Should you boast on your PS?

[jae9970]

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How would the readers think about sentences like, "I excelled in these classes" and "I scored high on these exams" on PS? Should I refrain using these types sentences because it's too much of an attempt to sell myself?

 

[TheRealMD]

How would the readers think about sentences like, "I excelled in these classes" and "I scored high on these exams" on PS? Should I refrain using these types sentences because it's too much of an attempt to sell myself?

Stick a "while" in front of those sentences and try to balance out the language in the rest of the sentence. Oh, and you need to have a point with these sentences. Don't just say "I excelled in college" and leave it at that. That IS boasting.

 

[doctortobe2012]

i agree with the above poster. i have a bad grade on my transcript. so i explained it and said something like, "however, my GPA is still strong at X.XX" so it's sort of boasting, but i put in some context where it wouldn't appear to be boasting...hope that helps, haha.

 

[KoreanMusicbox]

i agree with the above poster. i have a bad grade on my transcript. so i explained it and said something like, "however, my GPA is still strong at X.XX" so it's sort of boasting, but i put in some context where it wouldn't appear to be boasting...hope that helps, haha.

What you guys are doing is wasting character limits on PS. Either that your statements are horrible

 

[jochi1543]

I've seen people do it a lot, and it generally rubbed me the wrong way. I think "succeeded" is generally a better term than "excelled" - it gets the same point across, but sounds a lot less arrogant. Also, as mentioned above, the overall context is important. If you have a consistent 3.8+ and talk about it, it sounds a lot more stuck-up than if you are working on a storyline where you lost your motivation but then found it again - e.g. "I did poorly in school, but then such-and-such happened, and due to my newfound passion, I became successful in academics" or something along those lines.

 

[doctortobe2012]

What you guys are doing is wasting character limits on PS. Either that your statements are horrible

um, it was actually quite applicable in my PS. you really don't know the full circumstance, nor have you read my PS.

let me modify my above post: if you think it's necessary to boast about whatever in your PS, do it, but don't to just take up space.

 

[jae9970]

What you guys are doing is wasting character limits on PS. Either that your statements are horrible

so i take you are suggesting, "dont include stuff thats in the application already" ?

in my PS i have a sentence that goes something like this: "i had a successful time at my university blah blah.. i obtained satisfying grades and learned a lot blah blah"

i didnt include any numbers etc but.. i wasnt very clear where the fine line between boasting and showing qualification lies

 

[jochi1543]

in my PS i have a sentence that goes something like this: "i had a successful time at my university blah blah.. i obtained satisfying grades and learned a lot blah blah"

Not a fan.....what's the point of this? It's all on your transcript.


Yes, you want to stay away from the blatantly obvious. Use your PS to take the adcoms' eyes away from the numbers and show who you are as a person. It's ok to talk about an EC or a class that you feel strongly shaped you as a person. E.g. "I hated Bio I, II, and III, but then I took Bio IV because I'm stupid and doing the same thing over and over again is the defitinion of insanity, but then Prof. X blew my mind. It was a huge turning point for me and I realized that, blah blah." But a sentence like the one you described above is just a filler and does nothing for you.

 

[nick_carraway]

Agreed with realmd, doctortobe, and jochi. If you have a point to your statements and a reason for mentioning it, then feel free to write about your successess.

You absolutely must have a genuine reason for putting it down though. If not, then I would consider it boasting. If you have a good reason, I consider it part of your overall story and a valid part of your PS.

Oh and a few Cs here and there is nothing to address unless they're bunched up or there's a pattern to it. And don't bring attention to a failing by mentioning subsequent success unless you want to run the risk of adcoms noticing something that they had previously looked over.

 

[jae9970]

...But a sentence like the one you described above is just a filler and does nothing for you.

yea i agree, if my sentence stood by itself.. it would be meaningless

i actually used that sentence to wrap up my paragraph about how i discovered my interests and decided to major in such and such, and voila i get good grade 😀

 

[jochi1543]

yea i agree, if my sentence stood by itself.. it would be meaningless

i actually used that sentence to wrap up my paragraph about how i discovered my interests and decided to major in such and such, and voila i get good grade 😀

Meh...my 2nd draft was like that, and everyone ripped it to shreds. I thought it was great too, until I wrote my 3rd, which is currently being considered for the Living Saint status by the Church.

 

[jochi1543]

I really only mentioned my grades in one line in my PS when I said that I had a slow start to university since I lacked any initial focus.

I avoided this entirely...it'd just give them another reason to think about that 3.1 freshman year.

 

[Quix]

I'm tweaking my PS to include a lot of things that weren't in my application last cycle; the problem is that I've been working clinically since 2001, have seen a lot, have done a lot, etc., etc., and am having a hard time deciding what to include versus what to omit.

 

[doctortobe2012]

hmm my take on addressing bad grades is different:

i think that if you don't address them, the adcoms may be left wondering what happened, why it happened, etc. if you take a sentence or two (at the most) to address it, it's probably best. don't whine and don't spend too much time writing about it.

 

[jochi1543]

hmm my take on addressing bad grades is different:

i think that if you don't address them, the adcoms may be left wondering what happened, why it happened, etc. if you take a sentence or two (at the most) to address it, it's probably best. don't whine and don't spend too much time writing about it.

Well, for me it wasn't very relevant, because while my GPA was not stellar, it was nothing to be ashamed of by real world (not medical school) standards - 3.1 and 3.4. So it was just a waste of time for me personally. Though a year of 1.7 or something along those lines will definitely raise every adcom eyebrow out there, so in this case I do think it needs to be addressed.

 

[smeagol]

If you have numbers that don't call for an explanation, I wouldn't mention them in your PS. It seems redundant if you do. Your reader probably already knows what's on your transcript.

 

[notdeadyet]

If you have numbers that don't call for an explanation, I wouldn't mention them in your PS. It seems redundant if you do. Your reader probably already knows what's on your transcript.

Agreed. The only time you want to mention anything that is already apparent in your AMCAS is if you feel the need to explain. And unless something looks absolutely horrible, I'd try to keep the PS positive.

I shudder when I hear about folks devoting a paragraph in their PS to explaining that their grandma's death is why they got a 3.0 in their sophomore year.

 

[coralfangs]

what's the point of asking people when u keep defending for your original decision?

it's never safe to boast in your app
you have played in a band? maybe the reader has recorded albums
you have gotten a 3.8 while working a part time job? maybe the reader has gotten a 4.0 while working 2 jobs and taking care of his/her child
you have scored a 36 on mcat? maybe the read has gotten a 42

never assume that ur accomplishment is worth mentioning unless u have gotten an official recognition

i've read so many PS boasting their little poop
no offense, MANY statements will make the readers scream "wtf? u can that excelling?"
i remember one talking about maintaining good health with jogging, while doing well at school, and being a pres of a club (yes..... i poop u not)
i was like, "wtf, i lost 30lbs exercising last yr, and got similar grades, while doing an internship, blah blah"

let the adcom decide if ur accomplishment were in fact an accomplishment, u dont have to tell them in ur PS

 

[jochi1543]

it's never safe to boast in your app
you have played in a band? maybe the reader has recorded albums
you have gotten a 3.8 while working a part time job? maybe the reader has gotten a 4.0 while working 2 jobs and taking care of his/her child
you have scored a 36 on mcat? maybe the read has gotten a 42

That's actually a good point, IMO.

 

[benzene21]

my premed advisor gave me a packet of sample personal statements and the feedback that admissions people had given to them. overall, people who boasted recieved comments such as "this person seems self-absorbed" or "i would not want this person as a physician" so i would say absolutely DO NOT boast. haha.

obviously you want to say some good things about yourself in the PM and i think the best way to do so is to give credit to others for your achievements. for example, saying something like "The excellent professors at my university provide students with a challenging curriculum and encourage students to take pride in their academic accomplishments." then say something about your GPA. That way you are still showing that you've excelled in your courses, but also aknowledging that you could not have done it alone.

Or, instead of just boasting about your personality: "i am a really nice person." give an example of a volunteer experience and then explain what you learned about yourself from it. again, you'll be displaying your good qualities without giving the impression that you think you are the ****. haha

 

[trevagandalf]

Humm.. I think both of the topics in the AMCAS and TMDSAS is along the lines of "why do you want to be a doctor and what are your expectations for the future, and what's your philosophy on medicine" (refer to the actual application for more details). I think that almost everything in your personal statement should relate to these topics and you don't really need to recapitulate your college experience in one paragraph. If you wanted to boast or explain something in your application, I'd do it in the other information page.