Before you write your personal statement for medical school, it is important to be aware of the myths surrounding personal statements and school applications in general. Knowing the myths and the realities behind writing personal statements will help you write your own. Student Life Blogs of the University of Toronto shares some common myths regarding statement of purpose writing.
Don’t write about topics not related to medicine
If you are an accomplished musician, artist or athlete, you won’t want to write an entire essay on this topic, but if some significant activity or event in the past influenced your path, then, by all means, mention it in your personal statement. With their emphasis on the holistic review of applicants, admissions committees are seeking diverse applicants and the definition of diversity is broad. No one expects that you have spent your entire life in the library, a lab or a doctor’s office.
It is all right to write about topics that are not really related to medicine. However, you have to make sure that the subject matter you choose is related to the hows and whys of your decision to be in medical school.
Don’t write about events that took place before college
Your goal is to give the admissions committee a complete picture of who you are, what motivates you, and how your interests have evolved. For most of the clients with whom I work, these pivotal experiences occurred well before they made the decision to apply to medical school; this makes sense since it takes years to complete the prerequisites that allow you to apply. While you don’t want to dwell on something that happened in the distant past, if one of your most motivating experiences happened in high school or even grade school, then you should mention it.
It’s all right to talk about experiences that happened way back in the past as long as those events and experiences have everything to do with why you are interest6ed to pursue a career in the field of medicine. The bottom line is that whatever experience, thoughts, or feelings you share, it should be related to your application.
Don’t write about negative things on your personal statement for medical school
You never want to bad-mouth anything or anyone in your essay, yet I find that this advice extends to “never write about a negative or less-than-sunny experience.” For example, if you had a poor undergraduate academic performance because a close family member got sick or you had transition issues and were terribly homesick and immature, you should address the negative experience and explain what happened and why.
The most important thing to remember is that you have to bring to the surface the brighter side of things. If you talk about negative experiences, you have to end your story with something positive such as lessons learned and knowledge discovered.
You really have to exert effort into writing your personal statement. Never think that the admissions committee will not read your essay. According to another article:
For better or worse, counselors do read personal statements, and in hundreds of cases, it’s for worse. Many applicants simply recite their extracurricular activities or fall back on uninspired chestnuts such as, “I want to go to UW-Madison because I really love the Badgers.” Some don’t even bother writing one at all.
Your personal statement for med school is your passport to the prestigious university that you want to be part of. Keeping the myths mentioned above in mind will help you write a personal statement that could win the hearts of the essay readers.
