Revising personal statement

[sushichopstickz]

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I wrote a draft of my personal statement during winter break and now I have the time to revise it during spring break. I have numerous feedbacks, but I just can't seem to get back in the groove. I can't get seem to focus on my paper and find myself laboring over trivial things such as sentence structure and style. Has anyone had this problem and what did you guys do to work it out? I really want to finish my personal statement in the next month or so. Thanks.

 

[Monkey House]

Take a week break from it?

 

[XerxesMD]

Just try to work it out the best you can. Don't worry about grammar, sentence structure, etc. until you know you've gotten across all of the points you wanted to.

That's my only advice. Writing the PS is one of the worst parts of the whole process.

 

[brianmartin]

It's a good sign if you are frustrated - that means you are thinking about what you are writing. From what you said, it seems you are having trouble with content issues, but are getting distracted with minutiae i.e. sentence structure and whatnot.

The best way to combat this is to write several drafts, and not be concerned with grammar/style while writing. I know this is hard but try to do it. Instead, be concerned about what point you are making (big one is "why medicine").

What kind of PS do you have at this point? There are several styles that work, and a few that don't. I made the mistake on several of my first drafts of using a style that wasn't going to work. I tried to open with a story/analogy between one of my hobbies and medicine, and it ended up being too cliche and I figured out it would be a waste of my readers time. So I trashed that idea and went to a straight-up "Autobiographical" approach, which in using you run the risk of being boring but I made sure to avoid that by using real-life examples, plus a "hook" involving a story from my clinical experience that always provokes an interesting conversation.

 

[GreenTomato]

I found I did my best thinking when I was away from my computer. Who can get inspired when they're staring at a screen, you know? I would go for a run or walk the dogs, and just think about the last few years and what it took for me to get to this point. Usually, by the time I got home I had a bunch of ideas.

Also, I agree with the previous suggestions of NOT editing yourself in the early stages. Just get your thoughts written down before you forget them.

The PS I ended up with was completely different from my original version. I knew I didn't really like what I had at first, but I kept trying to make small/moderate changes and getting frustrated. Finally I realized I needed to tear the whole thing up and start over. It actually came together pretty quickly after that.

Good luck!

 

[sushichopstickz]

thank you guys. I hope today will be more productive day.

 

[lmbro123]

sushichopstickz, if you need any help on your PS, please don't hesitate to PM me. I can give you my email address and feedback. all the best

 

[HumidBeing]

Please be aware we have an official list of PS Readers, and that it is generally safer to entrust your paper to someone with a solid history or helpfulness on the forum.

Here is a link to the list:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=512632

 

[Cegar]

Read a book. Read some essays.

Steal from them.

Syntax and structural ideas, I mean. That's a good way to learn to write.