The University of Delaware Physician Assistant (PA) Club and Arcadia University Physician Assistant Program faculty are hosting a two-session personal statement workshop with expertise from Arcadia PA program directors. PA students are encouraged to attend to obtain valuable information and feedback from the admissions office. The sessions are designed to prepare students for effectively writing their personal statement as part of the PA school application.

The personal statement is a significant part of the application process, which also consists of the student’s GPA, transcripts, patient contact hours, and other parameters. It operates like a cover letter and consists of 800 words that highlight the student’s unique characteristics. This can consist of stories tied to the student’s career path, how they found their interest in the field of being a physician assistant, or other details that would not be seen on separate parts of the physical application.

Brianna Philips, President of the PA Club, described the importance and challenges PA students face in crafting a personal statement.

“It’s debatably one of the most stressful parts of the application,” Philips said. “These workshops provide an opportunity to not only better understand what to write for this section, but also peer and professional review from fellow PA students and staff at Arcadia college.”

The first session was held on December 7 at Gore Hall. During this workshop, Joy Henderson and Erin Wolf, Physician Assistant Program Director and Physician Assistant Program Admissions Director for Arcadia University, provided a PowerPoint presentation highlighting important factors to consider in crafting a personal statement. These factors involved emphasizing the driving reasons to be a PA in the personal statement and certain commonalities to avoid including.

Following the PowerPoint, students broke into groups for peer review of their rough drafts. Professors visited each group to evaluate and provide additional feedback for improvement, as well as answering student questions. During the second session, students will bring back their drafts and focus on creating a finalized version with professors.

“Something I’ve learned from the first workshop was to narrow down on specific reasons I want to be a physician assistant in my personal statement,” Philips said. “Joy Henderson and Erin Wolf helped me understand how to properly detail the statement. We’re grateful for the Arcadia PA program directors putting in their own time to develop the PowerPoint and work with us.”

The second session workshop will be held on February 15 at Arcadia University’s campus. A bus will be organized to assist in transporting students. Any interested PA students can reach out to Brianna Philips at briphil@udel.edu for more information. The upcoming PA school application cycle begins at the end of April, providing plenty of time for PA students to prepare in advance.

“To anyone applying for PA school, I would recommend aiming to write the personal statement in a way that the admission office can tell who you truly are as an individual,” Philips reflected. “Your grades and experience don’t define you on a personal level. For the personal statement, the admissions office is looking for the quality of who you are to best understand your future career path.”