Personal Statment Advice

[Shypierce97]

Hello,  I am working on my personal statement for PA school and I was considering opening up with discussing how my father shot himself when I was 16 and how I reacted accordingly by calling 911 and applying pressure and how his experience and mine because of it was at the hospital after. I didn't know if that would be too depressing of a subject to talk about in something like this, but it is one of the main reasons I want to become a PA.

Thanks for the advice

[Selah]

I think that you should open with the story, but instead of talking about how that experience made you want to become a PA, speak about how that experience sparked your interest in healthcare or in medicine. Then build onto it in the essay about how you discovered that PA is right for you. It is always seen as a stretch when someone says that they had one experience that they knew they wanted to be a PA. Why PA and not a doctor, EMT or nurse? I think it can work just try not to overdramatize or provide too much detail because the story is dramatic on its own. 

I spoke about losing a child in my personal statement. I knew it was a depressing topic so I used like 2 sentences and spent more time talking about what I observed and what I learned. I think that is what the AdComms care about the most. I hope that helps.