So you made it to the final paragraph, the concluding paragraph. Congratulations! Believe it or not, this is actually the easiest to write. That is because you should not introduce any new information. You have already hooked the reader and presented them with your thesis in the introductory paragraph, subsequently proving each element of the thesis in your body paragraphs. By this point, the reader should be thoroughly convinced of whatever it is you are arguing. Introducing new information, which has not been proven by any of the body paragraphs, is a common and fatal mistake. So, don’t do it!
As for recapping what has already been said, if you have a theme that is going to be present throughout the piece, namely in the hook, then now is the time to loop back around to that. If that is not the case, don’t fret. Just start by rehashing what you have said in your body paragraphs. After that, it is vital you close with a rewritten reversion of your thesis. This leaves your argument fresh in the reader’s mind, which is exactly how you want to close.
Although you have now walked through the entire personal statement, we are not quite done with this video yet though. I thought it would be prudent to also cover the editing process, both since we have now walked through the introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs, but additionally since this blog would be incredibly short otherwise. So, there are two types of edits: those grammatical in nature, which touch on punctuation and syntax, and those that zero in on content. In the case of the personal statement, that content is going to revolve around how well your body paragraphs support your thesis statement. The grammar edit can be done by anyone with a proficient English background. These are not the types of edits that will truly transform your personal statement though. It is your choice of content and the delivery of supporting stories that really elevates a personal statement to something truly special. Therefore, the pool of people who can provide critical content insight is much more limited. An obvious starting point is other premeds, but you ideally want someone who has successfully matriculated, as that shows they understand what is necessary to create a strong personal statement.
Some schools have pre-med advisers, but unfortunately not all are cut from the same cloth. I was truly blessed to have an incredible pre-med adviser who continually provided invaluable insight and feedback. This is not the case at all institutions and you will be left to determine for yourself whether your adviser can provide what you need. Last, there are reputable companies out there than can turn your personal statement from an average submission into one that is truly magnificent. However, these can be quite pricy and there is no guarantee of a stellar personal statement. To combat this, I have offered up my own personal statement rubric free of charge (https://www.bryansblackbag.com/personal-statement-rubric). It can be found via my website at the link in the description. This rubric really embodies the philosophy in these three personal statement blogs and will test any personal statement, pointing out potential areas of improvement. Try it out yourself, but also have others critique your personal statement since we tend to overestimate our writing prowess. I would even be willing to take a look for you! My email is bryanmiles17@gmail.com. I hope to be hearing from some of you!