Phrasing for personal statement

[gp2]

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Hi everyone. I am currently drafting my personal statement and I have tried looking through the personal statement threads here. My main question is about appropriate phrasing for dropping out and also DUI arrests. I know that the personal statement is where these things should be addressed and so I am wondering if there right way to refer to these or words that should be used. Thank you!

 

[Rogue42]

Hi everyone. I am currently drafting my personal statement and I have tried looking through the personal statement threads here. My main question is about appropriate phrasing for dropping out and also DUI arrests. I know that the personal statement is where these things should be addressed and so I am wondering if there right way to refer to these or words that should be used. Thank you!

DUI arrest would not show up - a DUI misdemeanor or felony would. Its a deep hole to climb out of, but the best thing to do is own the situation. I would not know how to phrase that. There are a lot of secondaries out there that ask for you to explain things that you think need to be explained, so I would make sure it's something that you want to put into a personal statement.

 

[gp2]

DUI arrest would not show up - a DUI misdemeanor or felony would. Its a deep hole to climb out of, but the best thing to do is own the situation. I would not know how to phrase that. There are a lot of secondaries out there that ask for you to explain things that you think need to be explained, so I would make sure it's something that you want to put into a personal statement.

Sorry, it was a DUI misdemeanor. I am focusing on my sobriety and the recovery process, and my involvement with the sober community and people in recovery. This involvement has been a major influence to pursue medicine, so this was my reasoning for adding it to the PS.

 

[de Ribas]

Sorry, it was a DUI misdemeanor. I am focusing on my sobriety and the recovery process, and my involvement with the sober community and people in recovery. This involvement has been a major influence to pursue medicine, so this was my reasoning for adding it to the PS.

I would guess PS is not a place to discuss a DUI or dropping out. Dropping out can be discussed during secondaries. Where they usually ask similar questions or explain any gap years. For DUIs and such, you include these during the app and there is a place to explain.

 

[TheRealCookieMonster]

IMO If it's has influenced your decision to pursue a career in medicine in a major way it should go in your PS, don't just hang out your dirty laundry. Keeping in mind you need to make that journey from DUI drop out to medical school graduate level character in ~5000cc so don't wait a second to introduce it, get it out of the way and begin building a case for why you're a new person. I don't know your deal, but those would be the first words of my paper. I hope this is for next cycle... PS should really be started like 3-6months before time to submit.

--> You need @gyngyn and/or @Goro for this though. The moderators are going to give the best advice for something so heavy.

 

[gp2]

Thank you for responding. I have been working on this already for the last month and plan to submit in September when I get my MCAT score. The basic structure of what I want to say is to explain my reasons for dropping out, my DUI, and then how my own sobriety and my work with the transgender/LGBT community helped show me how I can make a difference through medicine by working with these communities and becoming knowledgeable on their related healthcare concerns. I am hoping that it sounds appropriate and not like airing out dirty laundry.

I would be okay with not specifically mentioning dropping out or the DUI in the PS. But I feel like the aftermath of both of them does shape how I perceive medicine and that my perspective is different than a more traditional route. I also don't want to seem like I am avoiding the topics.

I would guess PS is not a place to discuss a DUI or dropping out. Dropping out can be discussed during secondaries. Where they usually ask similar questions or explain any gap years. For DUIs and such, you include these during the app and there is a place to explain.

IMO If it's has influenced your decision to pursue a career in medicine in a major way it should go in your PS, don't just hang out your dirty laundry. Keeping in mind you need to make that journey from DUI drop out to medical school graduate level character in ~5000cc so don't wait a second to introduce it, get it out of the way and begin building a case for why you're a new person. I don't know your deal, but those would be the first words of my paper. I hope this is for next cycle... PS should really be started like 3-6months before time to submit.

--> You need @gyngyn and/or @Goro for this though. The moderators are going to give the best advice for something so heavy.

 

[TheRealCookieMonster]

Sounds like a plan. Be sure to have multiple people review it. Ideally someone who has work on an adcom.

 

[Goro]

Sorry, it was a DUI misdemeanor. I am focusing on my sobriety and the recovery process, and my involvement with the sober community and people in recovery. This involvement has been a major influence to pursue medicine, so this was my reasoning for adding it to the PS.

In this regard, I think it's OK to mention just like you did here.

 

[gp2]

Thank you everyone, this was reassuring.