A Critical Review of Personal Statements Submitted by Dermatology Residency Applicants

Table 1

Characteristic themes of content that appeared in the personal statements.

Characteristic	Prevalence, %		Difference
	Matched	Not matched	%	95% CI	value
(1) Story telling	64.58	72.83	−8.24	(−19.16, 2.68)	0.1533
Personal story	49.58	59.78	−10.20	(−22.05, 1.65)	0.0958
Case presentation	39.58	32.61	6.97	(−4.43, 18.38)	0.2404
Personal illness	15.83	16.30	−0.471	(−9.32, 8.34)	0.9165
Family illness	15.00	14.13	0.869	(−7.56, 9.30)	0.8415
Family relevance to dermatology	5.83	5.43	0.399	(−5.10, 5.90)	0.8887
Family relevance to medicine	3.75	9.78	−6.03	(−12.56, 0.496)	0.0298
(2) Why medicine?	17.50	19.57	−2.07	(−11.49, 7.36)	0.6616
(3) Why dermatology?	75.42	69.57	5.85	(−5.01, 16.72)	0.2779
Multidisciplinary	34.17	32.61	1.56	(−9.75, 12.86)	0.7881
Visual	24.58	19.57	5.02	(−4.75, 14.78)	0.3322
Cutaneous manifestations of systemic disease	33.75	22.83	10.92	(0.467, 21.38)	0.0535
Social/psychosocial issues	39.17	35.87	3.30	(−8.29, 14.88)	0.5801
Chronicity of disease	7.50	8.70	−1.20	(−7.85, 5.46)	0.7167
Literature gap	8.33	1.09	7.25	(3.16, 11.33)	0.0152
Complexity of the field	19.17	19.57	−0.398	(−9.91, 9.12)	0.9343
Technology	5.00	4.35	0.652	(−4.34, 5.65)	0.8039
Patients of all ages	10.00	8.70	1.30	(−5.59, 8.20)	0.7185
Better understanding of the pathophysiology of skin disease	8.33	2.17	6.16	(1.57, 10.75)	0.0434
Lifestyle	0.417	1.09	−0.670	(−2.94, 1.60)	0.4799
(4) Accomplishment	61.25	56.52	4.73	(−7.13, 16.59)	0.4313
Fellowship/research	62.08	58.70	3.39	(−8.40, 15.17)	0.5709
Publications	25.00	23.91	1.09	(−9.21, 11.38)	0.8371
Volunteer service	32.50	25.00	7.50	(−3.15, 18.15)	0.1837
Skin cancer screenings	7.92	6.52	1.39	(−4.70, 7.49)	0.6664
Leadership	10.00	10.87	−0.870	(−8.28, 6.54)	0.8151
(5) Quotation	23.75	25.00	−1.25	(−11.61, 9.11)	0.8116
By famous figures	4.17	7.61	−3.44	(−9.42, 2.54)	0.2028
Other or self-quotation	12.92	14.13	−1.21	(−9.50, 7.07)	0.7703
(6) Career goal	51.25	47.83	3.42	(−8.58, 15.43)	0.5765
Purely clinician	4.17	5.43	−1.27	(−6.55, 4.01)	0.6185
Physician scientist	36.67	32.61	4.06	(−7.30, 15.41)	0.4893
Physician educator	22.50	21.74	0.761	(−9.19, 10.71)	0.8815
(7) Subspecialty within dermatology	12.92	16.30	−3.39	(−12.05, 5.27)	0.4239
Procedural dermatology/MOHs micrographic surgery	2.92	3.26	−0.344	(−4.55, 3.86)	0.8695
Pediatric dermatology	5.42	6.52	−1.11	(−6.90, 4.70)	0.6980
Dermatopathology	2.08	3.26	−1.18	(−5.23, 2.88)	0.5312
Immunodermatology	2.50	3.26	−0.761	(−4.89, 3.37)	0.7024
(8) Name a cutaneous disease	76.25	71.74	7.79	(−0.798, 16.38)	0.1031
Mentions > 5	20.83	13.04	4.51	(−6.15, 15.17)	0.3956
(9) Significant other	2.50	3.26	−7.61	(−4.89, 3.37)	0.7024
(10) Personalized application	13.75	8.70	5.05	(−2.17, 14.45)	0.2103
Interest in California	5.00	3.26	1.74	(−2.82, 6.30)	0.4947
Interest in UC Davis	8.75	6.52	2.23	(−3.96, 8.41)	0.5062
Mentions UC Davis Faculty	1.25	2.17	−0.924	(−4.22, 2.37)	0.5362
Interest in other institutions	25.00	30.43	−5.43	(−16.32, 5.45)	0.3153
Mentions the faculty of other institutions	29.17	29.35	−0.181	(−11.12, 10.76)	0.9741