How much should I say in my personal statement?

The personal statement is easily one of the most important components of the medical school application. As an international student applicant, you may find yourself wondering whether or not you should mention your home country in any part of the statement. I remember struggling with how little or how much to tell. I assumed that admission officers will not see any utility in affording me a seat in their medical school class if I declared my interest in practicing medicine in my home country. I wrote several drafts declaring my commitment to serve a US population and was initially careful not to make mention of any experiences from my home country. I figured I was being smart, I was playing the game. I thought this way admission officers will see that I was committed to practicing medicine in the US, they will see value in investing in my education, but then I wasn’t satisfied with any of the versions. It wasn’t me, I had stripped away all my identities to fit into a box I assumed they wanted me in. Thankfully, I realized that this approach was foolish, I had completely missed the point of a personal statement which is to tell my story. Finally, I decided I would write my truth and deal with the consequences when they present themselves. Luckily for me, it was all worth it. My personal statement was the highlight of every single one of my interviews. Interviewers wanted to know about each and all of my experiences and how they had shaped me into who was sitting in front of them. My experiences were unique and I’m happy I decided not to strip those identities away. I say all these to say I understand that as international students we often feel the pressure to hide away our identities to fit checklists, however, I want to encourage you to take advantage of those experiences that make you unique. If any part of growing up in your home country influenced your decision to pursue medicine, let it be known. If you are interested in returning home, in the long run, to practice medicine, write it loud and clear. Remember that there are American citizens who capitalize on their global health experiences in countries like mine and yours. As such, you should not be ashamed to make it known that you are interested in global medicine. I like to give concrete advice that you can easily follow, so with all the above said, here are 6 steps to consider when writing a memorable personal statement. Step 1: Decide on a particular message you want to get across – “Why medicine?” I find that deciding on this very early on in the drafting process helps with delivering a concise statement. For me, I started out by writing an elevator speech on why I want to become a doctor. I then crafted the rest of my statement around that theme. Pro tip: your “why medicine?” doesn’t have to be described as an epiphany, it is okay to describe the process. Step 2: Make a list of 2 – 3 meaningful experiences that exemplify your commitment to the journey. These experiences will occupy 2-3 paragraphs of your personal statement. They could be significant shadowing, volunteering, research, or work experiences. In my personal statement, I paralleled my observances from a shadowing opportunity with my experiences growing up in my home country, Nigeria. Be careful to make the significance of the experience clear, make sure it relates to the question “Why medicine?” Pro tip: only include your most meaningful experiences in your personal statement. You will have space to write about others in the activity narrative section of the AMCAS. Step 3: Make a list of your greatest interpersonal qualities. I think this is an area that many people forget to include in their statement. Remember that one of the purposes of the personal statement is to convince admission officers that beyond the science grades and MCAT score, you have interpersonal skills that allow you to relate to your future classmates and patients. I exemplified this by talking about working with a diverse group of individuals during my gap years. Pro tip: don’t make this a stand-alone paragraph, sprinkle evidence of interpersonal skills throughout your personal statement (show, don’t tell). Step 4: Fill in the rest of the paragraphs. By this step you should have the core pieces of your personal statement, all you need to do now is fill in the gaps by telling a story. Use transition statements to tie it all together. Make sure each paragraph flows into the other. For your intro paragraph, don’t get in the trap of using anecdotes and clichés, only use them if absolutely necessary. I think it’s also very important to include a statement on why you are choosing to pursue medicine in the US. For persons who earned their Bachelor’s degree in the US, mentioning what brought you to the US in the first place should be enough. I personally only had a sentence on this in my statement and did not elaborate. Interestingly, no one questioned me about it during interviews. Pro tip: Make sure you describe the why medicine, what you have done to build on your interest, and how your experiences have influenced your decisions. You do not have to use up all 5300 characters, the more succinct the better. Step 5: The conclusion This is personally my favorite part of every personal statement. It is where you get the chance to tie it all together and most importantly (and exciting) where you get to declare your vision for your career as a physician. Here, tell them what makes you unique and why medicine is the only career that incorporates all the interests you listed in preceding paragraphs. Write this in such a way that if someone was to read only your intro and conclusion, they’ll still get the gist of your personal statement. Pro tip: sound as enthusiastic as words allow you in your conclusion, it is a very important paragraph. Step 6: Review stage Send your drafts to a few people. I found it useful to send to both people that knew me and complete strangers. Be very careful, however, to only accept edits that retain your voice. At the end of the day, this is YOUR personal statement and you have to be very comfortable with the voice. With that being said, if multiple people advise you to change similar things, strongly consider making changes. Pro tip: make sure you retain your voice through all the edits Congratulations on making it this far, you are one step closer to your goals! I am rooting for you. Please share with your friends and as usual, let us know if you have any questions. Yours in support, Olamide O.