Creating a Personal
Statement
Brittany M. Wampler
Coordinator, Pre-Professional Health Programs
College of Sciences and Health Professions Advising
Center
MC 218
Cleveland State University
b.m.garner71@csuohio.edu
Phone: 216-687-9321
Introduction & Expectations
• Welcome!
• Expectations for time together
– No Cell Phones
– Actively Listen & Engage
– Ask questions where appropriate!
What to Expect
• Learn about the purpose of the personal
statement within professional school
applications.
• Learn about the elements of a good personal
statement, how to construct it, common pitfalls,
and common prompts to get started.
• Learn the do’s and don’ts of editing a personal
statement.
• Differences between personal statements and
secondary application essays.
Getting Started
• What is your current understanding of
the personal statement?
• What excites you about the process of
writing your personal statement?
• What are you nervous about when it
comes to the personal statement?
Timeline Suggestions
May/June prior to
submitting application
End of fall
semester/beginning
of spring semester
Fall semester prior
to application year
Start a 1st
draft or
outline
Write a
complete
1st draft
with
character
limit in
mind
Choose
individuals
to read draft
Continue
process/
leave it
alone for
entrance
exam Prep
Pick it up
again prior
to
submission
What is a Personal
Statement?
• Your opportunity to share more about
yourself than can be seen in any other part of
your application.
• Your chance to adequately communicate who
you are, your values, your goals, your story.
• The first time that the admissions committee
and faculty hear what you have to say and
hear your unique voice.
The Basics
• The Personal Statement is just
a part of the greater
application.
• Some applications have
questions to address.
• Character Limits (include
spaces):
AADSAS: 4500
AMCAS: 5300
AACOMAS: 4500
CASPA: 5000
OPTOMCAS: 4500
OTCAS: 7500
PHARMCAS: 4500
PTCAS: 4500
VMCAS: 5000
Content Strategy
Approach #1:
School History
• Very common approach for students who
have high credentials and experiences
• Chronological order throughout college
experience
• Works best when concrete examples are
offered: class, professor, organization
involvement, research experience
Approach #2: Life History
• Allows you to bring in life events and
stories that add to your medical career
• Concrete examples that led to your
choice to pursue a professional career
• Be careful about losing focus with this
approach!
Approach #3: Anecdotal
• Telling stories to provide a clear
connection to who you are
• Does not have to be in timeline form
• Concentrate on making the anecdotes
cohesive
• Show, don’t tell.
Addressing Negative Past
• GPA/Repeated Courses/Withdrawals
• Make sure to provide an explanation, not an
excuse.
• Hold yourself accountable; do not place
blame elsewhere.
• This should be a part of the personal
statement, not the entirety of the statement.
Addressing a NonTraditional Background
• Could include race, sex, academic
background, life experiences, age,
career change, etc.
• Allows students to acknowledge their
path and what sets them apart or makes
them special as an applicant.
What do great personal
statements do?
Great personal
statements…are oriented
toward the profession.
• Why you must pursue a career in that
professional area.
• What experiences connected you to the
field.
• If you have thought about a specialty,
discuss.
Great personal
statements…get personal.
• You tell a story from your life.
• You provide adequate details that
allows the reader to vividly see what
you are saying.
• Adding details, but not frivolous
details.
• Keep what matters to the story.
Great personal
statements…are well
organized and thoughtful.
• Choose a theme and stick to it throughout the
essay.
• Have a beginning, middle, and end.
• Developed and well written.
• Creates the connection to you.
• Not overly flowery, not using a thesaurus, not
using long adjectives that are not realistic to who
you are as a writer.
Great personal
statements…are unique.
• While many personal statements sound
the same, it is important to use the story
to set you apart.
• Don’t use an unusual perspective,
quotes, commentary, creative writing.
• Do make it unique because of your
individual stories.
Great personal
statements…show, not tell.
• They prove that you have ____ quality,
as evidenced by an anecdote.
• Do not say that you love people or want
to help people, show us by what
experiences you have to back up the
statement.
• Do not just list qualities, prove it.
Common Pitfalls
Common Pitfalls
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Grammar mistakes
Misplaced commas
Wordiness
Appropriate language
Clichés
Reiteration of information
Trying to be funny
Religion/Politics
Plagiarizing/Summarizing
Choosing Editors
Advice for Choosing Editors
• Do not have too many people reading your
essay.
• Choose a mix of people that know you, that
know the field, and that can write.
• Make sure you adequately communicate
what type of help you are looking for when
asking someone to help edit.
Pre-Professional
Coordinator
• Has an understanding of admissions
officers
• Makes sure that your voice is
professional and what you are saying is
unique to you
• Appropriate personal statement for the
medical school audience
Friend/Someone who
knows you personally
• Will read to make sure that you are in
the essay
• Should be able to tell whether or not it
reflects you
Writing Center/
Grammar Police
• Checking for sentence structure
• Cohesive
• Grammatical errors
• Word choice
• Structure overall
• Central themes evident
Medical Professional
• How you bring in your passion for the
field
• Checking to ensure that you are
communicating as a future professional
would
• Advice based on connecting your love
of the sciences to the career path
Writing Center Information
Library 124D
216-687-6981
http://www.csuohio.edu/academic/writingcenter
For appointments, call:
Dr. Mary McDonald
216.687.6982
Tips to Consider with Editors
• Ask lots of questions!
• Recognize that these people want to
help you but cannot and should not
write for you.
• Each editor will offer their own advice.
Remember that it is just advice and it is
your voice.
Secondary Applications
• Secondary applications vary in terms of
questions.
• They help determine whether or not a
candidate will receive an interview.
• They will seek additional information
about you and your interest in that
particular school.
Sample Questions on
Secondary Applications
• What motivates you to become a
professional in this field?
• Why are you interested in attending
___?
• Other topics include: teamwork,
working with diverse individuals, how
you prefer to learn, etc.
Secondary Application
Advice
• Research the institution before responding to a
question.
• Read about the philosophy and curriculum of the
institution.
• Do not copy and paste or repeat anything from your
personal statement.
• Write something entirely new that shows a different
aspect, quality, or value that you hold.
• Send secondary applications back within a timely
manner.
Getting Started
Reflection Stage
• Who are the most influential people in your
life?
• What have been the most pivotal moments in
your life?
• What moments have been critical to your
personal development?
• What is the source behind your passion for
medicine/dental school/pharmacy school?
Reflection Stage
• What motivates you to become a professional within
your field?
• What family or early experiences led to your
decision?
• What activities, work/volunteer/extracurricular,
influenced your decision?
• What are your long term goals?
• What is your personal philosophy as it relates to your
career path?
Activity
Choose one or two questions from the last
two slides. Free write a response. It can be
a bulleted list, a paragraph, anything.
Just start writing.
Reflecting on Your Writing
• How does your story relate to your
motivation to pursue your career?
• What details need to be added in to
make it come alive to the reader?
• What details are missing?
• What does this particular story say
about who you are?
Personal Advice
• Take time to write a draft and know
there will be many drafts if you want to
get it right.
• Keep it simple and organized.
• Don’t use overly complicated language.
• Think about how you want to come
across through your writing.
Office Protocol for
Personal Statements
• 30 minute appointments
• 48 hour rule
• Additional drafts and appointments
Brittany Wampler
MC 218B
b.m.garner71@csuohio.edu
Phone: 216-687-9321
Resources
• Essman, C. “Insider Advice on Writing for
Medical School Applications,” 2013
• Princeton Review, “Medical School Essays That
Made a Difference,” 2012
• Bardo, H.R., Jackson, E.W., “Write for Success:
Preparing a Successful Professional School
Application,” 2005