NewbiePA-C Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Hi all, I'm trying to gather my thoughts to develop my personal statement. I have both personal and family illnesses as well as a long history of working in healthcare and behavioral health that are all motivating factors for me towards becoming a PA. I'm just not sure what direction to take my essay and I don't want to overdo or underdo the emotional aspect. Is talking about a parent who battled alcoholism or an intestintal disease that I personally deal with too self-defeating? I only have rough outlines right now so nothing for you to critique just yet, I just don't want to take an overly emotional, "poor me" route and have it become an essay of emotional diarrhea. It's genuine motivation, but I don't want it to inadvertently make me sound like some basket case (which I'm not, lol). I hope to get a rough draft together soon for you folks to review. Thanks much for your opinions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjohnson3604 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I think this is really important to frame well. It's fine to choose a few personal stories that really highlight your motivation, the tone should be positive and inspiring...not just listing challenges, what makes you more compassionate of the patient's experience or what about this experience drew you into pursuing PA. Personally, I wanted to highlight how my medical experiences as a patient helped me in patient interactions at work, volunteer, and internship roles. You can weave things together well AND show why you're going to be a great fit with the school(s) you've chosen to pursue. Best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrelight74 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I used a portion of my cancer diagnosis... just stated that it helped to show me the value in early diagnosis and treatment, etc. It's all how you say it. Fine to use it if it helped shape who you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corpsman2PA Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I think you need to walk the fine line between the "poor me" aspect and the truth of who you are. You want to emotionally connect without sounding emotional. If certain situations helped mold you, by all means eloquently and succinctly describe how that all played out, and tie it all back into why its important to share with the Adcoms. A big problem people face is vomitting a bunch of stuff up on the page and then throwing in a paragraph at the end that has nothing to do with what they wrote, but they say, "Thats why I'll be a great PA." If you can tell me who you are, what shaped you, what you'll bring to the program you're applying to, and why all of that will allow you to further benefit the PA profession- then I say bring it. Getting an idea in your head of situations or experiences you want to share and structuring it on paper first before ever writing anything down already sets you ahead of the curve of most applicants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Define your motivation but don't turn it into a tale that will leave anyone wondering whether you will be able to handle the program with current medical issues. Keep your PS positive and sell yourself. Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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