Health Professions Advising: Timeline
Personal Statements
You want to make your personal statement stand out by describing what makes you distinct from your fellow applicants. The general rule is to keep it simple.
The best personal statements are relevant to the application as a whole. They make readers want to interview you in order to learn more about you. As its name implies, the personal statement is your opportunity to show who you are. Share about yourself and how you as a person identify with your health professional goals.
Choose one or two important experiences and go into it/them in depth. Use detail to probe as deeply as possible into how the experience inspired you to apply the health professional program. Your individuality will more likely surface if you discuss one or two experiences at great length, making your personal statement more interesting to an admissions officer who reads countless essays.
Helpful Suggestions:
- Prepare an imaginary title for your essay.
- Construct an outline before you begin writing.
- Visit the Writing Center for help with mechanics, rules of good writing, and overall clarity.
- Avoid clichés and hyperbolic language.
- Do no re-list your activities section.
- Avoid excessive quotations (or beginning with one).
- Go into detail about the experiences that led to your career choice.