Regarding Personal Statement for MSTP applicants

[byong_soo]

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Hello everyone~~

has anyone watched da vinci code movie? any comments? trying to figure out what movie to watch with my gf this weekend! so many good ones out there! keke

i'm sorry for distraction hehe. but my real question is regarding personal statement. I'm just starting to work on it (yea i know really late TT), but I randomly heard that an MSTP applicant I shouldn't talk too much about my research in my PS because I will be talking more about it in additional two essays. Conflicts are these. First, I do think research is what I like to do and is one of the key reasons that shaped my decision to pursue medicine. Despite this, should I not talk about it still? And Secondly, more complication comes from the fact that I am not applying for MSTP only. I am probably gonna apply for research-oriented MD programs such as HST, etc. And for these schools, they are not gonna see my other 2 mstp essays. so without putting research stories in my PS, they won't read em!

So I think I would like to include despite repetition problem. What do you experts think???

👍 or 👎 ?
😕

 

[CaipirinhaQuinho]

Talk about your clinical experiences in the PS, why science and research in your md/phd statement, and obviously research in the research essay...it's that simple. haha, good luck.

 

[Maebea]

You should mention your interest in research in your PS because, as you point out, the schools that you apply MD-only will not see your MD-PhD statements. I would spend no more than a paragraph on it, describe it in broad terms, and tie it into your interest in medicine and your ultimate career goals. Some of the secondary applications may give you an opportunity to describe your research in a little more detail.

 

[dfsdiego]

i think the research is worth mentioning in the PS as something that has made you more excited about medicine...but certainly no need to elaborate on your research specifics (that's for the research essay). my PS focused on my personal development of an interest in medicine (research was just a small part of that) and it seemed to work well for me. good luck...and you are not starting on it late by any means. start working on those deep breaths and not asssuming you are behind in the game now becuase it is indeed a long process. all the best!

 

[JimiThing]

Just to make sure the horse we are beating with these essay questions is "not only merely dead, but really most sincerely dead*"

How cute should we get with the MD/PhD essay? Everyone says your supposed to make your personal statement "memorable", but at 3000 characters, it doesn't seem as if there is enough space to do that with this essay and not sound too immature or uncommitted.

 

[Thundrstorm]

Re: a "cute" or memorable MD/PhD statement. I opened mine with kind of a joke, and many of my interviews said they were really amused by it. I'll go ahead and post my opening here bc it's very unique to me, and I doubt anyone would copy it:

"My sisters say that I was born utterly lacking grace. I trip over my own feet. I walk into doors. I drop things. I lack any semblance of hand-eye coordination. Yet, in the context of the lab, the sure-handed scientist in me takes over. It could be practice, or perhaps my fear of ruining an important experiment, but it seems to me that I have found the thing that I am absolutely meant to do, and so I can't help but do it well. Of course, doing something well is not a sufficient reason to devote your life to it. I am fortunate in that my natural skills match perfectly with my true passions; I am genuinely fulfilled and excited by scientific research. ...[blah blah blah. I love research. blah blah blah I love medicine. blah blah blah]"

 

[Shatterstar17]

I tried to pattern mine around the point when I knew (really knew) I wanted to pursue the MD/PhD. I think it succeeded at being personal without being cheesy but also having a decent narrative. I was surprised how little spce there was to write it. That may have been my most heavily edited of the three.

Re: a "cute" or memorable MD/PhD statement. I opened mine with kind of a joke, and many of my interviews said they were really amused by it. I'll go ahead and post my opening here bc it's very unique to me, and I doubt anyone would copy it: