Post Bacc Personal Statement

[CaptRestless]

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When you write a personal statement for post bacc applications are you supposed to explain why you want to be a physician? Or is it simply to explain your interest in the program and not your med school goals? How important is this statement? I'm sure I want to study the pre-health courses but I'm not sure what I should write. I have a rough draft, but it may be overkill.

I've been in the Finance and Accounting field for over 10 years and have had enough.

p.s. Can someone link me to the personal statement reader section?

 

[easyrock]

The personal statement is just as important as the other major components: GPA and MCAT/GRE (if needed). It allows you to freely express and distinguish yourself from other applicants. I would focus on three things:

1. Your background
2. Motivation for medicine
3. Educational goals (go to medschool, research, dentistry)

I wouldn't worry too much about explaining why you want to go to the post-bac program. A few short lines shoudl be adequate because it's pretty obvious why people want to go to these specific programs ie. raise GPA, change careers, go to med school.
My background is similar to yours. I spent my college years and a few after working at a financial firm. It was more as a means of making a living, not that I had any love for it. But I did learn quite a bit that I found helpful in healthcare. Turns out that getting a full patient history and treating someone was just as tricky as getting all of their financial history and having them trust you with planning their retirement, haha. That was a small part of what I presented in my statement.
Lastly, a major thing to keep in mind as you write is to relate everything back to why you'll be successful in medicine. That way your writing will be much more focused and effective.

 

[CaptRestless]

Thanks easyrock.