Heard these were a no-no. Any thoughts? My character count right now is at 5343 which I still have to cut down by 43. If I take out the contractions, it'll be more.
I tried to avoid them. They seem a little colloquial and the PS is a time to try to sound well-reasoned and professional.
BTW, do you double space after sentences? I've gotten in that habit and realized it doesn't matter for your PS. Reduce to single spaces and that could save some characters.
I tried to avoid them. They seem a little colloquial and the PS is a time to try to sound well-reasoned and professional.
BTW, do you double space after sentences? I've gotten in that habit and realized it doesn't matter for your PS. Reduce to single spaces and that could save some characters.
Isn't that breaking some sort of grammar/punctuation rule that I was too tired and bored with to learn in the 3rd grade? Or is it really okay?
I think contractions are fine -- in fact, I think the writing in a lot of personal statements is too formal and stiff. (I'm an editor in my current job, so I spend a lot of time evaluating writing.) If your writing is clean and easy to read, I think you'll be in good shape.
Heard these were a no-no. Any thoughts? My character count right now is at 5343 which I still have to cut down by 43. If I take out the contractions, it'll be more.
What I had to do was take another look at my PS and decide if I really wanted them to know about certain activities. I think in the end, you get more points for quality of writing instead of quantity of activities. Contractions will just make you seem like an amateurish writer, if not lazy. Not worth it.
Contractions are unacceptable in formal writing. You could get lucky and have committee members who don't care, but it is a roll of the dice.
Contractions are unacceptable in your PS and in any other formal writing. You'll be much better off editing a couple of sentences.
On another note, the previous poster is correct. I removed my double spaces in between sentences in favor of single spacing, and it helped.
Double spacing is antiquated and is not formally required anymore. (Check with an English professor on any papers, though.)
By "contractions" are people talking about stuff like "won't" for " will not" or just what are you guys saying?
By "contractions" are people talking about stuff like "won't" for " will not" or just what are you guys saying?
Yes, as well as:
"I'm" for "I am"
"wasn't" for "was not"
"can't" for "can not"
Is there really nothing you can reword to make your PS shorter?
I wouldn't switch to contractions. You can take out the double-spacing after periods, no one will notice.
Can we get verification from an adcom -- REL or Lizzy are you out there? I'm applying to AACOMAS as well and their limit this year is 4500 characters. Do adcoms care about a few contractions (as long as the thing isn't littered with them?).
Can we get verification from an adcom -- REL or Lizzy are you out there? I'm applying to AACOMAS as well and their limit this year is 4500 characters. Do adcoms care about a few contractions (as long as the thing isn't littered with them?).
They may or they may not, but it's not worth the risk. Shaving characters by changing your grammar is a bad idea. Everything should be written grammatically correctly and in the manner that makes it sound the best. If you need to cut space, cut down on content. Usually cutting out content will actually make your essay better.
Stay away from contractions. This isn't some casual conversation with a friend. It is a formal essay for an admissions committee.
The best thing you can do to shorten your essay is to see if you can make your essay more succinct and to-the point. Doing this generally makes your essay stronger compared to wordy, flowery filler prose.
F'real? I can't think of any instances where I've thought that someone's writing's less formal when they've used contractions. I think if it's a place where they're fitting, use them. Substance, ease of reading, and interest>>>>>>>>>>than being perfectly formal. Write like you would talk if you were having a conversation with someone who was important. This is just more typical pre-med neuroticism.
*edit: I admit that I had no desire to apply to a lot of the schools that I considered to be uptight, and might care about this kind of thing*
I think contractions are fine -- in fact, I think the writing in a lot of personal statements is too formal and stiff. (I'm an editor in my current job, so I spend a lot of time evaluating writing.) If your writing is clean and easy to read, I think you'll be in good shape.
I might be inclined to agree, but 1) I think your point is only valid for people who are very skilled writers -- not all applicants fall into this category, and 2) regardless of what "sounds better," there are certain expectations in place throughout the admissions process. Sort of like dating in the old days. it's a courtship, and the rules of decorum must be followed!
Contractions are unacceptable in your PS and in any other formal writing. You'll be much better off editing a couple of sentences.
On another note, the previous poster is correct. I removed my double spaces in between sentences in favor of single spacing, and it helped.
Double spacing is antiquated and is not formally required anymore. (Check with an English professor on any papers, though.)
yea, this is a tradition that has been carried over from the days of the typewriter. Actually, formal writing now calls for single spacing after the period, though people still seem hung up on hitting that space bar twice. However, this is a blessing in disguise. If you wana make it appear longer, go double. If shorter is your goal, go shorter.
Single spacing after periods is now the standard. That should shave quite a few characters.
Contractions may be appropriate within quoted segments. You won't get the punch you want if you type, "The frail lady cried, 'Help! I have fallen, and I cannot get up!'" Avoid contractions in your narrative.
Single spacing after periods is now the standard. That should shave quite a few characters.
Contractions may be appropriate within quoted segments. You won't get the punch you want if you type, "The frail lady cried, 'Help! I have fallen, and I cannot get up!'" Avoid contractions in your narrative.
"To" has fewer characters than "too". Why don't you go ahead and make that change while you are adding the contractions?
Single spacing after periods is now the standard. That should shave quite a few characters.
Contractions may be appropriate within quoted segments. You won't get the punch you want if you type, "The frail lady cried, 'Help! I have fallen, and I cannot get up!'" Avoid contractions in your narrative.
Several people read my personal statement and not one of them said anything about contractions. Honestly, I think that without contractions, it just doesn't sound natural. This is a formal essay, but it isn't a technical writing seminar. You still have to sound natural.
Several people read my personal statement and not one of them said anything about contractions. Honestly, I think that without contractions, it just doesn't sound natural. This is a formal essay, but it isn't a technical writing seminar. You still have to sound natural.
Using formal style is a sign of respect. It's like wearing a suit and tie to your interview. You might not feel "natural" wearing it, but you know that it is a formal situation which requires formal dress.
You aren't shooting an email to a buddy. You are writing a professional essay to an admissions committee.
Using formal style is a sign of respect. It's like wearing a suit and tie to your interview. You might not feel "natural" wearing it, but you know that it is a formal situation which requires formal dress.
You aren't shooting an email to a buddy. You are writing a professional essay to an admissions committee.
And would you refrain from using contractions in an interview because it's a formal interview and you want to show respect to the interviewer? I think we could both agree that would be silly. Use contractions where writing out the words seems awkward. Write well, and write stylistically, the people reading you app will appreciate it. Don't avoid a contraction just for the sake of avoiding contractions.
And would you refrain from using contractions in an interview because it's a formal interview and you want to show respect to the interviewer? I think we could both agree that would be silly. Use contractions where writing out the words seems awkward. Write well, and write stylistically, the people reading you app will appreciate it. Don't avoid a contraction just for the sake of avoiding contractions.
Written language has different rules than spoken language. Obviously. However, yes, you should use formal language on your interview. For example, you shouldn't call your interviewer "dude". You shouldn't use the word "like" inappropriately. You shouldn't mix up "good" and "well". These are the little things that make you come off as an articulate person, just as proper use of contractions makes you come off as a good writer.
Using formal style is a sign of respect. It's like wearing a suit and tie to your interview. You might not feel "natural" wearing it, but you know that it is a formal situation which requires formal dress.
You aren't shooting an email to a buddy. You are writing a professional essay to an admissions committee.
As a former journalist, I think that not using contractions is the sign of a stuffy writer. You're not writing a legal document. You're not filing a grant with the NIH. You're telling a medical school why you want to be a doctor. It's called a *personal* statement for a reason. They don't want an essay you'd write for Technical Writing 101. They want to get to know you.
By the way, to whomever suggested it, contractions aren't a form of poor grammar. They are standard, assuming you're not using text messaging abbreviations. It's expected and assumed that most people are going to write "it's" instead of "it is" and "can't" instead of "cannot."
Reactions: 1 userWritten language has different rules than spoken language. Obviously. However, yes, you should use formal language on your interview. For example, you shouldn't call your interviewer "dude". You shouldn't use the word "like" inappropriately. You shouldn't mix up "good" and "well". These are the little things that make you come off as an articulate person, just as proper use of contractions makes you come off as a good writer.
There's a difference between colloquial, correct, and formal that I think you're missing. You should definitely avoid colloquial, and by all means be correct, but I don't think there is a need to be formal/technical. I didn't even think when writing my personal statement to avoid contractions, and at every interview I have been on, my interviewer has commented on how much they enjoyed reading it.
Eliminate passive voice constructions: rephrase "My interest in medicine was kindled by _____" to "________ kindled my interest in medicine" and you get rid of seven characters and a stronger sentence.
Here's a good (if longish) explanation with more examples:
Contractions are unacceptable in formal writing. You could get lucky and have committee members who don't care, but it is a roll of the dice.
That was my first thought. Definitely do not use contractions.From Stanford's pre-med advising site:
"Avoid contractions"
http://www.stanford.edu/~siegelr/applyms.html
From KU's pre-med site:
"Avoid using contractions. The essay is a formal enough work that most writing guides suggest using full words rather than contractions (e.g., don't use "don't"). I have, however, seen a couple of essays in which the tone was so informal that contractions were a better fit."
http://www.medadvising.ku.edu/essaytips.shtml
From Missouri State's pre-med advising site:
"Watch for common writing mistakes. Use everyday vocabulary. Avoid using the word "I" except for emphasis. Make sure your verbs agree with your nouns. Avoid contractions. Do not leave too much space blank at the end."
http://www.missouristate.edu/bms/30559.htm
These are only from the first Google results page.
of course you're going to get those kinds of results on a search if there is any sort of debate because things will be skewed toward the negative- there aren't going to be any sites that say "go ahead and use contractions" so when you search, you're only going to find things that say to avoid them
I'm bowing out at this point and saying "agree to disagree" because we're never going to see eye-to-eye here. I think as long as you don't talk as if you're texting on a cell phone, you don't need to be so formal. This is the one place where you get to show off your personality before an interview, and you should write comfortably. If you can write well using contractions, I say go for it. I sure as hell know it's not going to make or break you.
I read this while in an English class and asked the prof. He strongly suggested against using contractions in the application because the adcoms are looking for reasons to exclude you, less formal writing style is an excuse to do so. Go with the herd as it were.
I was wondering what people were planning on doing as far as indentation for paragraphs. Does the text box allow for tab? If not, should I enter spaces to indent my paragraphs? What will you all do?
I read this while in an English class and asked the prof. He strongly suggested against using contractions in the application because the adcoms are looking for reasons to exclude you, less formal writing style is an excuse to do so. Go with the herd as it were.
But the question is, do adcoms actually WANT formal? This is a personal essay on your reasons for becoming a doctor. I would think they wouldn't want it to be that formal.
I was wondering what people were planning on doing as far as indentation for paragraphs. Does the text box allow for tab? If not, should I enter spaces to indent my paragraphs? What will you all do?
I didn't use contractions and I skipped a line between paragraphs. I got interviews at 9 out of 11 schools and had plenty of compliments on my PS.
I'm not saying I wouldn't have if I had used contractions and not skipped a line, but what I did clearly worked.
Use contractions where otherwise the flow of the essay would be stilted and awkward. As long as your essay isn't speckled with poor grammar and spelling errors and contains at least a tiny hint of professionalism, you'll be fine.
Frankly, I think ADCOMs get sick of reading the same stuffy essays about how one is dedicated to the medical field. I've read some grammatically perfect essays that were so bland and wooden that I hated the author with every fiber of my being by the end. People will say that their grammatically perfect essay on the skills and motivation they developed in biology lecture got them into medical school. um, no. More than likely, the 34 MCAT was what got them to medical school. The fact that they could write out "I am a motivated individual" rather than "I are motivated" was just an added bonus.
On the other hand, a personal statement that is interesting and flavorful (but not offensive!) might make an ADCOM take an extra look at an average applicant.
