SDNers willing to read Personal Statements for the class of 2010

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I'm a mildly non-traditional comp lit major starting med school at BCM this fall. While I volunteered extensively during undergrad and my gap year, I really had to prove my science aptitude and explain a lack of research in my personal statement. I worked as a writing tutor during my undergrad years and critiqued an ample share of college-bound essays; now that I've been through the writing process myself, I'd love to help out prospective students. PM me or send an email to [email protected].

Edited by Phil Anthropist: aterrafirma, I added your name and description to the master list
(posts 2-4 on page 1). Thanks for helping out!
 
I'm sorry, I'm really new to studentdoctor, so I'm not sure..For those volunteer readers who didn't leave their email, how do we contact them? Personal message them?

Thanks,

Kankshi
 
add me to the list. I have been a medical school student and I am willing to help others. will get back to you ASAP.
 
laya533 said:
add me to the list. I have been a medical school student and I am willing to help others. will get back to you ASAP.


Huh?? I thought you just recently took the MCAT and are applying?? Were you in medical school and had to quite for some reason?? I know that happened to a girl I knew. Her dad got real ill and she had to quit in the middle of her education at FSU. Then she had to retake the MCAT last summer to reapply. It sucks that she couldn't just defer. But whatever. Anyhow, so what's the story with you, cuz I thought you were applying this go around and just recently took the MCAT??? I'm confused. 😕 😕
 
I'd like to be added to the list. I've been doing it since it's inception here several years back.

Info to put under my name:
MS4, currently applying to residency, have been reading essays for past few years, have edited over a hundred. Did undergrad at top private university and now doing med school at the most expensive public university. Majored in biomedical engineering and currently I am applying for surgery residency. My grades were average for getting in and my mcats were same ballpark. I applied to about 30 programs, had 10 interviews, and 4 acceptances. Send your essay as a personal message to me and please include an email address in your personal message. I like editing them in a word processing program. I'm busy with rotations and writing my own essays, so my replies may take a few days.
 
littleroo said:
oldman, you give awesome advice! I'm adding you to the master list. Thanks for helping out!

thanks for the compliment

i added more info to be placed next to my name.

thanks for setting this up. looks good.
 
you can add me to the list:

jammin06: current applicant, already submitted amcas, went through a LOT of drafts to finally come to a solid PS. will give honest feedback.
 
You can add me....but only if people ask nicely. Some folks have been rude as hell when "asking" me if I can read their PS. 🙄


Edited by Phil Anthropist: I added your name and a short description to the list Evo
(posts 2-4 on page 1). Thanks man!
👍
 
EvoDevo said:
You can add me....but only if people ask nicely. Some folks have been rude as hell when "asking" me if I can read their PS. 🙄


Edited by Phil Anthropist: I added your name and a short description to the list Evo
(posts 2-4 on page 1). Thanks man!
👍


This is good advice for everyone who wishes to have SDNers read their personal statements. Please be polite, and it wouldn't hurt to be grateful! They're helping you out for free! 🙂

Some guidelines, if you're curious:
1) When you PM them, it would be nice if you said please and asked if they have time. If they can't get back to you, that's a good clue that they're too busy.

2) If they say they'll read your PS, and you don't hear from them in a few days, it's okay to send a polite PM asking if they're going to have time to get to it. No guilt trips here, please!

3) When they've sent you a critique, thank them!

Good luck with the application process, everyone! :luck:
 
Hi All,

I'm sorry, but I will be officially withdrawing my name as a potential reader. Over the past three weeks, I've received over 10 personal statements to read/critique. I truly want to help, but I simply do not have the time. So, to those of you out there who need SDNers to read your personal statement(s), please do not send any to me. And again, I apologize 🙁



Edited by Phil Anthropist: No need to apologize docjolly, I'm sure many are grateful for your help. 🙂 I removed your name from the master list (posts 2-4 on page 1)
 

Edited by Phil Anthropist: docjolly is no longer able to read personal statements and has asked to be removed.

See master list (posts 2-4 on page 1)
 
i'd like to help/read:

UT Class of '05...Liberal Arts Honors and Biology Honors...lots of EC and experiences...can relate very well.....got an "S" for writing sample...i wrote about volunteering/research for my own PS so i can especially be helpful to those who are seeking the same route...send me an IM or just send to [email protected]s me bout a day to get back...
 
Please remove me from the list for now...I haven't had the time to give adequate critiques. Good luck with your essays!
 
I'd be happy to help...

I'm a non-trad, 12Verb, T then S on the writing sample. Since I decided to attend medical school post-college I wrote about a significant childhood experience related to helping others.

Good luck all.


Edited by Phil Anthropist: LSUwannabe, I added your name and description to the master list
(posts 2-4 on page 1). Thanks for helping out!
 
Please remove me from the master list. I'm going on vacation in a week and want to get through the current backlog before then without adding any more to the queue. So if you've sent me something already (or asked me if you could send me something), it'll get read, but I can't take any more, at least for now.
 
Anyone else agree that if we are on this list and offering to critique essays we should be allowed to have expanded message boxes? mods, any thoughts?
 
Add me to the list please:

thehomez66: I will be an MSI this coming August and had a non-traditional life that led me into medicine. I am willing to read any PS's and work with the author if need be. PM me or email me at [email protected]
 
I can also read a few personal statements.

I will be an MSI MD/PhD student this fall at CWRU. My major was in History and I worked full-time for 5 years after graduating. I have a strong backgound in goofing off as well as biomedical research. I try to be honest and don't hold punches when I give comments.

That is all.

-X
 
Haybrant said:
Anyone else agree that if we are on this list and offering to critique essays we should be allowed to have expanded message boxes? mods, any thoughts?


no response on my question; anyone? littleroo?
 
Haybrant said:
no response on my question; anyone?
My apologies for not responding sooner. 😳

Expanded message boxes for private messages? Unfortunately, I don't think that's likely.

If we did decide to offer these privileges, people may see it as a way to reap one of the benefits of Angels and Donors (i.e., 250 message storage capacity) without donating money. People could ask to add their names to the master list to get the benefit of increased private message storage capacity. They could then tell all users asking for their personal statements to be read that they are unable to do so. And after stating that they are unable to do so, would they then ask to have their private message boxes decreased to the original size? I try not to be negative, but I doubt it. Offering the privilege of increased PM storage for reading personal statements could quickly become an abusive system.

I am sure that the number of requests that you guys receive is overwhelming. I also know that some people don't exercise a great deal of courtesy when asking for help--I know this because I've received several requests even though my name isn't on the list. I know you guys put a lot of time and effort into this without any compensation. I sincerely hope that other users are grateful for the service you provide and that users are courteous when making their requests.

When my Private Message box fills up, I save all the messages. At the very bottom of your Private Message box mainpage, there is an option to Download all Private Messages as. I choose to save that as a text file. I then open up the .txt file with MS Word and save the file as a .doc file for better readability. The saved file should contain both your received and sent private messages.

I hope that helps.

Phil
 
I dont know man; I think this whole issue of abuse you speak of is a bit exagerated. You make it sound like people are figuring out a way to evade the IRS. What is someone really going to do with an expanded message box?
And the way you speak about the donation makes it seem more like its a fee and not a donation. Well, i could go on but you catch my drift; anyone else have input?

oh, thanks for the tip on downloading messages

Phil Anthropist said:
My apologies for not responding sooner. 😳

Expanded message boxes for private messages? Unfortunately, I don't think that's likely.

If we did decide to offer these privileges, people may see it as a way to reap one of the benefits of Angels and Donors (i.e., 250 message storage capacity) without donating money. People could ask to add their names to the master list to get the benefit of increased private message storage capacity. They could then tell all users asking for their personal statements to be read that they are unable to do so. And after stating that they are unable to do so, would they then ask to have their private message boxes decreased to the original size? I try not to be negative, but I doubt it. Offering the privilege of increased PM storage for reading personal statements could quickly become an abusive system.

I am sure that the number of requests that you guys receive is overwhelming. I also know that some people don't exercise a great deal of courtesy when asking for help--I know this because I've received several requests even though my name isn't on the list. I know you guys put a lot of time and effort into this without any compensation. I sincerely hope that other users are grateful for the service you provide and that users are courteous when making their requests.

When my Private Message box fills up, I save all the messages. At the very bottom of your Private Message box mainpage, there is an option to Download all Private Messages as. I choose to save that as a text file. I then open up the .txt file with MS Word and save the file as a .doc file for better readability. The saved file should contain both your received and sent private messages.

I hope that helps.

Phil
 
i'm going to have to agree with phil, they'll be a buncha ppl willing to read PS all of a sudden. You could have ppl email you there PS. and are you saving every message you send? I usually delete my sent messages to clear up some space.
 
Evade the IRS?! Did I make it sound that bad? :laugh: You're about to be audited!!! :meanie:

I think Abe's suggestion about using e-mail is an excellent alternative.

You are more than welcome to ask the administrators about the PM capacity.

Re: Donations and PM capacity

The cost to operate SDN's servers and pay for bandwith is high--nearly 1 Terrabyte of information is transferred every month. SDN continues to grow with the addition of forums, sub-forums, and server upgrades. Because the website is entirely non-profit and run by a team of volunteers, donations are used for site operations and server space.

I couldn't imagine SDN as a pay service and I don't want you to get the impression that donations are a fee. Simply by registering on SDN, you have access to pretty much the same services as donors (e.g., forum usage and private messages). However, I do feel that those who are willing to support this non-profit website with donations should be entitled to a few modest privileges such as increased PM storage capacity.

Obvious detail that I forgot to mention:
When my Private Message box fills up, I save all the messages. At the very bottom of your Private Message box mainpage, there is an option to Download all Private Messages as. I choose to save that as a text file. I then open up the .txt file with MS Word and save the file as a .doc file for better readability. The saved file should contain both your received and sent private messages. You can then delete all the messages in your inbox to clear up storage space. 😉
 
I would love to help out. Senior English major at UC Berkeley and current applicant for the medical school class of 2010; Department Award, Department Honors, S on MCAT WS, yada yada. =) Email me at [email protected] if interested. I will respond ASAP to tell you if I have time to read it and when to expect it back if I do; usual turnaround is probably within 2 days.
 
im gonna have to be off the list for a lil while...im actually helpin a few of my friends out with the apps and all...plus work etc...ill let yall know when im ready to be back on.....

thnx....

im still gonna TRY to get to the ones sittin in my mailbox...
 
OK, I think it's time to remove me from the master list. I only have one week before I head out on vacation and I think I have enough to keep me busy until then.

By the way, I've loved reading about all of the unique experiences out there. Good luck to all of you!
 
:luck: New here to the forum. I am willing to proofread statements for correct English and grammar. I am not so sure of content, as I haven't taken the pre-reqs yet. I am currently conducting my 45-page honors thesis. I also have published words. My e-mail is [email protected]. Put SDN in the Subject Line.
 
I'm going to have to hop off the list for a while as well. I'm going on vacation soon for 2 weeks and I have 6 PS's to catch up on. Hopefully I'll be back on the list after I get back from vacation, thanks 🙂
 
drguy22, cammy1313, and thehomez66: I am removing your names as requested. Thanks for helping out and if you'd like to get your names back on just let us know!

MaryWrathers: Welcome to SDN! 😀 I am adding your name to the list.

The master list can be found on Page 1, posts 2-4 of this thread.
 
Hey Phil, can you take me off for a bit? I've already got something like 8 current PS's that I'm reviewing, and I can't take any new essays until those have been taken care of. Thanks. 🙂

Edited by Phil Anthropist: No prob, Evo--I took your name off the master list. 🙂 [The master list can be found on Page 1, posts 2-4 of this thread.]
 
I'll help out with this for a bit. PM me with it.

Edited by Phil Anthropist: Added you to the Master list (page 1, posts 2-4). Thanks!
 
I can help out with some. Bio major, applying for class of 2010.

PM your statement to me.

Edited by Phil Anthropist: Added you to the Master list (page 1, posts 2-4). Thanks!
 
Phil, could you also please remove me for the time being? swamped with work from my jobs right now, and i've gotten behind on the ones i have received. sorry.

Edited by Phil Anthropist: No prob 🙂 I'll take your name off the master list for the time being. Thanks for helping out!
The Master list can be found on page 1, posts 2-4.
 
I'm going to have to bow out of reading statements. I've committed to review several already and between work and getting ready to move across the country to start school in Aug, I'm booked solid. Good luck to all.

Edited by Phil Anthropist: I took your name off the master list. Thanks for helping out!
The Master list can be found on page 1, posts 2-4.
 
Hey,

I have really enjoyed reading personal statements, but I will be out of the country until August and cannot read anymore statements until I return. Good luck to all of you applying.

rhorak

Edited by Phil Anthropist: I removed your name from the list. Thanks for helping out!
[The master list can be found on Page 1, posts 2-4 of this thread.]
 
I won't have enough time to keep reading these, could you please remove me from the list?
Thanks.

Edited by Phil Anthropist: I removed your name from the list. Thanks for helping out!
[The master list can be found on Page 1, posts 2-4 of this thread.]
 
Willing to help out. I had both MD/PhD and MD interviews/acceptances. PM me if you want me to read your statement. Give me a couple of days for turn-around. NOTE: Proof read and spell check before you send.

Edited by Phil Anthropist: I added your name and description to the list. Thanks for helping out!
[The master list can be found on Page 1, posts 2-4 of this thread.]
 
I'm happy to help out in anyway that i can! I *like* to think I'm an excellent writer, and it would be a pleasure to read and help out others! I've worked in creative writing and also some editorial work in college. A friend of mine who is a resident is willing to help me out as well. I'll respond to you within hours to let you know if and when i'll be able to review you PS, average turn around will be around 24-48 hours from time PS is recieved, in some cases much sooner. Please e-mail me for faster response, thanks! [email protected]
 
Howdy,

I am a current MS-1 soon to be MS-II at UPITT. I would be glad to look over anybody's personal statement. I graduated in 2004 with a ba in biochem from a small liberal arts college (as if that really matters to you) and I sincerely believe that my personal statement is what landed me my interviews.

Give me a shout if you are interested.

Rocco
[email protected]
 
Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let anyone who has sent me a PS that I have been flooded with new PSs in last couple days and will need to take a little longer than usual to get through all of these. I now have about 20 sitting in my inbox that I have not yet had the chance to read. I will get to them eventually, but it may take me a few days. Just to let anyone know who may have sent me a PS. If you still want to send them feel free, but I may be a few days or more getting back to you.

PG
 
hey people,

I have actually caught up with the PS's this afternoon. I can get it back to you within 2 (two) business days.

😎

Rocco

[email protected]
 
I'll be away from Thu thru the weekend, but I'll read a couple personal statements over if anyone wants advice. "S" on MCAT Writing, minored in English, and actually received a compliment from an admissions officer at an interview regarding my personal statement (she told me she loved it, and asked about my English minor).

PM me if you want me to read your personal statement.
 
Will be MS1 in August (allopathic), currently work writing Continuing Medical Education for physicans (I sit and write and edit EVERY day). Was told my college admissions essay drew tears. If anyone wants my help, just PM me for my e-mail.
 
Hi, Could you please take me off the master list? Thanks, I am so swamped... To those of you who sent me a PS, I WILL get to you (eventually) and GOOD LUCK.
 
Adding
ascrimmins
hunniejl
MD1Day
RoccoWJ

Removing
ChlorineK

Updating
PineappleGirl

Thanks for helping out guys! 👍

The master list can be found on page one, posts 2-4.

I will probably unstick this thread around July 15 unless there is an overwhelming number of requests to keep it as a sticky.
 
for the time being, i could do some reading. i'm 24 and am entering this fall with the class of 2009. for now, it seems that i will be attending rush med college in chicago, but i am still waiting on the u of pittsburgh waitlist. we'll see.... i went to oberlin college for undergrad w/majors in neuroscience and bio and minors in psych and chem. (i finished in 3 yrs. (class of '02) i had a 3.6-something gpa, and a 33R mcat, w/various ec's. i also had a ton of extenuating circumstances ranging from my own issues (i have posts about eating disorders, depression, etc.. ) to those involving my immediate family, such as my father passing away from cancer during school, resulting in my taking a semester off of school) i have been doing orthopedic surgery research at rush since then and i now also teach the MCAT/PCAT/DAT for Kaplan. hopefully this will be of some help. i'm also PLENTY willing to share my own PS, which i have have gotten a ton of positive feedback from myself.

Edited by Phil Anthropist: I added your name and description to the list--thanks for helping out! I tried to abbreviate some parts due to space considerations. The master list can be found on page one, posts 2-4.
 
Please remove me from the list. I am moving soon and will not be able to take on new submissions. Perhaps in a couple of weeks...

Those of you who have already sent PS's are free to send rewrites/revisions. I'll still look at them if you want, although turnaround times won't be as good.

Thanks everyone!

-X

Edited by Phil Anthropist: I removed you from the master list xanthines. Thanks for helping out!

Master list on page one, posts 2-4.
 
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