The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement: Write Your Best Story. Secure Your Interview.

I ordered all three of Dr. Gray’s books a few weeks ago and have had an extremely hard time putting them down. I’m a non-traditional premed without premed advisors at my college, so I’m left trying to navigate my way to med school until I’m able to transfer to a university. Let me just say - Dr. Gray’s books provide SO MUCH clarity. If you’re having trouble planning your path to med school or are full of questions about this journey, highly recommend these books. While I’m not at the point of beginning my own personal statement, I feel confident that reading this book has armed me with the knowledge I’ll need to put together a statement that will stand out to medical schools. Another thing I love about his personal statement book in particular is that the messages and tactics Dr. Gray lays out are universal. My husband is active duty military and currently working on applying to an officer program. In order to do so, he needs to construct a really powerful personal statement. I can’t tell you how many times he’s borrowed this book from me because the book is chock full of strategies to put your best foot forward in the most engaging and unique way, regardless of which career path you’re on. He obviously just looks past the med school jargon and applies the big-picture principles to his military career. Buy this book... all of Dr. Gray’s books, actually. You will NOT regret it!

If you want to get into med school this book is for you! Dr. Ryan Gray is very knowledgeable with his experience with helping students matriculate. He offers great advice and samples of personal statements that are great, and others that are not-so-great, with his personal feedback on how to improve. This is a great place to start if you don't know what to write about, or a great read to try and better the statement you have now.

I am currently a rising junior and this book has been a great help to prepare me for writing my personal statement. Dr. Gray does a great job in conveying all the information that you need to know for writing a good personal statement. His book also has a lot of extra external links that give you extra information and resources to help you write a good personal statement.

This book is truly a disappointment. Like the interview book that I read of his, they are poorly organized and redundant. You could watch a couple of his 20 minute videos and save your money. Minimally helpful. I was admitted to a number of programs and it wasn’t these books that I feel like helped me as much as professors at my undergrad institution.

As a pre-health professions advisor who is not a physician, I rely on outside sources, people, books, podcasts, etc. to learn how to best help my students. This book has helped me understand the what and why that makes a great personal statement. If you are a student looking to get into medical school, this will be a great return on investment!

This book is a pleasure to read, ***practical*** and well-written by someone who is knowledgeable about the medical school application process. Dr. Gray demystified the personal statement for me and greatly relieved my anxiety about writing mine. Thanks to Dr. Gray's advice I was able to write something that I am proud of, which clearly communicates who I am and why I want to be a physician. My advisor said my personal statement was one of the best she had ever read.

Honestly this book was an incredible read. I had attended various personal statement meetings with my pre-med program and have looked at other resources before coming across this book. Needless to say I wasted a lot of time with those other sources because Dr. Gray's book had a lot more useful tips, tricks, and advice for writing MY best personal statement. He helped me see how I needed to SHOW adcoms rather than tell adcoms in my personal statement. Honestly a tremendous value you for what you get. If you are struggling with your personal statement or even if you think you have a solid statement, I encourage you to buy this because it will honestly help you have the best personal statement possible.

LOVE this book. You feel like Dr. Gray is your friend, sitting with you giving you heartfelt advice over coffee. His writing is matter-of-fact, doesn't include anything unnecessary or unclear, and makes you really believe you can knock this part of the application out of the park. For people like me who struggle with creative writing that elicits emotion, it's especially useful. I hate fluffy writing, and this guide has allowed me to find the perfect balance between making sure I've listed my experiences and telling an interesting story that will get the attention of adcoms members.

I like how detailed this book is. Dr. Gray did a great job specifying concepts I would have never thought about while writing my PS. There’s also multiple examples of personals statements at different times in the process. Highly recommend.

A really easy read with lots of great examples of what to do and what not to do. It helped me find a starting point for my personal statement. Dr. Gray gives great insight into what the reader is looking for. Highly recommended.

I ordered all three of Dr. Gray’s books a few weeks ago and have had an extremely hard time putting them down. I’m a non-traditional premed without premed advisors at my college, so I’m left trying to navigate my way to med school until I’m able to transfer to a university. Let me just say - Dr. Gray’s books provide SO MUCH clarity. If you’re having trouble planning your path to med school or are full of questions about this journey, highly recommend these books. While I’m not at the point of beginning my own personal statement, I feel confident that reading this book has armed me with the knowledge I’ll need to put together a statement that will stand out to medical schools. Another thing I love about his personal statement book in particular is that the messages and tactics Dr. Gray lays out are universal. My husband is active duty military and currently working on applying to an officer program. In order to do so, he needs to construct a really powerful personal statement. I can’t tell you how many times he’s borrowed this book from me because the book is chock full of strategies to put your best foot forward in the most engaging and unique way, regardless of which career path you’re on. He obviously just looks past the med school jargon and applies the big-picture principles to his military career. Buy this book... all of Dr. Gray’s books, actually. You will NOT regret it!

If you want to get into med school this book is for you! Dr. Ryan Gray is very knowledgeable with his experience with helping students matriculate. He offers great advice and samples of personal statements that are great, and others that are not-so-great, with his personal feedback on how to improve. This is a great place to start if you don't know what to write about, or a great read to try and better the statement you have now.

I am currently a rising junior and this book has been a great help to prepare me for writing my personal statement. Dr. Gray does a great job in conveying all the information that you need to know for writing a good personal statement. His book also has a lot of extra external links that give you extra information and resources to help you write a good personal statement.

This book is truly a disappointment. Like the interview book that I read of his, they are poorly organized and redundant. You could watch a couple of his 20 minute videos and save your money. Minimally helpful. I was admitted to a number of programs and it wasn’t these books that I feel like helped me as much as professors at my undergrad institution.

As a pre-health professions advisor who is not a physician, I rely on outside sources, people, books, podcasts, etc. to learn how to best help my students. This book has helped me understand the what and why that makes a great personal statement. If you are a student looking to get into medical school, this will be a great return on investment!

This book is a pleasure to read, ***practical*** and well-written by someone who is knowledgeable about the medical school application process. Dr. Gray demystified the personal statement for me and greatly relieved my anxiety about writing mine. Thanks to Dr. Gray's advice I was able to write something that I am proud of, which clearly communicates who I am and why I want to be a physician. My advisor said my personal statement was one of the best she had ever read.

Honestly this book was an incredible read. I had attended various personal statement meetings with my pre-med program and have looked at other resources before coming across this book. Needless to say I wasted a lot of time with those other sources because Dr. Gray's book had a lot more useful tips, tricks, and advice for writing MY best personal statement. He helped me see how I needed to SHOW adcoms rather than tell adcoms in my personal statement. Honestly a tremendous value you for what you get. If you are struggling with your personal statement or even if you think you have a solid statement, I encourage you to buy this because it will honestly help you have the best personal statement possible.

LOVE this book. You feel like Dr. Gray is your friend, sitting with you giving you heartfelt advice over coffee. His writing is matter-of-fact, doesn't include anything unnecessary or unclear, and makes you really believe you can knock this part of the application out of the park. For people like me who struggle with creative writing that elicits emotion, it's especially useful. I hate fluffy writing, and this guide has allowed me to find the perfect balance between making sure I've listed my experiences and telling an interesting story that will get the attention of adcoms members.

I like how detailed this book is. Dr. Gray did a great job specifying concepts I would have never thought about while writing my PS. There’s also multiple examples of personals statements at different times in the process. Highly recommend.

A really easy read with lots of great examples of what to do and what not to do. It helped me find a starting point for my personal statement. Dr. Gray gives great insight into what the reader is looking for. Highly recommended.

This book was very helpful! The only critical feedback I have; the example personal statements he included in the book were helpful, but not all of the edited versions were high quality. Thus, their inclusion in the book was a little misleading and not always informative. Nonetheless, it was very helpful to read Dr. Gray’s opinions and critiques of so many personal statements! This book saved me the thousands many spend on editing services, so I am very thankful and highly recommend it!

I had such a difficult time writing my personal statement. Before this book I had written a draft I was uncomfortable with. This book helped me hone in what I really wanted to show admissions committees.

If you are a pre-med student, or aspiring to become a physician, you NEED this book! Dr. Gray is awesome and this book provides a ton of helpful information!

This book improved my personal statement SOOO much!! Dr. Gray gives the best advice on how to write a meaningful personal statement. I was really struggling with writing it before reading this book, but all the advice and examples given in this book really helped me to write a personal statement that shows admissions committees why I want to be a doctor. I highly recommend that any premed get this book!! It is 10,000% worth it!

I didn't get this book until my second application cycle. Man was that a mistake. During my application review with an adcom member he said my PS was lacking. I made the mistake of telling and not showing. This book helped me fix that. At my interview the next year I got compliments from both of my interviewers on my PS. It made all the difference y'all. This book is 100% worth EVERY penny!!!

I had already decided on my story and written a personal statement when I bought this book and it helped me figure out what was most important to elaborate on and some things to avoid. My answer to why I want to become a physician is so clear in my head and based on my emotions and this really helped me put it into words.

I really enjoyed reading through Dr. Grays book, it was very helpful in giving tips and advice for those starting to write their personal statement. Although there were many good examples of personal statements in the back of the book, most were written by non-traditional students.

YOU MUST GET THIS BOOK! This book is amazing! It provides much more than just advice. It gives you examples, additional resources, and feedback. The explanations are very detailed and it provides a variety of examples. I am excited to use this book as my guide in editing my personal statement.

The best book you have ever read! I highly recommend you are to read this book if you want to write a good personal statement. It has everything you need

Quick, easy read. It is really helping me write the best personal statement. The samples are so helpful

Dr. Gray provides amazing content that is engaging and not dry to read at all. I have learned so much about what should (and should not go) into a personal statement. Excellent resource for traditional and non-traditional students alike.

I’ve been terrified about the entire medical school application process. I just started listening to The Premed Years and that inspired me to buy this book. Not only am I (slightly) less terrified for my application process after reading this, I feel prepared and knowledgeable about this incredibly important step of the process. Must read for premeds!!! Next up: reading his MCAT book.

Super helpful. Next best thing to having Ryan Gray actually help me with my personal statement.

Item came completely disheveled the pages were messed up and the book was tarnished

You are wasting your time trying to write your PS without this book.

Highly recommend if you are currently looking to improve your ps.

Very knowledgeable

Perfect content, much needed

Great book with practical advice. Writing style is easy to follow and not unnecessarily flowery.

Loving this book!

This book did very little outside of giving what should be very obvious advice to those applying to medical school. I specifically bought this book to try and cover all bases in regards to my essays, so I will stick to that. The sample essays do very little in the way of giving you something to relate to in order to understand why certain things should be said in a certain way unless of course, you have a military background which the majority of the samples are. Overall the book did not help me improve on my writing. The positive thing I can say is that the author did do a decent job putting together a complete list of things that you should do, and does an excellent job pointing out the potential errors in the statements that are included in this.

Sure you might have heard his podcasts and sure you might have seen his YT videos, and sure you might have been led by his charming high pitched voice into buying one of his books. Not only did I purchased this book, but I also used Dr. Ryan's personal statement services. Both decisions - which I regret dearly. Lets begin with the book. Yes there are few okay tips that he mentions in this book that are good tips, however, if you watched some of PE you tube videos from other folks, you probably already know the dos and the donts. Second point - all the examples that are used in his books are faulted in someway... at least in the eyes of Dr. Grey. Even final version statements students, Dr. Grey finds some kind of deficiencies to point out. There are NO examples in this book that he points out as good/perfect PE. Which brings me to his demeanor in which this book is written...very passive aggressive. Without even writing my personal statement I already felt guilty for even thinking about writing my PE by just reading this book. Third point - there is NO RIGHT WAY to write your PE statement. Thus I would rather invest your $$ into book that showcases examples of essays from students who got into school rather than spend money on a book that bashes each one of them.

Writing my personal statement was comparable to running a race without training. When I first came to Dr. Gray, I only had a vague idea of what I was doing. To give me more knowledgeon personal statements, he gave me a pre-release copy of the book and it made all the difference. Suddenly, I could gain insight on Dr. Gray's expert advice on the methodology behind successful writing as well as read examples from past students. Every single page provided me with applicable tips that allowed me to write a personal statement that I am proud of (despite not considering myself an expert writer). To all premeds out there: get the book. You'll thank Dr.Gray later.

I've struggled to write my personal statement for years. 5 to be exact. And it really didn't help that everyone had something totally different to say about what makes a good personal statement. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't create a good essay, and the feedback I received were both inconsistent (and thus not helpful) and that my essay is good, but it's just not there yet. Then I chanced upon Dr Gray's podcast. The advice he gave were solid, and so I decided to purchase his book to help me craft a good personal statement. This book was definitely a game changer for me. It finally helped me to see exactly what med schools want students to talk about in their personal statement and the steps we should take to come up with a good personal statement for ourselves - and it even includes tips on how to get people to edit your personal statement. It finally made sense why everyone's feedback to me was that my personal statement is good, but it's just not there yet. I wasn't answering the question AT ALL. And now that I'm finally able to grasp what it means to write a good personal statement, I'm taking my time to craft my story and write a personal statement that will finally help me get an acceptance letter to med school. If you really need help on what you should focus on in your PS, get this book. Applying what you've learned in this book won't be easy, but you're still 100 steps closer to crafting your perfect essay. you won't regret it.

Let me start by saying that I actually wrote my medical school personal statement before this book existed. I have listened to the Pre-Med Years podcast for years now, and essentially used multiple years and episodes of personal statement information and tips I learned from Dr. Gray to write it, and I don't think I would have had as good of a finished product as I did without his help. This book is everything Dr. Gray knows about medical school personal statements--and he knows a LOT. He shows us not just how to write a good essay, but what exactly admissions committees are looking for, and how to show your true personality in your writing. The dean of admissions at my institution told me my personal statement was something the admissions committee was really impressed with (I was excepted early decision at my top choice school), and I owe a lot of it to the information in this book. I look forward to using more Dr. Gray books and resources in the coming years with residency applications, and many more (sigh) personal statements.

I received a copy of the book to review prior to release. It is one of the best books I have ever read about the personal statement. Dr. Gray did a great job showing all the mistakes students might make while writing it. The best part about this book is the examples he provides with the feedback for each one! I believe this book will help every premed student to write the best personal statement that will help them to get into med school! Very easy to read. Highly recommended for all students!

Dr. Gray’s book is very insightful! I read it a few months ago to get ideas of what to brainstorm on for my personal statement. I then reread it last month as I started to write my first draft. Dr. Gray emphasizes storytelling and provides examples of showing instead of telling the reader about your journey. It was beneficial for me to have examples of past students' personal statements followed by Dr. Gray’s commentary on what is effective and what could have been better. Another great thing about this book is that it provides students’ earlier drafts and final drafts. Writing about yourself is not easy. Being able to see students' earlier drafts made it feel more human to me. I could connect with them on mistakes that they made because I made the same mistakes myself. And then I was able to see their final draft showing how their personal statement has evolved. I highly recommend that you purchase this book!

All of the information in this book can be found online for free, including the sample essays. I also don't think it gives a full perspective. The book over emphasizes "show don't tell" to the point where a lot of "fluff" is added. From my experience working with faculty on admissions committees, this is often undesirable and actually can hurt your essays. Ultimately, find pre-med faculty advisors and people who have actually directly worked on admissions committees to guide you in the essay writing process. Don't waste your money on this book.

I didn't know where to start with my personal statement, and I bought this book, hoping it would inspire me to start somewhere... it did just that! I took to book to the beach, on public transportation, on my volunteer shifts. I read and reread it--especially the examples. And even though I didn't remotely share the experiences premeds did in the book, they helped me open up to thoughts that were in my head all along. Don't just read this book, put yourself in their shoes; what would you write differently? How does it compare to something you've lived? What advice could you give them? Bottom line, just start writing--that is what this book allowed me to do, to simply start writing.

Dr. Gray's Premed Playbook series, but in particular the Personal Statement Guide is, in my opinion, a necessity for any pre-medical student applying to medical school. As a first-gen American/college student, I lacked guidance and struggled to find reputable resources online. When I came across Dr. Gray's pre-med podcast and his playbook series, I felt more secure in what was a convoluted path to med school. The Guide to Medical School Personal Statement book provides universal messages and guidelines for pre-meds of different backgrounds, and fundamental information all applicants should know when applying. Moreover, by providing broken down and thoroughly explained step-by-step personal statement revisions, I was able to better understand the process of what it takes to write my story. If you're applying, I highly recommend this book.

Dr. Gray is and always has been my go-to resource for everything to do with the med school application process! He offers incredibly valuable insight into the do's and don'ts of the process without all of the fearmongering that so many other "resources" bring. This book was an absolute Godsend when it came to writing my personal statement. It made the process so much clearer and gave thorough, detailed explanations and examples of what kind of things to include and why. An absolute MUST HAVE for any and every pre-med!!!

This personal statement book is truly amazing, and so helpful with to-the-point advice. Dr. Gray does not mess around and outlines in great detail what the key to writing a great personal statement. He also includes real essays with real feedback, which shows the common traps premed falls into when writing their essays, and helps us start showing instead of telling our stories. Really a great read, and must-have! He also has an MCAT book and a medical school interview book, which I am sure are just are great!

I was given a copy pre-release while working with Dr. Gray on my personal statement and it was a great help. This book gave insight into what an ADCOM thinks when reading personal statements and how to effectively and professionally communicate your desire to pursue medicine. One of the most helpful parts was the transcripts from student interviews at the end. Seeing common mistakes students make and the progress they made over time was very helpful when crafting my statement. A definite must have for any premed.

This book is a must! Dr. Gray is a genius when it comes to your personal statement. He teaches you just how to craft your story so admissions commitees look beyond just stats. Having low stats myself, I truly believe Dr. Gray’s personal statement advice helped me get interviews I never would have gotten. Listen to him. So glad I trusted Dr. Gray-I know have multiple acceptances. Amazed!

Amazing book! Easy to understand and read! Loved all the examples! They were so helpful! Dr. Gray changes your perspective on how you approach your personal statement. Telling my own story was so hard to do and I just felt really lost until I read this book. I used it to rework my personal statement completely.

This book helped me understand that it’s not important to say I want to be a doctor but to really find the reason why and writing about that. I have started to draft my personal statement in segments from this book. I already see it coming together and I am confident it will help me get in to medical school.