Advisor’s Corner is intended for those who are interested in taking up medicine. The articles on this blog, such as the Top Ten Pieces of Advice for Aspiring and Successful Pre-Meds, are obviously written for premed students who want to be in the know. The blog aims at providing a useful resource for med-related issues and concerns. You get the impression that it was created by professionals for aspiring med school students.
The strong points
One of the strong points I see on the site is its layout. The layout and design are reallly professional-looking. The photos of the developers in the home page also help to establish the credibility of the site. The formality of the theme and the photo of the blog’s developers make it seem professional. This is, of course, a very important factor especially if you’re writing about med school advice and tips. In terms of content, the site has well-written articles. The med-related topics highlighted in the blogs are, indeed, very helpful for med school applicants and med school students. The style and tone of the entries are very consistent.
The weak points
What I don’t like about the blog is its very simple design. The colors should be made more attractive. Adding some colors to the site would make it more appealing to visitors. It could also encourage visitors to explore the site. The developers should also improve the frequency of posting entries. Although the entries are excellent, they’re too few. I look forward to seeing more posts. Hopefully, authors will find time to contribute more. I’d also appreciate it if subheadings will be in set in bold face. This typeset will defenitely make reading the entries easier. I can easily spot the information I need to know or the subtopics that really interest me.
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.
Photo Credit : Nic’s events
After coping with stress in medical school and adapting to the pressure of medical residency, doctors must face yet another tough challenge in their medical career: the selection of medical specializations. Here are some of the most popular medical specializations:
* Plastic surgery
One of the most popular specializations in the world of medical practice is plastic surgery, but what most medical students do not understand is that plastic surgery is one of the toughest medical specializations to excel in. The reconstruction of physical deformities and enhancement of physical assets are not as easy as creating incisions or making stitches on a patient’s body. Plastic surgery is always coupled with a lot of risks, which usually include paralysis and death.
Cause of popularity: Aside from the expensive rates involved in surgical procedures, surgery owes it popularity to people’s undeniable obsession with physical beauty.
* Pediatrics
Because cute little kids are so hard to resist, more and more medical students are making their way toward pediatrics. The job of pediatricians goes beyond asking for deep breaths and checking for possible infections. Pediatricians provide medical care not only for children’s physical health but also for children’s mental condition and social wellness. They also give tips and guidelines on how to avoid chronic diseases and maintain proper nutrition.
Cause of popularity: Aside from having adorable children as patients, pediatrics owes its popularity to the fact that most parents will pay large amounts of money just to ensure their child’s safety.
* Obstetrics and gynecology
Probably the most popular medical specialization among female doctors is obstetrics and gynecology. This medical specialization remains close to every female doctor’s heart because it focuses on parts of the anatomy that are found only in women. Obstetrics and gynecology deals with the provision of medical care for the reproductive health of both pregnant and non-pregnant patients.
Cause of popularity: Aside from the challenge and excitement of administering births, the fact that women get pregnant and give birth every single day assure these medical practitioners of a stable practice.
The cultural popularity, as well as the amount of salary involved, should never be the basis for selecting a medical specialization. Medical practitioners should choose a medical specialization in which they feel most useful in. Those interested in treating skin diseases should pursue dermatology, while those who are interested in treating heart diseases should go for cardiology. The selection of medical specialization must always be based on passion because that is the only way doctors can do their job effectively.
Photo Credit : Philnelson
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.
Photo Credit : rstrawser
While there are probably thousands of tips on becoming an A student, it is knowing the profile of unambitious students that may help you avoid their bad habits. Knowing the mindset of students who settle for mere passing grades will make you wary of your own study habits. What you may consider to be niggling details of your study regimen may actually be important clues as to why you have not been doing so well. Consider the following profiles of mediocre students as a companion to previous articles that you have read on getting excellent grades.
Going for the passing mark
Mediocrity may become a sickness that will take over your student life. Without you knowing it, you may be getting into the habit of passing a paper just for the sake of turning in a requirement. It is true that student life can get very tough, especially during finals. You will be getting tons of work from all your teachers. So, you may end up just wanting to get them over with. This habit does not make things easier for you, though. Even if you have passed a pretty mediocre paper, you still spent some time researching for it and finally writing it. This means that you should have at least made use of the time wisely by giving it your best. Either way, you may be getting few hours of sleep anyway. Make the sleepless night work for you.
Always look at the bigger picture. Never think that school work is just something you have to do just so to get a passing grade. Consider every task a chance for you to hone your potential and show others your abilities.
I can’t…
Negativity is another problem for the unambitious or mediocre student. Thinking of failing before the test has even happened reduces the time that could have been spent studying. This is because negative thinking can really take over your whole being. You become too obsessed with the notion that you just couldn’t do it. Self-pity and horror combined paralyzes you and prevents you from doing anything substantial. Instead, why not focus on how to correct your mistakes.
It can wait…
Procrastination is a habit that cuts down time for studying. If you are really having a hard time concentrating on a particular day, you can still use the time wisely. You can organize your things or make a timetable for studying.
Live for the moment
Some instances may push you to prefer other activities to studying. However, you should keep in mind that there is a time for everything. To truly live for the moment, you should be able to discern when’s the perfect time to make on-the-spot decisions and when to stick to a plan. Prioritize your studies and be conscious of your grades. You may need high grades if you are a student aiming for further studies. Your present records will determine whether you get into the school of your choice or not.
Photo Credit : permanently scatterbrained
