This is the last scene from True Romance where Alabama thinks "...my thoughts were so clear and true, that three words went through my mind endlessly, repeating themselves like a broken record: you're so cool, you're so cool, you're so cool."
"You're so cool" - here are some tips to help get this message across to admissions in your personal statement.
The personal statement is probably one of the most important components of your application. Its something you can affect. By the time you apply, you can't really change your GPA or your GRE score but you can differentiate yourself through the personal statement.
Do's...
1) Start early.
You want to be able to go through several versions & angles of the same story. Also its a good way to get the anxiety of the application process off your chest. Just do it! I was taking prerequisites for the last 4 months and a classmate who was studying to be PA told me to get started on my personal statement. I started in December and I submitted it in March. I was glad to have all that time to try out different angles and revise.
2) Make sure you are answering the right question.
When you are writing your personal statement, you are not really answering the question, why do I want to be a physical therapist? You are really answering the question, why should I choose you for my program? You are telling the admissions board, why are you so cool? So if it was a person that inspired you or recovery from an injury that inspired you, there has to be some component of the story that explains why this person or event will make you a great PT student. If you read your story and it just tells the story but does not answer the question - why am I so cool, you have to tweak the story. You have to put the words in the admission board's mouth - [Your name] is the perfect candidate for our program because [admission person pulls excerpts from your essay].
3) Have a few people read it.
Have a few people that are strong writers read it.
Have someone that knows your journey read it.
You get so caught up in your story sometimes you don't notice that you used technical PT language and the faculty member reading your essay is not a PT but the the research methods professor. Or your story doesn't make sense because its missing some background information or even worse...the essay is boring.
You are studying to be PT not a novelist so its OK to get someone to give you tips on how to making it interesting or help you edit. I hate writing so I had my best friend and boyfriend help with my essay. They are incredible writers. They helped me through the career switch so they knew what I'm trying to say or it was easy to work out what I was trying to convey. Their help made the process less stressful because I had them to bounce ideas off of.
Don'ts...
1) Don't forget about the little stuff - grammar & spelling. Seriously. Are you really going to write a killer story and screw up the grammar and spelling. Get someone with strong writing skills to review your essay.
2) Don't forget to make sure your story is relevant to the field of PT. Its weird when people write sad stories that have no relevance to PT. Its just a story of how they got through a hard time and they found PT. It keeps the reader wondering why you picked PT. I read a sample online about how Katrina changed this person's life but the author didn't make the connection WHY they chose PT. You can talk about overcoming challenges but it should not take away from "why PT."
3) Don't avoid the question. For the career changers, you probably have to explain why you switched your career if not in your essay, definitely in your interview. I wouldn't keep admissions guessing. I would try to incorporate into your essay. You want admission to feel like you chose PT. You do not want them to get the impression that you are running away from your previous career.
Also, PT schools are looking to diversify their incoming class. 50% of my class come straight from undergrad. I think writing my career switch differentiated mw from the majority of the students that were applying to PT school.
I hope this helps. Here is also a link that provides a structured approach to the personal essay.
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