Writing a personal statement can be a celebratory event or it can be daunting. Depending on how you approach the situation, you can either embrace it or fear it. There is no getting away from writing your internal medicine residency personal statement. You are merely going to have to weather the storm in this one. No matter how you approach it, it still needs to get done. With that being said, there are some tips you can follow to help make the process a little easier.
By this time, you should have written a few personal statements already. You are now at a point in your life where you understand what should be included in one and what to learn out. With this specific one, you will find that not much is different. We have to approach each personal statement as if it was our first one. This is the only way we don’t lose the drive and motivation to write it accurately. The following tips have been proven to work on achieving a successful personal statement.
1. Adversity
We all have a story to tell and that story is important to your personal statement. What was the driving force behind overcoming certain obstacles in your life? Talk about what you had to overcome to get to this point in your life. Your story is important because it shaped you into someone who is driven and goal orientated.
2. Goals
Talk a little about some goals you have for your career. What does the future how for you and ideally, where do you find yourself? With this, you can add the steps you have outlined to get you closer to these goals. You can tie in why this program in in line with what you are trying to achieve. An internal medicine LOR is all about expressing who you are and where you would like to go.
3. This specific program
When you talk about why you want to do this residency program, make it specific to the one you are applying for. You cannot talk in general here. Specifically this program was the one you chose and you need to know enough about it to have made this decision. It shows that this means something to you and you will give it all you have to succeed.
4. Quality
The writing quality of your personal statement eras is of high importance. Yes, you have to be a storyteller, but do not neglect your grammar in this essay. You want to come across as professional at all times. Being at this stage in your career sets you apart from a lot of people and you want to show why this is the case.
5. Outsider’s perspective
Ask someone else to proofread your personal statement. You are too emotionally attached to your story and this can make it difficult to see any mistakes. It is perfectly acceptable to do an initial proofreading yourself, but ask someone else to look at it before submitting. You want everything to be done to the highest quality as far as possible.
6. Proof
Do not claim anything in your personal statement that you cannot proof. Also do not include anything that is false. It can be checked and you do not want your credibility to be questioned. This is especially important in the medical industry. It is better to not have this attached to you in the first place because trying to correct it later can be a lot of hard work.
How do you approach your internal medicine residency personal statement?
One way to approach this is to go in with integrity. You can write a personal statement that is less than desirable and still get points for being honest. Medical professionals understand the importance of being truthful in everything that they do. This is a good opportunity to prove that you belong in this industry.
