Writing Your Personal Statement

Written by Jeff Gonzalez, MD Resident, Department of Medicine, Hospital of the University of

Pennsylvania; MAC Governing Council, Resident and Fellow Section Representative

Why is the personal statement so important? It is important because it is the only part of your
application that is not based on test scores or other people’s perceptions of you. For this reason
committees place a heavy emphasis on the personal statement. It is the one part of your
application that you have complete control of and allows you to make a personal case for
yourself. Because of these reasons, however, it is so very difficult to write.

There are some basic questions that you need to address in your personal statement. These are
usually divided into three paragraphs that address: 1) what got you interested in the field that you
have chosen; 2) what are you looking for in a residency program; and 3) what are your expected
goals in the field you have chosen. You are always free to add other commentary that is relevant
to the above topics. But, make sure you discuss these 3 topics in your essay.

Your personal statement should fit onto one page when it is printed from the ERAS system. You
can test this prior to submitting your statement to residency programs.

Some helpful suggestions in getting started:

1.Go back to your medical school application essay. Some students find it useful to look at that
as a basis for their residency statement. Specifically the introductory and final paragraphs.

2. Find out if your school has a writing office, which can help you with your statement.

3. Use a theme to structure your essay. This helps unite all aspects of your statement.

4. Provide concrete examples that pertain to your life, goals and experiences.

5. Be concise. Refrain from using a lot of unnecessary words.

6. Begin your essay with an attention grabber: a quote, a story, an anecdote, or a riddle.

7. Finish your essay with a conclusion that refers back to the beginning of your statement and
restates the theme.

8. Have your departmental program director evaluate/critique your statement. Remember they
have probably seen thousands of essays and is most likely the best authority at your institution to
evaluate your work.

9. Don’t be afraid to start from scratch if your essay is not working.

10. Do write about what interests you, excites you. Your reader wants to hear a positive essay
not a negative one about the profession.
Mistakes to avoid in a personal statement:
1. Underestimating the importance of the personal statement.

2. Underestimating the time and difficulty involved in developing the personal statement.

3. Lack of “flow”. You read the essay and have no idea what the applicant is trying to say. They
jump from one tangent to another. When reading a statement like this I would rather not read the
essay at all. To prevent this error you need not one, not two, but at least three people to read your
essay and give you feedback. You need to revise your essay several times. Therefore, you cannot
start working on the essay one week before it is due. I recommend starting to work on your
personal statement in July. Remember that most attendings will ask for a copy of your personal
statement in order to write a letter of recommendation. You therefore need to start early.

4. Spelling and Grammar mistakes. These can kill you. It says a lot about an applicant if they
have not taken the time to carefully proof read their essay. Is this someone who pays attention to
detail and will spend time taking care of patients in my hospital? No!

5. Avoid clichés.

6. Making the writing process a group effort. This does not work.

7. Being too cute. This is not an essay for college admissions where originality/strangeness is
applauded. Keep it simple to the point and address the issues I have brought up before.

8. Procrastinating until the very end to begin your statement. You need to start months in
advance.

9. Failing to let yourself come through. This goes back to trying to make your statement too cute.
You do not want to show up to an interview and have the interviewer thinking: Am I speaking to
the same person that wrote this statement?

10. Including topics in the statement that if asked to discuss you would not be able to answer,
such as particular research points, volunteer activities, etc…

Sample Personal Statement

Early in medical school, I suspected I would chose a field in medicine based on a long-standing
fascination with the complexity and varied nature of disease processes. With an open eye, I
embarked on a rigorous year of clinical clerkships. However, while rotating through medicine,
my initial interests were solidified. I found the ability to connect with patients and the
development of strong emotional ties all encompassing. When taking care of patients I was
focusing not on one, but multiple body systems.

The marriage in medicine between pathophysiology and man is best exemplified by MP. I had
begun my month in hematology when I was first consulted on his case. Recently transferred from
an OSH for management of “the worst case” of ERCP induced pancreatitis anyone had seen, his
diminished platelet count of 30,000, PT of 16, and numerous schistocytes led me to believe it
was disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC). As his underlying pancreatitis was controlled
his DIC resolved. The following week, now as part of the infectious disease team, I was seeing
him again, this time for continual spiking fevers to 103 degrees despite negative cultures and a
trial of antibiotics. Since cultures of his pancreatic cysts had been negative, we went ahead and
stopped all antibiotics, and waited, believing this to be a drug fever. The days passed and MP
remained in the hospital, with out much change. I moved on the the liver service, which had been
his primary team, and eventually left him still fighting for his life – and me wondering if there
was anything different that we could have done. Although fractured at time, I found the
relationship which I developed with him and his family to be the most rewarding experience I
have had as a medical student.

During medical school I have used the opportunities afforded me to broaden my networking and
educational experiences in pursuit of a more well rounded medical education. During the
summer after my first year I spent a month in one of the university hospitals in Madrid, Spain,
gaining insight into the differences and similarities inherent in our health care systems. I found
that medicine abroad is much more holistic and spiritual when compared to our system. My goal
when I returned was to share these findings with my classmates. I began acting on this interest by
revitalizing the William Pepper Medical Society under the guidance of the Department
Chairman, Dr. Peter Traber. My responsibilities include recruiting medicine faculty to lecture
students interested in internal medicine on topics that are not covered by the traditional medical
curriculum, such as medical futility and alternative medicine. For many students in their pre-
clinical years, this forum serves as an introduction to the field of medicine, and hence is of
enormous import in medical education at the University of Pennsylvania. Another of the
intriguing challenges that I have faced at Penn includes living with nine other medical students at
Nu Sigma Nu, a medical school co-op. Being able to work as a team with many diverse
personalities had been a formidable task, but, one that has shown me that many times you need
to step back, let go of your ego and think of the broader picture. Only then can you proceed. For
the next three years, I hope to join a program that will impart a solid foundation in the science
and technical practice of medicine while maintaining a personal connection with the patients I
see. Eventually I aspire to a career in academic medicine, which will allow me to increase my
effectiveness as an educator and researcher. Academia allows for a continuous exchange of ideas
as well as interaction among colleagues enabling me to contribute and keep up to date with new
advances in medicine. The training and rigors of an academic institution will also strengthen my
interests in combining clinical research with that o patient care. By partaking in such activities I
will also be acting as an educator passing my insights to rising residents and medical students.

As someone who has always been very goal-oriented, I am looking forward to beginning my
residency. My life to date has prepared me to deal with many obstacles and also has shown me
the determination, resilience, strength, and caring that are a part of my character. As I look
toward my future in medicine, I believe these characteristics will enable me to succeed and be a
valuable asset to the profession. My experiences have been very rewarding because I have
identified with patients and admired their courage in the face of an uncertain prognosis. I
anticipate that working in internal medicine will be equally rewarding and look forward with
enthusiasm.
 PERSONAL STATEMENT TIPS
The most important thing that we have to do in August is preparing our Personal Statement. It is an indispensable
part of the ERAS application. An impressive PS can fetch you interviews by itself. Also when you go for the
interview, make sure you go through your PS as sometimes the questions asked are based on your PS. So when
you prepare the PS you should keep in mind that you might be questioned on what you write.
Different people give different suggestions when it comes to PS.
One of my friends emailed me these tips for preparing the PS. I really don’t know the actual source. If any of you
know the source, please leave me a comment. Then, I can give a link to the actual source.

> The personal statement can be no longer than one typed paged on the ERAS system. This usually corresponds to
a document between 750 and 850 words.

> Ensure that your statement fits in the ERAS allotted space, because the program will eliminate all lines that
exceed its length restrictions.

A) You actually have to provide your application reviewers with valuable information. If you discuss nothing else,
the following three topics must be addressed in your statement.
1. Why are you interested in the field of your choice?
2. What are you looking for in a residency program?
3. How the field aligns with your professional goals?

B) Originality and creativity do not hold the same importance. Once again, your application reviewers will be
reading several hundreds of applications; so you will need to present an attention-grabbing statement. However,
the fluffiness and individuality so valued in MSPSs are secondary to addressing the three themes I mentioned in
section A. While discussing your personal development always distinguishes you, you should focus such
development in> the context of your decision to pursue a chosen medical field.

C) Advisors in the specific field(s) of your choice are essential to determining the appropriate themes of your
personal statement. Unlike your MSPS, in which an individualized, focused essay providing some sort of self-profile
serves as the desired prototype, each specialty and subspecialty has certain types of individuals for which they are
searching. For instance, many primary care fields place a huge emphasis on your community service involvement
whereas more competitive specialties such as dermatology and orthopedic surgery seem to be more concerned
with research endeavors and publications in their field. You should identify both a resident, who has just gone
through the application process, and an attending physician, who is well-versed in the nuances of your desired
specialty, to serve as advisors regarding the content of your personal statement.

General "Do's"

1. Unite your essay with a central theme. If possible paint multiple pictures of your medical school development
around this theme, and link it to your field of choice.

2. Unless you pursued another degree or participated in some significant research or community service project
during your preclinical years, most of the content of your statement should address your clinical development
during clerkships. Most residency programs express minimal concern for your preclinical performance, presuming
that you suffered no academic failures or setbacks. If your institution has grades, your transcript will speak for your
preclinical performance. The only information that you should address during your preclinical years of medical
school should be related to obtaining other degrees or discussing significant volunteer or research endeavors. You
should be able to relate the latter to your current interest to pursue the field of your choice.

3. Use interesting or unique background experiences to complement your personal statement. This will be your
"anti-clone" factor that distinguishes you from every other individual applying in your field. You will need to ensure
that these personal factors, triumphs, obstacles, or experiences are clearly relevant to the progression of your
essay. Fluffy and tangential topics will not be tolerated as well in residency personal statements as they were in
MSPSs.

4. Utilize the following advice, which applies to all admissions essays:

* Begin your statement with an attention-grabbing first paragraph.

* Provide specific narratives or examples in order to demonstrate any personal attributes you cultivated or lessons
you learned. Avoid making statements such as "I am determined and hardworking" without backing them up with
solid evidence.
* Keep your sentences concise and direct. Many of the physician application reviewers are busy people who
cannot decipher advanced literary writing techniques.
* Link your conclusion back to your introduction.

General "Don'ts"

1. Your statement should not be an expanded version of your CV. The ERAS application allows more than ample
space for you to discuss your paid work and volunteer experiences, research endeavors and publications, language
fluency, hobbies and interests, and other awards and accomplishments. Only mention relevant endeavors or
poignant experiences.

2. You should avoid including any information in your essay that you could not discuss for at least an hour or that
may be contradicted by other written evidence. Though this may seem facetious, some applicants will exaggerate
their role in particular research projects or community service activities, but be unable to discuss them thoroughly
in interviews. This can prove to be extremely detrimental to your candidacy. Also, some applicants have written
things in these statements that directly contradict information written by their recommenders. Because waiving
your rights to viewing letters of recommendation is the norm, you often will not know what your letter writers will
say about you. Thus, only truthful information should appear in your statement.

3. Your essay should avoid the following common indicators of poorly written or edited documents:

* Lack of flow
* Spelling and grammatical errors
* Clichés
* Redundant or extraneous words

SUMMARY

Overall, the most important advice to remember when crafting your personal statement is to provide yourself
with plenty of time to write it. Two or three months prior to the date you wish to submit your final applications
should prove sufficient. While respecting the different perspectives of each individual you wish to comment on
your drafts, you should limit your statement to only a few individuals, making sure that one or two physicians in
your desired field are among them. Also, do not be afraid to scrap one draft completely, and start another thought
from scratch. Finally, be true to yourself in this essay. This is your one chance to show the unique side of yourself.
Do not overdo it, but do not fail to do it. Good luck with your application process.

Here I give links to some of the PS tips mentioned in the internet. I will keep updating the list as and when I come
across any useful stuff regarding PS.
University of Illinois at Chicago Personal Statement tips and samples:
This site also gives a lot of other information regarding CV preparation etc.
Digitaldoc's tips on PS

Medfools have a library of PS samples for each specialty. They also have a library for "career-change" PS.
USMLE WORLD's Personal Statement services:
I recently came to know that the USMLE Qbank fame USMLE World has come up with professional services for
preparing Personal statements. UW is definitely reliable. You can get more details regarding this here.