Comprehensive Guide to Writing a Great Medical School Personal Statement
Are you thinking of joining a medical school? Well, one of the things that you have to do correctly is writing a medical school personal statement. It is true that you passed your exams well, but without a good personal statement, your application stands no chance.
When you combine a strong personal statement medical school with good performance, they catapult you right ahead of other applicants. Despite the personal statement being so central to admission in medical schools, most students indicate that it is very challenging to write.
If you are one of these students, there is no need to worry anymore because this comprehensive guide is designed to help you craft that med school personal statement like a pro. It is time to grab that coveted position in style and redefine your career!
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How to Write Medical School Personal Statement like an Expert
When writing a personal statement for medical school, the focus is not to employ gimmicks trying to show how you will make an awesome doctor. Rather, you should interweave your goal into a compelling narrative that brings out the purpose to pursue a course in a medical school. Here are the main steps to follow:
- List Your Best Qualities
When you get the prompts on the personal statement, make sure to understand the question well so that you can determine what is required. Some traits and personal attributes to include are:
- Kindness.
- Persistence.
- Focus on details.
- Compassion.
- Optimism.
- Show where You Demonstrated these Traits
Note that the admission committee is not interested in a list of your traits. Instead, the committee members want to see the traits being applied in a real situation. So, you need to interweave the qualities into a compelling narrative.
In our sample, at the end of this post, I demonstrated compassion, kindness, and optimism after getting Emily, whose father had just been incarcerated for months because of driving under the influence, crying on the stairs. So, give your personal statement a compelling start that will leave the evaluation committee members wanting to read more.
- Describe Your Experience in the Story
If you want your personal statement to stand out, this is the point where you need to be most compelling. The best way to achieve this is looking for an actual event that happened in your life and telling it in a unique way. Did you experience an accident that excited the unquenchable thirst to help the sick? Is it your terminally ill friend, a colleague you took to the hospital, or a personal life-threatening situation? See the example of a compelling story:
“Life was good in our New York apartment, where I lived with mom, and my sister, until last summer. The other family members had gone shopping, and I was home alone when the phone rang. My neighbour, Jeannie, a close family friend who was pregnant had gone into labour, and I had to help.
I called an ambulance, alerted my parents, and rushed to check her. She lay helpless on the couch, with labour pain coming in sharp pulses, and all she could say was “the baby is coming.” My basic skills on reproduction that I had leant in high school came in handy, yes, yes, I helped her relax, control her breathing, and push the baby out. My first successful midwife job!
I held the baby, in my hands, wiped her body, wrapped her in a warm towel, and cut the umbilical cord. This was not just the birth of a new baby girl in the neighbourhood; it also created a new passion in me to become a midwife. ..”
- Showcase Your Qualities and Reemphasize Them
If you look at the best personal statement examples, the focus is to show your skills as opposed to telling. Again, you need to interweave your qualities on the story and reemphasize your passion so that the admission committee sees the huge potential in you. You want the members of the committee to say, “Yes, this is link that the medical field needs to be more successful.”
Special Tips for Writing a Great Personal Statement Med School
In addition to creating a great story to highlight personal traits, qualities and attributes, here are some useful tips that you should use to perfect your work.
- Proofread your work carefully to ensure the points are flowing well and has no grammar mistakes.
- Like some of the top personal statement examples medical school, your statement should be a direct reply to the prompt from the admission committee.
- Try to work on the personal statement as early as opposed to avoid rushing the last minute.
- Make sure to stay within the recommended word limits when writing your personal statement.
- Read another top sample AMCAS personal statement and try to craft a better one.
Sample Medical School Personal Statement Example
To help you grab the mechanics of the writing a great personal statement for medical school more effectively, here is an example:
Personal Statement Sample
“I rushed to Emily’s house immediately after hearing that her alcoholic dad had been incarcerated for driving under the influence. My first sight on her broke me down – she sat on the stairs to their house, sobbing deeply and lost in thoughts. I took her hand and let her rest her head on my shoulder to make her comfortable. My instinctual and straightforward gesture sent a message of comfort and encouragement to her.
Although Emily was unable to make her dad stop taking alcohol, I felt really fortunate to be able to comfort her. Through mentoring, I have developed crucial relationships with persons of all ages, including the nine-year-old Emily. Notably, most of my mentees are from disadvantaged families, and working with them has given me a new meaning to life.
Something in me changed from Emily’s situation. What is the purpose for dining when others are sinking in despair, depression? My victory with Emily holds great personal meaning to me. Similarly, medicine entails going beyond tangible entities, such as treatment. To be a good physician, one needs empathy, curiosity, dedication, and problem-solving skills. Given an opportunity in your medical school, these are the skills that I want to hone to perfection ….”
Why You Should Seek Professional Writing Help
With the above guide and sample, how to write a personal statement for medical school should now be a lot simpler. If you are still finding it problematic, even after checking multiple medical school personal statement examples, the best option is seeking help from expert writers. They not only know what a personal statement is, but have also crafted good medical school personal statements before.
The good thing about working with experts is that you can access them online with ease, are affordable and guarantee you quality personal statements. Simply put – do not let that opportunity in a medical college slip through your fingers for crafting poor statements, let an expert in personal statement for medical school help you out.
