I’ve noticed a few medical school and residency applicants using the term “year off” in their personal statements when, in fact, they’ve spent their time completing research, international community service or other worthwhile endeavors. Saying you “took a year off” belittles your accomplishments. Ensure you avoid language that inadvertently subtracts from your application.
Blog Archives
Personal Statement: Show. Don’t Tell.
Compare the following:
“I am a compassionate person with a lot of resolve who wants to help people through medicine.”
“My four years of clinical work in a low-income clinic, taking vital signs and translating for Spanish-speaking patients, has strengthen my resolve to become a physician.”
See the difference?
A quick reminder: In your personal statement it’s critical to demonstrate your points with examples, rather than just state your thoughts. Show. Don’t just tell because anyone can say s/he is good with patients, kind-hearted and hard-working. Only a few excellent candidates can prove that.
For help with your personal statement for medical school, residency, fellowship or post bacc programs contact me.
Tags: July 2009
Personal Statement – What Makes You Distinctive?
I have been receiving a lot of med school and post bacc personal statements lately and with them a lot of questions about how to best write a medical application essay. Here is a listing of all of my PS blog entries. Remember: The key is to write about what makes you a distinctive applicant and how your accomplishments have afforded you skills that make you an exceptional candidate.
Tags: May 2009
Personal statement and secondary essay pitfalls
Here’s an oldie-but-goodie blog entry written by my colleague Ann Levine who is a law school admissions consultant. I have found these same errors in medical application essays, especially Ann’s number four “I believe” (and its corollary “I feel”). Along these same lines, please see my blog entry about the importance of brevity in essay writing.
For one-on-one help with your statement please contact me at insidermedical@gmail.com or see www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com .
Tags: October 2008
Catchy personal statements
I’ve blogged before about the importance of starting your essay with a “clincher,” something that will convince the reader your statement is worth reading: I found this short piece in the Stanford Magazine worth a read. The author compiled a list of first lines from the application essays of Stanford’s newest college class.
Some of my favorites:
Unlike many mathematicians, I live in an irrational world; I feel that my life is defined by a certain amount of irrationalities that bloom too frequently, such as my brief foray in front of 400 people without my pants.
When I was 8 years old, I shocked my family and a local archaeologist by discovering artifacts dating back almost 3,500 years.
As an Indian-American, I am forever bound to the hyphen.
For help with your medical school, residency or secondary essays contact me: www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com .
Tags: September 2008
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
