The "Dreaded" Personal Statement- How to Start!
Part 1- Preparation (collecting and digesting the raw material)
- Statements need to reflect you, your philosophy, your passion, dedication and focus
- If they don’t sound like you to us, they won’t stand out of the crowd to the medical school
- Avoid the average, generic, and mundane
- Your very best grammar, spelling, composition and style are required
- This is not an overnight task
- Generate a lot of raw material, and then choose the best for your statement
- Read any essays you can find and ask yourself the dominant feeling they project
- This task promotes a cynical mind and attitude, so be careful
- DO NOT COPY ANYTHING FROM THE WEB TO USE IN YOUR STATEMENT!!! EVER!!
Questions: At the very least, answer the following as you prepare your information:
- What is your motivation for a career as a physician/health care professional?
- How do you know this life is for you?
- Must be better than “I’ve wanted to be a doctor "since I was six.”
- What did you learn about medicine from your volunteer experiences?
- Who are your heroes and why are they worth your devotion?
- Any other questions that interest you
- Write several stories (anecdotes) that describe an experience that you consider important:
- For affirming or reaffirming your desire to take this career path
- That are meaningful, telling and compelling
- That reveal the "you" that must be presented in your statement
- Any other questions that interest you
- Many people start with quotes. That is now considered trite. Try something new.
In addition, consider doing the following:
- Develop a story or the passage of time in your statement
- Lay out what experiences you went in search of and why you sought them out
- Make each a chain in the inevitable ending to "doctor-hood."
- There are lots of on-line resources. The best give general structure without a formula
- Remember, one AMCAS/ACOMAS essay that must work equally for all schools
- Read several of the current books of medical essays (if not enough web stuff)
- Read essays about medical practice on the web
- Talk to more doctors and read up on managed care and the new/pending legislation
- Beware of the shocking or the really strange, as well as dull and boring stories.
Part 2- Organization (once you have some raw material)
- Make an outline so you don’t wander. What will each paragraph cover or demonstrate?
- Develop an effective topic sentence to start each paragraph
- Create transitions to bridge to next paragraphs
- Take care to get the right tone
- Watch out for too many references to “I”, or any other overused term
- Decide what, if anything, you have to explain about problems of poor performance
Part 3- Production (an ongoing process until the application is due)
- Write some sections, work on transitions and see if your outline works
- Work to make your statement sound true to you as an individual
- Let yourself come through
- Let someone else read it, then let them correct it. Try several other people
- Consider their comments carefully. Make your essay technically perfect.
- Puzzle through why you were not effective in communicating. Fix errors
- Don't believe anyone who says it sounds perfect, but don't become compulsive about it.
- Like dough, your essay must rest. Put it away for a few days or weeks, then reread it.
"It is better to be good than fast" when it comes to the essay. Your effort will be read in two minutes or less, so it needs to be sharp.
