There was no tragedy (thank God) that brought me to medicine, no great revelation or experience that I witnessed, nothing but a slowly growing interest that has no concrete or valid metamorphosis. How do I write about boring nothing in my PS. I'm really serious here. I mean that's what our PS is supposed to be about, right? I just think my PS will be so boring.
- Apr 23, 2006
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There are two sorts of premeds (to over generalize):
1) Eureka! Premeds
2) Journey Premeds
Eureka! Premeds are those that had a precious awesome moment that made them trounce on medicine (relative died, they broke their leg and a doctor became their good good friend, etc)
Journey Premeds are those that sort of never dreamed of becoming a doctor, but everything they did to explore the field made them more and more excited about it (clinical volunteering, shadowing, research, human anatomy classes, etc)
I think you should explain your Eureka! or your Journey. It looks like you're a Journey, so then explain what has happened in your life that validates this career move (but done laundry list)
You're exactly right and I was going to start my PS with some grabber (except i don't have one) and then comment that it was a long journey getting there and reflect on my past and trying to force it to relate. But it's BOOOORRRRRIIING
The worst thing that you can do is have a PS that is "BOOOORRRRIIING" and ordinary. Picture a guy with glasses sifting through 3000 PSs... what can you do to make him stop and actually read yours?
Do you have a certain special person you met during volunteering in the hospital or anything that is at least semi-heart felt?
i agree. i was a journey premed, and the ps was hard to write when there was no 'ah-ha!' moment. but set aside a whole two weeks to live and breathe the ps, and another month to edit, and you'll be fine.
- May 25, 2006
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Very few of us experienced some mind-blowing event that led us to pursue careers in medicine. It's not always what you write about but how you write about it. A good writer can write about watching paint dry and make it interesting. Be honest, concise, and let you/your voice shine through if you don't have a trip to a 3rd world country to do so instead.
Hey-- I know it's really hard to come up with something that sounds different and interesting, but my best advice is to make it sound personal. Make sure the ADCOM reader can really hear your voice, and when you give it to people you know to read, make sure they say it sounds like you. So ditch generic sentences, and make them have meaning. Sure, easier said than done, but keep tweaking it. As far as the topic, think of a specific moment in all of your pre-med journey activities. Even if it sounds small right now, elaborate on it and think about what it meant to you and why it has inspired you-- a specific patient that said something to you-- something you witnessed--something a Doctor did---it doesn't have to be life-altering, the key word is PRE med...but something that you can say you took something from and center around that. Good luck!
i agree. i was a journey premed, and the ps was hard to write when there was no 'ah-ha!' moment. but set aside a whole two weeks to live and breathe the ps, and another month to edit, and you'll be fine.
where should i take the two weeks and then the month from? (a) my 5 courses and my reading Examkrackers, doing my independent research, writing my honors thesis, writing and illustrating a pediatric book (now thru graduation)
(b) my spring break off from school when I was going to shadow and volunteer 24/7
(c) my 6 days off between graduation and summer school where I was going to do more clinical volunteer and shadow a different doctor, and take practice AMCAS tests
(d) my 10 weeks of summer school taking orgo 1 and orgo 2, studying for the MCAT and writing applications, volunteer work, shadowing
Um...go find a house-fire in your local community, bust through the second-story floor and save a six-year-old....and a kitty...a six-year-old and a kitty. Go befriend a someone with terminal pancreatic cancer. What kind of advice do you want? It's your job as an applicant to make yourself interesting. If medicine isn't anything but a 'neat' job to you, maybe you just need to spend a little more time evaluating what set you on this road. This is going to be a major theme in your time as an applicant, and if you think you're going to come off as "boring" or lacking in passion, you have a long road ahead.
- Jul 23, 2004
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Ack. I'd strongly avoid using the following format:
1. Start with visual and clenching Significant Moment
2. Rehash lifestory and experience that led up to your application to medical school
3. Tie in past experience with #1 and conclude
This is high school essay style. It's been done to death by every boring premed applicant out there.
Even if you didn't have an epiphany while immunizing children in the amazon that medicine was your 'calling,' there have to be reasons why you want to do medicine over other professions or even other healthcare professions (why not be a PA instead? Potential interview question)
I think the PS is all about why you want to be a doctor and what would make you a good one. like GreenEyes said, it has to be personal. ADCOMS sift through thousands of PS every year, you have to make yours stand out. Give concrete examples of what you like about medicine or qualities you could bring to your practice of medicine. As far as essays go, it's all about a detail that will grab the reader's attention, and separate you from the pile, and it doesn't have to be something spectacular.
I think the PS is all about why you want to be a doctor and what would make you a good one. like GreenEyes said, it has to be personal. ADCOMS sift through thousands of PS every year, you have to make yours stand out. Give concrete examples of what you like about medicine or qualities you could bring to your practice of medicine. As far as essays go, it's all about a detail that will grab the reader's attention, and separate you from the pile, and it doesn't have to be something spectacular.
that's ok. live and breathe the ps in the week before your summer school starts, then. and start editing during the summer. it'll be hard, and that sucks, since you are also taking the MCAT, but plenty of people have come before you and done it successfully.
(a) my 5 courses and my reading Examkrackers, doing my independent research, writing my honors thesis, writing and illustrating a pediatric book (now thru graduation)
(b) my spring break off from school when I was going to shadow and volunteer 24/7
(c) my 6 days off between graduation and summer school where I was going to do more clinical volunteer and shadow a different doctor, and take practice AMCAS tests
(d) my 10 weeks of summer school taking orgo 1 and orgo 2, studying for the MCAT and writing applications, volunteer work, shadowing
also, i don't think there is anything wrong with formatting the essay in the way nondeadyet described. i think my essay generally fell along those lines and i am doing just fine in the process. i think what makes one essay stand out is not only the activities that you chose to do, but more importantly, what you learned from them.
I think that you have potential for a very intriguing PS. Even starting it out with what you just said (differently worded) could be a captivating beginning.
My 2 cents (take it, leave it, throw it away, stomp on it, treasure it - whatever floats your boat):
I don't agree with the journey premed & eureka! premed as I understood them (Journey Premeds never dreamed of becoming a doctor, but explored the field; Eureka! Premeds are those that had a precious awesome moment).
I decided in about 4th grade that I wanted to be a doctor. That dream never died until Junior year of college. Then, filled with doubt, I backed off of the dream, declaring myself "unsure" and took time off. I then explored more seriously than I had before, reassured my desire & headed back to make my dream happen. No real moment, which would suggest that I'm a journey, but I have always dreamed of being a dr.
In any case, I, too, felt like, "What do I have to talk about?" when writing the PS. No moment, no dramatic experiences (yes, shadowing/volunteering, but locally - not abroad, etc.). I was trying to make mine have some great style or catchiness. I then decided what I was doing was bull.
I went back to the drawing board. I thought about what draws me to medicine, what experiences I've had that make me feel like I will find what I need & want in this career. I wrote a very honest personal statement about "Why medicine?" - yes, a few 1-sentence anectdotes from my experiences to show that I had some, but otherwise maybe a very "plain" statement. In the end, I really liked what I wrote because it was so honest & straightforward. I didn't feel like my PS was trying to impress someone, blow their socks off - it was a "here's what I want to do & why" statement, hopefully filled with my spirit, soul, personality.....
Anyways, I did not have anyone comment on my PS (+ or -) when interviewing. Maybe my PS wasn't wowzy enough to get me interviews just on its own, but it certainly didn't hold me back.
I don't agree with the journey premed & eureka! premed as I understood them (Journey Premeds never dreamed of becoming a doctor, but explored the field; Eureka! Premeds are those that had a precious awesome moment).
I decided in about 4th grade that I wanted to be a doctor. That dream never died until Junior year of college. Then, filled with doubt, I backed off of the dream, declaring myself "unsure" and took time off. I then explored more seriously than I had before, reassured my desire & headed back to make my dream happen. No real moment, which would suggest that I'm a journey, but I have always dreamed of being a dr.
In any case, I, too, felt like, "What do I have to talk about?" when writing the PS. No moment, no dramatic experiences (yes, shadowing/volunteering, but locally - not abroad, etc.). I was trying to make mine have some great style or catchiness. I then decided what I was doing was bull.
I went back to the drawing board. I thought about what draws me to medicine, what experiences I've had that make me feel like I will find what I need & want in this career. I wrote a very honest personal statement about "Why medicine?" - yes, a few 1-sentence anectdotes from my experiences to show that I had some, but otherwise maybe a very "plain" statement. In the end, I really liked what I wrote because it was so honest & straightforward. I didn't feel like my PS was trying to impress someone, blow their socks off - it was a "here's what I want to do & why" statement, hopefully filled with my spirit, soul, personality.....
Anyways, I did not have anyone comment on my PS (+ or -) when interviewing. Maybe my PS wasn't wowzy enough to get me interviews just on its own, but it certainly didn't hold me back.
- Dec 18, 2004
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I just wrote I was always interested in medicine and described various things in college i did to test those interests and what I learned in doing those things. I also talked about things i discovered about myself that I felt would be advantageous as a doctor.
no exciting revelation, no african baby, no dying relative
no exciting revelation, no african baby, no dying relative