This article is currently at the top of the New York Times’ most emailed list. It’s written for those entering the work force, but it is very pertinent for applicants to medical school, residency, fellowship, and post bacc programs.
I hope everyone has a happy holiday season!
In writing their personal statements, many applicants ask me if it’s okay to include their accomplishments. After all, they say, their achievements have already been noted in the application, dean’s letter, and letters of recommendation. Think of the medical admissions process as an onion. Your application (AMCAS, ERAS, post bacc CV, AADSAS) and letters serve as one layer of that onion, albeit a thin one. In other words, your accomplishments are conveyed simply and succinctly there. The personal statement is your opportunity to apply a thicker layer, one in which you flesh out your achievements, thus persuading the reader of your distinctiveness. Finally, the interview is your chance to add on the thickest peel. Discussing your accomplishments in detail can seal the interviewer’s positive impression of you. So yes, you are going to be redundant throughout the application process, but each part serves a different and additive purpose. If you do not include your achievements in your personal statement, how will you be viewed as distinctive? Remember: Who you are is what you’ve done… and what traits and skills you’ve gained accordingly.
Whether you matriculate into a formal post baccalaureate program or simply take supplementary courses independently, AMCAS calculates your GPA similarly: Undergraduate courses are undergraduate courses to AMCAS. So what is the advantage of a post baccalaureate program?
1. Reputation. These programs are known quantities to medical school admissions committees.
2. Ability to get quality letters of recommendation (LOR). Most post bacc professors are very familiar with writing medical school LORs.
3. Link programs. Some schools have partnerships with medical schools, so that if you maintain a certain GPA and score well on the MCAT, your application is facilitated by your participation in the post bacc program.
4. Organization and pre-med help. Not all post bacc schools have this, but many of the good ones do.
The drawbacks to these programs are a) competitive admissions and b) the cost, which can be significant.
Contact me for post baccalaureate application help. I assist with post baccalaureate personal statements and resumes/CVs.
Post baccalaureate premedical programs cater to students who are pursuing a career in medicine and have already received their bachelor’s degree. There are two traditional types of post baccalaureate programs: First, there are those that offer students the opportunity to complete the science courses necessary for a medical school application. Second, there are those that help students improve their grade point averages. In the latter case, students have completed the required pre-medical coursework, but want to improve their academic records in order to become more competitive in the medical school application process. There are other less common post baccalaureate programs that are devoted to helping students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and those who are from underrepresented groups. Read more ›
I’ve been offering help to post bacc applicants informally (with great success; my last client got into Penn). But now I’ve added a post baccalaureate page with a list of my services for clients. Take a look at my first blog entry on searching post baccaluareate programs for help deciding where to apply.
Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more
