Last week I showcased a personal statement mistake to avoid. Here’s another common one simplified in a stop-motion Guru on the Go© video. This advice applies to residency applicants as well.
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DNR
Recently, I was socializing with an old friend who reviews residency applications for his academic program. We were discussing personal statement errors (don’t worry – we chatted about nonprofessional topics too), and he told me that he and his colleagues have a term for candidacies that are represented by bad written materials: DNR, or Do Not Rank.
Make sure your candidacy is not hamstrung by bad writing. Avoid common personal statement errors that can bomb your application. Good writing takes a lot of time, so make sure to start early. AMCAS is opening on May 1, so medical school applicants should be completing their essays and experience descriptors. Residency applicants should be starting an outline for their personal statements and a draft of their experiences.
Make It Pop: Your Residency or Medical School Personal Statement
As I’ve written many times, the personal statement should be substantive and crafted in a persuasive essay format. Yet, the introduction is a place where you can let your hair down (to a point) and write in a narrative fashion.
It helps to start your essay with a “clincher,” something that will convince the reader your statement is worth reading:
I found this short piece in an old Stanford Magazine to be worth a read. The author compiled a list of first lines from the application essays of Stanford’s newest college class at the time.
Some of my favorites:
Unlike many mathematicians, I live in an irrational world; I feel that my life is defined by a certain amount of irrationalities that bloom too frequently, such as my brief foray in front of 400 people without my pants.
When I was 8 years old, I shocked my family and a local archaeologist by discovering artifacts dating back almost 3,500 years.
As an Indian-American, I am forever bound to the hyphen.
Medical School and Residency Personal Statements
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.
Medical School and Residency Personal Statement Start Time Has Arrived
Now that we’re seeing the end of March, it’s time to get started on your medical school and residency personal statements. Do not be one of those applicants who is panicking because s/he did not plan enough time to craft an outstanding essay.
If you think your earnest desire to be a doctor is enough to get you into medical school or your great medical school evaluations will vault you into residency, take a look at these Guru on the Go® videos :).
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
