The University of Toledo

Personal Statement

General Resources

Please check out the following resources for writing personal statements for residency applications.

(1) Writing Your Personal Statement, American Medical Association

"...There are some basic questions that you need to address in your personal statement. These are usually divided into three paragraphs that address: 1) what got you interested in the field that you have chosen; 2) what are you looking for in a residency program; and 3) what are your expected goals in the field you have chosen. You are always free to add other commentary that is relevant to the above topics. But, make sure you discuss these 3 topics in your essay...."

(2) Examples & Comments on Personal Statements for Medical School Residency (pdf), University of California, San Francisco

(3) From the American College of Physicians:

Crafting a Great Personal Statement

Five Easy Steps to Writing a Personal Statement or AUtobiographical Sketch

(4) From the American Association of Medical Colleges:

Personal Statement Do's and Don't's 

Match Corner: Writing a Winning Personal Statement

Ask the advisor: "What are the most important things I should write about in my personal statement?"

Ask the advisor: Writing your personal statement

Specialty-specific resources

Browse the specialty pages on the UTCOM Medical Career Specialty Advising Resources Project site (under "CAREERS" in the right navigation bar) for links to specialty-specific professional societies--many that contain residency application resources for medical students. A few examples are below:

(1) Optimize Your Match series, American Society of Anesthesiologists (link in the "Ways to get involved" section)

Advice about CVs and personal statements as well as other useful information about successfully matching in anesthesiology. Much of the advice applies to other specialties, too.

(2) From the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association:

CV resources  

Interviewing, match list preparation, and other medical student podcasts

 (3) How to Write a Personal Statement, American Association of Family Physicians

Relevant for all specialties. An excerpt:

"...Feel free to highlight items in your CV if they help to remind your reader of the experiences you've had that make you well prepared for the position. This is your opportunity to expand upon activities that are just listed in the CV but deserve to be described so your reader can appreciate the breadth and depth of your involvement in them...."