Endeavor Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 So I've been doing some research and I've come to the very narrow conclusion that there are three primary schools of thoughts that people use to guide them when writing their personal statements that answers the question: why are you interested in pursuing PA. (After reading ~ 30 Personal Statements) *DISCLAIMER* I’m just a Pre-PA student, and these are just MY opinions* 1) 1st school of thought I've noticed was the "show you know what the PA profession is about and how you fit that role" This is where an applicant talks about what makes them unique and what they can bring to the profession. The applicant just basically restates what PAs do, why they like it and why it fits their personality. This style usually refrains from telling stories or mentioning names and dives in straight away to why they chose to pursue PA Pros: Shows adcom you know what the profession is about and a better understanding of who YOU are Cons: Can be boring, repetitive and you can fall into the trap of telling instead of showing 2) The second school I’ve noticed of thought is the "story time". This is basically where the applicant tells a story of how they came to know about the profession, they might tell a story about an influencing PA or patient they dealt with and relate it to their goal of becoming a PA. Or another common story is the dramatic event the hardships that came with it and then tying it back to becoming a PA Pros: Can be captivating, does a better job of showing your experiences Cons: Can be too much about other people in your personal statement and not necessarily about YOU, can be a victim of clichés 3) The third one that I've noticed is a mixture of the first two. This is where the applicant tells a story but also manages to squeeze that they know what a PA does state it explicitly and explain why PA fits them Pros: Basically the pros in the first two Cons: Can be hard to illustrate with the 5000 characters, also can be messy with no logical flow This is what I came up with from reading previous applicants who were successful, unsuccessful and currently applying, such as myself. My Dilemma: At first I had something similar to the “first” school of thought but was torn apart from peer editors and personally didn’t like it myself. Then I tried the “second” school of thought and I really liked it and got many approvals but couple harsh disapprovals. So now I’m trying to twist it up a bit to end up like the “third” school of thought, as I personally think that’s the best one! Does anybody have any recommendations? Do my abstract schools of thought make any sense? Are there any others that you might know of? If you were successful which one did you use, if any? Would appreciate some feedback, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Very intriguing concept that you've laid out! :) I initially had the second school of thought when I began working on my personal statement in December of 2016. But after months and months of revisions (and some very good suggestions from a PA personal statement revision service), I finally managed to make my essay the third school of thought. And I'd say it's been pretty successful so far (considering that my GPA and PCE are nothing to write home about). Definitely don't make your PS "story time," because then it will fall victim to a plethora of cliches. But also don't do the first school of thought, because then you'll have an essay of platitudes, which adcoms hate. Artfully combine the two as best as you can. But word of caution: It's already getting to be late in the cycle for rolling admissions schools, if you're applying to schools that have deadlines this year. Do what you will with that info, but I'm just making sure that you're aware... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endeavor Posted June 19, 2017 Author Share Posted June 19, 2017 Very intriguing concept that you've laid out! :) I initially had the second school of thought when I began working on my personal statement in December of 2016. But after months and months of revisions (and some very good suggestions from a PA personal statement revision service), I finally managed to make my essay the third school of thought. And I'd say it's been pretty successful so far (considering that my GPA and PCE are nothing to write home about). Definitely don't make your PS "story time," because then it will fall victim to a plethora of cliches. But also don't do the first school of thought, because then you'll have an essay of platitudes, which adcoms hate. Artfully combine the two as best as you can. But word of caution: It's already getting to be late in the cycle for rolling admissions schools, if you're applying to schools that have deadlines this year. Do what you will with that info, but I'm just making sure that you're aware... Thanks for your input NikkiO! I'm well aware of the rolling admissions for some schools and to be honest the only thing I have left is my personal statement as soon as I get that finalized (hopefully in the next few days) I'm ready to submit! However, I thought I'd reach out to this forum and see what people think maybe get some last minute feedback :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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