Don’t mark the power of a personal statement low to make a strong, positive impression on a medical school admissions committee. Your statement, when combined with your interview performance, can account for 70 % (or more) of your entire admissions score!
Medical schools are looking for clever, sensitive, and communicative students. Here’s how to write a convincing medical school personal statement that demonstrates who you are and what you’re capable of to admissions officers.
Topics for Personal Statements
Your statement for medical school is a part of your major application. These applications provide a wide range of themes to investigate, and a variety of essay formats are permitted. You could, for example, write about:
- an encounter that questioned or modified your viewpoint about medicine
- a tough personal experience a relationship with a mentor or another inspiring figure
- difficulties, hurdles, or roadblocks that may have influenced your educational goals
- your motive for pursuing a medical career
When you submit secondary applications to individual schools, you’ll need to compose a supplementary essay (or two). You must react to a specific question in these writings. Your complete application will be reviewed by admissions committees, so choose a topic that complements your original essay.
Here are some helpful tips to write a Personal Statement for Medical School:
To assist the admissions committee in better understanding you as a candidate, use these personal statement tips.
- Write, rewrite, wait, then write some more!
Allow yourself six months to complete your essay and revise it before submitting it. This allows you to complete your first pass, set your draft aside (for at least 24 hours), go over what you’ve written, and revise your manuscript.
- Maintain your concentration.
The next tip on our medical school personal statement 2022 ultimate guide is instead of telling your complete life story, your statement should emphasize interesting portions of your path. Choose a topic, stick to it, and back it up with specific examples.
- Avoid cliches as much as possible.
Your genuine love for science and a desire to help others may be genuine, but they are also what everyone else is writing about. Instead, be specific and personal.
- Discover your unique perspective.
What special qualities do you have that no one else possesses? Remember that everyone experiences difficulties, accomplishments, and failures. What’s essential and special about you is how you handled those situations. To make your statement truly unique, include your voice and views.
- Make yourself intriguing.
Begin with a “hook” that will pique people’s interest before diving into your personal narrative. Persuade the admissions committee to continue reading!
- Demonstrate rather than tell.
Instead of informing the admissions committee about your distinctive traits (such as compassion, empathy, and organization), demonstrate them via your tales. Backup your word with evidence.
- Adopt a five-point essay format.
Here’s a tried-and-true format that you can customize:
- The first four or five sentences of the paragraph should “grab” the reader’s attention.
- 3–4 paragraphs in the body: Make a statement about yourself in these paragraphs. One of these paragraphs should ideally demonstrate clinical understanding, while the other should reflect service.
- The strongest ending echoes the beginning of your essay, provides a concise review of who you are and concludes with a future challenge.
- Simple writing is good writing.
Clear, plain language is used by good medical students and clinicians. Your essays should not be difficult to understand.
- Transitions should be handled with care.
Make sure to alter the form of your sentences. You don’t want to write a dull essay! Take note of how your paragraphs connect.
- Follow the regulations.
Keep an eye on your word count. Because some applications’ characters vary from 5,300 (including spaces) to 5,000 characters, other applications require 4,500 characters.
- Stick to the theme.
Rambling not only wastes your character limit, but it also confuses others! Consider three to five “sound bites” that you want the admissions committee to remember.
- Don’t go overboard.
Be wary of being excessively complimentary or dismissive of yourself.
- Seek out a variety of viewpoints.
Get feedback on your statement from a few people you trust before you hit “submit.” The more time you spend crafting your statement, the less likely it is that you will spot any errors. Having a professor or friend you can trust with your work and judgment is invaluable.
- Make sure all of the details are correct.
Always double-check for problems in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. This applies to the rest of your application as well (such as your activities list). Incorrectly referencing the wrong school in your sentence is a regular blunder! Allow yourself (and your proofreaders) enough time to do this work.
On the ending note
Several medical school admissions consultants can look over your whole application, including your sample medical school personal statement. So get their assistance and coaching in crafting a successful personal statement that highlights not just your achievements but also your passion and journey.
