This article in the New York Times does an excellent job of showcasing the popularity of DO programs, the rigor of their admissions process (as well as that of allopathic schools), and the imminent slow merging of the two professions. (If nothing else, it’s worth looking at the article for the links to hard statistics it provides.) Along these lines, please take a look at my blog regarding the recent announcement from the American Osteopathic Association, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education about the consolidation of the graduate medical education system.
DO + MD = Love
Urgent, Urgent, Emergency
Every September a swarm of panicked residency applicants contacts me asking for urgent editing help. Don’t be one of those candidates approaching your future career goals in a frenzy.
Get started now on your ERAS® personal statement and experiences section. MyERAS® opened on July 1 for candidates to start working on their applications, and residency tokens are already available for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates® (ECFMG).
Even if you have a super-fast editor like me on your side, you should expect that you will revise your materials multiple times and that each of your drafts will take you many days or weeks to craft.
For those of you who don’t think the quality of your personal statement matters, take a look at the (bizarrely) high percentage of residency directors who site the personal statement as a factor in selecting whom to interview in the most recent NRMP Program Director Survey.
Here is a list of the residency application services I provide and here is my comprehensive package.
Finally, for fun, take a look at my under-one-minute Guru on the Go® stop-motion, animation video “Honors Won’t Make It Write” about the import of the residency personal statement.
Too Busy To Care
Here’s an interesting article by Sandeep Jauhar, MD, who was an American Association for the Advancement of Science Mass Media Fellow with me in 1995.
Secondary Essays: Why Our School?
I receive a lot of questions from medical school applicants regarding the “why our school” secondary essay prompt. Although it’s work, the goal is to research each institution and then link your qualities and interests with the school’s.
Be very specific. Look into what makes the institution distinctive, including electives, curriculum, awards, international opportunities, and research.
The mistake I see is that candidates tend to use generalities, a tactic which doesn’t afford the admissions committee members a sense that the applicant is really interested in their institution.
If your interests and accomplishments are linked to the underserved, for example, look into the school’s commitment to that community (a free clinic at which students volunteer, a medical student program to teach sex ed in a struggling high school). Then, in your essay, specifically review your achievements and the school’s associated opportunities.
Gap Year
I’d recommend purusing this brief piece by Varsity Tutors’ Dr. Anubodh “Sunny” Varshney regarding the benefits and drawbacks of taking a gap year before medical school. I should note that Dr. Varshney does not mention a gap year’s financial drawbacks, which can be significant.
I took an extra year (although it was during medical school, part of HMS’s 5-year plan) that grounded me and made me a more competitive emergency medicine applicant. If feasible, it’s a great opportunity.
Tags: Gap year, Medical School, Varisity Tutor
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
Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on The Visible Voices podcast:
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