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Been reading and working on and off on my personal statement. My original PS was way too long and covered way to much of my life. So I sort of put down what I think were a few major moments in my life that have not only shaped me into a better human being, but that have either directly or indirectly led me to wanting to become a physician. Basically I ended up with 3 different versions of a personal statement. All of them converge on the same idea that there was growth and I found what I want etc so now I want to be a doc, but the introductions and the path that I got there was remarkably different (mostly because they cover 3 different times in my life).
topic 1)
When I was 14 I was diagnosed with lyme disease. Basically I went from being a 200 lb football player, to within the next 3 years I became so weak that I had to become home schooled and was being pushed around in a wheel chair. Obviously I experienced A LOT of the medical field in that time (at Hopkins and University of Maryland). At first I sort of didnt want to even mention to anyone during my med school trail that that happened to me, but I really feel like it has set me up for a level of compassion that I never would have had otherwise. This is nice because I truly understand what it is to be SICK, as well as sort of showing a certain level of growth in finding the positives even through trialing experiences. I absolutely feel that without this, I would not have found that I want to be a doctor (although I would not say it is the REASON I want to be a doctor, this experience more or less just opened a door for me).
topic 2)
I almost didnt graduate high school. Basically once I got better (from the lyme disease) my heart and soul was in music (I had been a drummer since I was 7); so much so that I basically stopped going to school (I stopped going to the courses that I was signed up for at a community college, and I basically stopped doing anything through the home school program I was in- I basically just would not read the book and would circle (A) for all of my exams). My genius plan was to stop doing school so I could do more music and was planning on going pro. Through a series of events I ended up reluctantly deciding on college. Naturally I sucked at first (because at that time I still sort of didnt care) but there is a HUGE upward trend in my grades, experiences, and general work ethic. I really became enamored with school and learning in general and really became a passion for me. Nice things about this topic is that A) it would explain deficiencies in my grades early on, as well as pointing to the nice trend B) I continued to play some music throughout college, I ended up teaching/mentoring music to middle school students for a year, as well as teaching at a summer camp, being involved with a band at several churches etc. So it is an interesting story of growth and really hits on a deep passion of mine (music) while also hitting on my passion for learning and personal growth.
topic 3)
My first really strong interaction with patients outside of shadowing was when I was working on getting my CNA license. There was a woman with end stage parkinsons disease that I took care of every day for a month during my training (there were other patients obviously but this is one that I really connected with). It was an incredible opportunity to have helped this woman (albeit probably little just being a CNA), and I realized here that I have an absolute passion for medicine and helping people, I would have carried that woman up a mountain on my back if I had to. I am just worried because maybe a lot of people hit topics like this? The first two topics feel a bit more unique.
So yup, any advice would be great. Maybe someone has some insight as to whether I should stay clear of one of these topics? Or maybe just what your gut instinct would say to go with. I have sort of been sitting on these three options for like a month now, so I figure I would try and get some feedback. All of these things are important to me but it is pretty much pick one or go over the character limit. I am really trying to focus on what would really catch the eye of the ADCOM. I am a very average applicant grade and MCAT wise, and an extremely strong applicant research and EC wise, so I figured I would really try and focus on my strengths of pushing my character and life experiences. So having a personal statment that really grabs that is actually really interesting to read I think would be best. Thanks a bunch!
topic 1)
When I was 14 I was diagnosed with lyme disease. Basically I went from being a 200 lb football player, to within the next 3 years I became so weak that I had to become home schooled and was being pushed around in a wheel chair. Obviously I experienced A LOT of the medical field in that time (at Hopkins and University of Maryland). At first I sort of didnt want to even mention to anyone during my med school trail that that happened to me, but I really feel like it has set me up for a level of compassion that I never would have had otherwise. This is nice because I truly understand what it is to be SICK, as well as sort of showing a certain level of growth in finding the positives even through trialing experiences. I absolutely feel that without this, I would not have found that I want to be a doctor (although I would not say it is the REASON I want to be a doctor, this experience more or less just opened a door for me).
topic 2)
I almost didnt graduate high school. Basically once I got better (from the lyme disease) my heart and soul was in music (I had been a drummer since I was 7); so much so that I basically stopped going to school (I stopped going to the courses that I was signed up for at a community college, and I basically stopped doing anything through the home school program I was in- I basically just would not read the book and would circle (A) for all of my exams). My genius plan was to stop doing school so I could do more music and was planning on going pro. Through a series of events I ended up reluctantly deciding on college. Naturally I sucked at first (because at that time I still sort of didnt care) but there is a HUGE upward trend in my grades, experiences, and general work ethic. I really became enamored with school and learning in general and really became a passion for me. Nice things about this topic is that A) it would explain deficiencies in my grades early on, as well as pointing to the nice trend B) I continued to play some music throughout college, I ended up teaching/mentoring music to middle school students for a year, as well as teaching at a summer camp, being involved with a band at several churches etc. So it is an interesting story of growth and really hits on a deep passion of mine (music) while also hitting on my passion for learning and personal growth.
topic 3)
My first really strong interaction with patients outside of shadowing was when I was working on getting my CNA license. There was a woman with end stage parkinsons disease that I took care of every day for a month during my training (there were other patients obviously but this is one that I really connected with). It was an incredible opportunity to have helped this woman (albeit probably little just being a CNA), and I realized here that I have an absolute passion for medicine and helping people, I would have carried that woman up a mountain on my back if I had to. I am just worried because maybe a lot of people hit topics like this? The first two topics feel a bit more unique.
So yup, any advice would be great. Maybe someone has some insight as to whether I should stay clear of one of these topics? Or maybe just what your gut instinct would say to go with. I have sort of been sitting on these three options for like a month now, so I figure I would try and get some feedback. All of these things are important to me but it is pretty much pick one or go over the character limit. I am really trying to focus on what would really catch the eye of the ADCOM. I am a very average applicant grade and MCAT wise, and an extremely strong applicant research and EC wise, so I figured I would really try and focus on my strengths of pushing my character and life experiences. So having a personal statment that really grabs that is actually really interesting to read I think would be best. Thanks a bunch!
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