sample medical school personal statements

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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“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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The AMA style is the proper format used in citing references used in the text. Developed by the American Medical Association, the AMA style is used in writing research papers or documents on science, medicine, and other health-related topics. This citation style is not only used by medical practitioners and medical journalists but also by medical professors and medical students.

General guidelines in AMA style

All sources, which are enumerated at the end of the paper, are listed according to their chronological appearance on the text. For text reference purposes, each source entry must be properly numbered, not bulleted. All citation elements, regardless of the source type, must be separated by periods.

Element chronology for book citations:

* author’s name
* chapter title
* editor’s name/translator’s name
* book title
* volume number
* book edition
* place of publication
* book publisher
* copyright year
* page numbers

General rules in citing books

If some of the elements are unavailable in your source, then just skip them and follow the same chronology. Page numbers are only included in book citations if the specific pages of the book are directly cited on the paper. When writing the author’s name, always follow the “<last name>, <first name> <middle initial>” format.

Element chronology for journal articles:

* article title and subtitle
* abbreviated name of journal
* year of publication
* volume number
* supplement number
* page numbers

General rules in citing journal articles

Unlike in book citations, there is no need to write down the first name of the writer in journal article citations. Just follow the “<last name>, <first name initial> <middle initial>” format.

Element chronology for Internet sources:

* author’s name
* article or webpage name
* URL source
* date accessed

General rules in citing Internet sources

Citation of Internet sources, although not advised, is now accepted in the AMA style. If the Internet source is an abstract of a study or an article in an online journal, then indicate it inside brackets. You must always include the proper notation of the online journal cited in the text.

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American and foreign students are given equal opportunity in US medical school admissions. It is because the admissions committees of medical schools consider academic excellence and medical school potential as criteria in looking future medical students. However, admission requirements for American and foreign students are not always the same. If you are a foreigner who wishes to apply to a US medical school, consider the following tips.

Practice speaking and writing in English.

English is the primary medium of communication in American schools. To get by with the lessons, you should be able to speak and understand English fluently. Try getting English lessons before you apply to a medical school. Read American books and articles.  You must also train yourself to write in the language. Research papers, medical reports, books, and journals that you will use are all written in English.

Being able to speak in English fluently will not only boost your academic performance. It can also improve your self-confidence. You will have an easy time interacting with your professors and classmates if you speak English clearly.

Write a standout medical school admission essay.

If you want to increase your chances of admissions, write a good personal statement. Doing so will give you the chance to attract the attention of the admission panel. Don’t forget to contextualize the information in your essay to your situation. Also, utilize this admission requirement to cite why you want to enroll at an American medical school. Justify that you you have the ability to adapt yourself to a place with a different culture. Share your reasons for wanting an educational perspective different from what you currently have. If it is possible, write a short comparison between the education system of your home country to that of the US.

Although you have to write an exemplary personal statement, it is best to still maintain honesty. Take the time to proofread and edit your work too as simple errors in spelling and grammar can put off admissions committee members.

Medical schools in the US are tough for both American and foreign students. So do not be discouraged. Your origins and complexion will not matter in your application. Just remember, only you will call the shots for yourself.

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