<p>My son is just completing his junior year and is applying to med schools this cycle. His personal statement is drafted, but I’m wondering who the best people are to read and critique it. It seems as if it should be read by someone who knows a good personal statement when they see one. He attends a small liberal arts college with what seems like a rather loosely organized pre-health committee. For those of you who have done this already – whose opinions did you value and trust? Who offered you the most valuable constructive criticism?</p>
<p>My favorite mentor probably offered the best help about content–he’s advised tons of premeds and seems to know what he’s doing (I mean, I did get into med school…). There’s an office at my school that helps students win competitive fellowships–Fulbright, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, etc–and I’m close with the director of that program, so she did most of my editing in terms of mechanics and flow and voice. Additionally, a doc I shadowed for two years used to sit on my future med school’s admissions committee (turns out he was the director, how convenient), and since he wrote me a rec letter he also edited my statement. Finally, I’ve done a lot of work with a nonprofit and the director of it was formerly the dean of students at Boston’s med school, so he and I had lots of conversations about what to include and how to stand out.</p>
<p>From “start writing” to “it’s polished and finished,” I’d guess it took me about…3-4 weeks and 8-9 revisions.</p>
<p>oops, posted twice!</p>
<p>Thanks, Kristin. You had some great resources to tap! I’m not sure that my son is as well-connected. He shadows a doctor who might be helpful. No real pre-med advisor at his school who has guided him through the process. It seems that he’s finding his own way through the application process with only a little support from his school. He’s a psychology major who has worked on a psychology/neurology research project the past two summers for a college professor…maybe she would provide some input, though her specialty is not pre-med. Hmmm…need to get him to think a bit more about this.</p>
<p>D. has asked her per-med advisor all her questions. However, this was part of regular pre-med advisory committee procedure, which has been very helpful and timely with everything and had positive impact on D’s success in Med. School application process.</p>
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<p>Join the club! I felt the same way and managed just fine 
I’m sure your son will do great–he’s clearly on the ball if he’s already working on this stuff and AMCAS hasn’t even opened yet (compare to me: I didn’t start thinking about any of this stuff until a few weeks after my May 27 MCAT (sick that I remember exact date?))</p>
<p>I think the best advice I got about my personal statement was to make sure it was a story only I could tell. Try to avoid making it generic. Use vivid examples. I personally went for a conversational (rather than professional) tone and I think it worked quite well.</p>
<p>As for people to look over it, I’d just get as many trusted eyes as possible. Someone who can speak to the content. Someone who can check the mechanics. Someone with a big red pen that can cut out all the superfluous words. Someone to check the flow and coherence. Sure it would be helpful if some of those were in health care fields, but I bet any variety of people could do most of those things. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Oooohhh, I didn’t notice that this was up yet. I can’t believe its time already to apply. I am waiting for MCAT retake to come back before deciding on schools but thats definitely something I’ll want an opinion on. Asked for LOR’s. Have a very very rough draft of a personal statement. Trusting WashU to get committee letter and LORs in on time. I am actually really weirdly excited!</p>
<p>kristin5792: I’d say you did more than “just fine”! My son is only “sort of” on the ball. Yes, he has a draft of his personal statement. Yes, he has LOR’s lined up. But, no MCAT scores yet – he won’t take it until early July. He’s only planning to apply to DO schools because he thinks that they fit his philosophy best. That’s probably a good decision on his part because his GPA isn’t fabulous. Without MCAT scores, it would be really, really hard to come up with a list. Applying only to DO schools makes it a bit easier. Still, I really wish he had taken the MCAT earlier.</p>
<p>I was happy to see this thread and join the conversation. DS is applying this cycle but won’t take his MCAT until the end of this month. Scores take a month to come out so he will be scrambling to make an application list and submit in a timely fashion. He is working on all of the other stuff now so he will be ready to go. I hope.</p>
<p>D1 will be taking the MCATs in Aug and so will apply in the next cycle. Just wanted to drop in to say good luck to all applicants and I’ll be eagerly (or should I say creepily?) following you in this process.</p>
<p>Now that my MCAT score is in, I will definitely be applying to med school this cycle. I look forward to the experience and the discussions on this thread!</p>
<p>D’s MCAT score comes out in a few hours, it’s like waiting for Santa to come! She is with 15 teammates from her sport in Myrtle Beach right now. She say’s she will be either having a celebratory drink or just plain drowning her sorrows. One of her teammates is reading his plans for his white coat ceremony at Yale and hopefully keeping her breathing. I am oddly calm…not sure what to read into that.</p>
<p>^^^Crossing my fingers for good news for your D!</p>
<p>Entomom–D2 is planning on doing the same thing. I’m not I’m ready to go thru the process again so soon.</p>
<p>Good luck, I remember the wait for DD…just remember, it is what it is, don’t anguish if it is less than the tippy top practice test taken. Both DD and Mudgette scored lower than they hoped/expected, but look where they are :)</p>
<p>GAMOM! Sending good vibes to your DD, as Somemom says it is what it is. She would have given her all and thats all that counts. I think your calmness is a good thing!</p>
<p>Thanks all. Score wasn’t what she wished for but will still get her into med school, and isn’t that the main quest?</p>
<p>BDM, I sent you an email.</p>
<p>Very true GAMOM! </p>
<p>I’m in the early drafting stages of my PS and would love feedback from anyone who’s gone through this crazy cycle process before. I’ve gotten feedback from a few 2011 cycle friends but am always looking for fresh eyes.</p>
<p>On a score below ones hopes, my DD suggests evaluating your overall profile, if the rest of your app is strong (LORs, GPA, ECs) and the MCAT hits some self set minimum in order to be considered at all, then determine whether it is in your best interests to retake it or simply move on and focus on the future. Both my Dd & Curm’s DD considered retakes and chose to skip the retake and go with the rest of the app.</p>
<p>Both are in great places, but ask Curm for a copy of Mudgette’s hail Mary email to Y to see true guts ;)</p>
<p>If you have a strong overall app you have to consider that you could go down on a retake or you could have the same low (for you) score, and that could be more detrimental to your chances.</p>
<p>I think a 28 is about the lowest score that is likely (yes there could be outliers) to get interviews, but a 30+ gives nice breathing room. A 29 was stressful, so close and yet so far.</p>
<p>If you get a sub-ideal score, remember it is only a snapshot of that one test on that one day, and once you have hit some minimum to be considered worthy of an interview, it is the rest of your package which will get you in.</p>
<p>Think of all those 1600 SAT apps at HYPS: once they are in the pile which was not cut based on their score, the score is disregarded and the entire picture is considered. So, if you have an MCAT high enough to reach the interview category, don’t stress it, move on and make your entire app memorable. But, yes, there will be some schools which are very numbers focused which will cut you simply on the MCAT.</p>
<p>GAMOM-You are so right. Getting into med school is the name of the game. Once she gets some interviews she will have the chance to sell herself. DS is taking his MCAT a week from tomorrow. I hope he will be as calm as your your D when the results come in. Because-lets face it-a parent is only as happy as their saddest child.</p>
<p>WOWM, enjoy your year off, we’ll travel the Med school road together in 2012!</p>