Tips for Writing a Residency Personal Statement

ORIGINAL POST

If you're writing your personal statement for residency, here's what you should always keep in mind: people love a good story.

Think about a short film that stuck with you. Maybe it was five minutes long, but it had a clear narrative, compelling/memorable moment, and left you feeling something. Now think about a bad short film where the story is hard to follow, there are too many characters, and you're not quite sure what the point was. That is what a lot of personal statements end up sounding like when they try to do too much. The ones that work best usually zoom in on one or two meaningful experiences and explore them deeply. They are cohesive, they flow, and they have a clear takeaway. Your goal is to write that kind of short film.

Your hook does not need to be directly tied to medicine. It just has to be something specific to you, and you have to connect it meaningfully to your path. The goal is not to summarize your CV. It is to show how something real shaped how you think, what you value, and where you want to go.

Here are some examples to show you the kind of specificity and framing that tends to work well:

A photographer who developed an eye for detail through the lens and is now drawn to dermoscopy and melanoma pattern-research because of how subtle visual patterns can guide life-saving decisions

A student who restored vintage motorcycles and tied that to their love for surgical precision and working with their hands

A first-generation student who grew up translating for their parents at doctor visits and now wants to go into family medicine with a focus on language justice

A philosophy major who became fascinated by the ethics of end-of-life care after shadowing on a palliative unit

A former collegiate swimmer who connected their relentless training with the discipline and stamina required in emergency medicine

Someone who spent a summer living on a reservation and wrote about how a community’s approach to wellness shifted their perspective on patient autonomy and cultural humility

A classical pianist who compared the structure of Bach’s music to the logic and methodic nature of neurosurgery

A barista who talked about how years of managing morning rushes taught them how to multitask, stay calm, and connect with people, all skills they now apply in OB GYN

An engineer who researched glucose sensor prototypes in college and now wants to improve care for diabetic patients in underserved communities

Each of these stories gives you a label. You don't remember them as the person who likes derm, surgery, neurosurgery, or OBGYN. You remember them as the motorcycle person, the barista who wants to deliver babies, or the photographer who sees melanoma the way others see art. That is how you become memorable.

Even though the story is central, your personal statement also needs to make a clear case for why you are pursuing this specific field. You do not need to over-explain it, but the reader should finish with a sense of what draws you to this specialty and what strengths you are bringing into it. A good way to do this is by weaving those ideas into your story naturally. For example, if you are going into psychiatry, you might reflect on how growing up in a multigenerational home taught you to listen closely and pick up on what people were not saying. If you are applying to general surgery, you might talk about how you thrived in high-pressure situations during your trauma rotation and found yourself energized by the pace and the need for decisiveness. If you are going into radiology, maybe you describe your fascination with pattern recognition and how that played out during your time reviewing complex abdominal CTs with your attending.

Another effective approach is to highlight a strength that you have already demonstrated and tie it to what the field values. Maybe you worked as a teacher before med school and are applying to pediatrics. You could reflect on how that experience made you comfortable communicating with children at their level and taught you how to build trust quickly with families. Or maybe you have a research background in machine learning and are applying to pathology. You can talk about your interest in applying data-driven tools to improve diagnostic accuracy and your excitement about contributing to a field that is evolving rapidly.

Whatever you do, avoid making vague claims. Don't just say you are a strong team player. Give a clear, brief example that shows it. Do not say you are passionate about underserved care. Describe the clinic, the patients, the challenges, and what you did.

Specificity matters. A good gut check is to read each sentence and ask yourself, could someone else have written this? If the answer is yes, you probably need to revise. Vague statements like I value patient care or teamwork is important in medicine are true for everyone and say nothing about you.

Be precise. Instead of saying I participated in research on stroke, say I conducted a review of 82 patients with hemorrhagic stroke, identifying delayed tPA administration as a common pattern in poor outcomes, which we presented at the regional neurology conference and worked on a QI project at that hospital to improve. Use numbers, use verbs, show results.

Speaking of verbs, use active language. Not I was exposed to or I was involved in. Say what you did. I led, I built, I created, I presented, I volunteered weekly, I managed care for.

Quick not about AI. Unless otherwise stated in the guidelines, you should not use it to write your statement. But in my opinion it is totally fine to use it for idea generation and brainstorming. If you are stuck on how to start your essay or you are trying to think of metaphors or narrative structures, tools like ChatGPT can help you think, but do not use them to write. Do not copy and paste. Just use it as a creative partner when you are blocked.

As you wrap up your statement, do not just trail off or recap what you already said. Use the ending to look forward. What do you hope to do in this field? What kind of physician do you want to become? Programs are not expecting you to have your whole life planned out, but they do want to know that you have thought about your future. Having a clear goal or even a niche interest can help. If you are applying to OB GYN and you are passionate about global maternal health, say so. If you are applying to neurology and fascinated by neuroimmunology, mention that. If you are going into EM and hope to work in rural settings, include it.

Of course, the most effective way to do this is to tie it naturally into your story. If your personal statement begins with a memory of your sibling's lupus diagnosis and how you navigated the healthcare system together, then it would make perfect sense to end by saying you hope to focus on autoimmune disease in rheumatology. If you started with your experience teaching ESL to refugees, it is natural to close by saying you plan to work at the intersection of primary care and immigrant health.

Having a vision does not mean being rigid. It means showing that you have direction. Programs want residents who are thoughtful about their trajectory and motivated to grow. A focused ending makes you sound grounded, purposeful, and invested.

Lastly, some common sense reminders that people still overlook. You do not need to mention every experience. Your ERAS CV is doing a lot of that work already. Avoid clichés. No “ever since I was a child” or “medicine is both an art and a science.” Everyone says that. Do not let ten people edit your statement. Too much feedback will flatten your voice. Pick two or three people who know you well. One mentor, one peer, and maybe one person outside of medicine.

The goal is not to write a statement that could apply to any med student. It is to write one that could only have come from you.

That is how you stand out.

One last thing- give yourself credit. This whole process is hard. Writing the statement, finishing rotations, managing sub-Is, prepping for interviews, second-guessing every choice. It can take a lot out of you. But look at where you are. You’ve done the work. You’ve shown up every day and gave it all you could for years to get to this point. You are more ready than you think. The finish line is close, and everything you are doing now is going to be worth it. Keep going.

2 replies

PurpleGalaxy3 · 1 month ago

Great write up! Thank you!

1 upvotes on reddit

Brainworm1616 · 17 days ago

I love this, this is the most helpful thing I’ve heard about ps writing so far. Thank you

1 upvotes on reddit

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r/Residency • [2]

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Guidance for putting together a strong personal statement for fellowship applications. Don’t know what to write or where to start

Posted by No-Barnacle-2314 · in r/Residency · 2 years ago

16 upvotes on reddit

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eckliptic · 2 years ago

I reused my IM personal statement and swapped out a few key words

Then I added to the paragraph regarding my research exp

17 upvotes on reddit

Anki_Medicine · 2 years ago

ChatGTP Somebody was going to say it

59 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 2 years ago

It's actually not a bad idea. I used ChatGPT to write my cover letter and it worked pretty well actually.

Thing is, no one actually cares about personal statements/cover letters. You need to write a bland document and ChatGPT is great for that.

15 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 2 years ago

My dad uses it for legal arguments. Get specific with your prompts and it really flourishes. After he told me that, I used it for all my bullshit application essays and just tweaked them a bit to sound more personal.

5 upvotes on reddit

Anki_Medicine · 2 years ago

Thank you for proving my point. Your service is greatly appreciated. 🫡

2 upvotes on reddit

celeryking13 · 2 years ago

write an outline of things that you want to include and plug it into chatGPT for a really efficient and effective first draft.

5 upvotes on reddit

TrujeoTracker · 2 years ago

Your picture is prob more important.

4 upvotes on reddit

bajastapler · 2 years ago

sad but true

2 upvotes on reddit

bajastapler · 2 years ago

i am applying to said fellowship because it calls to me interests
the interest led me to accomplish these things on my cv
above all else i enjoy this the most in this field of medicine
upon graduating i would like to accomplish the following in this field of medicine

my PS was less than a page. short and to the point. i let my letters/cv speak for me when i was applying and made my case at the interview i did well for match. dont over think it.

if u are legit interested it will show in ur body of work.

2 upvotes on reddit

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r/medicalschool • [3]

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Personal Statement for residency

Posted by Susano91 · in r/medicalschool · 4 years ago

I am having difficulties writing my personal statement. What is the best reference to use or guide?

10 upvotes on reddit

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https://youtu.be/nqMq9YD1JvY

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Mknowledge121 · 4 years ago

Check out the video below. It's for diagnostic radiology but the general structure is applicable to any speciality

15 upvotes on reddit

koriolisah · 4 years ago

Locked. Please use the ERAS sticky.

1 upvotes on reddit

RepresentativeOwl2 · 4 years ago

My program director addressed the personal statement during orientation. He said that he reads every single one of them, but that 95% of them don’t influence his decision making at all, of the few that do they are either so terrible that the entire application gets tossed or they are one of the 2-5 every year that he actually remembers and results in an automatic interview.

He then called out and congratulated me for being in that latter category. I was mortified. Moral is be in the 95%.

Granted this is an N of 1, but don’t stress over it too much, it’s unlikely to have a significant impact on your application.

6 upvotes on reddit

canesfan2005 · 4 years ago

Congrats, but I don’t think you know what mortify means

22 upvotes on reddit

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r/pediatrics • [4]

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Pediatric Residency Personal Statement

Posted by DriveLow1563 · in r/pediatrics · 1 month ago

I’ve had a basic draft of my personal statement done for a while. I currently editing and finalizing it but I just keep rereading it and I don’t know where to start or what to change specifically. I know I need some concrete examples of experiences and such but I don’t know where to start. Does anyone have any generalized tips regarding writing this personal statement? What did you find was helpful for peds interviews or getting noticed by programs regarding your personal statement?

8 upvotes on reddit

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HemodynamicTrespass · 1 month ago

I'm happy to give feedback on your personal statement. I completed critical care fellowship a couple years ago and am now an amidst anesthesiology training. I've written many of these. Feel free to DM me.

2 upvotes on reddit

docdaneekado · 1 month ago

I'd be happy to review your PS if you'd like me to. I've done it for a couple people over the past two years and enjoy doing it. Dm me if interested.

I'm currently a fellow in a peds subspecialty

1 upvotes on reddit

Odd-Abroad9433 · 1 month ago

Hi, sorry for piggy backing on this one, can I share my personal statement draft as well? Apply for gen peds. Thank you

2 upvotes on reddit

docdaneekado · 1 month ago

Sure, no problem

1 upvotes on reddit

TheSnowCroow · 1 month ago

What’s your story?

It might be helpful to do some interview prep with an online tool or with a friend and a list of questions. Don’t worry about how polished you come off or feel but just answer them conversationally in a low stress way. See what themes come up from answering a bunch of questions.

It helps in interviews to have a few core messages you’re trying to communicate, and finding themes that come up in your answers is a good way to start to try to craft your core messages.

Once you have your core messages/story your personal statement becomes a super concise executive summary of those core messages. The goal is to communicate them clearly in a compelling way and create hooks for interviewers to ask questions from during conversations. That then sets you up for soft ball questions that let you communicate what you feel makes you stand out.

An exercise I did that was helpful was to write out what traits I hoped to showcase/what was unique about my resume and then to separately write out as many individual stories about patient/doctor/customer service interactions that I could think of and put it all in one place. I then organized the stories by trait and practiced sharing them individually.

This makes ‘tell me about a time you…’ questions much easier, and can add clarity to see what rises to the top in terms of what actually goes in your personal statement.

That’s how I approached it anyway. I found it helped to think of the time on my personal statement as interview prep too and not just a big bucket of time I wouldn’t get back. Best of luck!

2 upvotes on reddit

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r/medicalschool • [5]

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Advice on Personal Statement for Residency

Posted by [deleted] · in r/medicalschool · 3 years ago

I'm thinking of starting with my PS. Any tips on what to write, what to avoid.

I am an average writer. Was pretty average during medical school too. Not many achievements. What do I write about? If anyone could share their PS, that would be great. Applying to IM.

Thanks!

49 upvotes on reddit

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dbandroid · 3 years ago

Just passing along the advice I got and the framework I used.

4ish paragraphs, 1 page.

1st graph: Why medicine (keep it brief)

2nd graph: Why specialty (formative experience during med school (or earlier))

3rd graph: Your strengths

4th graph: career goals/what you will bring to the program

84 upvotes on reddit

HolyMuffins · 3 years ago

This seems like a useful format that provides some direction to describing my really boring life. I like it, and will likely rely on it. So thanks.

5 upvotes on reddit

jway1818 · 3 years ago

I had a mentor who phrased it well:

--5% of personal statements are so good it will push your application up the list.

--5% of the personal statements are so bad, it will cost you your interview.

--90% of personal statements don't matter.

--Almost all of the people who think they're in the top 5% are actually in the bottom 5%. Don't be those people.

52 upvotes on reddit

fattyanderson · 3 years ago

As someone now on the other side who reads these personal statements, I could not agree more.

17 upvotes on reddit

FellingtoDO · 3 years ago

How does humor come across in a personal statement?

1 upvotes on reddit

CyaptainKiddu · 3 years ago

Don’t rmb what I wrote, matched into IM. Was a lot of bs

3 upvotes on reddit

ncfrey · 3 years ago

Make sure it's personal to YOU, not just a regurgitation of your resume!

3 upvotes on reddit

onceuponatimolol · 3 years ago

I talked about my journey into neurology which was related to my journey into medicine, and then I talked about why I think I’m a good fit for the field, what I’m excited for and very generally what my future goals are

6 upvotes on reddit

aznshortstackk · 3 years ago

Helped look at personal statements for people applying for IM. You don’t have to regurgitate your CV. Instead, make it personal- share an impactful patient experience you had and how that cemented your desire to pursue IM. Or talk about what personality traits you have that make you a good fit for the field (ie you enjoy problem solving or you like having extensive knowledge about various fields of medicine)

20 upvotes on reddit

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r/HPAT • [6]

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personal statement tips

Posted by Particular-Panda8429 · in r/HPAT · 6 months ago

this is not really related to hpat however, im planning on applying abroad for medicine aswell and right now im in the process of writing a personal statement. i’ve never really written one before and i’m unsure about what it must contain. if anybody can give me any tips it would be great! just how to make it more capturing to a reader and any special tricks to give it more flair🙏

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FuriousFrog123 · 6 months ago

I applied to pharmacy in the UK last year. Honestly I had no direction as there were very few in my school applying, but YouTube was great. If you search up “medicine personal statements” you can get great inspiration. For me, I just tried to let my passion for healthcare shine through. Talk about how you came to decide to study medicine, your interest in science, you academics/awards you might have gotten that show that you’re committed, and how your skills and experience would make you a good doctor. That’s just from what I know for UCAS it could be different in mainland Europe, best of luck!

1 upvotes on reddit

Asclepius_tyche · 6 months ago

When I was writing my personal statement I got inspiration from other people’s personal statements ( there’s loads on tik tok ) and kind of used that as a template . When I was done I asked my English teacher to read over it and she corrected it for me and gave me advice so maybe if your English teacher is sound he/she could do that for you . I also used Fiverr and paid someone who has reviewed hundreds of personal statements to check mine and change its structure , wording etc. Hope this helps :))

2 upvotes on reddit

kb2307 · 6 months ago

Idk where you’re applying but for my ucas personal statement I found the medic portal helpful to get an idea of what I needed. https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/personal-statement/medicine-personal-statement-examples/ You just have to explain why you want to do medicine and why you would be good at it. Give like a pretty specific example on a time where u showed how you are suited to being a doctor but don’t ramble on for ages either.

3 upvotes on reddit

Particular-Panda8429 · OP · 6 months ago

does the specific example have to be medical related? I was talking about a job i did that wasn’t medical related but how it improved my skills that a doctor would need.

2 upvotes on reddit

kb2307 · 6 months ago

I forgot to also say u should talk about any med related work experience youve done too

2 upvotes on reddit

kb2307 · 6 months ago

No it doesn’t have to be medical related but should show like the values and qualities that a doctor should have

1 upvotes on reddit

NoGas3355 · 6 months ago

R/ucat is ur best bet bro

2 upvotes on reddit

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r/IMGreddit • [7]

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PS writing advice

Posted by canis_5_majoris · in r/IMGreddit · 17 days ago

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some tips on writing a personal statement. I’ve heard that it shouldn’t just be a copy of your CV, but rather “your own story” in medicine and how that connects to the specialty you’re applying to. With that in mind, I wrote a rough draft where I tried to relate some of my IRL hobbies to the specialty I’m applying to- IM.

I shared my draft with one of the attendings I was rotating under, and they said they liked it. However, during another rotation, an attending who is also involved in the interview process for a university hospital(primarily AMHs) told me that those things are best kept in the “hobbies” section of the application and including them in the personal statement can make you seem directionless. Some of their advise was genuinely helpful, but some of it felt a bit odd. Because of these differing opinions, I feel conflicted about how to approach writing my personal statement.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

6 upvotes on reddit

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mesqueunclubfcb · 17 days ago

The PS imo should be a raw reflection of your genuine thought process far away from the glossy world of CVs & applications. So what made you chose internal medicine, how you went about it, a brief about how you got into USMLE, maybe some genuinely challenging experience and your learnings thourgh the journey should all be threaded in one single story.

3 upvotes on reddit

canis_5_majoris · OP · 16 days ago

Got it, thanks for the tips. So it is fine if I try to explain who I am outside medicine while simultaneously trying to draw parallels with why I chose it, correct?

1 upvotes on reddit

PossiblePosition7489 · 17 days ago

can relate to this, I also wrote my personal statement where I tried to draw an analogy between Internal Medicine and one of my hobbies. My intention was to make it stand out and feel personal, but after reading your post I’m wondering if that might actually be a misstep. Do you think weaving in hobbies as an analogy makes the statement unique, or does it risk coming across as unfocused, like that attending mentioned?

2 upvotes on reddit

canis_5_majoris · OP · 16 days ago

To be honest, I appreciate all the other advice my attending gave me. It was very honest in the most friendly way. But I have had it read by other people and they said they liked it. So I think opinions about this stuff are a bit subjective, maybe?

1 upvotes on reddit

jaynotfound0900 · 17 days ago

1 upvotes on reddit

canis_5_majoris · OP · 17 days ago

Edit- *AMGs

1 upvotes on reddit

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r/medicalschool • [8]

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A Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing a personal statement for [residency] apps: Part 1

Posted by drpengy · in r/medicalschool · 3 years ago

Quick disclaimer/personal background: I'm a lowly TY intern with no direct connections to any program director, program coordinator, or anyone deeply involved in the selection process of hiring residents. The following suggestions are purely based on my five-year experience as a writing consultant for premeds, med students, and SOAPers, and my conversations with 3 different PDs about their take on personal statements.

Overview: I know that most of us at this point are proficient in taking multiple-choice tests, but some of us aren't as confident in our writing skills. With Step 1 going P/F, average Step 2 scores climbing up every year, and residency programs across specialties focusing more on qualitative metrics, I think it's worth taking the time to put together a strong personal statement. Or at least one that doesn't completely suck balls.

Part 1 of this write-up will be an itemized checklist of common writing pitfalls- I'm hoping that this will be useful to those who are currently working on their 1st or 2nd drafts. Part 2 will be posted sometime later in the future- it will include excerpts of sample personal statements (good & bad), as well as an idiot-proof template for you to come up with something decently presentable in 1-2 days. This is the template I use when working with procrastinators and SOAPers at their 11th hour.

#3 Common Mistakes You Want to Avoid:
1. Not spending enough time on it (ie. submitting your first draft with some minor revisions)
Writing is like making pancakes. Your first pancake is gonna look like a fucking mess. It's gonna come across as really generic, disorganized, flat-out cringe, or some combination of the above. Just because it's edible doesn't mean you should force strangers to eat it. Especially if you want these strangers to hire you for the next 3-7 years.

Unlike your grades, test scores, and LORs, your PS is something you have absolute control over from start to finish. It's basically the cover letter to your job application. It's you running your own PR campaign in 1 page, single-spaced. Don't fuck it up. I would strongly encourage you to spend more time than you think in putting together your PS. Experiment with multiple versions to see what sticks the best- try swapping out different intros, different anecdotes, different conclusions. Don't pressure yourself into completing your final draft in one sitting. Good stuff takes time to develop. Maybe give your PS 1-2 days to ferment and come back to it later with a fresh perspective. Don't rush this process.

2. Overseasoning your sentences with adjectives and adverbs and pretentious SAT words that you would never use in real life, because you think it makes your writing better. (You don't. You sound like a pompous tool.)
There's this quote by Coco Chanel that goes something like, "before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one accessory off." Less is more, you guys. Some of y'all be lookin like a middle schooler circa 2008 with rubber wristbands up to your elbows. Drop that cringe shit, man.

The point of your PS is to showcase your individuality (eg. dope hobbies that translate to your interest in XYZ specialty) and highlight the strengths of your application (eg. meaningful anecdotes about your clinical/research/leadership experience). It's a cover letter, written in an engaging but professional tone. It's not about flexing your writing skills. No one is asking you to roleplay Hemingway. A good way to test whether you're guilty of doing this is to record yourself reading your PS, and then listening to it in the company of a trusted friend/family member/cat who knows you pretty well. If your audience starts making sus facial expressions, then you need to Coco Chanel yourself and go back to the drawing board.

3. Recycling huge chunks of your "why I want to be a doctor" essay that you wrote as a premed
This, I have come to realize, is the most egregious trap that applicants fall into. Especially the applicants that end up SOAPing. The essay that you wrote as a naïve premed does not accurately reflect the person that you are after three years of clinical training, six figures of debt, and tens of thousands of matured anki cards. You've seen some shit. Done some shit. Don't let your laziness get in the way of you advertising the badass mofo that you are.

The objectives of the personal statements are also fundamentally different; one asks you why you deserve a seat in medical SCHOOL, and the other asks you why you're interested in XYZ specialty and why you deserve a JOB in that field. You don't have to answer "why [you] want to be a doctor"- you already confirmed that by matriculating to medical school. It's a different game, son.

So go a step further. Instead of just talking about a family member that got cancer/dementia over a decade ago (my condolences btw), talk about how you further developed your interest in rad-onc/neurology since matriculating to med school (eg. first-authoring a paper, going above and beyond in the rotation of your preferred specialty, organizing events in student-run interest groups). You're applying for a job, so you have to sell your skills and positive attributes in addition to expressing your interest in XYZ field. Anecdotes are key here- the more vivid and interesting, the better. I'll cover this more on Part 2 of my PS guide.

Aight that's all I have for now. Sarcasm and tough love aside, I'm really proud of all of y'all for making it this far. A year from now, you're going to start a new chapter of your life, hopefully in your top-choice program in your top-choice specialty. Or if you're going into a ROAD specialty like me, slaving away doing scutwork for your prelim year. Either way, y'all gonna finally be actual doctors, and that's pretty fucking dope.

PM me or drop a comment below if you have any further Qs. Hope you found this helpful!

-Drpengy

103 upvotes on reddit

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https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschool/comments/wi1pt4/how_to_write_a_killer_personal_statement_for/?ref=share&ref_source=link

6 replies

yoloswagimab · 3 years ago

For gunners and marginal candidates...

4. I cannot overstate how advantageous it is to write a individually tailored PS for each program you apply to, especially ones you really want to go to. The lazy solution is to leave room for 1 hot swappable paragraph about why that specific program appeals to you, in the context of the rest of your PS. This will drastically increase the chance you will get an interview against candidates who are otherwise similar.

Not necessary though, I (25x/25x/2x H at mid and top 10 sub-Is/mostly H on rotations) matched my #1 in a mid competitive specialty at a top 10 in the field where I fit exceptionally well, but my 20 interviews were at a mix of medium to high tier programs. A friend with similar stats and background who individualized her PS also matched at a top 10, but she interviewed at literally all of the top 20-25 programs in the country, was turning down several others.

Virtual interviews have had this even more advantageous as programs are looking for any reason to pick you against the 500 other candidates who look like you.

5. Don't be crazy or artsy. Answer the question and leave the room. A poem is going in the trash.

6. Don't lose your mind writing it remember the 95-4-1 rule. 95% of PS are good enough and not at all memorable in a sea of good PS and will neither help nor hurt you. Answer the question, proof read the statement, and you're probably here. 4% of PS are exceptionally well written and moving so as to drastically increase the chances of interview and possibly make up for red flags. If you have a red flag, spent lots of time your PS and individualize them to programs. 1% of PS are exceptionally awful and will kill an entire application: being a crazy person, demonstrating major character flaws, being artsy and falling flat, major spelling and grammar errors.

20 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 3 years ago

This is v good advice and I wanted to note that before asking what artsy/crazy personal statements you've seen for my entertainment please and thank you :)

4 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 3 years ago

OP, can we get a Part 2? Good stuff here. I word-vomited a first draft of my personal statement this morning and thankfully avoided these three mistakes, but I'd love to hear what else I can do to make it less trashy and more classy.

1 upvotes on reddit

TurKoise · 2 years ago

1 upvotes on reddit

hola1997 · 3 years ago

RemindMe! 2 years “Personal Statement Residency”

3 upvotes on reddit

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r/medicalschool • [9]

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How to create a Personal Statement for dummies

Posted by Shohmwow · in r/medicalschool · 4 years ago

US IMG interested in IM residency here; I'm not sure how to start/do this. Any advice would be appreciated...

17 upvotes on reddit

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misteriese · 4 years ago

1st Paragraph: Patient Story (related to why you are choosing this specialty) OR Background info (interesting life story about yourself that can relate to IM or why you chose IM)

2nd Paragraph: Background info (interesting life story about yourself that can relate to IM or why you chose IM) OR Patient Story (related to why you are choosing this specialty)

Alternate the first and second paragraph

3rd Paragraph: Your accomplishments (leadership, research, noteworthy IM stuff) AKA why you are qualified to be an IM attending or resident

4th Paragraph: Tie it up AND state what you are looking for in an IM program, maybe include your goals as an internist (putting fellowships plans can be controversial for some, so YMMV).

Remember, most PS are going to be decent but average or “bland” as people would call it. That’s ok! It’ll be great if you are the top quartile of PS (can make up for some deficiencies in the app) but that is difficult to do. The goal is to avoid being the bottom percentile of PS, especially if writing is not your forte.

18 upvotes on reddit

Shohmwow · OP · 4 years ago

Much appreciated; any other tips that you recommend (especially if I want it to stand out)? I am all ears...

2 upvotes on reddit

misteriese · 4 years ago

If you have target programs or programs that you have strong geographical connections to (e.g., family who lives in the city or other interests), you can make a separate version of a PS where the 4th paragraph contains that information. You can also tailor why you want to go to that one specific program.

Note that you can create multiple versions of a PS. ERAS will let you save multiple versions with just minor differences (or entirely different ones if you are applying to a backup specialty). You can then assign each version to specific programs. Only caution is to make sure you assign the right one, but of course, you can name them so it won’t be too bad.

Edit: Most people will only tailor one to a few (think maybe 2-3). It takes some extra work, and honestly, the yield of success is unproven, especially since each PD is different.

6 upvotes on reddit

Headkickerchamp · 4 years ago

Saved

4 upvotes on reddit

RelativeMap · 4 years ago

saved af

5 upvotes on reddit

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