1. JUST GETTING STARTED: Personal Statement for the Health Professions Kim Sauerwein Dartmouth College Career Services

2. The Personal Statement: The purpose of this workshop Brainstorm ideas Put “pencil to paper” Making progress toward your goal Meeting in Spring will go more into specifics (audience, content, tone, etc.)

3. Autobiog v. Personal Statement Autobiographical Sketch  Goes to your composite writer through LEO  1-2 pages – formatting okay  Can be more casual  Helps your writer(s) get to know your character, personality, motivation for going to medical school Personal Statement  Part of AMCAS Application  5300 characters – no formatting  More professional  Helps readers get to know your character, personality, motivation for going to medical school

4. Exercise: Essay Brainstorm  Paper/Pen or Laptop  Focus  2 minutes for each question  Only you will see this  List or prose (or artistic doodles…)  Keep writing or typing for the full 2 minutes  Title the page “Personal Statement for Medical/Dental/Vet School”

5. Essay Brainstorm  Why do you want to be a doctor?

6. Essay Brainstorm  What is important to you? What are your highest priorities in life?  What motivates you? Why?  What have been the pivotal moments in your life? How were you affected?

7. Essay Brainstorm  When have you overcome adversity? When have you failed or experienced conflict?  Who are the most influential people in your life? Who are the most influential people in your decision to go into healthcare?

8. Essay Brainstorm  What three personal characteristics would you want to convey to medical schools? Give specific examples.  Aside from healthcare, what are you passionate about? How might you relate this to your future career?  What healthcare-related experiences have influenced your decision to apply to medical school? How?

9. Essay Brainstorm: Last Question  Why do you want to be a doctor?

10. So what do I write about?  Priorities  Motivation  Characteristics  Healthcare Experience  Adversity  Influential People  Pivotal Moments  Which question(s) were easiest to answer?  Which were most difficult?  Which struck a nerve?  Which ones did you just want to keep writing?  Which answers surprised you?

11. Next Steps  Put your answers away for a while  Use them for Autobiographical Sketch  Write a draft based on the information that seems most personally relevant (add and subtract info)  Ask a trusted friend to read it – Is it a genuine representation of you?

12. More Personal Statement Info coming in Spring… Book is available in Career Services Write for Success: Preparing a Successful Professional School Application (3 rd edition) by Evelyn Jackson & Harold Bardo (National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, Inc. 2005).