How To Write A Personal Statement Program Directors Want To Read

This episode is based on a webinar which was held to help intentional, hard-working, self-starting IMGs to write personal statements that yield results.

Keep listening to find out how to use your personal statement to make your ERAS application stand out!

Here are a few of the most important tips worth using when drafting your personal statement:

Identify and understand your audience.
Look out for personal statement red flags.
Master the art of proper structure and storytelling.
Learn how to evoke emotion from the reader.
Be confident and clear in your writing

What is the importance of understanding your audience?

It’s all about tailoring your personal statement to suit your specific audience to achieve your desired outcome.
In order of importance, you should consider the program director, faculty, program coordinator and residents as your audience.
According to an NRMP program directors survey, 78% of program directors rank personal statements as 3.5/5 in importance when it comes to what influences their choice of candidates to invite for an interview.
The personal statement provides a 360 degree view of the applicant.
Personal statement important points vary from specialty to specialty.

Therefore, as an IMG, you should consider:

Do your words attract or repel?
Are you properly highlighting your personal attributes, character traits, specialty specific strengths adequately?
Are you stressing what particular value your accrued skills and experience would add to the program?
How do your career and personal goals coincide with those of the program?

What role does story-telling play in writing an excellent personal statement?

Storytelling grabs the attention of the reader by evoking an emotional response.
Increases neural activity of the reader by a factor of five!
Can potentially trigger a release of oxytocin to encourage bonding between reader and storyteller.

As such, a good story must be:

Relatable to the intended audience.
Novel in terms of subject matter.
Fluently and coherently written.
Rich in the right kind of tension to keep the readers interested.

It must also encompass:

A strong character.
A compelling obstacle.
A resolution of how the character overcame that obstacle.

Red flags to avoid:

Poor grammar, errors in syntax, and typos.
Plagiarism.
Taboo subjects such as politics, extreme opinions.
Vague stories.
Listing out your CV
Improperly addressing potential areas of concern such as gap years and transferring schools.

Finally, the three step process to write an outstanding personal statement is as follows: