The portion of the residency MATCH application known as the personal
statement is the one in which I discover the most errors. Due to the
fact that the process of self-evaluation involves a substantial amount
of talent and insight, many applicants may not even aware that there are
faults in their personal statement. In addition, the majority of
applicants do not have access to examples of high-quality personal
statements to use as benchmarks when evaluating their own work. As a
result, I have decided to start this blog in order to guide you through
the process of writing a personal statement and to supply you with
examples of how a strong personal statement should be formatted.
What should you include in the personal statement that you will submit?
Even
though there is no one specific format for a personal statement, it is
strongly suggested that you include the following components:
1-What piques your interest in this particular area of expertise?
You
need to do everything in your power to persuade the reader that you
have a genuine interest in the field to which you are applying. Make
sure that your interest in the specialty is as personal as possible by
incorporating your experiences learning about it and what aspects of
this specialty most appeal to you. Avoid using cliché templates that you
find online and make sure that your interest in the specialty is as
personal as possible. Before you begin writing, give some serious
consideration to the motives and the experiences that led you to pursue
this field of expertise; only after doing so will you be able to put
these events into words.
Bad example: I am interested in internal
medicine because of the opportunities to develop long-term
relationships with patients, the variety of pathologies, and the
intellectual difficulties they present.
As an illustration, my
fascination with internal medicine began in the very first month that I
participated in clinical rotations. What first drew me to the area of
medicine was the opportunity to see a wide variety of patient
presentations and to apply medical knowledge that is supported by
evidence in the course of treating patients.
As you can see from
the 'good' example, rather than describing qualities of internal
medicine that are common knowledge and can be found online by anybody, I
try to link my interest in the area to personal experiences that I've
had.
2-Why you 👩?
Why are you a better candidate than
the hundreds of others who have applied, and why should we choose you
over the others? You must be careful not to come off as arrogant, but at
the same time, you should not be bashful about discussing what sets you
apart from others. Stay away from cliches when describing yourself,
including saying you are a "hard worker," "team player," or "passionate
caretaker." Alternately, you may substitute these with one-of-a-kind
experiences that show how your distinguishing personal attributes
manifest in real life.
A poor illustration might be the
following: "I am a diligent worker, and I have always done my utmost to
achieve and overcome difficulties."
A model in point: Because I
spent my childhood in a developing nation with few resources and because
I had to maintain my family's financial stability while attending
medical school, giving up was never an option for me. I have always been
able to thrive in difficult circumstances, thanks to a combination of
my conscientious work ethic and an attitude of unwavering optimism in
the face of failure. Because of the circumstances of my upbringing, I
have developed resiliency and perseverance, both of which will
undoubtedly serve me well during my residency.
As you can see
from the evidence shown above, I did not assert that the candidate is a
"hard worker." You can readily draw the conclusion from the anecdote
that they have the tenacity and perseverance necessary to tackle the
problems that they would face throughout their residency.
3-What aspects of a program are most important to you?
This
section is not an absolute requirement like the two that came before
it. But if you specify the kinds of programs that interest you,
directors of those programs will have a better idea of whether or not
you are a suitable fit for their organizations. When discussing this
topic, you might highlight things such as good clinical training,
research, friendship among the residents and the faculty, or any other
significant aspects of the program that you are looking to find.
You
are able to customize these personal statements in accordance with the
requirements of the various programs to which you are applying because
ERAS allows you to submit numerous personal statements for different
programs. For instance, if you are applying to schools that place an
emphasis on research and programs that have an emphasis on clinical
excellence, you can create two different personal statements that
represent the various focuses of the programs to which you are applying.
In
addition, you have the option of writing two separate personal
statements if you are applying to two different specialties (one for
each specialty).
As an illustration, I am seeking for a program
that will not only equip me with the knowledge and skills necessary to
carry out ground-breaking research, but will also provide me with the
clinical training I need to become an effective internal medicine
physician.
4-Career goals
Another key piece of
information that should be included in your personal statement is a
discussion of your long-term professional objectives. Read up on the
programs to which you are applying to make sure that the educational
philosophy and the outcomes of those programs correspond with the
professional goals you have set for yourself. If participating in
cutting-edge research during your residency is something that interests
you, it is probably not a smart idea to apply for a program that has
neither the infrastructure nor the output necessary for performing
research.
Practicing medicine in an academic environment, being
actively involved in the education of residents and medical students,
participating in research investigations, or performing clinical duties
in either a large academic center or a low resource hospital are all
examples of professional ambitions (or some combination or variation of
these). Again, make an effort to understand the programs to which you
are applying to ensure that they correspond with the professional
objectives you have set for yourself.
5-Interests and many pastimes
You
are not required to include the hobbies and interests section in your
personal statement; but, if you do choose to include it, this is the
section in which you should mention the non-medical pursuits that
interest you. This section provides evidence of the characteristics and
pursuits that distinguish you from other applicants, such as your
achievement of a medal in a competitive sport, your training as a ballet
dancer, or your proficiency in playing the bagpipes. Make an effort to
explain how the knowledge and experience you obtained from participating
in this pastime or extracurricular activity can help you become a
better resident or doctor.
During my time in medical school, I
participated in a local basketball team that went on to win many titles
at the national championship tournament. The game of basketball
instilled in me a sense of perseverance and impressed upon me the
significance of prioritizing the interests of the team over my own
personal achievements and successes. It is my opinion that the same
principles apply to the field of medicine, specifically in the sense
that even the most brilliant surgeons or physicians are unable to work
alone; rather, they need to collaborate with one another and combine
their various areas of expertise in order to achieve the best possible
results for the patient. I am able to think of a number of occasions in
which I utilized this frame of mind while working in conjunction with
other medical students, nurses, and attending physicians during the
course of my clinical rotations in order to provide a patient with the
highest level of care that was humanly possible.
6-Weaknesses and the strategies you can use to address them
Sometimes
there are apparent warning signs on your curriculum vitae (CV) that
every program director will notice, such as low results on the STEP
examinations or many attempts on the USMLE exams. It is possible that it
would be beneficial to describe why this took place, how you overcame
these challenges, and what you gained as a result of the experience.
Some people think that addressing deficiencies in your personal
statement is a bad idea, and they believe that it is better to clarify
them during the interview, if you are asked about them at all. If you
have a reasonable explanation and story, it is my personal preference
that you explain why the red flag occurred.
7 The beginning and the finish of the text
The
beginning and the conclusion of your personal statement should be the
sections that are the most interesting to the reader. Experienced
writers typically begin their works with an eye-grabbing opening hook
that is designed to grab the interest of the reader. They then typically
close their works with a paragraph that makes reference to the
beginning of the personal statement, which brings the story full circle.
For
instance, if you were going to discuss how the medical condition of a
member of your family inspired you to pursue a particular subspecialty,
you could begin by providing a brief introduction in which you discuss
this experience, and then you could conclude by referring back to the
introduction and stating how it has influenced your plans for your
future professional endeavors. Although they are the most challenging to
write, the opening and conclusion paragraphs of your personal statement
have the potential to help you stand out from the crowd.
8. Why the United States?
If
you are an international medical graduate (IMG), you might think about
adding some words to your personal statement explaining why you decided
to pursue medical education in the United States.
When applying for residence, it's important to avoid making these common errors in your personal statement.
1- Getting a late start.
When
it comes to drafting the personal statement, one of the most common
mistakes that applicants make is that they begin the process more than a
week or two before the application deadline. Personally, I began
working on mine two months before the deadline for submitting
applications. Due to the nature of this timetable, I was able to create
numerous iterations of the document before emailing it to my mentors and
residents for their comments and critiques.
2-Communicate if you are submitting the first or second draft.
Before
you send in your personal statement, it is strongly suggested that you
make several adjustments to it. Over twenty different versions of my
personal statement were drafted and revised before I finally sent it in.
This is simply a rough estimate to give you an idea of how long it took
to go from the first draft to the finished result, so please don't take
it too seriously. The personal statement you submit should be the most
compelling version of your tale condensed into between 500 and 700
words. Your objective is to persuade programs to invite you for an
interview so that they can learn more about you and your qualifications.
3-Not getting feedback
I
strongly suggest that you get a someone (or more than one person) with
experience editing personal statements to look over your personal
statement. This might include residents or mentors who have revised the
personal statements of other applicants in the past, residents who have
been through this process and are familiar with how it works based on
their own personal experience, or even professional advisors. You should
make an effort to find folks who are willing to give you with
structural adjustments as well as superficial grammar edits in case you
require them. I assisted a number of students with the editing of their
personal statements by recommending that they completely revamp the
format they had originally used. This allowed the students' stories to
be communicated more clearly. I am more than happy to assist students
with substantial rewriting and editing projects. You can learn more
about the personal statement editing that we offer by checking out our
website.
Bear in mind that the more people you show your personal
statement to, the more feedback you will receive and the more changes
you will be asked to make. You are not have to agree with every
individual's suggested change or revision, but you should take their
comments into consideration and maintain those alterations that you
believe are the most successful in communicating the idea you wish to
express.
4-Make use of available online templates
You
should avoid using personal statement templates that are available
online since you want your personal statement to be as personal as it
can be. When you write your own personal statement, it will undoubtedly
take you more time than writing a generic one; yet, this is precisely
why it is referred to as a "personal" statement. To ensure that your
personal statement stands out among the hundreds of other applications
that each program receives, you will need to devote a significant amount
of time and effort to crafting it. Rather than serving as models for
you to replicate in your own personal statement, the goal of the
templates that are provided in this blog is to provide samples. This
would be considered plagiarism, which is a serious offense that might
get you in a lot of trouble.
5-Explaining the motivations behind your application to medical school
When
applying for residency, it is more important to focus on the reasons
why you want to enter a certain specialty than it is to explain how you
got into medical school. You have completed your time in medical school
at this point, and as a result, you should not devote a substantial
section of your personal statement to discussing the factors that led
you to decide to become a physician in the first place. You can
certainly cover the subject in a few of phrases, but you shouldn't go
much further than that. Pay the most attention to the area of expertise
for which you are applying.
6- Having it be excessively short or lengthy
You
should aim to keep your personal statement between 500 and 700 words
long and address the points that have been brought up in this section.
Do not make it so brief that people are unable to understand your story,
nor should you make it so lengthy that reading it is uninteresting.
7-Not having any discernible structure or flow
Many
students are under the impression that issues with the English
language, be they grammatical or related to word choice, are the primary
challenge they face when writing their personal statement. However,
this is a problem that is really simple to resolve. The most common flaw
in personal statements that I come across is a lack of flow in the
text, which causes it to be difficult for the reader to follow through.
This can be seen as hopping from one thought to another. Because of
this, the amount of time needed to perform structural editing on a
personal statement is substantially longer. I strongly advise you to
avoid using services that "fix" language by just replacing a few words
here and there with more appropriate ones. If necessary, look for
structural editing services. It is in your best interest to ensure that
your personal statement is devoid of any grammatical problems. However,
the most important thing is to have a great flow and structure that
makes your story pleasurable to read. This is the most crucial thing.
The following is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) pertaining to residency candidates' personal statements.
Do I need to include a personal statement as part of the application for residency?
In order to complete your ERAS residency application, you will, indeed, need to compose a personal statement.
When is the best time for me to begin putting together my personal statement?
around one to two months before the submission date.
What
is the length requirement for the personal statement included in the
residency application? In general, how many sentences should a personal
statement contain?
500-700 words.
When applying to the ERAS, am I allowed to submit more than one personal statement?
You can, in fact, use multiple versions of your personal statement for each of the programs and specializations you apply to.
How many of my own personal statements should I include in my application to the ERAS?
As
part of your application to ERAS, you are required to submit at least
one personal statement. On the other hand, you are free to write as many
as you wish. You are able to select a unique personal statement to go
along with each individual program and area of specialization. You are
only permitted to submit a single personal statement for consideration
by each program.
Would you advocate having your personal statement edited by someone who is not in the medical field?
It
is not a good idea, in my opinion, to have your personal statement
edited by someone who is not in the medical field because these
individuals frequently do not grasp the complexities of the residency
matching process. It is not the same thing at all to have a good command
of the English language as it is to have a good sense of organization,
flow, and substance, all of which are necessary to successfully gain
acceptance into a residency program.
How can I compose a compelling message about myself?
In
order to assist you in effectively writing a personal statement, this
blog has sections on what to include in a personal statement as well as
templates that you can use.
Do you offer editing services for personal statements?
Check
out the rewriting and structural editing services that we offer on this
website if you are in need of assistance with revising a personal
statement.
Do you place a lot of weight on the personal statements that applicants submit?
Yes,
without a doubt. Your curriculum vitae lists all of your
accomplishments and experiences, but your personal statement
communicates your story. In addition, it's possible that some of the
people who will be interviewing you will only have access to your
personal statement and not your CV.
How does one go about writing a personal statement while applying for residency?
1- Get an early start.
When
you have a head start, you have more time to create numerous revisions
of your personal statement, as well as more time for other people to
read it carefully and provide you with feedback.
2-Get started with the use of bullet points.
Write
down all of the thoughts and subjects that you want to convey about
yourself in your personal statement, but don't worry about making them
into whole sentences just yet. You are not concerned with how you are
going to narrate it at this point; rather, you are trying to figure out
what you would like to include in the account. After you develop your
map of ideas, pick the ones that you think would be the most relevant
and translate them into captivating writing.
3- Begin with the initial draft of the document.
In
this stage, you will elaborate on the topics that you selected in the
previous step. At this point, you are still a very long way from
completing your final draft, so you should not be concerned if the
language is not flawless. You should make an effort to convey the
reasons why you are interested in the specialization, why you are
distinctive, why you should be chosen for this slot, and what sort of
programs you are seeking for. Put in as much effort as you can to create
an engaging beginning and conclusion.
4-Proceed to the second draft of the document.
Wait
anywhere from a few days up to a week before moving on to the second
draft of your work. This pause will give your thoughts time to settle,
enabling you to zero in on the concepts and linguistic choices that most
effectively communicate the message you want to express about the tale
you're attempting to tell.
5-Share your personal statement with others by sending it to them.
At
this stage, you can begin the process of sending your personal
statement to people who have previous experience editing and assessing
personal statements. Because your personal statement is a secret
document and it is doubtful that the advise of random people you do not
know will be of much benefit to you, you should not email it to anyone
who you do not know personally. Seek the advice of an experienced editor
who specializes in personal statements if you do not know anyone else
who can help you with this task. I am unable to tell you the number of
individuals who have contacted me to revise personal statements that
they have already paid for since the low-cost business that they
initially consulted had poor results. What you pay for is what you get!
Check out the rewriting and structural editing service that we provide
on this website if you are in need of assistance with revising a
personal statement.
6-Revise
When you have received
the feedback and comments of others, do not automatically agree to every
adjustment or recommendation that is made. Make sure that the points
that you hope to communicate the most with your personal statement are
reflected in the revisions that have been suggested. However, if the
person delivering the advise has experience in the process of editing
personal statements and/or matching applicants to residency programs, it
is beneficial to incorporate as many of their comments as feasible.
At
this point, your personal statement is practically finished, but you
still have time to make a few alterations here and there up until the
point where you are ready to submit the final version.
The NO COST Statement of Personal Purpose Template
A photograph with an indoor human description that was generated automatically.
"Women
will never be able to become surgeons!" These were the phrases that
kept playing over and over in my head whenever I mentioned that I was
interested in surgery. All of my medical school instructors, my family,
and my friends persuaded me not to continue with this program. In the
patriarchal environment in which I was raised, women were expected to
behave in accordance with a number of limiting cultural standards. I am
thankful that I was able to keep going.
A childhood spent in a
country torn apart by conflict makes for a challenging and unique
experience. War and warfare were a daily occurrence, as were being
forced to relocate frequently and living in precarious conditions. The
emergency room of the hospital where I was attending medical school, Al
Mosul University Hospital, was always swamped with trauma patients as a
result of the unrelenting violence that has been plaguing the country
for as long as I can remember.
My interest in surgery was piqued
when I was given the opportunity to take on responsibilities that are
normally designated for first- and second-year residents due to a
shortage of clinical staff. This was made possible by the fact that I
was exposed to a wide variety of situations during my training. My male
coworkers would frequently remind me that surgery was not a suitable
career path for women and that I should instead choose a "easier"
specialty that would allow me to focus on raising a family. Despite the
fact that I quickly rose to the intense demands of working in Al Mosul's
emergency department, my male coworkers would often remind me that
surgery was not an appropriate career path for women. The choice, on the
other hand, seemed unmistakably obvious to me. The combination of
manual dexterity and systematic decision making was ideal for the field
of surgery. Not only was I mesmerized by the variety of surgical
situations, but also by the surgeons' capacities to mend and treat the
awful wounds caused by the conflict. My interest in the extraordinary
curative ability of surgery was kindled when I witnessed patients who
had been injured by bomb blasts and were on the verge of passing away be
stabilized via the intervention of skilled surgeons. Working as a
member of a surgical team with its frenetic pace, essential precision,
and fine coordination only served to increase my interest in the field.
I
had the good fortune to meet a visiting American surgeon who was in
Mosul as part of his mission tour to Iraq when I was in attendance at a
local surgical conference. After a lengthy conversation with him about
my developing interest in the profession, he encouraged me to pursue my
passion and even assisted me in securing numerous rotations in the
United States. It was during these rotations that I had my first
experience with the healthcare system in the United States, which
included everything from its incredible access to technological
advancements that were unheard of in the majority of hospitals in Iraq
to its focus on cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce. Following
the completion of my rotations, I worked as a post-doctoral clinical
researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) for a period of two
years. During that time, I investigated longitudinal outcomes for trauma
patients who had experienced incapacitating war injuries. My years
spent conducting research were formative in more ways than one; not only
did they provide me a solid grounding in clinical research, but they
also deepened my awareness for the ways in which holistic treatment can
improve the lives and well-being of trauma patients. As a direct result
of my time spent at BWH, I am interested in applying to a training
program that places an equal amount of importance on the development of
research and surgical abilities and that holds diversity as a central
value. After I finish my residency, one of my goals is to go back to
Iraq to continue working as a trauma surgeon, conducting research on how
to improve the outcomes for patients who have been injured, and
teaching students who are interested in pursuing careers in surgery.
When
I was trying to get a residency position in the United States, I faced
several obstacles due to the fact that I was a woman who had grown up in
Iraq. I am unwavering in my commitment to achieving the professional
goals I have set for myself, in spite of the fact that I have
encountered opposition from both my instructors and members of my own
family, as well as the terrifying prospect of embarking on a lengthy and
challenging journey in a different nation. An unrelenting commitment to
making a difference in the lives of patients and empowering women in
Iraq and around the world to help me make that difference is the one aim
I will continue to battle for in the years to come, and it is the
reason I will keep working hard. Do not give up hope, especially if you
are a woman who, like me, has been told by many in your life that you
will never be able to work in the medical field. Allow their remarks to
serve as fuel for your strength as you struggle to make the world a
better place for both you and the patients you care for.
I am
sending positive thoughts and prayers your way as you fill out the
residence application. The following are some additional examples of
personal statements that you can use to assist you in writing your own
personal statement.
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