It’s time to get moving on your medical school or residency personal statement. (It’s actually late to start on your medical school essay; if you don’t already have a good draft, I’d recommend starting immediately.)
The goal of the personal statement is to distinguish yourself from everyone else and demonstrate your worthiness as a candidate. Here’s a piece I wrote for Student Doctor Network (I did not choose the title ;)) that will guide you.
Here’s a reminder that AMCAS 2016 opens on May 5, and you can submit your application starting June 2. Because of rolling admissions, submitting a complete application early in the cycle has distinct advantages at many schools.That doesn’t mean you should submit suboptimal written materials; it means you should start early enough that you are offering your best work.
Rolling admissions means that a school takes applications in the order in which they are received and makes decisions about interviews and then acceptances, accordingly. So, as times goes by, there are fewer interview and admissions offers remaining to be made.
If your application is not complete, your candidacy may not be evaluated early when there are more opportunities for interviews and admissions. So, if you have not already, get started immediately. It could make a huge difference in your available opportunities.
The Medscape Physician Lifestyle Report 2015 is out, and don’t be surprised if you find it a little discouraging. U.S. physicians suffer more burnout than other U.S. workers with 46% of American doctors reporting the problem. Critical care doctors are most affected at 53%, followed by emergency physicians at 52%. The report cites bureaucracy, administrative tasks, and long work hours, among other causes.
Check out this piece on emergency physician burnout to better understand why there is such a disconnect between medical student interest and physician satisfaction in the emergency medicine field.
So far this year, Insider clients have seen a lot of medical school acceptances. School include University of California – Irvine, Washington University, Drexel, University of Michigan, Northwestern, Louisiana State University, Tulane, University of Texas – Southwestern, Baylor, Temple University, Oakland University, and Hofstra-LIJ North Shore School of Medicine, to name a few. Click here to see a complete list of Insider client acceptances.
After disappointing admissions cycles, multiple medical school re-applicants hire me every year. Individual cases are complex, but keep the below five suggestions in mind as you approach the application season in order to avoid missteps:
1. Make sure you have robust clinical experiences. No one wants to hire a chef who’s never been in the kitchen.
2. Ensure you have the grades/MCAT and apply to schools that are appropriate to your academic level. Check out the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) to get an idea of what grades you’ll need. (Take a deep breath. It might be shocking.)
3. Get very strong letters of recommendation. Consider a mediocre letter a bad one in this competitive environment.
4. Craft a compelling personal statement that distinguishes you from everyone else.
5. Practice interviewing. Don’t get as far as the interview only to be rejected because you weren’t prepared.
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
