Writing a Medical School Essay: 4 Expert Tips to Effectively Handle the Task

Writing a Medical School Essay: 4 Expert Tips to Effectively Handle the Task

There are 2 reasons why a medical school personal statement needs to be prepared carefully.

The first reason lies in the fact that this is your chance to stand out among equals and stronger competitors. The best students from all over the country may submit their essays to the same medical school. Unfortunately, you cannot change your grades. Nevertheless, a brilliant medical school essay will help you to distinguish yourself.

The second reason – a good medical school statement is able to smooth out the shortcomings of certain components of your application. Perhaps, you have chosen a medical school with programs that do not coincide with your previous education, and you do not have specialized work experience, etc. A medical school essay will help to present this information correctly and shift the emphasis to your strengths.

The Tips for an Outstanding Medical School Essay

Think about your audience

It is a good idea to consider who will be reading your medical school application. Usually, medical school admissions committees consist of people who are members of college staff, students, or people involved in medicine. Your essay will be looked through and read by at least one member of the committee. Given that admission officers can read around 50 essays per day during peak weeks, you need to make sure your statement will capture the attention from the very beginning. Keep in mind that your essay should be an advertisement as well. You need to combine these two things in one piece of writing so that it could distinguish you from the rest of the applicants.

Define the structure of your medical school essay

Another important thing to consider is the structure of your essay. One should never underestimate the importance of the structure because it is a part of your essay as well. Remember to include an introduction and conclusion. Think over and outline which information will be included in each section.

It is always better to go with classics, so you can use a simple 5-point essay format. It consists of:

1. Introduction.

2. The paragraphs. You can use 3-4 paragraphs to reveal who you are, explain why you want to be a medical student, and tell about your experience and qualifications.

3. Conclusion.

What to write?

How and what to tell about ourselves in a statement letter baffles many applicants: people do not often write their own biographies. It can even cause anxiety. This article explains how to deal with application anxiety quickly and effectively.

The task of writing a medical school essay can be made a lot easier if you start writing it following the next steps:

1. Determine which specific qualities are required for a student of the medical school you have chosen and whether you possess some of these qualities. Write about them and provide examples from school, work, and life. Do not just tell, but prove that you really have such qualities.

2. Think about the virtues that you have and how they can help you in the profession you have chosen. Describe how the traits of your character can make you a good medical student.

3. If you have experience in volunteering or you participated in events that may be relevant to your study or help you to describe your best qualities, then do not hesitate to write about them shortly.

4. Write about knowledge which is required for a successful career or the knowledge you want to obtain while studying in medical school.

5. Do not brag or belittle yourself. Try to be as objective as you possibly can, state facts, rely on the opinions of other people, and, if possible, quote some of them.

6. It would not hurt to visit the website of the medical school you are applying to. In most cases, the school openly advises what qualities students should have and what criteria they need to meet.

Double-check and edit motivation letter

When it comes to medical school essays, you need to state thoughts as clear as possible. One of the ways to achieve it is to write short sentences (but not too short). Avoid being too familiar or too formal. Make your medical school statement easy to understand. Do not repeat yourself and not to write what has already been written. Provide only useful and interesting information.

Some people put catchy quotes at the beginning of their essays; in others, there are jokes. Some essays have an unusual structure. Sometimes this works, but in some cases, it may have the opposite outcome. The people who will read your essay may not understand your jokes. Hence, do not overdo yourself, you try to make your statement look too distinctive.

It is highly essential to check your essay thoroughly. An essay compiled with errors makes a bad impression of an applicant and kick you off the competition.

You cannot rely entirely on the Spell Check function on a computer. Print the letter and read it carefully several times. Try to detect errors or typos you haven’t noticed earlier.

It can be useful to let your friends or relatives read your medical school statement. Make sure the content of your essay is clear to readers. If you don’t have any time for writing your medical school paper, don’t hesitate to address essay writing service with experts whom you can hire online for your academic needs.

And the most important advice: be yourself. Try to highlight your uniqueness. Maybe the admission committee was waiting for someone exactly like you.