PS.. main idea and thesis necessary?

[brokeninnosense]

So, I showed my personal statement to my english professor to get feedback. She liked my ideas, but she said that I needed to have one main idea per paragraph and then relate it back to one main theme. I know she's an English prof, so she's used to really structures essays. Should the PS be a super structured essay? Or is getting your point across and you having good flow enough?

I showed my Bio professor the same essay, and she didn't mention any of that.

What do you guys think?

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[capn jazz]

Your PS should have an overarching theme, and each paragraph should deal with one point related to that theme. That's generally how any form of essay writing goes.

 

[theseeker4]

Your PS should have an overarching theme, and each paragraph should deal with one point related to that theme. That's generally how any form of essay writing goes.

I agree with this. For an essay of this type to actually have good flow and be coherent, you really need to follow the standard format for essays. It shouldn't be all that difficult to separate main points into independent paragraphs, and obviously everything you say should relate to "why medicine?" so the overarching theme shouldn't be a problem at all.

 

[GreenStyle]

I agree with this. For an essay of this type to actually have good flow and be coherent, you really need to follow the standard format for essays. It shouldn't be all that difficult to separate main points into independent paragraphs, and obviously everything you say should relate to "why medicine?" so the overarching theme shouldn't be a problem at all.

If the reader needs to read it more than once to understand anything, including the theme and how everything relates, you failed.

Structure is pretty essential.

Good luck~.

 

[kpcrew]

theme: why i want to become a doctor

 

[alexrgross]

I like to think of the essay as an upside down triangle, and each paragraph the same way.

Think of an idea, start out very wide in scope in the first paragraph. Then get narrower in scope as you develop the idea. At the end, be saying something very specific about the idea.

The essay does not need to tie back into the first paragraph at the end of each P, but it does need thesis, body, and conclusion.

 

[OwlPower22]

Your PS should have an overarching theme, and each paragraph should deal with one point related to that theme. That's generally how any form of essay writing goes.

Correct. The overarching theme gives the essay coherence. At the beginning and end of each paragraph, you should mention how this paragraph lends credence to your theme/thesis. Then for the conclusion, wrap everything up nicely by summarizing what you learned from your experiences, how you felt, etc.

 

[Narmerguy]

Don't get carried away with what some of the users are suggesting. You want your overall message to be consistent, but it doesn't have to be so structured that the last line in every paragraph is stating this message or something. Just make sure each paragraph logically flows into the next and that all your paragraphs support your main point.

 

[alexrgross]

Don't get carried away with what some of the users are suggesting. You want your overall message to be consistent, but it doesn't have to be so structured that the last line in every paragraph is stating this message or something. Just make sure each paragraph logically flows into the next and that all your paragraphs support your main point.

Yeah. The essay should communicate one idea. You are free to use the paragraphs in anyway to draw the reader into your understanding of the one idea.

For example, you could just write a choronography detailing "why medicine", and have each paragraph dealing with entirely different aspects of the one idea.
Do not get caught up on "I have to use each paragraph to support or link into the first paragraph"

 

[OwlPower22]

Yeah. The essay should communicate one idea. You are free to use the paragraphs in anyway to draw the reader into your understanding of the one idea.

For example, you could just write a choronography detailing "why medicine", and have each paragraph dealing with entirely different aspects of the one idea.
Do not get caught up on "I have to use each paragraph to support or link into the first paragraph"

Yea, you both have a good point. It's just that two times I went to a writing tutor, they told me to begin and end each paragraph with a transition that sort of restates the thesis. The reasoning is that adcoms only take a few minutes to read your paper, so if the paragraphs do not support your theme, or if they don't see the connection between the body paragraphs and your theme, then they will get confused. I have a feeling that people remember best the first and last sentences of each paragraph. I do agree that you don't have to write this way. Write however comes naturally to you.