swimrgal02 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Andrew Rodican said not to use the word "I" more than 5 times in a PS. While I respect his opinion, can anyone else chime in on this? Is more than 5 "I"s really going to get my app thrown out?! (My PS has 18 "I"s (and 4,998 characters in CASPA) but my pre-health advisor says it has good tone and flow so I'm not sure what to do. When I rewrite using me/my instead of I, it uses more characters or doesn't flow well: I feel passionate... vs. my feelings are passionate..."). Thanks for any feedback! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbears11 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I saw that same article and it really confused me. If its a personal statement about our dreams and desires to be a PA and why we think we are fit for the road ahead shouldn't we be talking about ourselves? My perosnal statement has around the same I's as you, and I've had it read over by numerous professionals to get their opinions and none of them said anything about getting rid of I. I'd say if it flows well and youre comfortable with it, leave it as is. Im applying to PA school this cycle, so if I dont get interviews I'll think about taking the I's out next time :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I dunno about that I had less characters than you and more "I"s than you as well........ Using "I" made my statements more direct...I found that to use "me" or "my" I had to add extra words and then it just seemed to wordy to get my point out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted March 28, 2011 Administrator Share Posted March 28, 2011 When Rodican wrote that, PS'es were about 2/3rds of the current allowable size, so I suspect the allotment should go up to 7.5 or so. :-) In all seriousness, write it with the I's in first, and then edit it to change it around and remove 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 When Rodican wrote that, PS'es were about 2/3rds of the current allowable size, so I suspect the allotment should go up to 7.5 or so. :-) In all seriousness, write it with the I's in first, and then edit it to change it around and remove 'em. Thats what I did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Don't take the statement literally. While having more than five is fine, you shouldn't use it in every sentence throughout the PS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Used 12 "I"'s, got into the first school I applied to with a 3.0 sGPA. If you are truly balancing your application off of the number of times you say "I" in a personal statement, you really need to evaluate what you are bringing to the table. Write that PS with the intent of leaving the reader going "Wow, they have had an amazing life and will be a great student in our PA program". They don't want to read "I love medicine, I will be a good medical provider. I really understand what a PA does. I talked to lots of PA's." What I imagine the AdComs want to read is "I have been passionate about medicine since I attended my very first aid course when I was a boy scout. I have been the primary first aid provider on 10 camping trips with an average of 10 people per trip. I helped in the treatment of 18 patients with injuries and illnesses ranging from sprained ankles and water borne illnesses. I discovered the career of PA's through being a patient while attending my school sport physicals. After learning of this career path I have spent 150 hours shadowing PAs in emergency care and family practice. I have become an EMT and continue to gain medical experience in hope to further my medical career as a PA." See the difference? I used 8 "I's" in the second paragraph and only 4 in the first...which example do you think stands a better chance in PA application? So don't count the words...make the words count. I also gave concrete numbers to support, or quantify, my experience. Hard numbers give support to your claims. If your life is empty of any sort of excitement to write about, then I suggest you attend a creative writing class...not to learn how to write fiction, but to make boring non fiction into something exciting to read. disclaimer: I am in no way discounting the advice given by AJR Associates. I have no knowledge of the content of the material that company dispenses and it is not my intent to discredit or otherwise smear their system. In addition: the above PS is fictional and holds no bearing to the experience held by myself or others known to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimrgal02 Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 Thank you all for the feedback! I'll change up a few sentences to eliminate I's if it doesn't weaken my point. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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