Medical School Application

It has been a long time since my medical school application and participation on an admissions committee.  You may want to consult current guidelines and resources. I will give some pointers about personal statement, resume, and letters of recommendation.

You should start writing your personal statement as early as possible.  The most common mistake people make is they wait until the last minute to start their personal statement.  A statement that is quickly put together can readily be identified by a reviewer and can translate into an instant rejection- why would medical schools want to take you if you didn't even bother to put in the time to tell them about yourself?  I suggest at least 6 weeks to prepare your statement.  You can quickly write a first draft, put it away, and then re-read it several times to edit its content.  The process of re-reading and refining your work is crucial in producing a great personal statement.  You definitely should have several other people read your statement to give you suggestions and to correct your grammar.  Reading other people's statements is also helpful.

The content of the statement should reflect who you are and what is important to you, although most people discuss, at least in part, the reason for choosing medicine.  Other common topics may include family, hardships, or a life changing experience. 

The personal statement should be a well structured, succinct, and straight-forward essay that portrays who you are as an individual- a reviewer wants to find some distinct positive human qualities about you which cannot be ascertained from a mere listing of numbers and achievements in your application.  Unless you are an excellent writer, the use of excessive imagery, attempting to be comical, or displaying your literary skill with allegories or poems will not likely to be helpful.

While working on your personal statement, you should also start your resume.  You will need both of these items to ask for letters of reference.  A resume will also help you complete your medical school application quickly.  While you don't need to have it commercially prepared, you resume should be professional. Some schools may ask for a copy of your resume as part of the secondary application.  For content, please contact your school's pre-professional office. Just like your personal statement, your resume should be straight forward and succinct.  However, I suggest you list all your honors and activities, even the ones you consider to be not very important.  Your resume is a conversation starter for your letter writers and interviewers.  Therefore, it doesn't hurt to have additional information for them to find something in common with you.  For activities, I find it helpful to also include a short description (1-2 sentences or phrases) to describe the organization and your level of involvement.

Go to the next section