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Though there’s only a hint of summer in the air, it’s not too early to be thinking about writing your personal statement if you’re applying for the 2015 Match(SM). Prospective residents often put off this part of their application until the last minute, but it makes sense to begin early to give you a chance to refine, revise, and scratch and start over if needed. Also, it’s advisable to give your letter of recommendation writers your personal statement along with your CV so that they are able to personalize your letter and get a well rounded picture of who you are.
I attended a college application workshop recently since my daughter is in high school. The panelists provided interesting advice about writing an effective and strong college personal statement: they advised college hopefuls to think about the time when they were either most happy or deeply sad, and to write about the events that immediately preceded or happened right afterwards. While your personal statement for residency should not necessarily reflect an emotional and deeply introspective journey, it should delineate those events that occurred in medical school or practice that affected you in a profound way. Write about a moving patient interaction, a leadership role you played, a philanthropic activity you engaged in, or that ‘aha’ moment where you absolutely knew what kind of physician you were going to be. It should be that event or series of events that you were most enthusiastic about and what you learned about yourself as a result. If something tragic happened in your personal life that affected your approach to medicine and how you wish to practice in the future, that’s an interesting approach as well. If you overcame adversity in medical school or on the path to medical school, write about that.
Here are some tips for your personal statement:
- Do not recap all of the research, leadership, and educational activities you’ve engaged in. That’s what the application is for. Your personal statement should give the program director and recruitment committee an opportunity to learn something about you that can’t be gleaned from the application.
- Do not personalize the personal statement to reflect the program you feel is your first choice for residency. It can get tricky deciding which personal statement to send to which program, and mistakes can easily be made. It is always a surprise when I review a personal statement to find that the candidate’s fondest dream is to end up at a program that isn’t mine!
- Have a trusted advisor review your personal statement for grammatical errors and misspelled words. Physicians are expected to be excellent written communicators, and problems in this area will raise eyebrows and send the message that you just didn’t care enough to put your best foot forward.
- If possible, ask an attending with experience in recruitment to review your personal statement for content and to make sure that the tone reflects the right blend of humility and ownership. While occasionally a medical student singlehandedly saves someone’s life, it doesn’t happen as often as I’m lead to believe in my experience of reading personal statements.
- The personal statement shouldn’t be too short, or too long, but just right. If it’s too short, we have to wonder if the candidate is one dimensional or missed opportunities to make the best out of those experiences that led up to the residency application. Make the statement fit in the area formatted for the personal statement.
- Know that you may be asked to expand on anything you wrote in your personal statement in your interview and pick your words accordingly. For example, many candidates choose to begin with a strong opening statement such as a quote. If you’re going to do that, know who wrote the quote, and speak intelligently about why it’s your favorite quote. The personal statement is often a jumping off point for the interview.
- Make sure to write about what you’re looking for in a residency. Are you seeking an academic institution with a strong emphasis on research or a clinical experience that emphasizes primary care? It will help you maximize interviews at the kind of program that best suits your needs.
Remember, the personal statement is a major part of the residency application. It matters because it gives the reviewer an opportunity to learn something about your value system and approach to medicine. The process of writing your personal statement allows you to consider how far you’ve come and to crystallize what you think are the crucial next steps that line up with your vision of an outstanding career in medicine. Starting early will minimize stress about your application, and just maybe, permit this to be a pleasurable experience where you can reflect on this amazing journey you’re on.