Residency Application Question #592: Personal Statement

Alright, DH has decided that he wants to start working on his personal statement, but he keeps putting it off because he has no clue where to start. Any general suggestions? Is this a big part of the application? Any topics that are too cliche or weird that he should stay away from? Ideas? I am a little nervous because I remember his med school personal statements not being very good. I think I had to veto something he had planned about bike riding...don't ask.

[Vishenka69]

For some reason I remember what we wrote for DH's med school personal statement a lot better than the residency one. I'll try to dig it out tonight. I do remember being told that doctors who sit on the admissions committee tend to be a conservative bunch who don't like anything too crazy or whacky. I wouldn't make stories too person, but it's good to insert an anecdote relating to how a specialty was chosen. Also stay away from quotes or common cliches (i.e. "I want to save lives", "I want to help people").

I would structure it with starting why he chose this specialty based on his medical school experiences (inserting some personal anecdote) and then explain what he's hoping to gain from the residency.

I do think the personal statements are important. DH said they came up in several interviews.

[migirl]

I agree with staying away from cliche statements like "I want to help people". DH said that all of the applicants manage to say it during interviews and that it gets old and annoying.

I think DH wrote about why he chose the specialty he did (urology), the different things he liked about it and why it was a good fit for him. He had some sort of gimmick that I forget, but it wasn't too cheesy or anything.

Urology was still doing paper applications (not on ERAS) when we applied for residency so I'm not sure if they still do this, but if they still require a photo of the applicant make sure he submits a nice one that isn't too cheesy or Glamour-Shot-y. The reason I say this is because when they go to evaluate the candidates (at least here), they look at the pictures to remember everyone who came through and interviewed and in a couple of instances the applicant got nixed because of ... his picture. (And it wasn't just the residents, the attendings were doing it too!) Sad, but true...

Personal Statement

I helped DH write his personal statement, and it was a huge part of his interviews. Many of the docs referred to it, and one who also had majored in English made a huge deal of it.

I think what we did, which seemed to be important, was to make it antecdotal about how he decided to be a dr. (when he was five and his cousin was born.) It was a somewhat "conversational" paper. The docs seemed to use it as a way to see personality. Try to make it unique so that your DH will stand out among the hundreds of boring papers.

Good Luck!!!!

[spotty_dog]

We're told that for most specialties, the statement is an exclusionary criterion, that is, it can break but not make your chances. Yor student should come off as sincere about his desire to pursue the specialty, not a kook, and capable of using spell check. One reference book calls this the "safe and sane" approach. All the advice we've gotten is actually NOT to set yourself apart -- being too unique could trigger the "weirdo alert" for the comm.

I think FP is one notable exception I've heard of.

maybe I should clarify ...I didn't mean to advise you to send out the weirdo alert, but the programs we interviewed with enjoyed having a more personal glimpse of my husband as opposed to the run of the mill standard statements. There is definitely a balance there.

[spotty_dog]

maybe I should clarify ...I didn't mean to advise you to send out the weirdo alert, but the programs we interviewed with enjoyed having a more personal glimpse of my husband as opposed to the run of the mill standard statements. There is definitely a balance there.

Naw, I guess what I'm gathering is that the statement will be a good icebreaker in interviews so include some individual flavor. But the time you went freebase jumping in a Guatamalan backcountry and contracted the world's rarest parasite that was cured by a witch doctor and set you on the path to being an infectious disease specialist -- that's a little TOO unique, I'd surmise.

[Auspicious]

Witch doctor . . . I wonder if that's a tough residency.

witch doctors probably only work a 60 hr week...maybe DH should look into that!

[DCJenn]

They're probably only "on-call". and they probably have some potion to off the annoying patient that calls after hours. or at least make them itchy in uncomfortable places.

I think I want that job...

Jenn

..they probably have some potion to off the annoying patient that calls after hours....

That is how you get a shrunken head....

That is how you get a shrunken head....

DH was telling me that you can write up to 5 1/2 pages of personal statement. I can't imagine writing that much would necessarily be a good thing...or am I (we) completely wrong?

[DCJenn]

I'm guessing it depends on how much you want to put the Program Director to sleep. I can't imagine reading five pages on anyone other than in an autobiographical tome. and then it would have to be someone extremely compelling. (Not that your respective spouses aren't compelling, but I'm pretty sure I could manage about 2 pages on my own spouse. I mean he's interesting occasionally but not 5 pages worth!)

Jenn

PS- I asked him and they didn't have to do personal statements for fellowship; the one for residency was "why I want to be a pediatrician." But did not get into the fact that he clocked his cousin in the head with a baseball bat (accidentally) and knocked her out. Hmmm, peds neuro? Calling Dr. Freud?

[KCwife]

DH was telling me that you can write up to 5 1/2 pages of personal statement. I can't imagine writing that much would necessarily be a good thing...or am I (we) completely wrong?

It should be one page typed when it appears on ERAS. Once you convert it from a .doc to a .txt, paste into the spot. Then you go to "Documents" and click on "view" on the Personal Statement Part. It will show you there how the page will look when the programs print it out... this is good thing to do so that you can correct margins, etc. that got screwy during conversion. It will appear to them as 10pt courier type.

[spotty_dog]

DH was telling me that you can write up to 5 1/2 pages of personal statement. I can't imagine writing that much would necessarily be a good thing...or am I (we) completely wrong?

The Iserson book we're reading confirms that one page is the ideal.