Thoughts on personal statements for anesthesiology?

[Depakote]

Hi all,

I'm a current M4 working on my personal statement for anesthesiology. I was hoping I could get some guidance from those of you who have been there, done that and maybe read a few.

I've been playing around with some ideas, but I'm trying to figure out what I should be putting in there.
-I've talked about some of my experiences that made me want to go into anesthesiology
-I've talked about thinks I'd like to do with my career
-I've talked about what I'm looking for in a residency
(Not sure where else I should be going with this)

How dangerous is it to deviate from the norm? I've written my current version to accurately convey my personality. To me, it seems like a different read than most statements, but I think they'd have a better understanding of who I am by the end. Most of my friends who have read it agree that it does an accurate job getting the message across. But, would this fly in anesthesiology?


If you guys can give me a push in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

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[Bertelman]

I'd be pretty vague on "what I am looking for in a residency". You want to apply to a broad variety of programs, then figure out which is best for you after the interview. You don't want a PD or interviewer to read your statement and think they really can't offer what it is you are seeking.

I'd argue you really don't figure out what you want out of a residency until sometime in your CA-2 year. Any presumptions before then are just that.

 

[Jay K]

Although it may be more time-consuming, it may also be useful to tailor, as best you can, why you think ____________ program is a good match for you (after having done some research on ____________ program). It's been a while, but I seem to recall that you can edit each personal statement you send to each particular program (or I could be wrong and thinking of the medical school admissions process).

You want to be memorable and a good read early on (cause they'll skim, if get bored, into the wastebasket), but I'm not certain you want to be too "weird" if that is your personality. For the most part, academics are highly eccentric, but don't appear to appreciate that in others.

Again hard to know if your personal statement is appropriate or good without having read it; I'd recommend having attendings you trust to read it vs your medical school colleagues.

Your "framework" is appropriate though; I seem to recall reading in some residency application book the same framework for personal statements.

 

[mamitch4]

You might also also consider using a professional editing service. I used one for my PS and was so glad I did. Prices start around $120, which is a drop in the bucket when you think about how much you will spend to apply and interview. The time and headache it saved me was invaluable, and the finished product was significantly more professional and polished that what I could have come up with in a reasonable amount of time.👍

 

[SweetHex]

I answered 4 questions on mine:
why i came into medicine , why i chose this field, what i want in a residency (make sure its broad enough to apply to most programs as mentioned above), and what i have to offer a residency.

I had a faculty member i trusted revise it. Many of my interviewers commented on the fact that it was brief and to the point (took up way less than a page) and it sounded like they liked that. Im sure they get tired of reading the same stuff year after year.
Hope the above helped, and good luck

 

[Depakote]

thanks for the advice so far. It's been very helpful.