Quick write (10 minutes)

1. Quick write (10 minutes) • What details of your life (personal or family problems, history, people or events that have shaped you or influenced your goals) might help anyone better understand you or help set you apart from others?

2. Writing a Winning Personal Statement ELA IV Paul Perez-Jimenez

3. What is the Personal Statement? • Tells your story • Presents your goals • Reflects your aptitude, maturity, focus, and compatibility with ________(your career). • Provides evidence of your writing skills • A critical factor in the admissions process

4. Why you? The personal statement is an opportunity to present you. Your statement should address three questions: 1) Why have you chosen ______? 2) How do you know this is the right /choice? 3) What do you have to offer ________?

5. First Step: Research • Self assessment • Interests, personality, values, aptitude • Trends in the discipline • Readiness for the challenges of a career in ____________(choose a career). • What’s needed to be successful in ______? • Fit with your life/career planning

6. Preparing to Write – Personal Assessment • How would I describe myself? • How would others describe me? • How did I become interested in this field? • What are my professional objectives? • What are my life goals and dreams?

7. Preparing to Write – Academic Assessment • How have my applied learning experiences (e.g., work, volunteering, internship) contributed to my professional objectives? • How do my research and clinical experiences relate to my goals? • How do my academic choices reflect my interests and prepare me for a career in pharmacy? • Ask: How does this make me unique? What makes this significant?

8. Preparing to Write – Special Considerations • Special circumstances Examples: low grades, switching major, gaps in enrollment, non-traditional status • Reframe to focus on strengths and resilience • Circumstance should be peripheral to the story

9. Framing the Statement • Strategy #1: • Background • Academic Experiences • Plans for Professional Study • Strategy #2: • Special emphasis • Why is this a good fit for you? • Strategy #3 • Weaving a story • Themes

10. Structuring the Statement • Can include: • Relevant experience (academic, work-related) • Awards and honors • Membership in academic or related organizations • Writing or publishing experience • Internships or work experience that contribute to your professional maturity • But NOT a restatement of your resume • Your personal statement provides a framework for the supplemental application essay questions

11. Guidelines for Writing • Start early • Follow directions carefully • Be yourself • Be specific rather than vague – do not resort to cliches • Passion is a given – show, don’t tell • Be coherent and concise • Be positive, realistic, and professional

12. Guidelines for Writing • Personal tone – link personal information to professional interests and goals • Vary your sentence structure and use transitions • Do not hide behind highly structured language • Assume admissions committee frame of reference • Revise, revise, revise

13. Examples Before: “I am a compilation of many years gained from overcoming the relentless struggles of life.” After: “I was six years old, the eldest of six children in the Bronx, when my father was murdered.”

14. Examples Before: “My recognition of the fact that we had finally completed the research project was a deeply satisfying moment that will forever linger in my memory.” After: “Completing the research project at last gave me an enduring sense of fulfillment.”

15. Examples Before: “If it were not for a strong support system which instilled into me strong family values and morals, I would not be where I am today.” After: “Although my grandmother and I didn’t have a car or running water, we still lived far more comfortably than did the other families I knew. I learned an important lesson: My grandmother made the most of what little she had, and she was known and respected for her generosity. Even at that age, I recognized the value she placed on maximizing her resources and helping those around her.”

16. Final hints • Consider consulting a style handbook • Ask others to review your statement • Examples: Faculty advisers, admitted students • Use the “3 reader rule:” • People who know you well and will be honest • Someone who knows you a little bit (then have a conversation) • The very best writer/editor you know

17. So what’s the point? • The personal statement is your opportunity to stand out! • Let your personal statement work for you

18. Questions to ask yourself before you start… • What's special, unique, distinctive, and/or impressive about you or your life story?

19. Questions… • Have you had to overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships (for example, economic, familial, or physical) in your life?

20. Questions… • What personal characteristics (for example. integrity. compassion. persistence) do you possess that would improve your prospects for success in the field or profession? Is there a way to demonstrate or document that you have these characteristics?

21. Questions… • Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre MCAT scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)?

22. Questions… • When did you become interested in this field and what have you learned about it (and about yourself) that has further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field? What insights have you gained?

23. Questions… • What skills (for example, leadership, communicative, analytical) do you possess?

24. Other tips for writing your personal statement • Tell a story: Use a story to illustrate the point that you really want to express. Stories are easier to remember than straight facts and this will make the committee members remember you. • Give supporting details: If you mention in your personal statement that you will be a great doctor because you are hard working, then you’ll have to provide proof! • Don’t be afraid to show them how much you know!

25. Personal Statement Don’ts • Do not use the same answers as other applications • Do not include high school achievements (unless they are absolutely remarkable!) • Do not touch on controversial or political topics • DO NOT LIE!!! • Avoid clichés

26. Grammatical Tips As with writing any essay remember these tips: • Always make the introduction pop. You want to draw them in! • Use the funnel approach in your introduction • Remember the basic structure of an essay: introduction, body, conclusion • CHECK FOR SPELLING AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS!!

27. Examples Jake Arians jogged on to the field to kick anything but an ordinary field goal. He was the place kicker for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Blazers. Although I was a senior linebacker, all I could do was cheer to help Jake make the kick. Jake succeeded and delivered an overtime win over Tulane in my last senior game. While I was celebrating with my teammates, a bittersweet feeling came over me. For the past thirteen years, academics and football had been my life; my football career had ended. I entered Auburn University with an academic scholarship and chose to walk-on to the football team. Throughout my football career, I was never the fastest, strongest or the largest; the majority of the time, I was one of the smallest. Success came by discipline to play with the correct techniques; learning the opposing team’s tendencies; fearlessness to meet any oncoming foe head on; and refusing to lose. I earned the chance to play on special teams and was awarded a varsity letter. In my junior year I transferred to UAB to complete my undergraduate degree and to play football. Although I completed my undergraduate education and was accepted to medical school, something within me was missing. After I completed the basic science portion of medical school, I rotated through the required specialties. One rotation appealed to the side of me that was missing. In Orthopedic Surgery, I found myself in a room with colleagues discussing the presenting problems of the previous day. We were accompanied by experienced physicians who gave advice and made sure that we were correctly applying the knowledge we had gained from reading about each patient’s problems. Game plans were developed and executed.

28. I practiced suturing and other techniques that allowed me to help the team address various problems. I read and studied the pathological basis for these problems and the multiple ways to approach specific problems. While working long hours with the Orthopedic team, I felt part of a team with a specific role to play. Whether retrieving films from radiology or helping to close after surgery, I felt I had helped my team achieve a victory when a patient’s problem was corrected. I realize that many of the skills and talents had helped me succeed in football are inherent in Orthopedic Surgery: specifically, obtaining knowledge of the opponent or patient’s disease, psychomotor skills, adjusting the game plan to fit each patient’s problems, available resources, and the most important, teamwork. As I look to future and residency training, I seek a program that can provide four elements: experienced physicians from whom I can learn to apply the knowledge gained through patient contact; volume and variety of surgical cases; resident teams that work together to improve their knowledge and skills; and a program that encourages its residents to be active participants in treatment planning so they can become competent and successful team leaders.

29. ~Brainstorm~