Tips from a Nontraditional URM and Current Neurology Resident

General Tips for Writing a Personal Statement

Before we dive into my personal statement, I want to share some general tips and tricks that I found helpful when writing it. First and foremost, start early! Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, write, and edit your statement. This is not something you want to be rushing to finish at the last minute.

Next, think about your audience. Who will be reading your statement? What do you want them to know about you? What makes you stand out from other applicants? These are all important questions to consider when crafting your statement.

You want to tell your story clearly - Make it easy for the admissions team. Don’t give them the work of placing all of the pieces together - you should do that for them. All of life experiences have gotten you to this point thus-far and led you to the pathway you are on - your job is to clearly articulate it for the admissions team and not just regurgitate a list of your accomplisments.

Another thing to keep in mind is authenticity. You want to be honest and genuine in your statement. Don't try to be someone you're not or say what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Embrace your unique identity and share how it's influenced your journey to medicine.

Crafting My Personal Statement

Okay, now let's get into the nitty-gritty of my personal statement. I started by brainstorming all of the experiences and skills that I wanted to highlight in my statement. As a former high school science teacher, I knew I wanted to talk about my passion for education and how it relates to my desire to become a physician. I also wanted to share my experiences as a URM navigating the medical industry and how that perspective has shaped my desire to pursue medicine and how it will influence my future as a inclusive physician. Lastly I wanted to talk about how my childhood experiences influenced my pathway to medicine as well.

Once I had my brainstorming list, I started to craft an outline for my statement. I knew I wanted to start with a hook that would grab the reader's attention, so I opened with a personal anecdote about my experience looking for a PCP. From there, I segued into my passion for education and how that led me to pursue medicine.

Throughout the rest of my statement, I shared specific examples of experiences that had influenced my journey to medicine. I talked about my research on health disparities in underrepresented communities and my work as an advocate for health equity. I also shared personal stories about my experience growing up with a low SES background and how that had shaped my perspective on patient care.

One thing I tried to do throughout my statement was to connect my experiences back to my passion for medicine. I didn't want to just list off accomplishments or experiences; I wanted to show how each of these things had motivated me to pursue medicine and how they would not only make me a valuable addition to any medical program, but a great physician in the future.

Finally, I made sure to edit my statement multiple times. I had several friends, family members, and colleagues read it over and give me feedback, and I made sure to incorporate their suggestions.

My Personal Statement for Medical School Admissions

Without further ado, here is a copy of my personal statement for medical school admission:

The new patient form asked for fairly simple information that to most people would seem harmless.  Race/Ethnicity? History of diabetes? Back pain? Trouble sleeping? Even simple requests for marital status or emergency contact information gave me a small shudder of anxiety. Here I was filling in a new patient form for who would hopefully be my next Primary Care physician. I filled in the form: ‘African American’, ‘Yes’ I did have a history of diabetes. ‘Yes’, ‘Yes’ I have constant back pain and my sleep apnea rarely allows me to get a full night’s rest. ‘No’ I am not married and Ms. R is my life partner and not just my emergency contact.

That was the beginning of my first experience searching for a doctor in the city of San Antonio.  Having moved from the more liberal state of New York to the more conservative state of Texas I was quite apprehensive in my search for a new physician. I wasn’t what one would call the typical patient, being a morbidly obese African American woman in a committed lesbian relationship. I felt out of place and concerned about the physician’s response to my answers on this unassuming form. I only had experience with one family doctor in the last 23 years and trusted him completely. This was all new to me, and I wasn’t prepared.

My life experiences hadn’t quite equipped me for the feelings I had that day at the doctor’s office. I grew up in a household wrought with domestic violence, “grocery shopped” at food pantries, living at women & children’s shelters, never being able to buy new clothes, and having a friend killed by gun violence. Family life included regular church attendance, volunteering at the same food pantries I stood in line to get food from, opening our home to foster children with nowhere to go, and giving our belongings to those who lost everything in the fire. Those were my experiences as a minority child growing up in poverty, and while they prepared me for a life devoted to service, they hadn’t prepared me for that moment in the Doctor’s office.

My childhood had given me the knowledge and skills to relate to my students as a teacher.  It gave me the ability to surpass cultural barriers because regardless of where you grow up, the struggles of children in poverty are universal. I taught 250 students each year during my time as a teacher, in classes like Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology, and Pathophysiology. I designed new Health Science courses, added alternate diploma pathways, and organized hospital rotations. Most importantly my students had in front of them each an individual who had been where they were, someone who understood their problems and their obstacles in life as underrepresented minorities who wanted to go into the medical field. In the doctor’s office that day, I wasn’t sure if my new doctor could do the same for me.

Individuals in the LGBT and African American community, particularly those in both often find it difficult to be completely honest with their physicians.  In that doctor’s office I found myself fleetingly wondering if I would become one of the many who tell half-truths and withhold information from their physicians, if only to protect myself from long held stereotypes. I’d moved to San Antonio with the firm resolution to be my most authentic self, and here I hesitated for a moment. In that moment in that Doctor’s office I thought, there should be more Doctors that relate to their patients in the way I relate to my students. I thought of my childhood dream of being a doctor, and asked myself when had I forgotten who I wanted to be when I grew up? Had I given up? No.

That day in the doctor’s office I recommitted myself to my passion to medicine. I realized that just as I’d taught my students, they had taught me.  That I had listened to every speaker that had spoken to my students, I had joined my students on their rotations day after day. I knew that if I could provide opportunities for my students to do things that they and others believed impossible, then why couldn’t I do that for myself?

Today, I look back on that moment - I look back on the many Post Bac classes and the 4.0 GPA I attained in them. I look back on the night classes, the shadowing, and the volunteer work. That I am now happily and legally married to the love of my life. I look back on my personal health journey having lost over 100 pounds and all previous health issues with the help of a wonderful physician. I look back and smile with the thought that one day I will be a doctor who is reading a new patient form filled out by a fearful individual. That my dedication, hard work, empathy and understanding of the underrepresented and underserved will continue and even if only for a moment inspire someone to do better, get healthier, and have hope.

Overall, writing my personal statement was a challenging but rewarding experience. It forced me to reflect on my journey to medicine and articulate why I'm passionate about this field. If you're currently in the process of writing your own statement, I hope these tips and tricks are helpful. Remember to be authentic, be specific, and connect your experiences back to your passion for medicine. Best of luck to you all!

TLDR - Checklist for Crafting a Personal Statement for Medical School:

☐ Start early and give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, write, and edit your statement. Don't rush to finish it at the last minute.

☐ Consider your audience and think about what you want them to know about you. Identify what makes you stand out from other applicants.

☐ Be authentic and honest. Don't try to be someone you're not or say what you think the admissions committee wants to hear.

☐ Tell your story clearly and make it easy for the admissions team to connect the pieces together. Articulate how all of your life experiences have led you to medicine.

☐ Brainstorm all of the experiences and skills that you want to highlight in your statement.

☐ Craft an outline for your statement. Start with a hook that grabs the reader's attention and segues into your passion for medicine.

☐ Share specific examples of experiences that have influenced your journey to medicine. Connect your experiences back to your passion for medicine.

☐ Show how each experience has motivated you to pursue medicine and how they will make you a valuable addition to any medical program and a great physician in the future.

☐ Edit your statement multiple times. Have friends, family members, and colleagues read it over and give you feedback, and incorporate their suggestions.