The application opens in May, and the personal statement is the part most people put off. This evening is a conversation, not a lecture: our mentors read from their own statements, talk honestly about what worked and what they’d cut, and then work with you in small groups on finding the story that is already yours. Bring a draft if you have one, or three experiences you can’t stop thinking about if you don’t.

What we’ll cover:

What the statement is for — What a reader is actually trying to learn from 5,300 characters, and what they skip.

Finding your story — A short exercise for surfacing the two or three experiences that explain why you, and why medicine.

Writing about service honestly — How to write about community work and clinical hours so it reads as commitment rather than a checklist.

Mentors’ own statements — Mentors read short passages from what they submitted and say what they’d change now.

Small-group work — Twenty minutes in groups of four with a mentor, on your draft or your outline.

The timeline from here — What to do in the four weeks between tonight and submission.

Questions:

I don’t have a draft yet. Should I still come? — Yes. Come with three experiences you keep thinking about. The session is designed to get you from there to an outline.

Will someone edit my full statement? — Not in the room; the time is too short. Mentors can point you to next steps, and SOY Academy offers one-on-one sessions if you want more.

I’m not applying this year. — Come anyway. Knowing what the statement needs changes how you spend the next year.

Details:

Type: Workshop

Series: Road to medical school · 4 of 5

Audience: UVA undergraduates applying in the coming cycle, and anyone who wants a head start

Cost: Free

Led by: SOY Academy mentors who are current UVA School of Medicine students and recent applicants

Datasheet: (paste the sign-up / intake sheet link here)