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The Medical SchoolPersonal Statement

Jeff Glenn

Office of Career Services

March 2010

The Personal Statement

If we wish to know a man, we must ask, What ishis story, his real, inmost story? for each of us is a

biography, a story. Each of us is a singularnarrative, which is constructed continually andunconsciously by, through, and in usthroughour perceptions, our feelings, our thoughts, our

actions; and , not least, through our discourse, ourspoken narrations. Biologically, physiologically, weare not so different from each other; historically, asnarratives, we are each of us unique.

-Oliver Sacks, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Topics to Cover

1. Primary & secondary essays

2. Purpose of the personal statement

3. What to discuss and highlight

4. How to approach/craft your essay

5. Dos & donts

6. Feedback & resources

7. Q&A

Types of essays

Primary (AMCAS) application:

5300 characters 1.5 single-spaced pgs

MD/PhD have two additional essays

Reasons for wishing to pursue combined

MD/PhD degree (3000 characters)

Describe significant research experiences

including supervisor, nature of problem

studied, contribution to project (10,000

characters)

Types of essays

Secondary applications:

Some med schools ask for more essays in

secondary applications; some dont

Many will ask you why you are interested intheir school (among other questions)

May arrive at different times: upon AMCAS

submission, AMCAS verification, all materials

received, or not at all

Types of essays

Examples of secondary questions:

What do you think will be your greatest personal

challenge as a physician, and how will you address

this? ow w you con r u e o e vers y o your

medical school class?

Are there any special circumstances that we

should be aware of?

Describe your interest in our med school.

Tell us about a difficult or challenging situation that

you have encountered and how you dealt with it.

more on the handout

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Purpose of the personal statement

1. To discover the person behind the

numbers and in the context of the restof your application

2. To hear what has motivated ou to

pursue a career in medicine, how you

know

3. To see a sample of your writing

Admissions Dean: We must rely on their own

words to determine if he/she is someone we

would like to meet.

What do you need to do?

Construct a narrative or story

Make sure your unique voice andpersonality come across

into medicine

Example: unique voice?

Ive been asked many times why I wish to become a

physician. Upon considerable reflection, the thought

of possessing the ability to help others provides me

with tremendous internal gratification and offers the

positive direction. Becoming a physician is the

culmination of a lifelong dream; and I am prepared to

dedicate myself, as I have in the past, to achieving

this goal.

Too many generalities and not a unique perspective;

could be written by many other applicants.

Why medicine exactly?

How do you knownot simply why do you

knowthat you want to be a doctor? How

you have demonstrated this interest

How has our interest in medicine chan ed

and developed over time?

How did you overcome your doubts?

Why medicine and not other career fields,

e.g. teaching, science, public health,

nursing, etc.?

Example: reflections on transitions

But I also appreciated organic chemistry in a second way:

It is truly beautiful

My feelings for organic chemistry grew stronger when I

discovered how it relates to the human body

I soon learned, however, that medicine has a reality

beyond this intellectual epiphany.

Perhaps my view of medicine is idealistic. I have talked

with physicians who tell me that it is not a pretty

professionalthough I do not want to enter medicine with

my eyes closed, I also do not want to lose sight of what I

believe to be its greater purpose

Other questions you might consider

Have you faced any obstacles in your life (for

example, economic, familial, or physical)? How did

you handle these?

How have you been influenced by certain events

Recall a time when you had a positive impact on

another person. How did you and the person

change as a result?

What were major turning points in your life?

What do you want the committee to know that is

not apparent elsewhere?

What will capture their imagination?

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Several common approaches

Use a concrete anecdote/experience to

draw the reader in; perhaps circle back to itat the end to create bookends

A roach the essa as a chance to share

the arc of your journey to this point

Think of the one or two things you really

want to say; highlight without cataloguing

Dont need to utilize time progression but

often good way to avoid generalization and

abstract language

Example: grabbing opening

I do not want to help this man. I do not

want to be near his gurney. I do not want totouch his bloody legs. Why should I? He is a

felon. (Opening)

Broader discussion of journey towards medicine

I realized, both on the giving and receiving

ends, that in the medical world especially,

you cannot let assumptions and biases

cloud your focus on the patient. Once the

curtain is pulled back, everyone deserves

respect. (Circle back at closing)

Drawing from your experiences

Dramatic circumstances are fine; not so

dramatic circumstances are fine too!

Share lessons & reflections rather than

detailed descri t ions of ex eriences. It s

about you, i.e. what/how you think about

the experience

Reflections can be unique even if

opportunities/experiences are not

Stuck?

Pretend you are writing to a friend, not an

admissions committee; free write

Ask a friend/family member which qualities

the think distin uish ou from others

Start off with a formative moment or

realization and go from there

Think of a theme to build your essay around

Two or three personality characteristics that

you feel are your strengths

Dont need to have a conclusion/point in

mind

Dos

Tell a story

Keep it interesting by using specificexamples and anecdotes

Provide information, insight, or aelsewhere in your application

Describe experiences in terms of whatthey mean to you, what you learned

Make sure the reader learns about you,not just what you did

Use strong action verbs and vivid images;paint a picture

Dos (contd)

Be concise. Make sure every sentence needsto be there

Describe what you learned in your research,

not the details of the specific research project

Allow plenty of time to write, revise, reflect,revise. etc. Step away often so you can revisityour essay with fresh eyes

Proofread. Spell checking will will () notcatch everything! Then, proofread again andget someone else to do the same

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Donts

Just list or summarize your activities. This is

not a resume and can be found elsewhere Try to impress the reader with the use of

formal or fancy language

compassionate, motivated, intelligent,curious, dedicated, unique, different thanmost candidates, etc

Focus only on childhood experiences

Use slang or forced analogies

Lecture the reader, e.g. whats wrong withmedicine, what doctors should be like, etc

Donts (contd)

Make excuses for poor grades

Begin every sentence or paragraph with I

Overwork the essay to the point where you

Make it your premier creative writing piece

Use generalizations and clichs

Follow the advice of too many people

Try to share everything there is to knowabout you

Special circumstances

Questions on the AMCAS:

Institutional Action: If you answer yes tothis question, you must include anexplanation. (Limited to 1325 charactersor approx ma e y page

Felony: If you answer yes to thisquestion, you must include anexplanation. (Limited to 1325 charactersor approximately 1/4 page)

Special Situations

Ad Board

Judgment call (eliminate big question

marks or gaps in readers minds):

Major changes in direction

Hardship affecting academic record

Personal medical situation

Be prepared to talk about your stories in

your interview; if you cant/dont want totalk about it, dont write about it.

Getting feedback

People who know you (family, friends) can

give feedback, not only people in medicine

Ask them:

Does this sound like me?

Could someone else write this essay?

Resources

Pre-med tutor

Writing centerhttp://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/undergrad.html

www.aamc.org

www.studentdoctor.net *

*read at your own risk or

perhaps not at all

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Summary

The personal statement is about

telling a story, not arguing that theyshould accept you.

ar ear y, rev s o en, an ge

feedback.

Use concrete examples from your

personal experiences and avoid

abstract language (prone to clich).