Think of your personal statement as an essay made up of multiple stories from your life and experiences that have helped shape your motivation for your health program. A good story is memorable, leaves a positive impression, and shows the reader the qualities you possess.
Storytelling allows you to share moments that shaped who you are and inspired your pursuit of your health career. The stories in your personal statement should each have a clear beginning, middle, and end. The beginning is where you contextualize your stories. The middle depicts your actions in the story. The end is where you provide an outcome to your story. Make sure to reflect on the impact of that experience, what you learned, and how it’s relevant to your motivation to pursue your health career.
Using Storytelling to “Show-Not-Tell”
Imagine hearing a job applicant answer ask an interviewee, “What are two of your strongest qualities?"
As the interviewer, which response is more convincing? Candidate B provided a short story that showed how they were detail-oriented and a good team member, and then reflected on how they grew or changed from that experience. This is what makes “showing instead of telling” a helpful strategy. “Showing” allows the reader to “see” evidence of your personal qualities.