Personal Statement: How to Get Started

Around the end of June last year, I started brainstorming ideas for my personal statement, an important part of your medical school and health profession applications. Writing a personal statement that captures the admissions committee's attention can have a huge impact on your admission decision and I found it was often a topic of conversation even during interviews as well. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. The hardest part of this process is choosing what to write about. If you don't already have an idea in mind in mind, look through your journal, flip through old photos, think about what drives you, reflect on a touching or transformative experience that shaped you. Come up with a list of 3-4 topics that you feel the strongest about and write a paragraph about each. Who knows, you might even find yourself writing passionately about something you didn't expect yourself to end up writing about.

2. After narrowing down your topic, think about what you took away from that experience. What was it specifically about that moment that made you think about a career in healthcare? Was it something someone said? A quality you possess? Maybe you were inspired to make a change? Find your message and whenever you feel yourself getting sidetracked in your writing, remind yourself of what you are trying to convey through your story.

3. Write when you feel the most motivated. When I was writing my personal statement, there were days I would just sit for hours trying to think of what sentence to type next. But on that one day I felt a rush of thought, I grabbed my laptop and ended up knocking out the draft I submitted in my application in under an hour!

4. Constantly remind yourself of the message you are trying to get across to your reader. This will help you stay focused with your writing and stop yourself from rambling on about a point. Also while reading your own work, ask yourself if that paragraph or sentence adds to the point you are making. If yes, it's a keeper! If no, modify it until it relates to your message.

5. Have your friends, mentors, parents, and/or siblings proofread your work. After they read over it the first time, ask them what they learned about you from your draft. If this doesn't match what you hoped to convey, you know you have some editing to do.

6. Make your personal statement yours! Add a bit of personal flair by showcasing your writing style and introduce the admissions committee to who you are before they meet you in person at the interview!