- Today, I'm going to talk about how to write a crucial component of your residency application,
the personal statement. Congratulations on weathering
four years of medical school. At this point in your journey, you've distinguished yourself enough to get into medical school and rigorous college programs before that. Now you have to set yourself apart again, and it looks like the bar is even higher. It's no surprise that many
medical students are stressed out by the thought of writing the
residency personal statement. Writing is hard, even for
those who do it for a living, but it doesn't have to
be an isolating process. We're here to help. (soft whirring and clicking) I'm Dr. Eve Bishop,
Residency Admissions Expert from Shemmassian Academic Consulting. In this video, we'll break
down what a personal statement for residency applications requires, guide you on how to bridge
your professional goals and nonprofessional experiences, and walk you through the process for writing an amazing
residency personal statement. Let's get started. Residency programs read
thousands of applications, combing through similar
USMLE scores and MSPEs. The personal statement could
be the determining factor between you and another
accomplished applicant. You have already shown
that you are diligent and willing to put in the work
to reach your career goals with the clinical and research experiences detailed in your CV and
the quantitative components of your residency application. Still, most applications
will convey a similar story of achievement, dedication to research, free clinics and other
impressive extracurriculars. After all, getting through
medical school is no small feat. How, then, can you further
stand out from the crowd? What can you say to make the
reader eager to meet you? The personal statement is your opportunity to share a story that only you can tell. Here, you can highlight
qualities and experiences that aren't as well
represented in your CV. It's also a good place to
contextualize experiences in your CV that might
otherwise seem extraneous. Perhaps you're a standup
comedian or a skilled bartender. Maybe you've been a
counselor at a youth camp every summer since high school, or you love playing chess
with your grandparents. Say you're an avid birder who wants to specialize in cardiology. How can you tell a story that merges these separate
parts of your life? What kind of narrative will
secure you that interview? I'm going to explain how you can start making these connections in your essay. But first, let's take a look
at the essential components of the residency personal essay. The residency personal statement is a page-long essay
around 500 to 850 words, so you'll need to make every word count. We don't want to give the reader a reason to put your essay aside
before they get to the end. So concise and clear writing is key. Remember, a poor essay can diminish an otherwise strong application. So what exactly are you
supposed to communicate? Unlike the medical school
personal statement, this essay goes beyond stating why you are drawn to medicine. A strong essay will answer
these fundamental questions. Number 1, why this specialty? Number 2, what qualities make you a great candidate for this program? Number 3, what story can
you, and only you, tell? Number 4, what kind of
specialist do you hope to become? Number 5, with your unique
background and experiences, how would you contribute
to the residency program and the field in general? Programs want to know who you
are and what kind of physician they are inviting to join their teams. A great essay frames a story that showcases your in-depth
knowledge of the specialty. It should also include
details about your experiences that reinforce the qualities most valued in your chosen field. For example, traits desired
in a pediatric neurologist include interpersonal skills,
a passion for advocacy, ingenuity and attention to detail. If this is your chosen specialty, ask yourself what
experiences have you had, clinical or otherwise,
that embody these traits? Some connections might
seem easier to make. For instance, a former
professional baseball player interested in orthopedic surgery
might begin with the story of his career-ending injury
and the long recovery. He could describe how a moment of despair turned into triumph when he
decided to pursue medicine. Then he could highlight the
knowledge of the specialty by focusing on the parts of the anecdote that spotlight his
leadership and teamwork, communication skills and
excellent hand-eye coordination. Let's look at another example like this. A classical musician who wants
to specialize in pediatrics could frame her essay
around a connection she made while offering piano lessons
at an afterschool program. In her narrative, it would be important to foreground details that
showcase her creativity, strong interpersonal skills, experience with children and
effective decision making. Of course, your experiences
need not be extraordinary to hook the reader and
land that interview. You might not think about this often, but you've lived a rich
and compelling life. The fact that you've made it this far is proof that you're exceptional. What's important now is
that you tell a story that is specific to you, in your voice. Don't shy away from the
everyday human interactions that make you a kind neighbor
or a supportive sibling. These experiences make you accessible, not only to a selection committee, but also to your patients. Perhaps you cared for an ailing relative while studying for Step 1. Perhaps you nurtured crops
in your community garden every week for most of your life. Depending on how you craft
the story, either of these can call attention to your eye for detail, your ability to multitask and your ability to
solve complex problems. These are all valuable
characteristics in a physician. Just remember to tie them
to your specific specialty. Here is another way to think about linking clinical and
nonclinical experiences. Consider, for example, what key attributes anesthesiologists and
a photographer share. What do a composer and a
radiologist have in common? Now that we've covered the main
requirements of your essay, let's walk through the
writing process together and get you closer to
that residency interview. We can break down the writing
process into three steps. Pre-writing, drafting and revision. Pre-writing is a brainstorming stage. Grab a notebook and jot down
ideas that come to mind. To begin, try answering
some of these questions. What was your greatest challenge in life, and how did you overcome it? What particular experience or encounter brought you to the specialty in question? What role models and mentors
inspired this direction? When was the last time you stepped outside of your comfort zone, and how was that experience rewarding? According to the people who know you best, what are your greatest qualities? When have you demonstrated
these qualities? Was there an experience,
clinical or otherwise, that had a significant
impact on your growth? What was it, and why was it meaningful? Where do you see yourself
20 years from now? As you come up with answers, pay attention to any new
questions that may arise. You are likely to generate
a lot more content than you need for your essay. While it can be overwhelming
to answer all these questions, the more ideas you have, the easier it is to narrow down to the most meaningful. Who knows, you could even
dig up a significant memory that would've otherwise remained buried. And don't forget, you
can always refer back to these ideas when
you're adapting your essay to fit the priorities of other programs. Let's look at a few experiences that could make potential
anecdotes in the essay. Presenting research at conferences. Joining your grandmother's knitting club at an assisted living facility. Training rescues for the
neighborhood dog Olympics. The first would probably be
covered extensively in your CV, and while you can mention it in the essay, it does not have to be
the narrative frame. You should avoid summarizing
your CV whenever you can. If you need to address the CV, tie it in a compelling anecdote to keep the experience fresh
and the writing engaging. Now that you've done some brainstorming, we can tackle the essay draft. Remember, you're telling
a story, and a good story is memorable, with rich details,
characters and conflict. After you've narrowed down
your narrative options to three or four key experiences,
you can make an outline. First, lead with detail.
Details are essential. "I want to help children" is generic. "When the five-year-old
patient burst into tears, "my instincts as the primary
caregiver of five siblings "propelled me into action"
paints a more vivid picture. At the end of your first paragraph, you would ideally link your unique story to your interest in a specialty. It's okay if this connection
happens at the end of the second paragraph,
as long as the opening is strong and rich with
significant details. Next, connect the personal
to the professional. In the body paragraphs,
you'll tie qualities from your chosen personal anecdotes to your knowledge of the specialty. By the end of this section,
we should clearly see that you have changed and grown over time. Finally, communicate your career goals. What kind of specialist do you hope to be? As you walk through these steps, pay attention to your transitions. Does one sentence flow to the next? Do paragraphs feel
connected to one another? If not, what's obstructing the flow? Once you have a first draft,
consider a reverse outline. What's a reverse outline?
It's just what it sounds like. You're outlining backward.
Get out that notebook again. This time, as you read through your draft, summarize what you're
conveying in each paragraph. Do this as extensively as you need to. The goal is to catch blind
spots and hone your writing. Then, ask yourself these questions as they apply to your content. Can you reference a specific anecdote? A day, a summer, an interaction? Can you include significant details that convey the specificity
of what you experienced? If you place two seemingly
unlike experiences together, does one eliminate the other? For example, how does the
anecdote about the knitting club give way to a surgery rotation? It doesn't sound like you. If someone had the same career path, jobs, schools, extracurriculars,
would they be able to produce the same
story in the same words? Is your story propelled
by narrative conflict? Does it demonstrate growth and insight? Is the writing engaging? Now, share your essay draft
with readers you trust. This might include
professors, peers and advisors at your institution's career services. Taking their feedback, take a break, and then return to the draft
with the feedback in hand. Let me summarize the major points we've covered in this video. First, know your specialty
and your audience as best as you can. Remember that each program is unique. Feel free to adapt your
story to each program and try not to send
everyone the same essay. Don't forget your strongest qualities. Highlight your strengths
and unique accomplishments, then connect a few to your
narrative as a physician. Refrain from repeating your CV verbatim. Details are essential, but don't try to use
language that's not your own. Be mindful of your tone. You are aiming for
approachable and authentic, not pretentious. Avoid lofty language. The key here is to sound like you because programs want to know you. Read aloud to a trusted group of friends and get their feedback. Be realistic, humble and
accessible. And finally, revise. Give yourself enough
time to hone your essay with clear, effective writing. And that's it. If you found this video helpful, give it a thumbs up
(bell rings) and feel free to leave a comment. Also, don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on future videos. And if you'd like to learn more about how to maximize your chances of matching into your top choice program, check out the description box below for some helpful resources. Thanks again for watching.
See you next time.
