Do's and DON'Ts for Personal statement?

[Juliakbran]

What are some classic do's and don'ts for your CASPA personal statement, or even your supplemental? I'm looking for a check off list.

 

Do's:

1. explain how the PA profession fits you
   
2. one personal thing
   
3. career satisfaction
   
4. something current and your understanding for the need for PAs and changes in healthcare.
   

Don'ts:

1. start off with "every since I was five years old...." They've heard it before.
   
2. Don't be melodramatic or write a hollywood movie script --but where is the balance betweeen being personal and melodramatic?
   

[Juliakbran]

Anyone have anything to add to these? particularly don'ts?

[Juliakbran]

I found this for medical school, but not PA school

 

31 Do’s and Don’ts for Writing a Medical School Personal Statement

by: Mohammad O. Hussaini,MD

Do’s of Writing a Medical School Personal Statement1. Be concise.

2. Be unique.

3. Be concrete. Show; don’t tell.

4. Have a theme.

5. Start early.

6. Have friends and family look over your essay.

7. Have your essay professionally edited.

8. Address any weaknesses or irregularities in a succinct, effective manner when possible.

9. Be positive.

10.Be mature and dignified in your writing style.

11. Get to the point.

12. Be interesting.

13. Subtly highlight your achievements. State them; don’t harp on them.

14. Explain any transitions in your life (such as going from a corporate job to medical school).

15. Brainstorm for a long time before writing.

16. Keep the grammar and punctuation flawless.

17. Try to spin negatives into positives without dwelling on them.

18. Write in active voice, e.g., “Completed reports” instead of “Reports were completed.”

19. Stay focused on one thing at a time.

20. Use stories when you can.

21. Try to get a physician to look over your personal statement.

22. Contact the admissions officer at the medical school(s) to which you are applying,

and get their input as to what they are looking for in a candidate.

23. Include wording that reflects the input from #22 above, in your personal statement.

24. Come up with an outline before writing the personal statement.

25. Revise your essay several times before submitting.

26. Even if your life is just plain blah, try your best to give it a fresh angle. Market, Market, Market.

27. Make sure your essay flows and is easy to read.

28. Be personal.

29. Demonstrate diversity, interest, honesty, commitment, compassion, drive, sensitivity and/or enthusiasm

in your essay if you can. Medical schools are looking for these qualities.

30. Close with your paragraph that summarizes the essay and ties in everything.

31. Be YOURSELF! (This is what the admissions officers repeatedly request from applicants).Don’ts of Writing a Medical School Personal Statement1. Don’t exaggerate.

2. Don’t make up information.

3. Don’t wait until the last minute.

4. Don’t make excuses.

5. Don’t put down other applicants.

6. Don’t brag.

7. Don’t use the personal statement as a comedy forum.

8. Don’t use clichés.

9. Don’t be general.

10.Don’t be too philosophical.

11. Don’t be vague.

12. Don’t try to use language or vocabulary that is unfamiliar to you.

13. Don’t rewrite your CV or resume in prose.

14. Don’t bring up negatives for which you don’t have a positive explanation.

15. Don’t make your personal statement one long story.

16. Don’t come off as too naïve.

17. In trying to be unique, don’t come across as weird.

18. Don’t get into controversial topics.

19. Don’t copy someone else’s essay.

20. Don’t submit your personal statement without thorough editing.

21. Don’t rely solely on Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar check.

22. Don’t be fake.

23. Don’t mention that the real reason you want to go to medical school is to make a lot of money

and drive a nice car.

24. Don’t fail to let the real you shine through.

25. Don’t include too much information about high school achievements.

26. Don’t forget to include references to research projects and publications in which you have been involved.

27. Don’t include information that you will have difficult substantiating during an interview.

28. Don’t start your essay with, “I want to be a doctor because….” or end your essay with, “In summary

…” or “In conclusion…”

29. Don’t be afraid to start over if the essay is just not coming out right.

30. Don’t be cute.

31. Don’t underestimate the importance of your essay in the admission process.References:http://www.uic.edu/depts/mcam/osa/careers/index.html

http://www.bestpremed.com/essayedge/lesson1.htm

http://education.yahoo.com/college/essentials/articles/med/medicalschoolessaysecrets.html

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/6700.html

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_perstate.html

http://www.stanford.edu/group/spa/admit/pstmnt.html

[baussie]

Don't get so caught up in the story of your life that you forget to somehow relate that information to your desire to become a PA. You shouldn't include any information that doesn't somehow tie in. Don't include unnecessary details that drag out or complicate your narrative. For example, if working with hillbillies in a woodsman camp further supported your healthcare aspirations, that's fine, but we don't need to know about the severity of their splinters or how far you were from civilization. There's also no need to rehash the info already detailed in your application. Use the space to talk about things that didn't fit in elsewhere on your app. Avoid cliche phrases like "fell off the wagon", etc. Review, spellcheck, proofread. Then do that three more times.

 

Your narrative should show some of your personality, demonstrate your understanding it the profession, and explain your desire to become a PA.