Writing Personal Statements for Professional School Applications

About the personal statement

Introduces you to the admissions committee tells your story Presents your goals Reflects your aptitude, maturity, focus, and compatibility with the program youre applying to Provides evidence of your communication skills Is a critical factor in the admissions process
A personal statement tends to answer 3 questions: Why are you interested in this field? Why is this particular school right for you? What is valuable about you as a candidate?

What are some key experiences youve had that have made you interested in health professions (specific stories!)

Make it personal and specific: specific details, rather than broad generalizations, will help the readers connect with you as an individual and see the particular strengths you bring to the program.

Approaching the essay

Address why you chose this kind of program instead of another health career: What does it offer you that fits your interests and skills? What features of this kind of program (coursework, applied research, internships, etc.) appealed to you?

Incorporate the questions or prompts into your essay: Use the essay questions or prompts to decide what to include or what to highlight, then look back at them to help you revise.
Use your best writing process: even though it feels less formal than a school assignment, youll need to give yourself time to brainstorm, draft and revise, and should get feedback from others.

Try to avoid

But what if You have a few low grades? You switched majors a couple times? You took time off from school? Should you address these kinds of concerns in your personal statement?

Highlighting Controversial Subjects Using Clichs or references to TV Shows Generalizing Using inflated language Underestimating the importance of surface correctness

If there are factors like those above in your transcript, an admissions committee may interpret them as red flags unless you directly address them, and reframe them to focus on strengths and resilience. What are some ways to do that?

Uniquely you . . .

What are some traits you have that you think will be valuable as a student in a professional program or as a medical professional? Think of a time when you demonstrated each trait what stories do you have that show these qualities? What are some activities or groups youre involved with? (Especially ones that involve working with people, community service, etc.)

What links can you see between these groups or activities and the traits you wrote down? How else might your involvement with these groups or activities affect how you approach professional school or your future career?

You as a scholar

What applied learning experiences (e.g., work, volunteering, internship) have you had? How did they contribute to your professional objectives?

What kind of research have you been involved with? What skills has this taught you? How has it shaped your interest in future research?

What classes have you had that were especially interesting to you? What specific assignments, projects, discussions, lectures (etc.) can you recall that stand out to you? Why?

What kind of coursework, research and applied learning do you expect about the program youre applying for will include? What interests you about that?

(Note: this requires some research!)

Drafting the essaystructure or organization

Strategy #1:

Your background Academic Experiences Plans for Professional Study

Strategy #2:

Special emphasisa specific goal or passion (international work, working with a particular population, a specific area of research) Why is this program a good fit for you? You may include:

Strategy #3

Telling a story Developing themes

Publications Awards Work experience Membership in professional or academic organizations But remember that this isnt your CV or resumeuse these details to show specific qualities or skills.

Including specific details (show, dont tell)

I think its good for student in medical school to be able to adapt to new situations quickly. Ive always been good at that. Its important to volunteer. I like to help people less fortunate than myself. If it were not for a strong support system which instilled into me strong family values and morals, I would not be where I am today.

Since my family moved three times while I was in high school, Ive learned to quickly adapt to new towns, schools, and social situations. Volunteering at the free clinic allowed me to contribute to my community and to learn about the importance of health education and services in economically struggling neighborhoods. Although my grandmother and I didnt have a car or running water, she never let me feel discouraged. I learned an important lesson from that. My grandmother made the most of what little she had, and she was known and respected for her generosity. Even at that age, I recognized the value she placed on maximizing her resources and helping those around her.

Watch your language, keep it real

I am a compilation of many years gained from overcoming the relentless struggles of life. My recognition of the fact that we had finally completed the challenging research project was a deeply satisfying moment that will forever linger in my memory.
A diagnosis of ADHD in my childhood meant I had to develop strategies to keep myself focused on my studies. Having to work to support myself through school has contributed to the challenge of keeping that focus, but has also helped me develop a sense of responsibility.

Completing the extensive research project gave me an enduring sense of fulfillment, and taught me a lot about statistical methods in clinical trials.

Looking at samples

How would you describe this writers approach to this essay? How did he or she choose to focus and shape the essay? What kinds of accomplishments or skills does he or she highlight? How? What do you notice about the language of the essay?

Revisionattending to issues of content

Seek feedback from others!

When you revise on your own, ask yourself: Are you answering the question you set out to answer?

Are you offering specific details and examples wherever you can? Are you spending too much time on your personal history that may be less relevant? Is your tone consistent throughout, and does it convey confidence, interest in learning, maturity, and optimism? Do you make it clear why you've applied to this particular program or kind of program? Does your first paragraph grab the reader's attention and set the theme or direction of your essay? Does your closing paragraph highlight the most important features that make you a strong candidate and convey enthusiasm for continued study?

Editingattention to detail

Get feedback from others (Again). Sentence style and correctnessdo you vary the length and structure of your sentences? Do you have run-on sentences or incomplete sentences? Are there places where your language got overinflated or unnecessarily complex? What are your own common surface errors? Read through once for each of those, focusing just on that issue. Word choicetry to revise for active (and interesting!) verbs, accurate and specific nouns, and conciseness.

Proofreadingtry reading it out loud. Try reading from the last sentence to the first.