Which direction to take personal statement

[7502]

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So after getting some comments back on my PS, I'm left thinking there are two schools of thought for the PS.

On one side there are people who tell you to really emphasize to story and use imagery details to convey the personal nature of one or two anecdotes thereby revealing the applicant's personality (I've found this to be the case in Miller's the Medical School Admissions Guide). On the other hand, there are people who recommend offering multiple specific evidences that you understand and are prepared for a medical career. These essays tend to be less personal, but cover more ground (discuss three or four experiences). This seems to be the format offered in Barron's Essays that will get you into medical school.

So, my question is: SDN which approach is better? Can someone describe pros/cons of each approach. I know the two are not mutually exclusive, but are hard to bring together for sure.

 

[kmp0410]

I feel like I found a happy medium

You want to make it personal but not entirely fluffy. That means don't fill it with pretty details that simply set the scene. You make it personal by using specific insights or experiences you had, and what you specifically got out of them.

Fitting 4 experiences would certainly seem like a bit much, not much room to actually talk about them in depth without it sounding like a work/activities rehash.

 

[dahassa]

So after getting some comments back on my PS, I'm left thinking there are two schools of thought for the PS.

On one side there are people who tell you to really emphasize to story and use imagery details to convey the personal nature of one or two anecdotes thereby revealing the applicant's personality (I've found this to be the case in Miller's the Medical School Admissions Guide). On the other hand, there are people who recommend offering multiple specific evidences that you understand and are prepared for a medical career. These essays tend to be less personal, but cover more ground (discuss three or four experiences). This seems to be the format offered in Barron's Essays that will get you into medical school.

So, my question is: SDN which approach is better? Can someone describe pros/cons of each approach. I know the two are not mutually exclusive, but are hard to bring together for sure.

The problem with addressing multiple experiences is you can't go into depth and often times, your essay will sound like a resume. Personally, I used the first approach. I addressed only two personal experiences and I tried to paint a picture of who I am and why medicine is a must for me. I wanted the adcoms to get a sense of who I am. They have your primary app, so they already who what your EC are. But they don't know how your think/feel and what kind of person you are.