Stuck on my Personal Statement

[ipod01]

Hey guys, I have been having a tough time starting my personal statement. I am just not sure what direction to take with my ps.
What qualities or ideas are you supposed to address in a med school personal statement?

I have wanted to become a doctor since I was a child, although this may sound cliche it is true. So, now I am having a tough time trying to pick out an experience that stands out and describes my desire to becoming a physician. I have not saved anyone till now or had an encounter with family death or loss.

Should i talk about my ECs and how about research. I have spent a long time in research but i am not sure if I want to do a md/phd yet, its too long for me. Should I address my research work as well?

Any suggestions, advice would be appreciated. What did you guys write about in your personal statements? Why did you wanna be a doctor?

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[coolnad17]

Hey guys, I have been having a tough time starting my personal statement. I am just not sure what direction to take with my ps.
What qualities or ideas are you supposed to address in a med school personal statement?

I have wanted to become a doctor since I was a child, although this may sound cliche it is true. So, now I am having a tough time trying to pick out an experience that stands out and describes my desire to becoming a physician. I have not saved anyone till now or had an encounter with family death or loss.

Should i talk about my ECs and how about research. I have spent a long time in research but i am not sure if I want to do a md/phd yet, its too long for me. Should I address my research work as well?

Any suggestions, advice would be appreciated. What did you guys write about in your personal statements? Why did you wanna be a doctor?

Below is some feedback I received regarding my PS from a school I did not receve an interview invite from:

.Your essay touches on various aspects, but I don’t get a true idea of your deeper motivation and understanding of medicine. You present each “subject” within a short paragraph. I would encourage you to pick some very meaningful observations and elaborate on those, especially if you gained perspective while researching and through patient interaction or working with physicians. .

Write about things that really meant something to you and write it well. My essay was not very personal and I mostly wrote about my experiences and how they contributed to my decision to apply to medical school. I thought my essay was good when I submitted it, but when I began to read SDN, I realized that it just wasn't personal enough.

Good Luck

 

[obgyny]

Write about things that really meant something to you and write it well. My essay was not very personal and I mostly wrote about my experiences and how they contributed to my decision to apply to medical school. I thought my essay was good when I submitted it, but when I began to read SDN, I realized that it just wasn't personal enough.

You're not supposed to write about that?? ... and what do mean by "not personal enough?"

 

[ipod01]

Thanks coolnad! That does help a little bit.

Does anyone have an example of a stellar PS, a link or a suggestion? I think that would help me in terms of formulating a structure for my PS.

 

[SweetRain]

Take some time to think about yourself and write out everything you can think of. Then start cutting things out that aren't really crucial.

Also, this may be a little vague. But BE YOURSELF. It's so obvious yet hard to do. I always try to keep in mind that anything you put on your ps can come up during the interview, so write something you can answer whole heartedly.

 

[coolnad17]

You're not supposed to write about that?? ... and what do mean by "not personal enough?"

Well, its your personal statement so it will be about your experiences, your accomplishments, etc. Mine was way too scientific and not a very interesting read. I basically went from experience to experience and described each using the same format. It should have been more about how those experiences made me who I am rather than a rather long summary of my extra-curricular activities during college. Essentially, it should have been more about ME rather than about my research. I just wrote it from an extremely wrong perspective. I'm glad it was good enough to get me in...but man, if I had to do it all over again, it would have been a lot different.

Use emotion. Use anecdotes. Make it powerful. Get all your thoughts down on paper and then go back and edit-read-edit-read.

In the end, make sure you actually enjoy reading your personal statement. You shouldn't have to convince yourself that its good enough...it should be awesome.

Most importantly, use your resources. There are so many people on SDN volunteering their time to help you with your personal statement...so make sure you use that resource as well.

Just my opinion....

 

[coolnad17]

Thanks coolnad! That does help a little bit.

Does anyone have an example of a stellar PS, a link or a suggestion? I think that would help me in terms of formulating a structure for my PS.

This is my personal opinion, but once you read others' personal statements...its a little difficult to formulate your own ideas without being influenced. I guess its okay to get an idea...but maybe try writing your first draft before reading other essays.

 

[obgyny]

Well, its your personal statement so it will be about your experiences, your accomplishments, etc. Mine was way too scientific and not a very interesting read. I basically went from experience to experience and described each using the same format. It should have been more about how those experiences made me who I am rather than a rather long summary of my extra-curricular activities during college. Essentially, it should have been more about ME rather than about my research. I just wrote it from an extremely wrong perspective. I'm glad it was good enough to get me in...but man, if I had to do it all over again, it would have been a lot different.

Use emotion. Use anecdotes. Make it powerful. Get all your thoughts down on paper and then go back and edit-read-edit-read.

In the end, make sure you actually enjoy reading your personal statement. You shouldn't have to convince yourself that its good enough...it should be awesome.

Most importantly, use your resources. There are so many people on SDN volunteering their time to help you with your personal statement...so make sure you use that resource as well.

Just my opinion....

Thanks for clarifying, sounds like good advice to me . And congrats on getting in!!!

 

[ipod01]

is there anyone who would like to let me see their ps or know of a link/site where i could read a great ps for med school. i am done with my first draft but i am not sure if i have addressed everything i need to. i think reading an example would help me a lot. Thanks.

 

[illegallysmooth]

Don't make it a drawn out version of your resume.

Take a good hard look at your life. Look at the circumstances in which you grew up. Look at the people who surrounded you your whole life. Look at how you spent your time in high school and college. Look at your hobbies. Identify where and how you matured.

I thought there was nothing I had to talk about. After taking a good hard look at my life, I realized I had these sorts of things to write on: growing up in a dangerous neighborhood, both parents with mental health issues, one parent who was disabled and forced to retire early, being the first in my family to attend college, having to work almost full time throughout my education, having experience in medicine (EMS/ER/Med-surg/pediatrics), meaningful interactions with patients, etc.

It doesn't have to be about your whole life. You can write a good PS about just one or two key experiences that were meaningful.