Like you, I also spent several years in the corporate world before I chose to pursue medicine. Reflecting on those years was a significant part of my personal statement, but only because my story wasn’t really cohesive without it. Early drafts of my PS glossed over this part of my history, but my essay editors (including a former admissions staffer) encouraged me to discuss it in greater detail. I’m happy I did, as I think it added an interesting, unique angle to my statement.
Several schools had secondary prompts where I was able to really elaborate on what those experiences taught me, how they changed me as a person, and how they ultimately helped me prepare for a life in medicine. Even if you don’t discuss your former career in your PS, you will probably want to talk about it in your secondaries. Five years is a long time, and you likely honed skills through your consulting work (professionalism, organization, communication, diplomacy, etc.) that will be quite relevant to your future as a physician. Find a way to show this to the reader through your reflections, where appropriate.
You should be aware that your former career WILL come up in your interviews. I was asked about my professional background in every single interview I attended - the interviewers and I discussed it extensively in some. I had no idea people would be so interested, but they were. One physician was like, “I’ve reviewed 600 personal statements, but I actually remembered yours out of all of them. We don’t often see applicants with this type of background. How on Earth did you end up here?” Make sure you’re prepared to field lots of questions - your interviewers will be curious.
Best of luck to you this cycle.
