E0001234
Full Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2023
- Messages
- 14
- Reaction score
- 6
I’m currently working through a draft of my personal statement after a long while of brainstorming. I’m almost done with it, but am realizing that it doesn’t really represent me well. My PS, as it exists right now, is about my past exposure to dementia via a combination of work as an activity aide in a long-term care facility and some extensive clinical research on dementia (quality-of-care stuff). I like that it has a clear and consistent narrative, but the issue is that this isn’t my main motivation for a career in medicine.
For the near-entirety of my time in college, I struggled pretty badly with anorexia. I’ll spare the boring details but it progressed to the point that I was hospitalized for a short time and was forced to step away from my sport (I was on an NCAA team at my university). During my inpatient stay, I really appreciated how my care team tried to make me feel as in-control as possible and emphasized that I was responsible for my own recovery. Wanting to replicate a care experience like my own for other young adults who struggle with eating disorders is absolutely my strongest motivation for medicine. My past with anorexia completely changed the way I see the world, and I can totally see myself working as a psychiatrist and using my lived experience to motivate others towards recovery.
I think I could write a more passionate PS about this, and think my narrative would be a little more unique as well since anorexia isn’t very prevalent among men (I’m a guy) and I’d be able to discuss my participation in college athletics.
Would it be a terrible idea to do this? Would my mental health history scare adcoms away? I like to think that I’m completely recovered, but I’m not sure how to prove that to anyone. Would it be a better idea to go with the safer, but less personal, personal statement?
For the near-entirety of my time in college, I struggled pretty badly with anorexia. I’ll spare the boring details but it progressed to the point that I was hospitalized for a short time and was forced to step away from my sport (I was on an NCAA team at my university). During my inpatient stay, I really appreciated how my care team tried to make me feel as in-control as possible and emphasized that I was responsible for my own recovery. Wanting to replicate a care experience like my own for other young adults who struggle with eating disorders is absolutely my strongest motivation for medicine. My past with anorexia completely changed the way I see the world, and I can totally see myself working as a psychiatrist and using my lived experience to motivate others towards recovery.
I think I could write a more passionate PS about this, and think my narrative would be a little more unique as well since anorexia isn’t very prevalent among men (I’m a guy) and I’d be able to discuss my participation in college athletics.
Would it be a terrible idea to do this? Would my mental health history scare adcoms away? I like to think that I’m completely recovered, but I’m not sure how to prove that to anyone. Would it be a better idea to go with the safer, but less personal, personal statement?