Brian Covello: Writings of PreMD Post #2
5 Tips and Tricks to Help You Write Your Personal Statement
"Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school. The available space for your response is 5300 characters, or approximately one full page."
Yes, you have 5300 characters to describe and detail your entire motivation for becoming an MD. At first, a full page of writing seems insignificant to the coursework required to pursue medicine, but being able to express your motivation in an appropriate manner is harder than it looks. Thankfully, resources abound on the internet, and schools such as Johns Hopkins has some particularly great advice for how to approach this essay. For more links head to the end of this post.
The biggest lesson I've learned about personal statements are that they have to be personal. Each of us has a story and a lifetime of experiences. Use your personal experiences to show the admissions committee your motivation. I cannot stress this enough. Show don't tell. Instead of writing, "I am compassionate," gives examples of situations you believe best shows your compassion.
Here are some tips and tricks that really helped me along the way:
1) Make a list of all your volunteering and clinical experiences. I'm not talking about that time you worked as a scribe. Instead, write down those moments with patients and doctors that affected you. Maybe as a scribe you saw a patient pass away. What affect did that have on you? Has your heart ever ached when you have seen someone in pain? How did you react? Don't just list the event. Go into detail. Explore your feelings. It is this type of introspection that will help you craft a heartfelt essay.
2) Free Write. Let's be honest. As premeds we are heavily science based, and writing isn't always our forte. I'll be the first to admit that more college courses in writing would've benefited me in this process. The answer for me is to free write. Write whatever comes to your mind when you are in the midst of introspection. Don't worry about grammar or fancy words. Just write.
3) Give yourself ample time. I started the first drafts of my personal statement nearly one year before I applied. Giving yourself time allows your essay to soak in and gain new life. With introspective writing especially, time away from the work allows us to view it with a fresh mind. Countless times I have written something that I believed to be of quality, only to come back a month later and realize it's garbage.
4) Instantly grab your reader's attention. Imagine it's a Friday night. You have just come home from a stressful and long day at work. Time to relax? Not yet. You've been assigned 100 personal statements to read, and they must be read by Monday. So you sit down and begin to read. Stop for moment. Imagine what it would be like reading 100 essays with the exact same topic. This is exactly the task admissions committee members are faced with. You must grab your readers attention. Make it fun for them to read. When you are done writing, take some time away from your essay. With a fresh mind read your first paragraph only. Ask yourself, if this were someone else's essay would you want to keep reading? Would you be entertained? Would this essay cause an emotional response?
5) You are not unique, but you are unique. Being an applicant who brings something to the table that admissions committee's haven't seen is nearly impossible. They've seen it all, from the person who worked at NASA to the army veteran who earned a purple heart. This, combined with the fact that applicants must fulfill roughly the same general requirements (clinical work/volunteering, non-clinical volunteering, research, etc) means none of us are unique. Contrary to popular belief, your personal statement doesn't have to "stand out" from the thousands of other applicants. What should stand out though is your own personal experience. You might not be the only applicant to have volunteered in a homeless clinic, but maybe you are the only applicant who formed a close bond with Linda and helped teach one of her children how to read. Bottom line: You might not be original, but you do have experiences no other applicant does.
So what does all this mean to the premed who has yet to start the application process? It means you must acquire the experience necessary for all this messy introspection. More than anything, your personal statement is a reflection of who you are. The more exposure you have, the more you have to write about.
When I was writing my personal statement, I made an effort not to look at other personal statements because I didn't want to subconsciously imbibe their style. If you've already written your personal statement, or if you think having an example will help you, I have placed an essay from a Stanford Medical Student Below:
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A tampon and a condom. According to
backpacking folklore those two little items comprise the most basic first aid
kit capable of managing injuries encountered in the wilderness; a tampon to
stint blood flow and a condom to act as an elastic bandage and protect wounds
from bacteria. For most of my twenty-one years I assumed the closest I would
ever come to practicing medicine would be makeshift bandages and the occasional
CPR class. Now I think back on a day six years ago when I fought a losing
battle with the anesthesiologist. In the time it took me to drool all over
myself a surgeon skillfully removed the tattered remains of my ACL and screwed
a piece of tendon into its place. Hours later I stared with fascination at the
video of the reconstructive surgery filmed from within my knee. Unbeknownst to
me at the time, what had initially seemed a cruel blow of fate had in fact
guided me onto the path that was to become my life's passion: medicine.
I am often amazed at the remarkable ability with which living systems adapt to extreme environmental variation. After listening to a friend recount his nude run around the South Pole and back into his research station's sauna, an incredible 350 degree temperature swing, it would seem the human body is robust enough to withstand any force of nature. Yet, as I know all too well from my research on Alzheimer's disease, even something as miniscule as a single point mutation can have profound and deadly consequences. Continuously designing and analyzing my own experiments has not only taught me the value of diligence, patience and replication in the laboratory setting, but it has also instilled in me a profound respect for the biological intricacies that make life possible. In my mind the rewards of medicinal research stem from its practical application. A physician acts as a conduit between the test tube and the bedside, thus they are able to experience both the joy of investigating the unknown as well as developing the gratifying doctor-patient relationships unique to medicine. As a physician the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills I have honed through research will enable me to tackle difficult, and sometimes unknown, problems with sound reasoning and confidence.
When the doctor gravely told me I had torn my ACL he was met with a blank look. Realizing my confusion he pulled out a model of the human knee and proceeded to explain my condition in a way I could see and understand. My experience highlights one of the most critical skills a physician must master, the ability to communicate. As a math and science tutor at my university I have discovered I have the ability to explain difficult concepts to people whom are seeking help and clarification. I must not only find the answers to student questions, but also determine the best way to convey the information in terms they can comprehend. In the future my communication skills will enable me to effectively explain a patient's condition so that they understand what is happening to their body and are not left feeling bewildered or out of control. This bedside manner will help me gain the patient trust and intimacy that is so crucial to medicine and the recovery process.
The interpersonal relationships in medicine appeal to my deep appreciation for human life and my desire to serve society in a beneficial way. As a physician I will be able to make a direct and immediate impact on my patient's wellbeing; whether in the form of a complicated medical procedure or simply a hand to hold during the final hour. Already, through my volunteer work at St. Joseph's Hospital, I have come to appreciate the unequivocal importance of human compassion. My most rewarding responsibility is delivering flowers to patients in the ICU. When presented with a cheery bouquet of fresh flowers their eyes light up and the severity of their situation is forgotten, if even for only a moment. Sometimes empathy is the best medicine and I will never underestimate the healing qualities of a smile and a flower.
Fortunately not all aliments warrant a trip to the ICU and many once-incurable conditions can now be overcome with the aid of a practiced physician. For nine long months after my surgery I battled my way through rehabilitation, sometimes wondering if I would ever play competitive sports again. But my doctors and therapists patiently facilitated my recovery; such was their skill that when I competed at the National Track and Field Championships last spring the only observable evidence of my injury was a few small dots of scar tissue. The road to recovery is not easy, but having been through the process myself I will be better prepared to connect with my patients and guide them through their experience.
I smile at the irony of my situation, it took a personal injury for me to realize I wanted to spend my life working to alleviate the pain of others. The sheer pleasure I derive from helping people and sharing what I know, coupled with the mental stimulation intrinsic to the profession, make medicine the clear career pathway for me. Hopefully, if someday my first aid kit falls into the river and I am forced to resort to condoms and tampons, I will wield those tools with the expertise and confidence of a practiced medical doctor.
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Well that about sums it up. Good luck to everyone! You can find some helpful links below.
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