Island Med Student

After my last post about the med school interview process, Yogesh, a friendly reader of my blog posted a comment asking about the med school personal statement. So, I thought I’d share the advice that I have. I’d like to preface this information by saying that I am certainly not an expert on this subject. Everything that I know about the med school application process has come from my experience as a med school applicant, my colleagues at the AAMC, my pre-med advisor at my university, and doctors at the hospital where I worked who were also on the acceptance committe of their school. I can’t cover every detail here, but here are some general guidelines:

1) Be original! Many acceptance committees have to read through hundreds or thousands of personal statements. If you want to get noticed, and not bore the person who has to read all of the statements, write something different.

2) Thoroughly explain why you want to be a doctor. This can actually be more challenging than it might seem. I found when writing my statement that if I wasn’t 100% sure why I wanted to be a doctor, this came across in my statement. I ended up re-writing mine several times after doing some hardcore thinking.

3) Don’t re-state what’s in your app. There is no need to mention your GPA or MCAT score, or anything else that’s in your app. They will read that for themselves. The only thing you might want to do is explain a particularly low score. Though, I wouldn’t do this unless you have a really big reason for it, and it somehow affected your life significantly.

4) Quadruple check your spelling and grammar! Doctors need to be able to communicate effectively, and your written word is a reflection of your communication abilities.

5) Read the instructions! When I applied to U.S. med schools, I found that each school’s requirements differed significantly. If they say write to write a one page essay about why their school is a match for you, don’t write a two page essay about how you’ll make a great doctor!

6) If there is a particular reason why you want to attend a certain school, you should definitely mention this in your statement to that school.

I’m sure that I am missing some other details, but I think those are the most important.

Below is the essay/personal statement that I used to apply to Ross. It was really difficult for me to write because it could only be 250 words, if I remember correctly. I actually never did tweak it completely, but I think it came out okay. I think the only thing it’s lacking is originality. I wanted it to be a little spicier, but I did get an interview, so I guess it wasn’t too shabby.

I hope this helps, Yogesh!

I made the decision to become a medical doctor because I have found it to be a profession which is challenging, meaningful, and has the potential to alleviate the suffering of those who are deprived.

After finishing my medical education I hope to pursue work with a humanitarian aid effort. At Ross University, I look forward to achieving an exceptional medical education which will equip me with the knowledge and abilities necessary to pursue my goal of helping those in desperate need of care.