Yay or nay? Starting the P.S. with a Quote?
Started by vetwardbound
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I vote 'no' (in most circumstances). I'm pretty sure that most essay-writing books tell you to avoid it as well. Depending on the quote you use, it very well could be over-used in personal statements.
Generally you want to try and set yourself apart without hitting on too many cliches. (The little engine that could, Ghandi/Peter Singer Quotes, etc).
If you haven't done so already I would recommend picking up (or going to Barnes & Noble/Borders) and reading through the med-school essay books.. the ones with titles like 'essays that WILL get you into Med school.' Some of them actually have decent tips that I didn't think of when I wrote my PS. Because of the book I think I spent about 28 total hours writing up and revising my PS.
For the record, I did include a quote in one of the body paragraphs of my PS. It is a quote that I keep on my desk that has personal significance ... It's famous, yet fairly obscure quote that was written down and handed to me by my boss (and mentor) who passed away 5 years ago now. So it can be done... and I guess my take-home point is you have to be very prudent in how you use it, it's not necessarily a good 'attention grabber' like you would use a quote to open a standard essay for school.
Generally you want to try and set yourself apart without hitting on too many cliches. (The little engine that could, Ghandi/Peter Singer Quotes, etc).
If you haven't done so already I would recommend picking up (or going to Barnes & Noble/Borders) and reading through the med-school essay books.. the ones with titles like 'essays that WILL get you into Med school.' Some of them actually have decent tips that I didn't think of when I wrote my PS. Because of the book I think I spent about 28 total hours writing up and revising my PS.
For the record, I did include a quote in one of the body paragraphs of my PS. It is a quote that I keep on my desk that has personal significance ... It's famous, yet fairly obscure quote that was written down and handed to me by my boss (and mentor) who passed away 5 years ago now. So it can be done... and I guess my take-home point is you have to be very prudent in how you use it, it's not necessarily a good 'attention grabber' like you would use a quote to open a standard essay for school.
It is extremely cliche, but if it's done well, I think it has a really powerful impact. It is a quick little tidbit the reader takes with them that also reminds them of you, and being remembered is a good thing when they're plowing through so many applications.
i did! i did! while it may be 'poor writing' (i don't pretend to be a good writer), it worked for me.
word.
i used the quote in my sig becuase music is huge for me, and it was representative of my decision to start vet school. in the interview, one of them asked, 'oh, you're the one that quoted the metal band, right?' lol, at least she remembered me? well, i'm in, so i guess it wasn't too bad.
It's actually not a famous quote, but a quote from a famous musician that I saw speak at an event on campus. I don't think the quote itself is cliche, but the act of opening the p.s. with a quote is definitely cliche in itself. Hmm.
So I borrowed the Essays that will get you into Medical School book from a friend as recommended and counted the number of successful essays with quotes in the beginning -- 4 out of 40. 10% isn't that bad of a success rate, I think. I feel like there's no shorter way to introduce my theme/topic, and I'm definitely having word crunch problems, so I'll roll with it. If it doesn't work this year, I'll change my approach for next year. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback.
So I borrowed the Essays that will get you into Medical School book from a friend as recommended and counted the number of successful essays with quotes in the beginning -- 4 out of 40. 10% isn't that bad of a success rate, I think. I feel like there's no shorter way to introduce my theme/topic, and I'm definitely having word crunch problems, so I'll roll with it. If it doesn't work this year, I'll change my approach for next year. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback.
Even if it is considered cliche or tacky, I don't think it will make the difference of you getting in or not. As long as the PS as a whole does a good job representing you then I think you'll be fine even with a pinch of cliche thrown in.
