sample medical school personal statements

Weill Cornell Medical College

Located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, students studying in the Weill Cornell Medical College are not far from the social and cultural happenings of New York. This less than a century old institution has been paving the way towards breakthroughs in the medical field, earning accolades for the Pap smear, the discovery of oxytocin, and its current research on the possibility of treating heart disease with gene therapy. Its illustrious history is littered with achievements and other discoveries in the medical field that are now serving as the basis for educating its students. Those who are lucky enough to get into Cornell will be up to their ears with information and valuable skills that they will find useful in their future careers in medicine and science. For admissions information, check out the school site.

The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services

What was once a medical institution that was ravaged by various wars and battles gained prominence in 1981 when US President Ronald Reagan, shot at close range, was rushed to its ER and given the proper care and assistance. Politics aside, the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services or GW has always been in the know when it comes to using the latest technology for research and application. Many innovations have been borne from GW such as the six-million volt linear accelerator, a radioisotope laboratory, and the first operating theaters with overheard observation decks among others. Students who get into GW are afforded the privilege of studying in one of the most historically significant school, and having access to the various state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. Check out the school site for information on admissions.

The Ohio State University College of Medicine

If you’re looking for a different kind of approach to preparing for the medical profession, Ohio State’s College of Medicine can offer you the options and the adequate knowhow and experience. OSU has been awarding medical degrees for decades and has been known to be one of the premier medical schools in the US. Programs are unique, with med students having patient contact in their first year of study. As current dean Dr. Chip Souba put it, students of OSU are prepared to provide a new kind of healthcare, the personalized kind catered to each individuals’ different biological, behavioral, and environmental make up. Visit the school site for admissions information.

Penn State College of Medicine

In the middle of the chocolate empire stands a veritable medical and academic institution that has been churning out medical professionals since the late 1960s. The Penn State College of Medicine has produced outstanding physicians and other medical professionals who specialize in the study and research in key areas such as neuroscience, pharmacology, molecular biology, and genetics among others. Situated in the successful resort town of Hershey, PA, students enrolled in Penn State will never have a dull moment with the many cultural and social treats around. Penn State has been in the forefront of producing physicians and medical scientists who have pioneered studies in childhood health research, allied health services, and other areas of study. Check out the school site’s admissions page for admissions details.

A.T. Still University

Professionals who are products of this prestigious university have gone on to be the purveyors of success in the field of medicine, particularly in osteopathy which A.T. Still University or ATSU has been known for. Just how the founder of this institution, Andrew Taylor Still, who challenged traditional medical practices in the 1850s, ATSU continues being the premier university that turns its students into compassionate leaders in the field of healthcare. ATSU has campuses in Kirksville, Missouri and Mesa, Arizona where students have free reign in learning, practicing, and applying the skills and knowledge in osteopathy, allied health, and other branches of medicine. For admissions details, check out the school site.

Hofstra School of Education and Allied Health Services

Though the Hofstra School of Medicine in partnership with the North Shore LIJ Health System will only be opening its doors to students by 2011, the announcement of its conception has been greeted with much approval. However, while med school is still in the works, set your sights toward the existing health and human services education provided by Hofstra. The School of Education and Allied Services (SOEAHS) in Hofstra has produced many medical professionals who have been trailblazers in the industry. Graduates of the SOEAHS have become leaders in the fields of community health, school and occupational health, as well as therapy and counseling. Check out the school site for information on admissions.

Yale School of Medicine

Aspiring medical students are always on the clamor to get into this almost 200-year-old institution that has been producing top-notch medical professionals throughout its illustrious history. However, medical students of the Yale School of Medicine are far from leading a charmed life as the education and training that they undergo is pretty hectic and intensive. Thanks to this training though, breakthroughs such as penicillin, chemotherapy, and more recently, the detection of genes that may lead to autism, hypertension and dyslexia among others. Students lucky enough to get into Yale will then be trained using the “Yale system,” which treats medical students as graduate students who can extensively research, prepare, defend, and present their own unique theses before graduation. Check out the school site’s admissions page for admissions details.

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston has no problems, as was quoted in a Newsweek headline, referring to the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. This academic institution is recognized as the only private medical school in the Southwest. It has been producing top-ranking medical personnel for decades. Techniques in surgery considered revolutionary back in the day were perpetuated by Dr. Michael DeBakey. These gained worldwide prominence and set the college to a path of prominence thereby bringing medical fame to the Southwest. Students enrolled in Baylor are blessed to have access to research facilities, thanks to funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

UI Carver College of Medicine

Uniting excellent instruction from top-notch academic institutions with the hands-on training and execution in the best medical facilities in Iowa, the UI Carver College of Medicine is a force to be reckoned with in the Hawkeye State. Students who get accepted to Carver can have the opportunity of studying under the 700-strong faculty who are each distinguished professionals in the field of medicine and health sciences. Carver is a nationally ranked med school that continues to produce esteemed individuals who go on to become professionals in the field of medicine, allied health services, and medical education. Carver is also one academic institution that gives back to the community by providing opportunities for others to gain medical knowledge through its mini Medical School programs conducted throughout the nation. Check out the school site for admissions information.

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

If the sole fact that this school is located in Baltimore, Maryland makes you choose not to get into Hopkins, then you’re forgetting that the modern hands-on teaching methods used in all other med schools came from this institution. If that makes you take a second look at Hopkins’ website, get ready to spend more than just a few seconds browsing through it. Aside from pioneering the modern method of letting med students handle and participate in medical procedures to learn, Hopkins is a veritable institution that is a pioneer in so many ways. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is one of the first schools to admit women into med school. Hopkins is also one of the premier academic institutions to house faculty and personnel who are researching and developing government-funded projects in human development. For information on the admissions process, visit the school’s admissions page at its official site.

Harvard School of Public Health

This institution certainly lives up to its name. The Harvard School of Public Health demonstrates that people studying there will go on to become the best professionals in their fields of interest. In-depth researches in specializations and various studies done in the Harvard School of Public Health have served as the backbone of various campaigns implemented in the US such as the “designated driver” during nights out. This institution can also be credited with the discovery of the HIV2, the polio vaccine, and other medical breakthroughs. Located in culturally and financially affluent Boston, Massachusetts, students can have an exciting time studying in Harvard. To apply to this school, just visit the school’s official site and get more information from the admissions page.

Duke University School of Medicine

Though the Duke University Medical School is a young institution than most of its contemporaries, it’s already a big player by having been ranked as one of the top 5 medical schools in the US. Thanks to a substantial grant awarded by the US National Institutes of Health, Duke University students and faculty have pioneered many studies and breakthroughs in medicine. Students who are lucky enough to get into Duke can have the chance to work with the country’s top medical professionals, do research in scientific and medical fields, and have access to modern and complete facilities for research and execution. For admissions information, visit the school site.

Many aspiring doctors spend too much time on medical textbooks and scientific concepts that they tend to forget one of the most important qualities that every doctor must possess: people skills. Your job as a doctor is not limited to making diagnoses, administering medications, or performing operations. The medical profession expects you to be more than a healer. To do your job better, you also need to assume teaching and counseling duties. Here is why interpersonal skills or people skills are important in the medical profession.

Better doctor-patient relationship

If there is one thing you should gain from your patient, it has to be trust. Your patient’s trust is very important because it will help you do your job better. Patients, in general, prefer having friendly and approachable doctors. They find it easier to explain their situation or forward their questions if their doctors show actual congeniality and genuine sincerity. If you want to get a full scoop of your patient’s feelings and concerns, then be approachable and amicable enough to be entrusted with secrets.

Healthier working environment

Exceptional people skills are also needed to develop and maintain good working relationships with the other staff members of the hospital. Remember that doctors cannot work alone. You need nurses to administer IV fluids, hematologists to perform blood tests, and radiologists to operate X-ray machines. For non-doctor medical practitioners, there are only two kinds of doctors: doctors we love and doctors we love to hate. “Doctors to love to hate” reassign all their work and blame all their mistakes to other people, while “doctors we love” make polite requests and give flattering compliments for every job well done. Treat your colleagues as your equal. The lack of an M.D. after their surnames doesn’t make you any better than them just because you have that title. Learn how to properly interact with the other hospital staff members and be the doctor that everybody loves.

Successfully performing a bypass operation or perfectly stitching a surgical suture is not enough to save a patient’s life. Real saving starts after the critical medical procedure. You need to convince your patient to commit to a healthy lifestyle. The fastest way to recovery, after all, is the patient’s willingness to heal.

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Not all medical graduates pursue a career in medical practice. Turning away from emergency rooms and laboratory testings, however, doesn’t mean that you have to throw away everything that you learned during your four years in medical school. You can still use your medical education in a non-hospital setting. Here are some alternative career options for medical graduates like you.

Genetic counseling

If genetics was your favorite subject in medical school, then you should probably consider a career in genetic counseling. Genetic counseling is a health profession that involves the provision of medical information and emotional support to families with histories of genetic disorders. Your job as a genetic counselor is a mix of doctor duties and social work: you investigate a family’s hereditary background and analyze genetic patterns to help them understand the risks of genetic disorders and implications of birth defects.

Important courses: genetics, biology, psychology, and public health

Medical examiner

Do you enjoy watching CSI more than House, M.D.? If you do, then put your medical education to good use by becoming a medical examiner like Al Robbins. Your job as a medical examiner is like your typical activity in gross anatomy class: you cut up cadavers. The only difference between the two, aside from getting paid lots of money, is that medical examination requires you to determine the person’s cause of death. Your role is very essential in forensic science because it will be the main focus of the investigation.

Important courses: physiology, anatomy, pathology, and biochemistry

People develop dreams of becoming of doctors because they wish to do good in this world by saving other people’s lives. Wearing a scrub suit, however, is not the only way to do that. You can still touch other people’s lives by applying the knowledge you gained in medical school to counsel people and giving expert advice to different organizations and companies. So, if you feel like traditional medical practice is not for you, then don’t worry. You can still save lives.

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All-nighters are unavoidable in medical school. With overwhelming medical school work given in very limited time, you have no other choice but to pull an all-nighter. Many medical students even consider it as a “rite of passage” to the medical world. Losing hours of sleep to get work done is not the healthiest thing to do, but sometimes it is the only option you have. Here are some tips to help you cope with medical school all-nighters.

Limit sugar and caffeine intake

Coffee, chocolate, soda, candy, and energy drinks are very popular during all-nighters because they will keep you up all night long. Intake of sugary food and caffeinated beverages, however, affects your concentration – a definite no-no during test day. Instead of having sweets and caffeine for midnight snacks, stack up on protein-rich food like cheese and sandwiches. Eating protein-rich food helps in improving metabolism, developing immunities, and boosting brain power.

Find time to get more sleep

All-nighters are supposed to last the whole night through, but try to find some time to sneak even an hour-long nap. Because most all-nighters are spent in the company of classmates, ask one of your classmates to cover for you while you doze off into la-la land. Sleep deprivation is hazardous not only to your grades but also to your health. Not getting enough sleep alters your concentration, affects your decision-making skills, and even strains your mood. What benefits will you get from an all-nighter if you’re too sleepy to function the next day?

Do not pull an all-nighter every chance you get because doing so is very dangerous to your health. It will affect your Circadian rhythms, your sleeping habits, and even your short-term memory. To avoid all-nighters, always focus during classes and never succumb to procrastination. Recent studies also show that medical students who frequently pull all-nighters are more vulnerable to getting low GPAs. Sleep deprivation, after all, prevents you from reaching your full academic potential. Still want to pull an all-nighter?

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Thanks to Dr. McDreamy, surgical drama Grey’s Anatomy is currently one of the most-watched television shows in the US. Aside from the tangled love lives of the main characters, another source of confusion among the non-medical viewers of the show has to do with the differing titles of the doctors. Why is George still called an “intern” while Meredith and the gang are already “residents?” What makes “attendings” any different from other doctors? Why does everybody call Dr. Webber “chief”? To help you understand the indication of each title, here is a glossary of common hospital staff terms.

Medical interns

First-year residents fresh from medical school graduation are called medical interns. Because the results of their medical exams are yet to be released during the start of internship, medical interns are not yet licensed to practice medicine. To gain hands-on medical experience, however, medical interns are allowed to scrub in for some surgical procedures.

Medical residents

If they manage to pass their medical boards and intern exams, medical interns will move on to be medical residents (thus the explanation why George remains an intern). Medical residents are doctors who legally practice medicine under the supervision of attending physicians. Aside from practicing medicine, medical residents also perform teaching and supervisory duties to medical interns.

Attending physicians

Doctors who have finished training for their medical specializations are called attending physicians. As the “doctors in charge” in their respective sub-departments, attending physicians are ultimately responsible not only for the medical care of their patients but also the clinical performance of their residents. In teaching hospitals, attending physicians are required to teach interns and train residents to become better medical practitioners.

Chief attending

Every institution needs a boss. In a hospital, the big boss is the chief attending. The chief attending is an attending physician who is responsible for the overall organization of the entire hospital department. In the surgical department at Seattle Grace Hospital, that responsibility is given to Dr. Richard Webber.

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“What are the qualities of successful doctors?” is the question that both practicing medical doctors and medical students want to be answered. Of course, you are curious. After all, you want to be a successful doctor too. So, what makes them successful? Is it their excellent choice of medical schools? Their outstanding grades? To give you some tips on how to be a great physician someday, here are some of the qualities of successful doctors:

Successful doctors are excellent communicators

Social interaction is both inevitable and important in medical practice. Case in point: Dr. Cristina Yang of Grey’s Anatomy. Dr. Yang graduated received top honors from Stanford Medical School and got her PhD from Berkeley. She is a walking medical textbook with excellent surgical skills. So, what’s missing? People skills. Dr. Yang is not comfortable with communicating with her patients or good at delivering terrible news. You need to find a balance between medical aptitude and social skills to be a successful doctor. Patients are people too, and they need to be taken care of with enough sensitivity.

Successful doctors are keen observers

Great things, they say, come in small packages, and this still holds true when it comes to diseases and disorders. Malaria starts with a tiny mosquito bite. Cancer begins with a small malignant tumor. An eye for detail is very important in medical practice because it will help you in easily identifying the cause of an illness or the problem of a patient. A keen observation will help you save a person’s life. In medical practice, you have to stay curious and alert 100% of the time before things get worse. If you wish to have a successful career in medicine, then you should start practicing that Sherlock Holmes vigilance.

Successful doctor are time management experts

Yes, time management is very important in medical practice. Time management, however, doesn’t start with medical residency. It should start during medical school. Practicing excellent time management skills during medical school not only helps you study all your lessons well but it also helps you get more sleep. Organizing your daily activities into a tight schedule is very effective in fighting procrastination and laziness. If your schedule for studying biochemistry is from 8:00 to 10:30 pm only, then you must understand pyruvate oxidation by 10:30 pm. And if your schedule indicates that you need to be asleep from 12:00 midnight to 5:00 am, then you better be in bed once midnight strikes.

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Marriage and medical school work are two of the toughest things to manage. Both need your full attention and 100% dedication. So, what happens when you find yourself in a situation where you have to fulfill duties as a student and as a wife and mother? Can you survive medical school and save your marriage at the same time?

Juggling spousal responsibilities and medical school work

If you are a woman, juggling marriage and medical school will be extra hard for you. As a wife, you are expected not only to take care of your husband but also to take care of your household. You have to cook dinner, wash dishes, sweep floors, and buy groceries while studying for pharmacology or neuroanatomy. If you can afford it, then get some household help. It may cost you money, but it will also lessen your chores and increase your sleep hours. By taking your mind off household chores, you are also able to focus more on your studies.

Balancing marriage, medical school work, and parenting

What is more difficult than juggling marriage and medical school? Parenting duties. It takes a lot of willpower to succeed in maintaining your marriage, passing your subjects, and raising your child at the same time. It is difficult, yes, but it is still very possible to excel in both roles. All you need is excellent time management skill. Organize a daily schedule of your activities. During your time off medical school, spend some quality time with your spouse and your child. It doesn’t matter if you visit a park or stay at home, what’s important is that you enjoy your time together.

If you are yet to be parents, then wait until graduation or residency before having children. This is not to say that a baby will ruin your chances of finishing medical school. A baby is always a blessing, but it will also make things more challenging for you. Parenting is a serious obligation that needs 100% attention and commitment. It will be thrice as hard to survive the stress of medical school and overcome the pressure of parenting. Don’t try to be a superhero. Do things one step at a time.

Marriage is not always a disadvantage to medical students. Knowing that somebody at home is waiting for you is enough inspiration to help you do well in your tests and examinations. Besides, a warm and sweet “welcomed home” from your wonderful and supportive partner after a stressful day in medical school is all you need to stay happy.

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