Where the Red Fern Grows & Personal Statements

[Eik Ooc]

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Nevermind...

 

[NuttyEngDude]

old dan and lil ann?

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

I love that book... although I will probably never read it again, just as I won't read Marley and Me ever again

 

[Helen Wheels]

I remember that book well. My 5th grade teacher used to read it to the class in installments throughout the year.

 

[EdLongshanks]

My wife's family are one of the 20 or so families in Flint, OK (Where the Red Fern Grows is set there). They are very big coon hunters. When I was dating her, I was the first college student they had met. (and one of a couple of dozen high school graduates that they knew about). Every time I'd mention books they'd say, "Have you read Where the Red Fern Grows, I love that book." It was one of the few books they had ever read. After we had been married for a couple decades and this conversation had been repeated dozens of times, it got to be a joke with my children, my wife and I.

A few weeks ago my wife met a cousin that she hadn't previously known (it seems like there are hundreds of cousins; they have babies instead of buying shoes ) and her cousin came over to have dinner with all of us. When the conversation got around to books, the cousin said, "Have you read Where the Red Fern Grows, I love that book."

My children and I just took a deep breath and found something to do for a few minutes until we could avoid breaking down.

 

[Eik Ooc]

My original post was a long one. I've been reading sample personal statements and some of them read cooly formulaic and others like maudlin where-the-red-fern-grows narratives.

As non-traditionals I think we are asked 'Why Medicine?' more often than the 22 year olds on the tail end of their 4 years of uninterrupted undergraduate study and that our answers are more closely scrutinized. Not wanting to end up in awkward conversations leaving people uncomfortable, I usually answer the question with some pat response about looking for a more meaningful path. Everyone, my professors, other students, seems satisfied with that answer.

However, in writing my personal statement drafts I've been more open and honest. I'm one of those people who transformed their lives after trauma. In my drafts I don't dwell on it but I do lead into the essay with a paragraph explaining why my reaction to it was this following several years journey.

I remain anxious about the essay which will end up read by dozens or hundreds of people whose job it is to scrutinize and screen. The essay has no tears, no gore. But there it is on paper: my intense drive and motivation which I've guarded so closely. I'm sure it's natural to feel vulnerable in this process but I also think it rational to acknowledge the risk of sharing a truly non-traditional personal statement which will leave your application sticking out for better for for worse.

This is very challenging. I'm still unsure what I'll finally Cntrl-V into my AMCAS application. Thoughts?

 

[EdLongshanks]

My original post was a long one. I've been reading sample personal statements and some of them read cooly formulaic and others like maudlin where-the-red-fern-grows narratives.

As non-traditionals I think we are asked 'Why Medicine?' more often than the 22 year olds on the tail end of their 4 years of uninterrupted undergraduate study and that our answers are more closely scrutinized. Not wanting to end up in awkward conversations leaving people uncomfortable, I usually answer the question with some pat response about looking for a more meaningful path. Everyone, my professors, other students, seems satisfied with that answer.

However, in writing my personal statement drafts I've been more open and honest. I'm one of those people who transformed their lives after trauma. In my drafts I don't dwell on it but I do lead into the essay with a paragraph explaining why my reaction to it was this following several years journey.

I remain anxious about the essay which will end up read by dozens or hundreds of people whose job it is to scrutinize and screen. The essay has no tears, no gore. But there it is on paper: my intense drive and motivation which I've guarded so closely. I'm sure it's natural to feel vulnerable in this process but I also think it rational to acknowledge the risk of sharing a truly non-traditional personal statement which will leave your application sticking out for better for for worse.

This is very challenging. I'm still unsure what I'll finally Cntrl-V into my AMCAS application. Thoughts?

I was afraid that my essays would come across as too earnest and to driven. I feared that the adcomms would not invite me to an interview and instead refer me to a psychologist. I don't know if the statement worked for me or not. It got me an interview at Mayo and Creighton, but I'm pretty sure it also got me rejected at OU - so who knows. In the end, the statement is PERSONAL. It reveals you. The schools are looking for this personal revelation in order to evaluate you for "fit".