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Your Residency or Medical School Application: Maybe Leadership is Overrated

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As an Assistant Residency Director at Harvard, I often heard my colleagues ask, “Will she be a leader?” or “Can we count on him to show leadership qualities?” when we discussed applicants.

But maybe being a leader or even an extrovert is not what we should be seeking in all applicants. Poor leaders can bully, be arrogant, and may ignore excellent advice. In academics, I saw many leaders who were not role models in their behavior or scruples.

Here’s an interesting New York Times piece about the need for introverts and even followers in college admissions. I found the story about the young woman who tried to overhaul her personality and activities to fit the admissions mold to be particularly telling.
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AMCAS tips

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On June 7, you can submit your AMCAS. In preparation for that rapidly upcoming date, here are a few quick tips for writing your AMCAS activities:

1. Use full sentences. It’s a formal application, and you want to make your written materials as readable as possible.
2. Avoid abbreviations. Again, you want to be formal, and abbreviations you think are common might not be familiar to the reader.
3. Make sure you spell out your accomplishments clearly. If your reader doesn’t understand an activity, you will not get “full credit” for what you’ve done.
4. Choose “most meaningful” activities that show a breadth of experience, e.g. one that is related to research, another that is clinical, and a final that is volunteer.
5. Write about yourself and your role – not an organization. For example, don’t use the space to discuss Habitat for Humanity. Use it to discuss the specifics of your role at Habitat for Humanity.
6. Use numbers to be persuasive. Saying that the conference you organized had 300 participants says it all.
7. Get help. Do not submit your application without having it reviewed. Don’t submit suboptimal materials for a process that is this important and competitive.

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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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