Crafting a Personal Statement That Stands Out in Medical School Applications with Dr. Weiss

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Struggling to make your medical school application stand out with a personal touch? Fear not, for guidance is at hand in our latest Black Med Connect podcast episode, where Dr. Weiss breaks down the art of writing a personal statement that resonates with admissions committees. As a novice in the field, it can be all too easy to fall into the trap of clichés and a laundry list of achievements. But here's the promise: You'll learn how to weave specificity and storytelling into a narrative that doesn't just list your accomplishments, but rather, paints a vivid picture of your unique journey toward medicine.

Join us as Dr. Weiss emphasizes the value of patience, reflection, and the power of feedback in crafting your story. This isn't about rushing to fill a page; it's about selecting the experiences that have truly shaped you, and articulating the qualities that make you an exceptional candidate. The conversation takes a deep dive into the delicate dance between humility and self-promotion, providing actionable insights to ensure your statement not only tells your story but also confidently highlights your potential as a future medical professional. Tune in, and transform your personal statement from a monotonous monologue into a compelling chapter of your life's work.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you struggling to write your personal statement
for medical school?
Do you feel lost in the process?
Well, today we're going to talkall about writing personal
statements and common mistakesthat pre-medical students make
when writing their personalstatement for medical school.
Before we get started talkingabout the mistakes that students
commonly make, first I need youto subscribe here on YouTube to

(00:23):
Black Med Connect.
We really appreciate when yousubscribe to the channel.
Let's jump right into theepisode.
I'm Dr Weiss.

(00:52):
Welcome back to the Black MedConnect podcast, and today we're
going to talk about commonmistakes that students make when
writing their personalstatement for medical school.
We know that this is animportant essay, one of the most
important essays that you'llever write, and there are so
many things that students do,unfortunately, that are mistakes
when they're writing theirpersonal statement.
So let me share the firstcommon mistake with you.
The first mistake is number onebeing too generic, only talking

(01:17):
about the fact that you want tohelp people.
Everybody who wants to be adoctor wants to help people, so
you've got to make sure that youtell us why you want to help
people.
How do you want to help people?
Don't just use that statementvery generically without using
specific details.
So that's my first tip for youMake sure you think about the
details as to why you want tohelp people as you navigate the

(01:40):
journey to becoming a doctor.
The second mistake that peoplecommonly make is only listing
accolades, almost as if they arerehashing their CV or their
resume on their personalstatement.
I want you to be really, reallycautious and not do this.
Pick a few of the experiencesthat you've had whether they be
clinical experiences or researchexperiences something that was

(02:04):
really impactful for you andonly discuss those.
You want to tell a story inyour personal statement, but you
don't want to list the factthat you are president of this
society and you volunteered herefor three or four years.
This isn't the place to do that.
The personal statement is theplace where your reader and
those who are on the admissionsand interview committee can get
to know you better.

(02:25):
So make sure you don't justlist your accolades.
Be sure to tell a story as youwrite your personal statement.
The next mistake that peoplecommonly make when writing their
personal statement is trying towrite it all at one time.
I remember when I was writingmy personal statement, I thought
I was gonna sit down, get itall out in one draft and it

(02:45):
would be that simple.
You'll quickly find out thatwhen you're writing your
personal statement that is notthe case.
You're gonna need some timewhere you just sit and
brainstorm and almost do a braindump of your ideas that you
have, because there have been somany experiences that you may
wanna talk about, but you'llonly have a little bit of time
and a small amount of space totalk about the experiences.

(03:07):
So make sure you don't try tosit down and do this all in one
sitting.
Give yourself actually a fewmonths to write your personal
statement, because that willlead right into the next mistake
people make is they don't getfeedback.
They don't ask a professor or aperson who's really good at
writing, or even their careercenter.
They don't ask a professor or aperson who's really good at
writing, or even their careercenter.
They don't ask otherindividuals to read the personal

(03:29):
statement.
And this is a setup for,unfortunately, for failure,
because by the time you'velooked over it over and over and
you've been mulling over thewords you've written,
unfortunately you may missthings.
Now, of course, use the toolswe have to our advantage now,
such as Grammarly or othersoftware tools to check grammar

(03:50):
thus and so, but you still wantto get another reader to read
the personal statement to see ifyou're really sharing enough
about who you are and if themessage is really coming through
about why you are the bestcandidate to get into medical
school.
So that is another commonmistake.
I see people and students notgetting feedback about their
personal statement.

(04:12):
The last mistake that I've seenpeople make and there are many
others, but the last one we'lltalk about today is being afraid
to actually toot your own horn.
Right, this is the time for youto highlight why you have been
able to be successful along yourjourney and share what
qualities make you a goodapplicant.
It's not all about theaccolades.

(04:32):
It's not even all about justthe story.
What qualities do you have as aperson?
Are you a good communicator?
Are you a compassionate person?
Do you work well under pressure, and how can you demonstrate
that in your writing?
So don't be afraid to toot yourown horn about the personal
qualities that make you a greatapplicant, as well as the

(04:54):
stories that make you a greatapplicant that readers will want
to learn more about you and seethat you're not just another
applicant.
You are an exceptionalapplicant.
I hope you've learned a littlebit about the common mistakes
that students make when writingtheir personal statements.
Remember, don't be too generic.
Everybody says they want tohelp people, so be very specific

(05:15):
about how you want to helppeople and what you see for your
career in the future.
Next, I want you to rememberdon't be too generic and list
your accolades.
Here I want to make sure thatyou're not making a list.
Instead, you're also thinkingabout taking a deep dive into
one or two experiences andreally giving details about how
those experiences helped youbecome more interested in

(05:38):
medicine and why you want topursue the career.
So don't just list theaccolades and extracurriculars
that you have in this moment.
Be sure to really, really diginto some of the experiences
that you've had.
Remember, don't forget to tootyour own horn a little bit here.
Be proud of what you've doneand make sure you really write
about it and showcase thosepersonal qualities that make you

(06:00):
the best applicant for medicalschool.
And lastly, don't forget it'sgoing to take you some time, so
be sure to spend a couple ofmonths planning different
sessions where you can writemultiple drafts.
I remember by the end I was ondraft 12, so don't be surprised
if it takes you some time.
Make sure you write the draftand get it the way you want to

(06:20):
Be sure, though, to get feedbackalong the way so you're not
just writing without gettingsomeone to look it over.
Make sure they're helping youwith revisions and, most
importantly, making sure youconvey the message that makes
you a standout applicant tomedical school.
We definitely want you to besuccessful here at BMED in
writing your personal statement,and we don't want you to make

(06:42):
these mistakes.
So if you made it this far inthe episode, then I have a
special bonus for you.
If you're trying to write yourpersonal statement, I know it's
hard to get started, so we havea free cheat sheet that will
give you 20 brainstormingprompts to help you get started
with writing your personalstatement.
It'll include questions likewho around you has influenced

(07:05):
you to become a physician, orwhat experience has helped you
think about becoming a physician.
These are just a few, and thereare some really creative ones
on our cheat sheet as well, socomment the word statement on
this post and we'll be sure tosend you the cheat sheet.
Thank you for watching thisweek's episode.
Don't forget to like thisepisode.
Comment below about how you'reworking on your personal

(07:28):
statement and be sure tosubscribe to Black Med Connect.
Until next time, alwaysremember to dream without limits
.