Quick Personal Statement Question!

[krabbypattychef]

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Hi Guys,

I am writing my personal statement and had a quick question on which activity to write about. I am writing about a club and research, but am confused about what third activity I should choose. I could either write about working as a scribe in NYC during Covid or shadowing a cardiologist. my essay is about cardiovascular disease, so I was thinking in terms of flow the shadow experience would be best, but I talked to my counselor who said the scribing is very impressive and i should talk about that instead. I am also worried everyone else is gonna talk about covid, but know that in previous years, shadowing is a common topic to bring up in ps. Any advice on this? Thank you very much!

 

[jhmmd]

Write about whichever activity was more meaningful to you. If COVID-19 is important to you, you could include that as well--just be sure to put your own spin on it.

 

[krabbypattychef]

Thanks! I was thinking about talking on my shadowing with cardio. Any ideas if most people will talk about COVID this year or shadowing as in previous years?

 

[GreenDuck12]

What type of schools are you targeting? If you’re aiming for research power houses that tend to match in competitive specialties then talking about cardio is fine. If you’re targeting public schools that tend to push folks towards primary care, being too heavy in a particular specialty might cause folks to question if you “fit” their school’s mission.

 

[krabbypattychef]

Ideally, I would want to go to Suny Downstate in brooklyn or u of miami. I should have clarified more. I did talk about working in a primary care clinic focused on nutrition but my essays overall focus is leaning to cardio. I guess Im just struggling choosing a better essay flow over an eye-catching experience like scribing in nyc during covid. Thanks

 

[Sky138]

It’s all in the execution

 

[jhmmd]

Ideally, I would want to go to Suny Downstate in brooklyn or u of miami. I should have clarified more. I did talk about working in a primary care clinic focused on nutrition but my essays overall focus is leaning to cardio. I guess Im just struggling choosing a better essay flow over an eye-catching experience like scribing in nyc during covid. Thanks

What is your state of residence?

 

[GreenDuck12]

Your personal statement doesn't need to describe every experience you have had in medicine. The part of your application where your scribing experience can really stand out is in your experiences section. I am assuming you will list it as one of your three most meaningful experiences, which will give you more space to describe it. If you scribing fits into your "why medicine" narrative of your persona statement then include it. If not, it's ok to mention it briefly or leave it out. Just make sure your personal statement is cohesive.