sample medical school personal statements

A gimmicky statement is designed to attract attention or increase appeal. What are some examples of gimmicky personal statements and why is it usually not considered effective in making your medical school statement?

Examples of gimmicky personal statements

Some examples of gimmicky personal statements include using definitions or quotations from someone else to begin your essay. Using techniques like writing poems may also be considered as such. Generally, writing about something that is considered odd or writing in a very unusual way can be seen as gimmicky.

Why gimmicky personal statements don’t work

You may be asking yourself why the examples mentioned above are not effective, considering that they can show that you are trying to be creative. The fact is that oftentimes it may be too much that it steers your essay away from the point that you are trying to make, and it may even alienate your readers. Writing quotations and definitions also seem cliche, especially if these are often used and do not help much in emphasizing who you are and the contents of your essay.

What to do to avoid submitting a gimmicky personal statement

In order to steer away from having a gimmicky personal statement, you have to find confidence in your strengths. State your good qualities honestly and clearly through stories or anecdotes that would make others see and appreciate who you truly are and how far you have come. Your personal experiences, thoughts, and inspirations tied up with your abilities and goals should already be impressive enough that you wouldn’t feel a need to come up with any gimmicky statement. Make sure that everything you put in is relevant and sensible, especially if there is a given topic. Ascertain also that nothing in your personal statement is plagiarized and that it comes out as uniquely you.

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Sometimes, stating things as is is a very daunting task, especially if it includes concepts that are just too complex to explain. That’s why it is also often useful to turn to comparisons with day-to-day things. Use of rhetorical tools such as analogies and metaphors let the readers think and, if well-made, showcases your creativity and good analytical skills.

What are analogies?

Analogies are statements that make an inference that if two or more things agree with one another in some respects they will probably agree in others. It shows a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based. Like when you mention that a person’s brain is like a CPU that can store information, you can also infer that it is as prone to breakdowns. You basically look for their similarities, and use them to make or enhance your point or, as in the example given, to add humor.

What are metaphors?

Metaphors make a concept more vivid by stating an object or a concept because of their similar attributes. One can say through a metaphor that “personal statements is a picture of one’s soul that ultimately reflects a person’s knowledge of one’s self, to give the readers a more vivid picture of the concept you are trying to project.

Tips in effectively using analogies and metaphors in your essay

In order for analogies and metaphors to work well in your personal statement, make sure not to overdo it. Use them only for emphasis. They are supposed to be used to make the readers reflect or consider the similarities proposed, so you should also make sure that they are well thought of. It is also important to be original. Do not use analogies and metaphors that others made, especially those that have already been used a lot of times. These would only make your writing seem trite and lacking in real substance. Always remember that you are using analogies and metaphors because you have a specific concept in mind that you seek to clarify, and not just because you want to impress your readers.

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Effective writing strategies – All about writing strategies and tips
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When writing your medical school application essay, make sure that it is unique and reflective of your personality. What is the best way to do this than by relating your experiences from your distinctive point of view! However, it is very important for you to know and choose topics that the admissions panel will be looking for.

Volunteer work experience

Having a volunteer work experience shows that you have the heart for the job. This experience also gives you the opportunity to boost your personal strengths and enables you to gain insights that you otherwise would not have. Capitalize on this by clearly stating your goals for volunteering, as well as what transpired that made you feel more inspired. Also discuss what strengthened your desire to enter into the medical profession, or how it has allowed you to be more sensitive to the needs of others.

Involvement in various organizations

There is no better way to develop interpersonal skills than by being a part of various organizations. Aside from this, your choice of organizations also reflect what you are passionate about. Share through your writing what these organizations do and choose one aspect that you were most involved in and focus on this. Elaborate on your learning along the way as you contributed to the attainment of the organization’s goals. Reflect your enthusiasm through a story about what transpired that strengthened you or that changed your life, if any. State how this experience affirmed your desire and gave you the skills to be in the medical profession.

Other tips to effectively build your credibility through your essay

Aside from the topics above, cross-cultural and research experience can also be of interest. Highlight conversations or events with someone who helped you gain insight and pushed you into the direction of the medical profession. Just be honest as you write about your experiences that showcase important traits that the evaluators are looking for, such as commitment, leadership, integrity, and organizational and communication skills. Relate all these with your goals and explain how these make you a strong candidate for medical school. Include only relevant information and be accurate with your facts. Make sure that you are able to balance in your essay both your personal and professional self.

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Personal statement tips – Practical tips on essay writing
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Almost everywhere, diversity is one of the most important factors that are being considered in group compositions. Through this, each person can offer different insights and contributions. As such, it is important to have cross-cultural experience and sensitivity.

Benefits of having cross-cultural experience

Having an international experience is an advantage that you can capitalize on. Being able to relate with different kinds of people is a valuable tool that you can definitely use in the medical profession. Exposure on this aspect enables you to have a feel of a world outside your own and, if you were able to do well in it, shows that you have strong interpersonal skills, which is important in creating a good work environment as well as relationship with patients.

How to effectively discuss your cross-cultural experience in your essay

Your cross-cultural experience does not have to be written in a very formal tone. Be specific on how this experience made an impact on you and how it has influenced you. Relay to the readers how your experience supports your goals and what you can bring to the medical profession because of it. Remember to include how specific persons were able to help you be the person you are now and if you were all the better for it.

Tips for a more effective essay

For your admission essay to be effective, it has to be organized and should include information that will most likely not be found in the work of other applicants. Even if some decide to write about the same topic or the same experience, your essay can still stand out. You may use sample essays to give you an idea of different writing styles or techniques. Afterwhich, you can try out a style that you’re comfortable with. Just make sure that the topic you choose is something that you feel really passionate about and that you reflect this enthusiasm in your writing style. You should also be more introspective, because it is your internal dialogue or reflections that would make your personal statement come alive with an unmatched uniqueness. Content aside, also make sure that it is free from grammatical or typographical errors. Sometimes, it’s the details that count.

Related links:

Personal statements – All about writing personal statements
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Life-changing experiences – Tips on how to tell your story in an effective way

When it comes to medical school personal statements, it all boils down to what makes you suitable for a medical career.  No matter what kind of writing style you use, your admission essay should ultimately focus on this topic.  You must express heart-felt desire to become a doctor or be able to care for others.  This, of course, is easier said than done.  Although it’s good to be straightforward with your real intentions, starting with “I want to become a doctor because…” will only make your essay as well as your desire seem weak.

For sure, you have good reasons for wanting to become a doctor, but presenting them can be difficult.  You have to make sure that your medical school personal statement will stand out from the rest.  How can you do this?  Go into details.  You may have the same motivation, beliefs, and passion as other applicants, but it’s unlikely that you have the same experiences.  By infusing more details to your writing, you can make your essay unique and more original.

Your personal statement should be geared toward answering these three important questions.  You have to answer it in your own unique way, using personal anecdotes, quotes, or any interesting idea to show desire and dedication to become a doctor.

Why med school?

Going to med school is a major decision you have to make.  Some even compare it to taking out a mortgage, getting married, having kids, or switching to a new career.  There are lots of rewards, but the difficulty of making it through medical practice can outweigh the benefits.

It will take years before you can go into practice.  After you graduate from med school, you still have to undergo lots of trainings before you’ll be considered an expert in your field.  Money is also another important consideration.  You have to go all out to finance your studies.  Likewise, students pull all-nighters just to meet the demands of med school.

It’s best to keep these in mind, so you can better assess yourself.  Reasons for entering med school include the desire to heal people of their pain or suffering, or being a witness to the suffering of a close friend or family member because of a disease.  Regardless, you have to use personal experiences to best illustrate your suitability to become a doctor.

Am I committed?

The truth is, a lot of people quit med school midway through.  This is because of the difficulty of *balancing personal and school life.  Med school demands a lot from you.  To be successful, you need to be dedicated and be willing to make sacrifices just to reach your goals.  You really have to work hard.

It’s not enough that you have an above-average GPA or aced the entrance exam; you need to prove that you’re cut out for this kind of profession.

What happens after med school?

It doesn’t end in med school.  After this, you still have to undergo further trainings and may even decide to specialize.  Thinking about your future as a medical professional will show your commitment and having a clear set of goals the admissions panel would love to hear.  You may choose to do volunteer work, train under specialists, or do research for medical breakthroughs.

There are a lot of approaches to writing an admission essay, as you can see in sample medical school personal statements.  But whichever path you choose to follow, always be sincere and honest with your intentions and desire.  This is not only to please the admissions committee, but also to make sure that you’re headed toward the right path.

How to Come up With an Effective Essay with the Help of Sample Medical School Personal Statements

If you are a student planning to pursue a career in the field of medicine and are now preparing for your application essays, you could make use of some tips for effective essay writing.  You can make it as simple as talking about “why you should be accepted to medical school.  You can include your plans of how to deal with medical school stress, personal development, and career advice.  The key is to make your essay as unique as possible — to stand out among the countless applicants vying for the same position.  Your essay is a very crucial part of your application process.  It is actually the “make or break” factor in getting accepted to your dream school.  This is why most students exhaust all efforts to come up with a creative and effective essay.  Here are some tips you can use to craft an effective essay about medical school

Choose a focus or theme

Focus or the thesis statement is the main point of your essay.  Most of the things you will say in your personal statement will support your focus.  In other words, all medical school personal statements lead to one thing, and that is “why you should be accepted to medical school.”  One effective way of doing it is to grab the admission officers’ attention, and start with a very catchy theme.  Focus on what influenced you to pursue your dream of becoming a doctor, your reasons for pursuing it, how you plan to finish it, and the efforts you plan to put to it.  Most of the time, you should also state why you chose a specific medical school given your background and experiences.

Personal evaluation

Conduct an activity on self-introspection and assess your personal statement if it’s unique enough for the taste of the admission officers.  When we say unique, we mean that the personal statement must be written with conviction, enthusiasm, and authority.  Emphasize your awareness of how this major decision will change the direction of your life in the future.  Make sure you sustain it up to the end of your essay.  Lay out all your accomplishments and achievements and somehow turn your weaknesses irrelevant to convince the admissions officers that you’re really deserving to be part of their school.  Elaborate on your dream to be a medical doctor, and detail how you plan to achieve it.  Do not forget to include your short-term and long-term goals, because all these are exactly what the admissions committee look for from their applicants.  Be true to your writing and not just put down what you think the reader wants you to write.

Concluding observation

Take your time in writing your piece.  Keep editing and proofreading it, until you’re able to conclude with a big bang.  This last part of your personal statement is merely restating your main statement, which will reiterate those specific instances in your life that taught you valuable lessons, and that you will continue to bring and apply them when you’re already in medical school or serving as a doctor.  Truly, a well-written personal statement that elaborates all your skills, achievements, goals, and interests is your ticket to your dream medical school, so make sure you give it your best shot.

Most of the time, medical school applicants make it a point to check free sample medical school essays online.  As these samples are well-written, these essays can be used as a guide.  Applicants browse through these essays to have an idea on effective themes and writing styles to employ on their own essays.

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Discussing Recent Life-changing Experiences in Your Essay with the Help of Sample Medical School Personal Statements

Are you a college student in the process of writing your own essay or personal statement for medical school admission? Well, if you just can’t seem to think of a good topic that will trigger the interest of the admission officers reading your article, then you can just simply try writing about your “recent life-changing experiences,” and how they have made a significant impact on your life as a college student.  Here are some guiding tips on how to effectively write the personal statement for medical school and get into the medical school school that you want.

Drafting an outline

Everyone in this world has his own story.  And these are what we call our “life experiences.”  They are the minor and major events in our life that, in one way or the other, have affected us significantly.  They are what we go through every day of our lives, giving us new knowledge and insights about so many things in life.

The concept of life experiences is a rather broad topic, so as a writer, you should make an outline of what you need to discuss until you have narrowed them down to the most important issues you should focus on.  Life experiences as the theme of your essay can be vague and ineffective if written in the wrong way.  As a writer, you must give focus or theme to your essay.  So try to recollect vividly which events in your life had the greatest impact to you as a person and as a student. Describe the experience and discuss whether it was a good or bad event and how it has impacted you.

Ask yourself probing such as the following: Did it bring any new knowledge for you?  New insights perhaps?  What was the general outcome of your experiences?  Did a new personality emerge from the experience?  Was the experience for a positive or negative change?  All these should support your main idea in the essay to add depth or specificity, which makes an essay a very credible one. In other words, elaborate on all the details if you are writing a life experience essay.

Telling your story

The essay or personal statement is actually your chance to tell your story and share a private part of you to your reader. However, remember to control your emotions.  Some writers have the tendency to let their emotions overwhelm them and therefore, create an awful abstract or overall theme of the essay.  What you should do instead is involve the school admission officers in your essay.  You can do this by presenting a lot of significant events that happened to you.  Also,  identify which experience was the most turning point in your life and explain your reasons why.  Ask what were the results of these experiences and how important they were.  Finally, zero in on how valuable this experience is to you, and to your future. But remember also to not make too much descriptions as these may also bore your readers. It’s already enough that you highlight how such experiences changed your outlook of life for the better and how these experiences have transformed you into a better and more self-assured person.

The key here is to make it a point that your readers, while reading your essay, empathize with what happened to you.  If you were able to move your readers to put their place in your shoes, then you have successfully sent your message across.  It only means one thing, and that is, you have definitely succeeded in convincing the medical school admissions officers to grant you a slot in the medical school.

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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.