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Crafting your PA School Personal Statement

Crafting Your PA School Personal Statement – A Comprehensive Guide

A personal statement allows you to share the integral details of your pre-PA journey with admission committees. It’s a chance to showcase attributes that are not already included within your CASPA application. It should be genuine, memorable, and honest.

It should demonstrate your strengths and convince the reader that you have what it takes to become an outstanding Physician Assistant. A rock-solid personal statement can be the one thing that sets you apart from other applicants with similar stats.

It’s your opportunity to catch the attention of admission committees and make them want to meet you in person. A well-crafted personal statement can be your ticket to an interview.

BRAINSTORMING

Write down anything and everything that comes to mind. Think bullet points, not novels. And remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are personal statements.

  • Think back to the moment you decided you wanted to become a physician assistant. Where were you? What were you doing? Did the decision come easy? Or did it require a lot of time and reflection?
  • When was your first encounter with a physician assistant? How did you first hear about the profession?
  • What experiences have you had along the way that have solidified your career choice? Was it a patient encounter, an experience with a family member, or a day you spent shadowing a PA? Think about experiences that spark emotion.
  • Why did you choose to pursue a career in healthcare?
  • Why did you choose to become a PA over all other healthcare careers? What aspects of the profession are most appealing?
  • What personal attributes do you possess that make you a qualified applicant? What experiences have you had that prove that you exemplify those traits?
  • What qualities do you possess that will make you a successful PA student and successful practitioner? What experiences have you had that prove that you exemplify those traits?
  • Why you vs. the thousands of other applicants? What makes you unique?
  • What obstacles have you overcome?
  • What are your goals? Describe the type of practitioner that you aspire to be.
  • What morals and values do you uphold?

WRITING A FIRST DRAFT

Try free writing first before you start to worry about formatting or flow. Getting your ideas down on paper is the first step. There’s no need to write your entire first draft in one sitting. If you’re experiencing a writer’s block, take a break and come back to it.

     Logistics

  • 5000 characters
  • Tabs, italics, and bold will not convert when uploaded to CASPA
  • Hit return twice between paragraphs

     FORMATTING

  • Introduction with a hook or catchy story
  • Multiple body paragraphs – each with a separate story or theme
  • Strong conclusion that ties in information from intro/body paragraphs

     CONTENT

  • Don’t rewrite your resume – demonstrate your attributes with stories
  • Demonstrate your knowledge of the profession – specific to PA school, not healthcare in general
  • Be authentic – let your personality shine through
  • Consider including an overarching theme to tie everything together
  • If you chose to address applicant red flags, don’t make excuses – demonstrate growth and improvement

     PROOFREADING

  • Use thesaurus.com if you find that you’re repeating a word or phrase frequently
  • Read it out loud in order to assess flow and pick up on grammar/spelling mistakes
  • Have 2-3 trusted peers/mentors look it over – input from too many sources decreases authenticity

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Want more personal statement tips? Check out “How To Make Your PA School Personal Statement Shine”

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