That fine, fine line...

[Nanon]

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I'm finally writing my actual personal statement, and had a bunch of doctors read it. Most of them said it was great, or at least "fine." But then the last one said, "There's a fine line between explaining what happened and a sob story. Tone down the verbage." When I talked to him in person, he told me that they really don't care about the ps, beyond making sure that you aren't a psychopath and making sure you're not on the extreme end of the "normal person" bell curve.

Sucks for me, because I am, in fact, on that extreme end...

So here's my question: Do I talk about having been homeless, having a mentally ill mom, having been moved around a lot in foster care and not completing high school? This is the real explanation for why my gpa sucks, and why it took me so long to get through college. Or do I just talk about my very normal life doing cool research now, and touch v. lightly on the other stuff, if at all?

Or should I just take another prozac and stop worrying about this so much?

S.

 

[Depakote]

I'm finally writing my actual personal statement, and had a bunch of doctors read it. Most of them said it was great, or at least "fine." But then the last one said, "There's a fine line between explaining what happened and a sob story. Tone down the verbage." When I talked to him in person, he told me that they really don't care about the ps, beyond making sure that you aren't a psychopath and making sure you're not on the extreme end of the "normal person" bell curve.

Sucks for me, because I am, in fact, on that extreme end...

So here's my question: Do I talk about having been homeless, having a mentally ill mom, having been moved around a lot in foster care and not completing high school? This is the real explanation for why my gpa sucks, and why it took me so long to get through college. Or do I just talk about my very normal life doing cool research now, and touch v. lightly on the other stuff, if at all?

Or should I just take another prozac and stop worrying about this so much?

S.

ok, then...

The fact that you had a mentally ill mother and were homeless for a while definitely is an issue that would put you at a disadvantage. It's worth a mention. Without having read your PS I can't comment specifically, but you don't want to get into excessive detail and emotion about it. Just present the facts and let the reader draw their own conclusions. This is probably one of those situations where it actually is better to tell rather than show.

Conversely, it should be a relatively small part of your PS. You want to introduce it, but the majority of your PS should focus on how much you've done and grown since then. You want to demonstrate that this is behind you.

also, the stuff I bolded, try not to let that sort of tone leak through...

 

[Blade28]

The fact that you had a mentally ill mother and were homeless for a while definitely is an issue that would put you at a disadvantage. It's worth a mention. Without having read your PS I can't comment specifically, but you don't want to get into excessive detail and emotion about it. Just present the facts and let the reader draw their own conclusions. This is probably one of those situations where it actually is better to tell rather than show.

Totally agree.

You would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't mention your difficult, non-traditional, extenuating circumstances. But I also agree that you don't want to get too emotional about it - you're not presenting those situations as excuses, per se, but rather as an example of what you've accomplished despite such hardships.

Remember that adcoms don't want to see excuses for why you couldn't perform well. They want to see that despite all those obstacles, you still managed to survive and do exceedingly well. They want to see that you'll be able to handle whatever med school and residency can throw at you.

 

[Diksha]

I definitely agree that you should strike a balance between telling your life story and explaining why you want to go to medical school/ will make a great doctor. Of course, if your difficult early life helped shaped your decision you could give them more than a passing mention.

But in any case, don't let the medical schools think that your rough circumstances define you entirely; I don't think it should be the focus of your essay. And good luck, I certainly hope you get in!

 

[flip26]

I'm finally writing my actual personal statement, and had a bunch of doctors read it. Most of them said it was great, or at least "fine." But then the last one said, "There's a fine line between explaining what happened and a sob story. Tone down the verbage." When I talked to him in person, he told me that they really don't care about the ps, beyond making sure that you aren't a psychopath and making sure you're not on the extreme end of the "normal person" bell curve.

Sucks for me, because I am, in fact, on that extreme end...

So here's my question: Do I talk about having been homeless, having a mentally ill mom, having been moved around a lot in foster care and not completing high school? This is the real explanation for why my gpa sucks, and why it took me so long to get through college. Or do I just talk about my very normal life doing cool research now, and touch v. lightly on the other stuff, if at all?

Or should I just take another prozac and stop worrying about this so much?

S.

What does that have to do with your college GPA sucking? If I were reading your PS, and I gathered from it you were making an excuse for poor college performance because of your hard life pre-college, I would have questions...

I would leave it out. Using the PS to make excuses for poor academic performance is a bad idea.

Furthermore, I see you are 39, so these events took place over 20 years ago. Even more reason to move past your past...

 

[EpiPEN]

I vote stick them in. They are also circumstances that make you unique as an applicant. Just don't dedicate more than 1/3 of your PS on it probably. I'm no admin, but I thought it was an interesting story.

 

[ButImLETired]

Hi,

I had kind of a similar situation when writing my PS, in terms of how to balance out telling them who I am and the tragedies/ challenges that shaped me as a person (and a future physician!) while at the same time trying not to sound like Tiny Tim. The main advice I got is to start with the bad stuff and end on a positive note. Start with how your mentally ill mother (I'm guessing here so just ignore me if anything I say is wrong) was the source, for example, of your passion for medicine, how motherhood has taught you to take care of people and being homeless has taught you to take care of yourself and be independent. Mention the negatives but focus on the positives. On a practical note, adcoms will be reading thousands of PS's so yours will definitely stand out. I'd say begin the essay with a bang- mention your non-traditional background and all that. However, after the first paragraph, focus on what it's taught you and how you have cemented that budding passion through your EC's and jobs etc. Don't make excuses, they'll obviously acknowledge that you've had it rough and will look at your application with different eyes anyway. End the essay on a good note and it'll make the reader feel nice and happy (and more sympathetic). Anyways, that's my 2 cents...for whatever it's worth. Good luck though! You sound like a truly outstanding candidate and I hope everything works out wonderfully.

 

[flaahless]

So here's my question: Do I talk about having been homeless, having a mentally ill mom, having been moved around a lot in foster care and not completing high school? This is the real explanation for why my gpa sucks, and why it took me so long to get through college. Or do I just talk about my very normal life doing cool research now, and touch v. lightly on the other stuff, if at all?

I agreee with the others that this stuff definitely belongs in the disadvantaged section, but I'm not sure about the personal statement. If those experiences influenced your decision to pursue a career in medicine then definitely mention it. And if you talk about it, discuss it triumphantly. What you gained from each experience and how that will aid you in your career. Stay positive and don't get too emotional, present the facts and let them do the explaining.

 

[Nanon]

Totally agree.

Remember that adcoms don't want to see excuses for why you couldn't perform well. They want to see that despite all those obstacles, you still managed to survive and do exceedingly well.

Thanks to both of you. (I was kind of hoping the two of you would reply...)

Blade, the fact is, I didn't do "exceedingly well," at least not by the standard most traditional students are held to. I didn't even do "well," gpa-wise. On the other hand, on a different scale of measurement, I have done pretty well for myself. I know my LOR's are going to great, I've done a ton of research, and my personal life is rock solid now.

Complicated, complicated. And depakote, believe me - I have a professional voice. Just not so much here. 😉

S.

 

[Blade28]

Blade, the fact is, I didn't do "exceedingly well," at least not by the standard most traditional students are held to. I didn't even do "well," gpa-wise. On the other hand, on a different scale of measurement, I have done pretty well for myself. I know my LOR's are going to great, I've done a ton of research, and my personal life is rock solid now.

Then make sure you've focused on that! Mention how different things are now, how much stronger and determined you are, etc. I hadn't realized that you were in high school over 20 years ago - so make sure you touch upon how those experiences may have shaped or influenced your desire to go into medicine, and not so much about how they may have pulled down your grades. Make sense?

The personal statement is a way to show the adcoms how the things you've gone through - what classes, clinical experiences, life experiences, etc. - shaped you and inspired you to become a doctor. They want to see what motivates and drives you.

 

[Nanon]

Thanks, everyone! Flip26, not finishing high school did have a serious impact on my ability to compete in college and finish in a reasonable amount of time. I can see from a certain set of eyes how that might sound like an excuse. But to me, that's just the fact of the matter. Studying, competing, even the structure of school has its own learning curve. Once I mastered those aspects of school, my gpa went up and stablized. But I appreciate your input.

To the rest of you, thanks. I'm going back to the drawing board tonight, and will be using your suggestions.

S.

 

[OncoCaP]

I second what I lot of posters have said: for the most part, adcoms are looking for a reason to eliminate you (that's what they do most of the time: reject people); don't give them ammo. At the same time, you have black marks that require some brief semblance of an explanation somewhere; a credible excuse, if you will ... something obviously temporary, long ago, and no longer a problem. Your PS should be an inspiring and positive essay.