Home › Archive for Personal Statement › Page 6
Blog Archives

You Only Have One Chance to Make a First Impression

Posted on by by

Quick tip: Ensure your personal statement can stand alone and doesn’t rely on your AMCAS or ERAS activities’ section for clarification. I see some personal statement drafts that subtly refer to a candidate’s big accomplishment without fleshing it out. You need to assume that the reader is seeing your essay first and independent of your AMCAS/ERAS.

For medical school admissions consulting help, please contact me as soon as possible. The season is heating up. Submission to AMCAS starts June 1.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Tags:

Medical School Personal Statement

Posted on by by

Getting into medical school is becoming increasingly competitive, in part, because of the declining economy. Strong candidates who used to target law degrees or business school are turning their interest toward medicine, a less volatile field. Consequently, more competitive candidates are now pursuing a medical career, making the submission of an excellent medical school personal statement even more important.

The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS®) is a centralized application processing service for medical school applicants. AMCAS® includes ample space for a candidate’s personal essay. The AMCAS® medical school personal statement (and institutions’ follow up secondary essays) allow the applicant to demonstrate his or her distinctiveness as a candidate. Read more ›

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Don’t Beg

Posted on by by

There are a lot of good points in my colleague Ann Levine’s book The Law School Admission Game: Play Like An Expert. In particular, I want to point out her advice regarding avoiding pleas for acceptance. I notice many applicants make this error at the end of personal statements for medical school, residency and fellowship. Here’s Ann’s take, which I think is very useful:

“Your personal statement should convince the reader to admit you based on the strength of your experiences and perspective. No begging at the end. None of this, “I truly hope for the opportunity to prove myself” nonsense…” (p.91).

Remember: If you make yourself a distinctive candidate through your accomplishments, you won’t feel the need to address your reader in this manner.

Tags:

Personal Statement for the Preliminary Year

Posted on by by

Candidates who apply to certain fields – Radiology, Dermatology, in some case Emergency Medicine – need a preliminary year of training before initiating their specialty residency. I’ve been asked about submitting the same personal statement for both the desired specialty and the prelim year.

It is appropriate to use the same essay with modifications. Ensure you explicitly address why a prelim year in – let’s say Internal Medicine – will advance the rest of your career. Of course, you can be honest about what your professional goals are; the reader knows you are applying for a one -year position, but it is important to include a paragraph that focuses on how the prelim program will help you.

The season is in full swing. Contact me asap if you would like editing services.

Tags:

Personal Statement: Avoiding Writers’ Block

Posted on by by

A few years ago a client told me she had more trepidation about writing her residency personal statement than taking her USMLE boards. Writers’ block – experienced either before starting the essay or before working on a revision – is normal but aggravating.

I recommend two tactics:

1. Make an outline. This advice might sound like something your fourth-grade teacher would tell you, but it works. Start with a five-paragraph template (which can be changed but is a nice place to begin) and jot down each paragraph’s thesis (or main point).

2. Give yourself enough time to work on the PS. The season is already progressing, so this is something to note. Writing an excellent essay in a few days is difficult. Sometimes you’ll need a few days’ break between revisions just to get yourself back on track.

Please contact me for help with your medical school, residency, fellowship or post bacc essays. The sooner the better. Here are updated comments about my work.

Tags:

About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

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

Receive FREE Insider Medical Admissions Tips.

Sign Up

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: