyone and BuMp

 

[paramed2premed]

I have heard so much analysis of the personal statement, of the myriad ways to tweak it for maximum "admissability." Kreno, sunflower, and Surge have convinced me that I am not overly-sentimental about the application process.

The application process is difficult because it forces us to rexamine our lives; where we have been and where we want to go, and are we both able and worthy to go to med school?

In some ways, I can appreciate the ardous application process. I have refined my motivations, come to terms with many decisions in my past, and have reconnected with many people in my life (and asked them for LORs!). My personal statement was oddly akin to writing my own epitaph.

Carry around a notebook, index cards, a PDA, and jot down thoughts whenever they occur to you. Write many "mini-essays." Eventually you'll stumble across what your personal theme should be. You'll know when you get the essay right.

One more hint: don't over do it with the hardcore sex and senseless violence in the essay; just a touch is all you need. 😉

 

[Allygator89]

Originally posted by paramed2premed

One more hint: don't over do it with the hardcore sex and senseless violence in the essay; just a touch is all you need. 😉

Dang it! That's what I forgot! No wonder I am waitlisted.

😀

 

[carrigallen]

Originally posted by Allygator89
Dang it! That's what I forgot! No wonder I am waitlisted.

😀

LMAO

btw, these questions have been asked so many times, we should just tell these new posters to use the search function, instead of babying them.

 

[Valinor]

Awwwwww but i like being babied

 

[sunflower79]

Originally posted by paramed2premed
...The application process is difficult because it forces us to rexamine our lives; where we have been and where we want to go, and are we both able and worthy to go to med school?

...

Carry around a notebook, index cards, a PDA, and jot down thoughts whenever they occur to you. Write many "mini-essays." Eventually you'll stumble across what your personal theme should be. You'll know when you get the essay right.

Hear hear!

Journaling helped me immensely in writing the PS. Had I not done this for months, I would not have been able to get the bulk of the essay in half a day.

EDITING is also VERY important. It will make or break your essay. Be concise, not long-winded (important if you ramble like me). Make sure every word does work.

Good luck!

 

[xaelia]

Well, I had abysmal undergraduate grades, a face-saving MCAT, and ECs bereft of medical experience, and I'm pretty sure my personal statement was key (in addition to the volume of schools I applied to) in getting my fifteen interviews.

I'm pretty sure most medical school essays have been screened by advisors and friends and parents through the process, and (I may be overly optimistic here) only the bottom 15% are so insufficient that they actually count against the application. And, my further guess is that everyone has read those articles their premedical advisors hand out with sample personal statement essays, and have gone and written a conservatively structured essay along the formula introduction-->life experience-->insight into self-->summary: I want to be a doctor.

Not that there's anything wrong with that content, it was simply my thought as I sat down to write it that "damn, those poor admissions people have to read so many similar-sounding essays." My essay was such a departure from form into meandering storytelling that my premed advisor told me "not a chance", and I'm glad I didn't listen to her. I basically wanted something that might actually be different and enjoyable to read, and it was a lot more fun writing that sort of essay than the prototypical personal statement.

In summation: if you have confidence in your writing abilities, have fun with it! Make it different, creative, and interesting, and you'll have your interviewers happily complimenting you on your personal statement.