• The 2026-2027 DO School Specific Threads are now available in the School Specific Discussions forum. The 2025-2026 discussions are now available in the prior year discussions forum.
  • Bring your 2026 application questions to our open office hours with Emil Chuck, PhD, Director of Advising Services for HPSA, and get them answered live. Personal statements, secondaries, interview prep, school list strategy. Sunday, May 17 at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Reapplying: Personal Statement

Started by DD214_DOC
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

DD214_DOC

Full Member
20+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I'm trying to decide what to do with my PS. The people who reviewed it thought it was really good. I did get 3 interviews out of 3 applications with mediocre numbers. I'm wondering if I should submit the same PS, change it a little, or write a new one. I don't really like messing with something if it isn't broken.

Is making a new PS more or less the "standard" for reapplying?
 
That's a tough question. If you are reapplying to the same schools, it would seem that you should at least comment in your PS about what has changed since you last applied that makes you a stronger applicant.
 
I would say at very least that you should update the personal statement from last year with new acheivements. I personally would try to brain storm and draft a new one, and then if you liked the old one better bring in some of the old elements from that one. I think that it would look really bad if they had kept a copy of an old application and you sent in the exact same essay.
 
I reapplied this year and I don't believe in totally changing your PS. I know that I did not become a totally different person or have new reasons for becoming a doctor. I wanted to get across that I was still the same person, but I have done a few things since last year. I think i added one paragragh and a few minor changes elsewhere and it worked this time!
 
JKDMed said:
Good to hear. I think I'm going to change it a bit but not totally rewrite it.

JKD this isn't really for you... and it's kind of a duplicate post, but i'm trying to save as many SDN'ers money as possible!!

I was going thru my junk mail, and found this coupon... I don't know if accepted.com is better/worse/different than essay edge (i didnt' use either of them), but here's a $50 coupon...

"Save $50 off your next purchase of any accepted.com service"

"To save $50, visit www.accepted.com/egrad and provide Coupon Code 125471 during the checkout process."

:luck: Best of luck! :luck: