psychiatry personal statements

I asked the PD of the psych program at my med school when I was writing mine last year. He said "write about what makes you you." Which sounds very cliche, so I asked him to clarify. He said that when he was reading these statements, he wanted to know how the person got to the point they are now, what their motivations were and how they developed. He did NOT want to read a list of reasons why psychiatry was the greatest field on earth, and he had a particular pet peeve about personal statements that start off with a story about a difficult patient and how you the medical student were the only person on the whole treatment team who was able to sniff out their subtle psychiatric issues.

Anyway, I thought it was good advice. I started to think about my parents and how my attitude towards learning developed from them, and after that it just flowed.

Good luck!

 

There are folks out there who will count the number of "I" statements made as an assessment of possible narcissism. Not saying it's meaningful, but people do it.

In terms of getting started, recalling the moment you started to think about psychiatry as a career option cen be helpful... try to capture that "Aha!" moment.

 

So how many "I's" are too many? In the interests of good writing, I try to limit the number of times I use that term. However, it is a personal statement, so a certain number of "I's" are necessary...I'm not sure if we are talking about people who start every sentence with "I" or if it is something more subtle than that.

 

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So what if you are like me and have always known psychiatry was your passion and interest (I'm still an undergrad)? Do you say that after all those years of undergrad and med school? What about med school interviews? Do you say that you have a relentless passion for a specific field b/c you honestly do, or do you play it up and make it sound like you don't really know and you could go in any direction (considering I do love medicine in general and look forward to all of the different experiences I will encounter)? It all seems so contradicting in a way.

 

Always? You must've wanted to be a vet or a police officer or a ballerina or something first. Writing about making the decision as a 10 year old (and why you made it) would be a pretty cool start.

 

I'd shoot for 8 or less, definitely avoid double digits.

 

Hi Guys,
Just wondering I plan on pursuing a psych residency with plans of going into child psych. Should I address that in my personal statement? Or should I be more general in my reasons for pursuing psychiatry?

 

Don't say that you love the field of medicine so much, that you read the NEJM while on the can.

No joke. Saw it with my own eyes.

 

You saw them on the can?