rewriting PS, what to add and what to keep out?

[amikhchi]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey, i'm rewriting, or i should say revising, my PS and i think i've fixed any grammar mistakes I had, and i've taken out some stuff that i think maybe shouldn't have been included, but I'm just not sure what i should add, i know it should say what i've been doing in this past year that i wasn't accepted right? the problem is, all i was doing was going to school, and improving my gpa (not by much, but still...) Now that I've graduated and i have a lot of free time, i've started doing more clinical volunteer work at 2 different hospitals (both with long(ish) commitments). But should i include those in the PS, i'm sure it's good that it shows i'm not just gonna sleep in and party while i'm not at school, but I just started these programs so it seems kinda dodgy for me to include them as if they're already done or whatever...

is it bad/good to include something along the lines of being rejected and how it's motivated me to work even harder, or should i steer clear of talking about rejections period? I feel as though my current PS is good but i know i can't/shouldn't send in the same exact thing obviously. So i'm just a bit confused as to what i should include about what i've done lately and all, and is it necessarily bad if i was just focusing on school and improving my gpa and not starting anymore clinical work until after i graduated?

thanks for any responses in advance...

 

[tbo]

You should know that it's hard to make comments on a document we know little about. I'm not suggesting you post your PS, but recognize that the advice you get here will be somewhat nebulous.

The PS most certainly should change when reapplying. It should be your best and most current representation of yourself beyond what can be seen in the rest of your application. What's motivating you to be a doctor? What situations and experiences in your past have pushed you to pursue this career path? While it might be compelling to adcomms that you've jumped through all these hoops, I suspect they are more interested in why you jumped through these hoops. They'll be able to see that you're going to school (and hopefully getting A's), that you're volunteering, that your making a commitment to the pursuit of medicine. The gold here is why you're doing all this... otherwise it simply comes off as if you're 'going through the motions' and that does not distinguish you from any other candidate.

Should you mention that you were rejected? I don't know. I generally think these things should be kept as positive as possible. But if being rejected is integral to your motivations, sure, add it in. Just don't harp on it or be negative about it. Show how that's reinforced your motivations. Good luck.

 

[miniwangja]

i think you are asking the question to wrong people.😳
We all didn't make it. you should ask that to people who made it. 😛 right?

 

[tbo]

i think you are asking the question to wrong people.😳
We all didn't make it. you should ask that to people who made it. 😛 right?

Speak for yourself, buddy. I'm going to med school in a couple months . There are plenty of successful people who visit all of these forums.

 

[LikeClockWork]

i think you are asking the question to wrong people.😳
We all didn't make it. you should ask that to people who made it. 😛 right?

If this is your attitude, be prepared to have many threads moved from Allo to Pre-Allo.

 

[gman33]

Highlight the positive experiences you have had in the last year and how they have helped you develop. For example if you have significantly improved your gpa, you can talk about how the last application cycle made you realize that you needed to improve your study skills and how this will help you in med school.

Hopefully you've made some significant improvements to your application. If not, there's not much new to talk about.