Personal Statement advice for Fellowship

[IMPD]

Advising my current PGY2s on writing personal statements, I've tried to distill down to some bullet points.

1. The Personal Statement. The most anxiety producing part of the application. Here are IMPD's patented tips for making an acceptable (and possibly even good) personal statement.

-- A Love Story. You should start with a brief, but heartfelt story of how you started to love the field. This means really. Not when you were 6 and your grandma had a problem. It means when you did the work and thought "I love this".

-- Specific is Terrific. You should then use a detailed and specific thing about the field that you are fascinated with/hope to study/have done some research in. Nerd it up.

-- The Vision Thing. What will your career in this work be like? Tell a realistic story, one that fits you. Clinical work is fine, it is what most people do. Don't talk about research as your life's goal if, in fact, it is not.

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[blabbyblab]

I've sat on a residency selection committee and I think the golden rule is actually:
#1) Don't be weird!
I never encountered a PS that really changed my mind about someone (not saying it never happens). I did encounter a few strange ones (I recall one that used the word "ninja" in different contexts, three times I believe). I'd embed a few anecdotes that you like to talk about because some enterprising interview may use your PS to start a conversation.

 

[blabbyblab]

I realize now you are a PD so you probably have a more nuanced view than I- assumed you were a hematology fellow!

 

[gutonc]

I realize now you are a PD so you probably have a more nuanced view than I- assumed you were a hematology fellow!

Why would you assume that?

 

[blabbyblab]

I also thought I was looking at the Hematology sub forum!

 

[blabbyblab]

I'm going to call it day

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

Advising my current PGY2s on writing personal statements, I've tried to distill down to some bullet points.

1. The Personal Statement. The most anxiety producing part of the application. Here are IMPD's patented tips for making an acceptable (and possibly even good) personal statement.

-- A Love Story. You should start with a brief, but heartfelt story of how you started to love the field. This means really. Not when you were 6 and your grandma had a problem. It means when you did the work and thought "I love this".

-- Specific is Terrific. You should then use a detailed and specific thing about the field that you are fascinated with/hope to study/have done some research in. Nerd it up.

-- The Vision Thing. What will your career in this work be like? Tell a realistic story, one that fits you. Clinical work is fine, it is what most people do. Don't talk about research as your life's goal if, in fact, it is not.

Thanks!! I was just about to start my personal statement.

 

[Anri of Astora]

Any comments on length of personal statements? 500 words?

 

[jdh71]

Any comments on length of personal statements? 500 words?

Can you attach a picture of you flexing?

 

[jdh71]

Fill one page people. One. Page. Three to four paragraphs using subject format as presented in the OP.

Who I am. Why I like the specialty and here is a story. What I want to do. Why the specialty is going to be good for all of it.

Do they not teach this stuff in school anymore.

I look at my son's common core math and I'm continually baffled by moving from long division to geometry.

 

[greensleeves]

Hey guys

Ill be applying for fellowship this year (GI). I know a couple people above already stated one page length for the PS should be plenty, but I wanted to see if anyone else felt comfortable going longer to almost 2 pages?

Long time SDN member (over a decade here), so I did do a search. But couldn't find a consensus. And just wanted to see if anyone else had other opinions. Thanks again everyone, especially to IMPD

Greensleeves

 

[IM2GI]

Hey guys

Ill be applying for fellowship this year (GI). I know a couple people above already stated one page length for the PS should be plenty, but I wanted to see if anyone else felt comfortable going longer to almost 2 pages?

Long time SDN member (over a decade here), so I did do a search. But couldn't find a consensus. And just wanted to see if anyone else had other opinions. Thanks again everyone, especially to IMPD

Greensleeves

No.

Nothing you have to say on that additional whole page is more important than the grief and gut reaction the reader is going to have by seeing the length of it.

It is fine for your rough draft to be 2 pages, but then you need to cut it down to a page/have a trusted friend/advisor help you cut and edit it down.

 

[JLC]

Hey guys

Ill be applying for fellowship this year (GI). I know a couple people above already stated one page length for the PS should be plenty, but I wanted to see if anyone else felt comfortable going longer to almost 2 pages?

Long time SDN member (over a decade here), so I did do a search. But couldn't find a consensus. And just wanted to see if anyone else had other opinions. Thanks again everyone, especially to IMPD

Greensleeves

I don't think anyone has ever said that anything significantly longer than a page is appropriate. A cursory search would of found it. Time over time the answer is the same, shorter is better.

 

[rokshana]

Hey guys

Ill be applying for fellowship this year (GI). I know a couple people above already stated one page length for the PS should be plenty, but I wanted to see if anyone else felt comfortable going longer to almost 2 pages?

Long time SDN member (over a decade here), so I did do a search. But couldn't find a consensus. And just wanted to see if anyone else had other opinions. Thanks again everyone, especially to IMPD

Greensleeves

no one is going to read 2 pages...and may too look at it as your inability to edit yourself.

 

[gutonc]

no one is going to read 2 pages any of it...and may too look at it as your inability to edit yourself.

FTFY

 

[greensleeves]

Appreciate the responses everyone!