Tough Time with personal Statement

[freesolo]

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Im having a tough time even starting it, i worked all day but nothing, i know the reasons i want to go into medicine for, but i dont have some story to tie it all into, I don't have some dramatic event in my life that caused me to choose medicine, so i dont know where to start. You guys have any tips on how to start it? I know it will definitely suck without some type of story or theme, me just listing my reasons for medicine isnt very captivating.

 

[MedicineBird]

Im having a tough time even starting it, i worked all day but nothing, i know the reasons i want to go into medicine for, but i dont have some story to tie it all into, I don't have some dramatic event in my life that caused me to choose medicine, so i dont know where to start. You guys have any tips on how to start it? I know it will definitely suck without some type of story or theme, me just listing my reasons for medicine isnt very captivating.

a lot of us never had 1 certain catalyst. you just have to start jotting down little tid bits you'd like to include as they come to you. don't try to crank the whole thing out at once. soon enough these little bits and pieces will conspire to make one great hole. you have months to get this thing ready -- you're putting yourself under too much pressure at this point.

 

[freesolo]

actually i have a month for the premed committee =D, i have my reasons jotted down, but i have to tie into something, my volunteering experience really hasnt given me much, not enough to use in my personal statement i dont think.

 

[MedicineBird]

actually i have a month for the premed committee =D, i have my reasons jotted down, but i have to tie into something, my volunteering experience really hasnt given me much, not enough to use in my personal statement i dont think.

aaahhh I see --- well maybe you could start by saying that there was no single defining moment that solidified medicine as your life goal -- that it is the result of multiple experiences...blah blah.. and then start talking about some of the things you've jotted down. This is just a rough draft of sorts for your cmte-- right? It's not like they can tell you what to use as your final personal statement. You fill that bad boy in all by yourself when it comes time to submit your AMCAS.

 

[Sarikate]

Start exactly like MedicineBird said - jot ideas down, like an outline, of things that are important to you about yourself. What makes you tick? Was there any experience in which you found yourself totally excited, shocked, horrified, awestruck? Think of these moments, and how reacted to them. They want to see what you are made of. What makes you a good candidate for medical school? Why do you have empathy for people? Why does the prospect of dissecting a dead body, or holding the hand of a live person, make you realize there is no other career out there for you? Ask yourself why you REALLY want to be a doctor and be totally honest with yourself, and write those things down. Don't worry about knocking out the whole thing all at once. Then come back and we'll help you more! You can do it! Make it fun for yourself!

 

[ravi]

Im having a tough time even starting it, i worked all day but nothing, i know the reasons i want to go into medicine for, but i dont have some story to tie it all into, I don't have some dramatic event in my life that caused me to choose medicine, so i dont know where to start. You guys have any tips on how to start it? I know it will definitely suck without some type of story or theme, me just listing my reasons for medicine isnt very captivating.

may be you could get a book on medical school personal statements (I got it from Barnes and noble) and just take a look at the sequence and the stucture of the essay(never ever copy those statements). Going through those essays may help you where to start and might give you general idea about what kinda experiences people use etc..

 

[virilep]

ya know, i never had a life changing thing... but i mean, there's so many topics. my first one was about music, the second was about art (i applied twice) but yeah... talk about anything as long as you're into it. definately don't list stuff. it took me a good 2 months to finish the product... so it's good ur starting out early. gluck

 

[flash]

I was surprised how long it took me to write and be happy with my PS. Keep returning to it and get fresh perspectives. Pass it along to people that you trust, they will help u tremendously by giving u an objective and fresh perspective. After 2 weeks of looking at the same page, you're "too close" to the PS.

 

[mudphudwannabe]

My advice would be write about what you know and what excites you. Even if you think you don't have much to go on with your volunteer experience, you can still write about it if it inspired you. Or if you had any kind of research experience or something from a class, that would work too. I spent a lot of time on my statement but ended up with a general overview of the factors that made me want to be a doctor -- in the end I think it was too general and not very interesting to read at all. Of course, if you do too well on your personal statement, you won't have anything left to write for the statements on your secondaries. 😉 Don't worry if your statement ends up a little boring..I have 4 interviews coming up. 🙂 It's much easier to write on the secondaries when you have more specific questions to answer. Well, best of luck!

 

[Sundarban1]

may be you could get a book on medical school personal statements (I got it from Barnes and noble) and just take a look at the sequence and the stucture of the essay(never ever copy those statements). Going through those essays may help you where to start and might give you general idea about what kinda experiences people use etc..

I just bought "Essays that will get you into medical school" by Barron's at barnes and noble. It's a great tool for those with writers block or just unable to start as it offers step by step advice on how to organize your thoughts into a great essay. There are also over 50 essays provided from students who were accecpted to medical school, feedback from admissions committe members, and the authors themselves. Plus, the essays provided are from every background, so your sure to get ideas from people in similar situations. I highly suggest taking a look, as it helped me tremendously.

BTW one of the lessons it teaches is that it is not necessary by any means to have a "life changing event" to have an effective statement. Actually, it is rare for people to experience such events, so don't try to make one up.

 

[Blake]

Im having a tough time even starting it, i worked all day but nothing, i know the reasons i want to go into medicine for, but i dont have some story to tie it all into, I don't have some dramatic event in my life that caused me to choose medicine, so i dont know where to start. You guys have any tips on how to start it? I know it will definitely suck without some type of story or theme, me just listing my reasons for medicine isnt very captivating.

Don't worry, some of us have been through this. My letters were so boring I don't even have the strength to read it today. Good luck in the process