For those of you getting butterflies in your stomach just thinking about the medical school personal statement that you’re going to have to write soon, here is a recent article I wrote on the Varsity Tutors blog.
Blog Archives
Showcasing your Accomplishments without Creating a Resume in Prose
Recently, an applicant asked me how to write a personal statement that distinguished him without regurgitating his resume.
Although highlighting your achievements is critical to make you stand out as a distinctive applicant, you can avoid simply repeating your curriculum vitae by giving a sense of your motivation, dedication, and personality with your choice of words and details. You can also express yourself through the weight you place on your varied accomplishments.
Writing a persuasive – yet personal and nuanced – essay is not easy. It takes a lot of work and multiple drafts and edits. Contact me for expert help.
Medical School Application Calendar
Don’t forget that May 1 is the first day AMCAS 2012 is available on the AAMC website and that June 1 is the earliest date for submission of the AMCAS.
Submitting a strong application early is important for your candidacy, particularly with rolling-admissions schools. Your personal statement should be closing in on its final form now. For those of you who don’t know where to start with your essay, consider my new Writer’s Block Package.
Optimizing your Medical School Application: AMCAS
The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS®) is a centralized application processing program for medical school candidates. AMCAS’ application has multiple sections, including demographics, academic record, experience and personal statement. The experience, or activities, section is where applicants describe their accomplishments – research, clinical, volunteer, teaching, paid work. The AMCAS experience section allows the applicant to demonstrate his or her distinctiveness as a candidate. Read more ›
Medical School Admissions
Medical school admissions are becoming increasingly competitive, in part, because of the failing U.S. economy. Bright applicants who used to target business school or law degrees are finding those fields unstable and are turning their interest toward medicine. Consequently, stronger candidates are now pursuing a medical career, making professional medical school admissions consulting increasingly important in optimizing medical school applications.
Medical school admissions consulting companies come in a variety of forms. Some are larger companies that focus on admissions to several types of graduate programs – not just medicine. Others are smaller companies that provide a medical focus, but have a pool of consultants of varying quality. Finally, elite companies offer both the medical focus and a highly experienced consultant who works one-on-one with clients. These professionals are ex-admissions officers from respected medical institutions. They have the inside knowledge of how medical admissions work, providing personalized guidance to optimize candidates’ written materials and interview skills. Read more ›
Tags: Admission Essays, College Application Service, Medical Admissions, Medical Career, Medical College Application Service, Medical Focus, Medical Institutions, Medical School Admission, Medical School Admission Essay, Medical School Admissions, Medical School Applicants, Medical School Application, Medical School Applications, Medical School Personal Statement, Secondary Essay, Secondary Essays
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:
Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:
Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast:
