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Pre-Health Advising

Vassar College

Writing Your Personal Statement

While we often think of the importance that health professions schools put on numbers (GPA, test scores, hours of experience), the personal statement is also crucial. This is where you are able to show the schools who you are, how you have gained skills and developed in the competencies needed to be a healthcare provider, and share your ability to communicate. This essay should demonstrate your values, your best qualities, what you are passionate about, and how all of that has led you down the path to this career. To really make your point, use experiences, activities and stories that highlight the qualities in you that are important when considering this healthcare career. You want to show that you are ready and committed, not just say it.

The Essay Itself

The personal statement will be a significant part of the decision for a school to choose whom they will interview, so crafting a will written and interesting essay which highlights who you are as an individual is important. The personal statement should not just be a narrative version of your resume, and not necessarily organized chronologically – it is the story of you as a person and your path toward a healthcare career.

Before you begin your personal statement, you need to familiarize yourself with the parameters specified by your application. Depending on the application service or school, there are different requirements and expectations for the personal statement.

Character Limitations

  • AMCAS and AACOMAS - 5,300 characters – including spaces
  • MD/PhD through AMCAS – 3000 characters for why MD/PhD and 10000 characters for the research experience essay
  • AADSAS, OptomCAS, OTCAS, CASPA, and PTCAS - 4,500 characters

Formatting

Typically the personal statement text fields of most applications do not offer formatting options, so you won’t be able to bold, underline, or italicize text.

Prompt

Your application may have a specific prompt around which you should orient your personal statement. Make sure that your statement adequately addresses the prompt. For some applications the prompt can change from year-to-year, so be sure to verify the prompt for your application cycle.

What Should be Included: Content

So, what should be in a personal statement?

  • The primary purpose of the statement is to share your “Why” and how you have prepared to support your future goals. Some questions you may want to consider while writing this essay are:
    • What motivates you to move down the path towards a healthcare career?
    • What do you want schools to know about you that hasn't been disclosed in other sections of the application?
    • How do you meet the AAMC core competencies? (Yes these were written for MD applicants, but they apply to ALL health professions).
      • You cannot address all of them – 4500-5300 characters is just not long enough – so based on your experiences think about highlighting those that most convey who you are.
    • What makes you who you are and different from everyone else?
    • How do you hope to contribute to the field once you are practicing?

Once you have considered some or all of the above questions is there a thread or theme that runs throughout (besides wanting to be a healthcare provider)? How do you hope the readers of this statement would describe you after reading it?

What Should be Included: Writing Mechanics

In writing the actual essay, know that proper grammar and punctuation is key. Clarity in your writing and logical organization is also important. You do not want the reader to stop reading because they are struggling to understand what you are trying to say. If you have difficulty organizing, you can consider using the PEEL structure:

  • Point – topic sentence, what is the point of this paragraph?
  • Evidence – what evidence supports the point I am trying to make?
  • Explanation – why is what I am saying relevant?
  • Link – link to the next paragraph – this is what will help your narrative flow.

Also – look for the thread or theme if you observed one in your brainstorming. Make sure that the story of your WHY is the story that comes through.

Final Points

  1. Be ready to write multiple drafts!
  2. Avoid Clichés
  3. Be genuine and authentic
  4. Proofread carefully – and get others to read it and give feedback

Other Resources

Online Personal Statement Workshop (University of Minnesota)

Medical School Personal Statement: The Ultimate Guide (Shemmassian)

6 Tips for Writing Your AMCAS Personal Comments Essay (AAMC)

The pre-health advisor is available to read your personal statement and provide feedback. You can email prehealth@vassar.com with a link to a Google Doc, or submit it through the statement submission form. Please send a near final draft of the statement – not a rough draft. Consider using the Writing Center for basic feedback and grammar help. If you are struggling in the brainstorming phase, please make an appointment using Handshake.