Med School Personal Statement Strategies

When applying to medical school, there are a few things you need to take care of. You will need to prepare your GPA as well as study for and take the MCAT. More than looking into your grades and test scores, however, one of the most important steps you need to take is writing your medical school personal statement. If you are unsure as to how your personal statement should turn out, here are some strategies, which may prove helpful to you.

Writing a clear and coherent essay

The personal statement shows the admissions board your ability to compose a clear, coherent, and grammatically correct essay. The essay is not meant to showcase merely the qualities that make you a qualified student for medical school, but it is also used by the admissions committee to gauge your ability to write a logically sound and gramatically correct composition. When writing your personal statement, therefore, it is important for you to make certain that your essay is free from any lapses in logic or grammar.

Writing an essay, not a resume

Your experiences and relevant activities will matter a lot in medical school, but the personal statement is not meant to be a vehicle for you to list out all your work experiences and activities. You need to remember that your personal statement is not your resume. More than anything, your personal statement should be personal, which means that you have pick out a few experiences you’ve had in life that led you to discover that the medical profession is meant to be your career path. The personal essay is a means for you to convince the admissions board that you are a worthy candidate for the slot and show how your personal experiences have shaped your decisions to pursue a course in medicine.

Steering clear of controversial themes

Perhaps in an effort to create a lasting impression or to sway over the admissions committee, some students resort to using controversial themes in their essays. However, it is often all too difficult to tread lightly on controversial topics. Not all the members of the admissions board may agree with your stand on things, so to avoid possible conflict of ideas, it is best to steer clear of controversial themes all together.

Writing your medical school personal statement will definitely require some effort, but with the right strategies, you’re well on your way to writing a winning personal essay for medical school.

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What to Avoid in Your Personal Statement Medical School

When you write your personal statement medical school, you have to know the pitfalls that you have to avoid. John Hopkins University has some tips. Read on to know some of them.

Avoid cliches on your personal statement medical school

How many times do you think admissions committees have read the phrase, I want to become a physician because I like science and I want to help people?

Phrases such as the one mentioned above won’t grab the attention of the admissions committee. So avoid them. Instead, try to be original. Write through your own voice.

Avoid showing that your application is a manifest destiny

You have not always known that you want to be a physician (or dentist, etc.). See above. Similarly, who cares if everyone has always said that I would make a good physician. What do they know?

Instead of saying that your decision is prompted by a calling, you can just state your real reason. The most important thing is you should be sincere and honest.

Avoid aiming for grandiosity

Claiming that you plan to cure cancer (or HIV, or healthcare disparities, or anything else) shows a grave lack of understanding of whatever problem you are planning to solve.

You have to get real. You should not give the  impression that you are a hopeless dreamer who dreams of changing this world.

Avoid being insincere

This includes information that may be factually accurate but is presented in a misleading way.

Being insincere include discussing info that is probably true but presented in a wrong way.

Harvard Business School shares some interesting points about sincerity:

Sincerity

The secret of success, said the French novelist, essayist, and dramatist Jean Giraudoux, is sincerity. Once you can fake that you’ve got it made. Though Giraudoux was being humorous, he touched on a fundamental truth about writing–that sincerity, or at least the appearance of sincerity, is crucial. Nothing alienates readers faster than insincerity in any form–hyperbole, hype, hypocrisy, untruth. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating your readers’ ability to recognize insincerity. Write honestly.

You have to use an honest voice. Remember that the admissions panel reads thousands of essays every year and for sure, they have a way of seeing through your lies.

When you write your personal statement for medical school, you have to avoid the pitfalls of writing cliche, being too self-centered, and aiming too high for grandiosity. You also have to avoid being insincere.

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