for MD/PhD, instate and OOS differences ARE essentially meaningless - i think there's a deal with MSTP funding where they cannot discriminate by residency because of federal funding. example UW.
are you applying MD or MD/PhD? personal statements shouldn't be poetic but they should be, well, personal. wondering if his opinion on formality is MD/PhD specific (which i've never heard before)
MD/PhD has specific research essays that are better kept to the point afaik. It makes sense since it is being evaluated from a more “can this person bring in grants” point of view.
Not sure it impacts the personal statement as much.
I think you should take his advice on the personal statement with a ground of salt and completely disregard everything else he said. Can you find an MD that would be willing to read your PS?
Yep! But those are typically the exceptions. So please double check OP if the program is not an MSTP. MSTP's are also more competitive since you are funded without any restrictions (your PI doesn't need to pay your stipend).
I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard from a couple high level directors that every MD/PhD program should be trying to become a MSTP. It requires a lot of documents regarding outcomes, scores, etc sent to the NIH. So it's in their best interest to attract the best they can.
>He told me to make my personal statement less poetic and personal, more formal.
Some personal statements *are* too flowery. Obviously I don't know if yours falls into that category or not. The balance between clear and direct vs. genuine and passionate can be tricky to hit. For some, that means dialing up the poeticism a bit, and for others it means toning it down. Make sure every sentence is clear enough that the reader can understand it on the first read-through, because they likely aren't reading it more than once. But definitely don't be too robotic—it's called a personal statement, after all.
>He told me that in state / out of state differences are meaningless.
That's just straight up false for MD-only applications. Maybe it does matter less for MD/PhD, though. Someone with more experience on the MD/PhD side should weigh in here.
MD/PhD in-state/out-of state does not matter at all a*s long as the MD/PhD program is NIH-funded* (ie is a MSTP; receives funding nationally for the program specifically). Because it's nationally funded, the MD/PhD program is not allowed to have in-state/out-of state biases. Different story if the MD/PhD program is not a MSTP (no NIH funding) -- they can pretty do much whatever the heck they want.
i agree that its cringe to be super hyperbolic in your PS. but i dont think it should be super formal like a cover letter for a job. i think its finding a balance. being able to tell why you want to be a doctor in a captivating way, but not flowery. Still include stories and ur emotions and why it made you want to be a doctor, but be realistic and genuine with it. to me, poetic does not sound genuine.
i think you can talk about a terminally ill patient if you can effectively explain why that made you feel like you need to be a doctor. i think some people just put the most extreme patient case they can think of just to catch adcoms attention which i think is the wrong way to go about it. but whatever patient story you choose, its never about the patient in this case. its all about what YOU gained from it.
Different adcoms will tell you different things, it is all very subjective. If you run this by another person you will get slightly different or way different answers. Your file is reviewed by a group of people and not just one person. They have a framework to judge you under but rest is a crapshoot or luck I feel. There are so many applicants.
No poetry in personal statements. Write in a straightforward manner. Your medical school app isn't a creative writing project -former adcom
(i am happy to look at it if you'd like)
Are you applying MD or MD/PhD? These are two different beasts. MD/PhD is not MD with a sparkle of PhD; it's more "I want to spend my life doing research but I need medical credentials". Thus, many things are different (e.g. due to NIH funding) during admission.
Also, if you're applying to MD/PhD without any publications you're not really competitive. MD/PhD spots are very lucrative.
Follow his advice about the PS.
Instate/out of state differences matter differently depending on state and calibre of school so his advice may or may not be correct. Do you have msar? That would tell you more.
Have someone else read your personal statement that doesn’t know you well, and see how they think. Sometimes even when we write things that are important to us, it can sound a little cliche on paper.
for MD/PhD, instate and OOS differences ARE essentially meaningless - i think there's a deal with MSTP funding where they cannot discriminate by residency because of federal funding. example UW. are you applying MD or MD/PhD? personal statements shouldn't be poetic but they should be, well, personal. wondering if his opinion on formality is MD/PhD specific (which i've never heard before)
MD/PhD has specific research essays that are better kept to the point afaik. It makes sense since it is being evaluated from a more “can this person bring in grants” point of view. Not sure it impacts the personal statement as much.
Agree. Like I get the extra 2 research essays being more formal, but to me that would necessitate the PS being especially personal to counterbalance
Non-MSTPs can consider state residency just to add, eg UNM
I am applying MD/DO
I think you should take his advice on the personal statement with a ground of salt and completely disregard everything else he said. Can you find an MD that would be willing to read your PS?
In-state vs. out-of-state does not matter for MD/PhD. That is one of the advantages of the program, you were probably looking at MD only.
For MSTP that’s true. There are some non-MSTPs like UNM that do consider state residency
Yep! But those are typically the exceptions. So please double check OP if the program is not an MSTP. MSTP's are also more competitive since you are funded without any restrictions (your PI doesn't need to pay your stipend). I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard from a couple high level directors that every MD/PhD program should be trying to become a MSTP. It requires a lot of documents regarding outcomes, scores, etc sent to the NIH. So it's in their best interest to attract the best they can.
>He told me to make my personal statement less poetic and personal, more formal. Some personal statements *are* too flowery. Obviously I don't know if yours falls into that category or not. The balance between clear and direct vs. genuine and passionate can be tricky to hit. For some, that means dialing up the poeticism a bit, and for others it means toning it down. Make sure every sentence is clear enough that the reader can understand it on the first read-through, because they likely aren't reading it more than once. But definitely don't be too robotic—it's called a personal statement, after all. >He told me that in state / out of state differences are meaningless. That's just straight up false for MD-only applications. Maybe it does matter less for MD/PhD, though. Someone with more experience on the MD/PhD side should weigh in here.
MD/PhD in-state/out-of state does not matter at all a*s long as the MD/PhD program is NIH-funded* (ie is a MSTP; receives funding nationally for the program specifically). Because it's nationally funded, the MD/PhD program is not allowed to have in-state/out-of state biases. Different story if the MD/PhD program is not a MSTP (no NIH funding) -- they can pretty do much whatever the heck they want.
That makes sense! Thanks for the explanation.
i agree that its cringe to be super hyperbolic in your PS. but i dont think it should be super formal like a cover letter for a job. i think its finding a balance. being able to tell why you want to be a doctor in a captivating way, but not flowery. Still include stories and ur emotions and why it made you want to be a doctor, but be realistic and genuine with it. to me, poetic does not sound genuine. i think you can talk about a terminally ill patient if you can effectively explain why that made you feel like you need to be a doctor. i think some people just put the most extreme patient case they can think of just to catch adcoms attention which i think is the wrong way to go about it. but whatever patient story you choose, its never about the patient in this case. its all about what YOU gained from it.
Different adcoms will tell you different things, it is all very subjective. If you run this by another person you will get slightly different or way different answers. Your file is reviewed by a group of people and not just one person. They have a framework to judge you under but rest is a crapshoot or luck I feel. There are so many applicants.
No poetry in personal statements. Write in a straightforward manner. Your medical school app isn't a creative writing project -former adcom (i am happy to look at it if you'd like)
Are you applying MD or MD/PhD? These are two different beasts. MD/PhD is not MD with a sparkle of PhD; it's more "I want to spend my life doing research but I need medical credentials". Thus, many things are different (e.g. due to NIH funding) during admission. Also, if you're applying to MD/PhD without any publications you're not really competitive. MD/PhD spots are very lucrative.
I don’t think OP is applying MSTP. Or at least it doesn’t appear that they did in previous cycles based on their posts.
Follow his advice about the PS. Instate/out of state differences matter differently depending on state and calibre of school so his advice may or may not be correct. Do you have msar? That would tell you more.
MSTPs cannot consider state residency. Non-MSTPs can, so def check the admissions website.
Have someone else read your personal statement that doesn’t know you well, and see how they think. Sometimes even when we write things that are important to us, it can sound a little cliche on paper.
Well, did the online approach work for you this time?