Medical School Personal Statement

Location: On the Internet.

Prerequisites: No formal prerequisites, just the desire to learn.

Description: A course on perfecting a medical school personal statement.

Objective: The ability to effectively convey to medical school admissions committees why you should be admitted in a clear and organized manner.

Unlike graduate and law school, medical school applicants will have to write two different personal statements: a general one for AMCAS and a detailed one for each school they apply to.

Let's start with the general AMCAS statement. Each school you apply to will receive this personal statement. You want it to convince the medical school that you will be a successful medical student and doctor if they admit you. The personal statement should include this information: who you are, why you are pursuing a medical degree, and what you as an individual will bring to the study of medicine.

Now, for each school you apply to you also want to write a detailed personal statement. It needs to let the admissions committee know why you want to study medicine at their school and how you fit their school in particular.

If the admissions office is reading your personal statements, congratulations! This means you are a competitive applicant and have a strong MCAT score, GPA and other qualifications they are looking for. That is the upside.

The downside is your statement won't receive much attention until the field has been narrowed considerably, so if your essay makes it to this point it will be scrutinized. This is why your personal statements must be exceptional and unique.

In order to write that exceptional essay, here are some tips:

1. Make it organized and expressive. Writing reveals the ability to think. Your intellect is being judged through this essay. Show the medical school your ability to convey ideas, thoughts and feelings in a coherent manner.

2. Pursuit of goals. Personal statements can show admissions committees effectively that you can set a goal and pursue it. Stay on topic and be in control of writing instead of letting it control you, this is very important because of what it shows about you. So make it logical and cohesive.

3. Clarity. You need to communicate everything in your statement clearly; no confusion. Medicine is a difficult field that requires excellent communication skills to work with other doctors and with patients. This is why your essay should prove how concise and clear you can be.

4. Humanity. This is your one chance to show the committee who is behind the numbers. Reveal your personality.

5. Anecdotes. People live by stories and remember them much better than abstract ideas or arguments, so use this to your advantage.

Below are more links for other specific types of personal statements:

Graduate School Personal Statements

Law School Personal Statements