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What questions should I expect in an interview from my PS?
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benbk said:
Um, you don't need to do that. SDN has a search for all threads started by a member, and another for all posts by a member. They're off of the profile page.
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benbk said:
My first question would be, "How did you fit a whole Cuban refugee camp in your uterus?"
If you are male, as your name would imply, I would be even more curious.
Seriously, though, you would seem to have a brilliant application. If I could make any real criticism of your PS, it would be that it's TOO polished, and lacks punch--it's a little too Latinate. But that won't keep you from getting interviews and acceptances.
Your interview questions will be about your experiences. What's the point in asking us? You know the answers. If I were mean-spirited, I would think you were posting this to get back pats.
Why did you have a low ungergrad GPA? What did you do part all day long?
-this question would come from a nasty interviewer
Why do you want to come to _________ medical school, when your application is so great that you can go to Harvard??
- this is possible at some of the lower level schools that ur applying to
Why is your BS MCAT score lower that the rest condisering you have a master in organic chemistry???
- a very possible question...im wondering this myself.
-this question would come from a nasty interviewer
Why do you want to come to _________ medical school, when your application is so great that you can go to Harvard??
- this is possible at some of the lower level schools that ur applying to
Why is your BS MCAT score lower that the rest condisering you have a master in organic chemistry???
- a very possible question...im wondering this myself.
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drguy22 said:
All true, but the OP asked about questions concerning his PS.
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if you havent turned your ps in, i would say that it needs to show you more. You only have a limited number of characters; take out what doesnt tell us something that is absolutely crucial to us knowing you or your motivations, or setting us up to transition into these ideas...
you have some great ecs and definitely show that you understand and are ready for medical school
but im worried that it's not personal enough...it kind of rattles off everything you've done (and you've done a lot), but there isn't really any emotion in it
i get the feeling you're trying to show off more than tell us who you are...after awhile, i started glossing over parts of your essay just because it was more like "i did this and then i did this because i learned this and wanted to do this"
take out some of the ecs...add some more insight and personal comments
but im worried that it's not personal enough...it kind of rattles off everything you've done (and you've done a lot), but there isn't really any emotion in it
i get the feeling you're trying to show off more than tell us who you are...after awhile, i started glossing over parts of your essay just because it was more like "i did this and then i did this because i learned this and wanted to do this"
take out some of the ecs...add some more insight and personal comments
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2 things:
1. How does your location in utero constitute an experience? Did you spend time in the refugee camp as a child? If not, perhaps word it a little differently, or talk about how your mother's experiences affected you.
2. This reads a little too much like a resume in paragraph form. I have no idea what your personality is like from this ps.
It sounds like you've done alot of cool stuff though. Good luck with the application process. 👍
1. How does your location in utero constitute an experience? Did you spend time in the refugee camp as a child? If not, perhaps word it a little differently, or talk about how your mother's experiences affected you.
2. This reads a little too much like a resume in paragraph form. I have no idea what your personality is like from this ps.
It sounds like you've done alot of cool stuff though. Good luck with the application process. 👍
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I read lots of telling, not much showing.
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I'm not sure if I agree with your word choice in a few places.
1) Can you feel "empathy for poverty"? I think that you feel empathy for those affected by poverty.
2) I don't think that you want to say that "volunteering compels a range of emotions." Compel isn't the right word to use here - "evokes" would make more sense.
3) "My own experiences as an educator have been sincerely rewarding." What exactly does "sincerely rewarding" mean?
4) "Transforming difficult concepts into encouraging language for my students is something that I truly enjoy." What is "encouraging language"?
5) "Just as my experience as an infant benefitted me to volunteer for those in need..." I think that there's a typo here. I have a feeling that you meant "my experience as an infant BEFITTED me...."
The PS is a little dry, but it covers the important things, and I think that you'll be fine, especially because your stats are pretty good. As for anticipating interview questions, that can be difficult sometimes. In my interview, we talked about foreign films, Jewish-American history, architecture, and "what kind of doctor do you want to be?" was sort of thrown in as an after-thought. (It was a really fun interview, by the way.) If you want to see some more generic questions, I'd read the interview feedback page (there's a link on SDN's homepage). That's quite useful.
Good luck!
1) Can you feel "empathy for poverty"? I think that you feel empathy for those affected by poverty.
2) I don't think that you want to say that "volunteering compels a range of emotions." Compel isn't the right word to use here - "evokes" would make more sense.
3) "My own experiences as an educator have been sincerely rewarding." What exactly does "sincerely rewarding" mean?
4) "Transforming difficult concepts into encouraging language for my students is something that I truly enjoy." What is "encouraging language"?
5) "Just as my experience as an infant benefitted me to volunteer for those in need..." I think that there's a typo here. I have a feeling that you meant "my experience as an infant BEFITTED me...."
The PS is a little dry, but it covers the important things, and I think that you'll be fine, especially because your stats are pretty good. As for anticipating interview questions, that can be difficult sometimes. In my interview, we talked about foreign films, Jewish-American history, architecture, and "what kind of doctor do you want to be?" was sort of thrown in as an after-thought. (It was a really fun interview, by the way.) If you want to see some more generic questions, I'd read the interview feedback page (there's a link on SDN's homepage). That's quite useful.
Good luck!
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benbk said:
I dont know if this is grammatically incorrect per se, but the sentence doesn't sound correct.
benbk said:
These two sentences right here would make me roll my eyes if I were an AdCom. Do you really think tuberculosis and teenage substance abuse are limited to the poor and homeless? You think the reason you see these cases is because you work in a poor area? That's dumb. Your essay makes you sound like a pompous dude who does EC's for the resume boost rather than truly caring about what you are doing. It also reads like a laundry list of ec's rather than giving any insight into your motivation tobe a doctor, or what makes you tick. I don't like the essay.
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Originally Posted by benbk
Just as my experience as an infant benefitted me to volunteer for those in need, my background as a teacher, scientist, and humanitarian have all contributed to my desire and preparation to become a physician.
However, the rest of your post seemed a little harsh. I don't think that he meant to imply that TB and teen substance abuse are unique to the poor and homeless, but that they are problems that the poor and homeless commonly face. Yeah, the PS is a little dry, but many "personal statement" type essays are - they're not the easiest things to write. It can be difficult to reveal "what makes you tick" to a nameless admission committee that you may never meet.
Just as my experience as an infant benefitted me to volunteer for those in need, my background as a teacher, scientist, and humanitarian have all contributed to my desire and preparation to become a physician.
Good point - I missed this on my first read through. It actually isn't grammatically correct. It should be "My background as a teacher, scientist, and humanitarian HAS contributed to my desire and preparation..." Your background made the contribution, not a teacher, scientist, and a humanitarian.stinkycheese said:
However, the rest of your post seemed a little harsh. I don't think that he meant to imply that TB and teen substance abuse are unique to the poor and homeless, but that they are problems that the poor and homeless commonly face. Yeah, the PS is a little dry, but many "personal statement" type essays are - they're not the easiest things to write. It can be difficult to reveal "what makes you tick" to a nameless admission committee that you may never meet.
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benbk said:
As someone else remarked, this makes it sound like you're looking for points based on what your mom did while she was pregnant with you. If you mean you lived in a refugee camp as a child, which I hope you do, take out "in utero."
How can your experience as an infant have anything to do with what you're like now? Do you remember it?
Word choice: "moxie" is jarring here, because it's something I would expect to hear from an old lady. It doesn't fit with the rest of the vocabulary in your essay. I suspect that the second quoted sentence is ungrammatical - it seems like the introductory clause ought to be an adverb (as in "Quickly, I ran to the door") but I'm not sure. I do think "Just as importantly" might sound better.
Overall, my impression of you is a nice, smart guy who's done some impressive stuff but is overly enamoured of his thesaurus. The tone of the essay tends toward the stuffy, and I think that prevents your personality from coming through as much as it could.
I liked what you had to say about your teaching experience and its relationship to medicine - I think you might get questions about that.
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dmk724 said:
Yep, I am a pretty harsh reader. But in the case of a personal statement, harsh criticism is necessary. It's for the OP's own good. Like I said before, I believe the statement about the indigent and teen substance abuse displays ignorance and prejudice. It is worded in a way that seems the OP doesn't understand that these issues are not unique to that community, or even more prevalent than in any other community. Whether that's what he meant or not is not the issue; the issue is how the statement reads. To me, it reads a certain way that I find unsettling. Better for him to hear it from me and consider revising, than to step on the feet of an Ad Com.
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You wanted your PS to cover all of the things you did. Well, you succeeded, but I don't think you were aiming in the right direction. If I had your AMCAS application along with your PS, I think I'd be reading the same thing twice. Your application is the same with or without the PS that you show here. You see what I mean? That's not good. Even with your stellar activities, you need the PS to illustrate something that isn't in the rest of the application.
A few other posters suggested that you should do more showing, less telling. How you do that is up to you. It's "personal", right? I'd suggest reading a few good short first person narratives to get a feel for making a point.
A few other posters suggested that you should do more showing, less telling. How you do that is up to you. It's "personal", right? I'd suggest reading a few good short first person narratives to get a feel for making a point.
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What's the capitol of North Dakota?
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Don't be redundant. Choose one or two important experiences and make them exciting. No matter what "they" say, the importance of this essay isn't to sell yourself. It's to write a great story that keeps the readers attention while making them think that your strong points are awsome and your weak points aren't bad enough to deny you an interview.
Also, if you haven't submitted your primary by now, you're behind. Get it in RIGHT AWAY. It would be fine just as it is, Just get it in!!! As a URM/ispano, I can also recommend applying at non-AMCAS schools and traditionally african american schools. Most of these are among the best in the nation and not as hard to get into as you my think.
(And apply at Jefferson! We need you here!)
Also, if you haven't submitted your primary by now, you're behind. Get it in RIGHT AWAY. It would be fine just as it is, Just get it in!!! As a URM/ispano, I can also recommend applying at non-AMCAS schools and traditionally african american schools. Most of these are among the best in the nation and not as hard to get into as you my think.
(And apply at Jefferson! We need you here!)
