The Medical School Personal Statement

The medical school personal statement can strike fear into the heart of the medical school applicant. 

However, it does not have to be that way! Think of this as your chance to set yourself apart from other medical students. There are 5 main rules to writing your medical school essay that you'll find below. With at little bit of work, your personal statement for medical school can tell the medical school admissions committee who you are and why they should want you.

You may also be wondering, "How important is the medical school personal statement in my application?"

Find the answer in my eBook! The answer might surprise you!

Remember that there are many factors that medical schools are looking for in choosing an applicant. You need to understand all the things that schools are looking for to make your dream of becoming a doctor a reality. In my time on the UCLA medical school admissions committee, I learned exactly what it takes to get into medical school.

Click here to learn what it takes (in addition to a great medical school essay) to get accepted to medical school.

Now, back to explaining what it takes to write a great personal statement for medical school.

Here is what a lot of medical school essays look like:

I want to be a doctor because I want to help people.

I did research. I did community service. I worked at a hospital.

My dad was a doctor and that's what made me want to be a doctor.

I will be good in medical school.

The end.

This is an exaggeration, but many medical school admission essays look the same.

Below are some rules to follow to make your medical school admission essay stand out.

If after going through these rules you find that you would like some more medical school essay help, you can put me, a former UCLA admissions committee member and writing tutor, on your side! Low rates for personal statement editing! Click here to find out more.

Here are some of the main rules you want to follow when writing a medical school essay and really any personal writing. You'll find the rest in my eBook!:

Photo courtesy of Rennett Stowe

• Rule #1: Show, Don't Tell

  • A common theme in the medical school personal statement is "I want to be a doctor because I want to help people." This is probably true, but the problem is this: anyone can say that, and most applicants do say that. You need to show me why that's true. What experience did you have that made you want to help people? Likewise, don't just say that you've done research or community service. Tell a story only you can tell about it and what it taught you that will make you a good doctor.
  • Here's part of a sample medical school essay  that shows that you want to help people:
    • I could smell the rotting garbage in the streets. I was far from home in my third week in Guatemala as part of a medical mission. The people were so poor, but so grateful. I was working with Pedro, bandaging a cut on his hand after an accident sharpening his machete. He looked up at me and said "Gracias, amigo." Those simple words lifted my spirits. My work here was making a difference, small as it might be. I want to continue to make that difference and feel the joy of helping others through a career in medicine.
    • What's good about this: It shows that you want to help people by your experience and it's an experience that only you had. Individuality is the key to the medical school personal statement.
  • Learn more about why this is important throughout your application process on my admissions page and in my eBook!

 

• Rule #2: It's story time

  • This goes along with show don't tell, but your medical school personal statement should be a collection of your experiences and what they taught you. Those experiences should have taught you things that will make you a good doctor. Remember to think from the perspective of the reader. The reader wants to know who you are and that you have developed certain character traits through your experiences. These should include things like service, compassion, integrity, dedication, diligence, tenacity, leadership, etc.
  • Everyone will be trying to show that they have those qualities, but you will have the advantage because you will show the reader by your experiences that you have those qualities. That's the key to a great medical school personal statement.
  • Most of the applicants will have those qualities. Your job is to show how you got them or how you use them.
  • Tell a story, then tell what it taught you. How will that lesson make you a good doctor? This is what will make your personal statement for medical school stand out.
  • Learn more about why this is important throughout your application process on my admissions page and in my eBook!

 

• Rule #3: Make it entertaining. If you're not having fun writing it, they're not having fun reading it!

  • Remember that the people reading these have read many, many medical school personal statements. If you are telling stories that are meaningful to you, that will come across and make it an entertaining read for the person reviewing your application.
  • If you're not having fun writing it, they're not having fun reading it. I'm repeating this because it's so important. Remember this as your write all of your essays, including the medical school personal statement, your descriptions of activities, and your secondary application essays. Use humor if that is one of your talents. If someone laughs while reading your essay, that's a good thing. It may be the first laugh the person reading all these medical school essays has had in a while.
  • Learn more about why this is important throughout your application process, including your AMCAS and interviews on my admissions page and in my eBook!

 

• Rule #4: Find it in my eBook!

  • Not following this rule could get you into sticky situations and could even cost you acceptance to medical school!

 

 

• Rule #5: Have other people read your medical school personal statement

  • At the end of the day, writing is about how other people respond to what you have written. Have someone look through your medical school essay.
  • The ideal person to review your medical school essay will be someone who is a good writer and who will give you honest feedback about your personal statement for medical school. Don't just choose people who will say your essay is great even if it's not. Your mom probably falls under this category. Your boyfriend or girlfriend probably does too.
  • In my opinion, the best person to review your statement is someone who has been on a medical school admissions committee. I do editing work, and the company I recommend for this is MedSchoolCoach. Also, click here for current discounts from MedSchoolCoach. The idea here is to turn your personal statement for medical school from something good to something that will jump off the page for the admissions committee and make them want you!
  • For more information on whom to choose to look at your essay and when you do and don't need professional editing, check out my eBook.

    

• The Basic Outline

  • Your medical school personal statement should look something like this:
  • Introduction
    • Hook: Something that immediately grabs the reader's attention. From the sample medical school essay above, the first sentence was "I could smell the rotting garbage in the streets." That's something interesting that makes the reader want to keep reading.
    • Story time: Tell your first story.
    • What it taught you: What character trait/quality does this experience demonstrate or what did the experience teach you? In our example this part read as follows: "My work here was making a difference, small as it might be. I want to continue to make that difference and feel the joy of helping others through a career in medicine."
  • Body Paragraphs
    • Same as introduction
    • You only want the medical school personal statement to be about one page. So, don't get carried away.
    • Here's part of a sample medical school essay from my personal statement:
      • Not only have I had the chance to be a mentor, I have had the chance to be mentored by inspiring physicians. I sat in the small whitewashed room with Dr. Petrie at the red cross building in El Fuerte, Mexico, waiting for our next patient. Dr. Petrie had flown us from Fullterton, CA to Mexico at his own expense in his 4-seater yellow Bonanza aircraft.  A man in cowboy boots and hat came into the small whitewashed room with his family, rolled up his plaid sleeve and showed us a large growth on his right bicep.  Dr. Petrie asked a few questions about it and whether he wanted it removed.  When the man said yes, Dr. Petrie replied with a smile, "So you don't want to look like a strong man anymore?"  There was a sense of relief in the laughter of the man and his family.  They knew that the person who would perform the surgery cared not just about the growth but about the man.
    • Transitions. Learn about how to make your essay flow smoothly in my eBook!
  • Conclusion
    • Summary of your qualities learned/demonstrated by your experiences. You want the reader to finish reading your personal statement for medical school with an understanding of how these experiences will make you a great doctor.  
    • Power statement: The last sentence/few sentences should give the reader something to remember. Here are the last sentences from my medical school essay, which you can use as a sample medical school essay:
      • ...They knew that the person who would perform the surgery cared not just about the growth but about the man. I want to be that kind of doctor. The kind who shows he cares with a smile. The kind that takes the time not only to prescribe, but to educate. The kind dedicated to healing and helping. That's who I want to be.
  • Outlining your essay
    • As I've been editing medical school personal statements, I've come to realize that outlining your essay can make a big difference. Making an outline can help you focus on what you want the admissions committee to remember about you. It also helps you stay organized. Learn how to do this effectively in my eBook!

Remember:

The personal statement is only a small part of what gets you accepted to medical school. Check out my admissions page and eBook to learn exactly what it takes to get in!

 

• A Few Other Key Points

  • Use names. Using names makes the personal statement for medical school more, well, personal.
  • Create an "MO." As a person reads your essay, that person should understand who you are. Learn about this important strategy in my eBook! Following this strategy will help the committee remember you.
  • Be active and specific in your language.  As explained about, you want to be telling stories. Make them interesting. Write in first person. Talk about how those experiences affected you. It can be tricky to do this, especially if you're used to writing scientific or other "academic" papers. If you're ont comfortable writing this way, check out my editing services. 
  • Don't be afraid to make it short. The medical school essay should only be about one page long. In fact, AMCAS limits your medical school personal statement to 5300 characters (about one page). This strategy will help you on your AMCAS application as well. You'll learn more about the importance of your AMCAS descriptions in my eBook. They are more important than you think! One of my best AMCAS activities was "Husband and Father" and the description was "the best, hardest, most rewarding thing I do." Memorable and unique. That's what you're going for in AMCAS and the medical school personal statement.
  • Block left. This means do not indent your paragraphs. It's easier for the eye to read this way and it looks better.

 

• Using professional editing services

  There are many medical school personal statement editing services available online and in various other places. Learn about free and low cost editing options in my eBook!

  However, there are cases when professional editing services would be a good idea. You can learn about these in my eBook and on my editing page. In these cases, your best bet is to work with someone who has experience with the medical school personal statement from the other side of the admissions table. I offer editing services available here. As I said above, the company I recommend for medical school essay help is MedSchoolCoach. 

  The reason I like this company is because they are all doctors who have had experience on a medical school admissions committee. That means they know exactly what it is that schools are looking for. They also have an excellent success rate and have helped students get into top tier schools like Harvard medical school.

  I also like them because their prices are very reasonable, even compared to other companies with less specialized experience. They offer personal statement editing along with many other options to help you achieve your goal of becoming a doctor. Remember, the personal statement for medical school is only part of the equation. MedSchoolCoach offers complete packages (which include medical school essay help) for a great price. Their success rate is 100% with their gold package. That means everyone who signed up for that became a doctor!  Also, click here for current discounts from MedSchoolCoach. You can also specifically request my services when you sign up. Medical school personal statements are one of my specialties and I'd be happy to work with you to create something great!

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