For many, writing the personal statement required for residency applications is the most difficult part of preparing the application packet. The personal or autobiographical statement is a written or narrative version of your c.v. along with information on why you have chosen a particular specialty and what you plan to accomplish in that specialty. Applicants often spend long hours constructing their personal statements. What is most important is that you write an honest, but not shy, account of your accomplishments, abilities, and the events that led you to your specialty. Often program directors use personal statements to weed out individuals who do not communicate well; who sound pretentious; or do not have a clear understanding of the specialty.

While the cv is an outline of your accomplishments, the personal statement is your chance to elaborate on your accomplishments. It is okay to repeat information found in your c.v. because your personal statement will also include details of the activity, award, or experience. You can describe personal experiences as long as they are relevant to your application. Think of the personal statement as background information for your interview. It is likely that interviewers will ask questions about items that piqued their curiosity. Thinking about your statement as background information for your interview also helps you keep your accomplishments in perspective, since you must be prepared to talk about what you have written.

Writing your personal statement is an exercise in examining your personal traits and professional goals. Describe why you have chosen the specialty. Was there a particular event that guided your interest? Look closely at your motives and describe them in an honest and open style. It is also important to describe what you hope to achieve during a career in the specialty. Obviously you must be general when describing your career goals, but a solid understanding of what you hope to accomplish tells the reader that you are mature and have a good understanding of your abilities.

It is very important that the personal statement be well written. The quality of your writing may be as important as what you say. A statement with poor grammar or spelling is likely to get you eliminated as a program candidate. Remember to write in complete sentences, avoid jargon, check spelling, have a clear focus, and use standard rather than formal language. Limit your statement to one page, produce it on a high quality laser printer, and have several people review your statement for style, spelling and grammar. Do not reduce your font size below 11 point. One page of text at 10 point, single spaced with 1/2 inch margins is impossible to read, especially when a program committee has hundreds of applications to review.

Do's and Don'ts!

• Don't Ramble.
• Don't try to be cutesy, flashy or different.
• Be 'upbeat', positive and identify your strengths, both personally and professionally.
• Make sure there are no typos and your grammar is precise.
• Have several people read it, including your primary letter writer. Ask them to help in refining your personal statement.

You have writer's block? Force out that first paragraph and the rest will start to flow, then throw away your first paragraph and write a new one to reflect what follows. It works!

• Sample Personal Statement 1
• Sample Personal Statement 2

Consider the following resources for a deeper understanding of personal statements:

• PowerPoint and accompanying personal statement presentation prepared by Karen Borst-Rothe, Ph.D., and presented on July 31, 2002.
• Dr. Andrew Murr's PowerPoint presented on July 25, 2007.