The 5 Step Guide to Writing an Effortless Personal Statement

It’s about that time of year when you start to think of writing your personal statement for Physician Assistant (PA) school. It can be a bit overwhelming to think about this essay, though!

It is a really important part of the CASPA application and something that I personally think makes you actually stand out amongst your peers. After all, it’s the ONE thing that allows you to share your “voice” with the admissions committees.

Everyone is going to have the grades, the patient care hours, the research, the volunteering, the experiences, but the personal statement? That is the one thing that is YOURS and nobody else’s. I want you to craft a beautiful statement that is moving and articulate and powerful.

But where do you even begin??

Step One: Reflect

Ask yourself why you want to be a Physician Assistant. I have a blog post about 5 Questions To Ask Yourself… I think this is a good place to start. Start thinking. Write down absolutely everything. Read through old journals. Reminisce on old memories and trips and activities and events.

Reflect on your life, your experiences, and why it has all led to this: your desire to become a physician assistant. Get a solid 10 main points, events, characteristics, or ideas on paper.

Personally, when I was reflecting, it was apparent to me that my specific major/degree, research, and volunteer experiences were fundamental to not only why I want to be a PA, but how I’ve felt equipped to be a good PA.

Step Two: Structure

Figure out how you want to structure all of the above into an essay. How many paragraphs, what the flow will be like, and what the general foundation needs. I have a blog post about My Favorite Way To Structure a PS, start there. This structure will help you start an outline of your personal statement. 

Personally, I found outlining my personal statement using Physician Assistant “characteristics” was the best way to go, but everyone will be a little different. Some people like to write events in a timeline order, other people prefer discussing life experience by life experience. Find what works for your essay and stick with it.

Step Three: Categorize

Now that you have your structure, how do you want to categorize each paragraph, and what details, stories, and events will be highlighted in each paragraph?

I love a personal statement that has 5 paragraphs.

The first paragraph is the opening paragraph. Next, the 3 middle paragraphs will reflect different “categories”, experiences, characteristics, or personal events. Within each paragraph can then be additional details or points that highlight who you are and what you are about. The final paragraph is your closing/take home/mic drop paragraph.

Step Four: CONTENT focus

You now have a pretty good outline of what you want to write about. I would start writing! Get a few paragraphs on paper (say it with me: it doesn’t have to be perfect on the first go around!)- just get something down.

Once you have your first rough outline go back and start reading through your essay. Have you covered what you wanted to cover?

Sure you have those 3 MAIN paragraphs, but within those paragraphs, have you nestled additional details, events, examples, and characteristics that further identify why you want to be a PA? Go back to step 1…. Those 10 items that you wrote down, do you have them all covered? Make sure the content is all there, even if the writing is not perfect.

Step Five: WRITING focus

Finally, you will continue to edit, revise, re-write, and adjust your essay until you are satisfied. This step takes many hours and is of course, the most important step.

I think Steps 1-3 are often ignored for people, however, they set you up with content and a good foundation. The actual writing process, editing, sentence structure, and flow happens here, in step 5, and it can take awhile, but is just so dang important.

I highly recommend you have someone help you edit, especially once you’ve gone through a few rough drafts and ensure your content is where you want it to be. Writing and editing is hard work! I mean, people get degrees for it… literally.

I would have someone you trust revise your writing for you. I of course can help (that is what I do here, after all), but you don’t necessarily need to hire someone at this step! Get a friend, colleague, or family member to help you out. If it’s not their thing, then I would certainly seek out someone who can help you.

Editing is where a good personal statement becomes great.

For reference, I had my dear mother go through my essay with a fine toothed comb, many many many times- god bless that woman. We probably spent a collective 24 hours editing my essay…. I must have had twelve different drafts.

Just find someone to read through your essay and make suggestions. We don’t know what we don’t know….. aka, we won’t see mistakes, grammatical errors, or messy writing. Ask for help:)

By taking these steps, you are sure to have a perfect piece of writing that truly reflects who you are, why you want to be a physician assistant, and what you value and admire about healthcare. With good writing techniques and some editing, you will say all of that in an articulate, moving, powerful way that will be above and beyond your peers. Guaranteed.

Per usual, please reach out if you need any assistance!

Cheers!

Marisa