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Brevity is the Soul of Wit -William Shakespeare

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I’ve been editing a lot of medical school, residency, and fellowship essays over the last few months, and I want to give a shout out to the importance of brevity. I focus on a word count of 750 or fewer for my advisees for a few reasons: 

First, I’ve found that that number is just the right balance of content and streamlining: Over 750 words for an admissions essay lends itself to meandering writing.

Second, your reader is likely stuck reviewing tens or even scores of applications in a short period of time. S/he is looking to spend as little time as possible on your written materials, while still getting a good flavor for your candidacy. Don’t burden your reader with verbiage.

Having trouble being brief? Here’s a helpful trick: Imagine AMCAS or ERAS is charging you $10 per word. How would you keep costs down?

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Urgent, Urgent, Urgent, Emergency?

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The AMCAS open-for-submission date came and went, and the question I’m getting now is: Should I panic if I haven’t yet submitted my AMCAS?

The answer is no – and depending on where you are in the process – yes. Submitting on Day 1 precisely is not worth losing your mind over, so if you didn’t do so, please don’t kick yourself. On the other hand, submitting very soon is to your advantage because of rolling admissions.

So, if you are wrapping up your work and have your written materials in a superior state, just keep moving and get your application submitted promptly. If you are behind the eight ball and don’t feel that you can craft outstanding written materials speedily, consider waiting a year to apply. Every season I encounter re-applicants who, during the previous application cycle, submitted their AMCASes in August or September…thus making them re-applicants :(. 

So… on your mark. Get set. Go!

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AMCAS Tips (and Particulars): How to Best Draft Your Work/Activity Experience Description Section

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I’ve had a few clients recently who were confused about the AMCAS Work/Activity Experience Description character limits and how the Most Meaningful Experiences fit in.

Please remember that AMCAS Experience Descriptions can have up to 700 characters (not words!), while the Most Meaningful Experiences max out at 1325 characters. (Note, then, that the Most Meaningful Experiences are separate from the Experience Descriptions.)

Here’s a short blog with AMCAS Work/Activity Experience Description writing tips and another with Most Meaningful Experiences guidance. Good luck!

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Fee Assistance Program

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As the 2019-20 medical school application process ramps up, I want to remind candidates about the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Fee Assistance Program (FAP) and Insider Medical Admissions’ available discount for those with a current FAP. The FAP is designed to offer help to individuals with financial limitations who cannot pay the MCAT registration or AMCAS application fees without financial support. 

If you think you are eligible, it’s worth applying for an FAP grant early: If an applicant submits his/her AMCAS prior to receiving a decision on his/her FAP application, that candidate will be ineligible to receive the FAP for the AMCAS. In other words, the candidate will not receive a refund.

For more information on the FAP, please click here. I offer reduced rates for applicants demonstrating financial hardship through a current AAMC FAP grant. After researching the issue, I believe Insider is the only medical consulting company who currently supports a discount for FAP grant recipients. (I apologize if I’m missing a company.) Once you have been granted the FAP and thus, can prove receipt, please feel free to contact me for more information.

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Can a Medical School See the Names of the Other Medical Schools You Apply to?

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Medical school applicants sometimes worry about adversely affecting their chances of admission because they might “offend” one school by applying to others. Good news: Schools will not know which other institutions or how many other institutions you applied to through AMCAS.

However, later in the season, medical schools at which you are accepted will be able to see at which other schools you are holding acceptances. But, of course, at that point, it’s too late for that information to harm you.

So, rest assured, applying broadly will not adversely affect your chances at an individual school.

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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

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