Did you know?

The Medical Residency Personal Statement is among the top 10 factors Program Directors use to pick residency candidates for interviews according to NRMP’s 2016 Program Director Survey (Source)

The 2017-18 Residency Application Season may seem far away now, but it is never too early to begin thinking about and drafting the Personal Statements you will need during the Residency Application Season.

Some suggested strategies for early Personal Statement preparation are:

Analyze

How many individual Personal Statements you will need. You will need a minimum of one Personal Statement per specialty you are interested in but you can also write Personal Statements for Preliminary programs or individual programs. Specialty specific Personal Statements are mandatory for the strongest ERAS Application.

Research

The best ways to write a Personal Statement and any common or uncommon mistakes and Personal Statement pitfalls

Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm!

Think about the following topics to get a head start on drafting your Personal Statement:

• Individual key characteristics you would like programs to know about you. Ex. hardworking, loyal, team player
• For each characteristic, brainstorm stories and experiences both medical and personal that PROVE you are what you claim to be. Ex. If you want to show you are hardworking, when is a time you went above and beyond?
• How you would be a great fit for any specialty
• What you would bring to the table for any program
• More brainstorming tips at: http://blog.residencystatement.com/brainstorming-residency-personal-statement/

Even if ERAS does not open for document submission until late June, the more preparation you complete early, the less stressful your Match Season and the stronger your overall application will be.

For Personal Statement services, see: https://www.residencystatement.com/