How to Write a Good Personal Statement for Medical School
If you want the chance to be invited to an interview for the medical school of your choice, your essay and personal statement must be special enough to catch the attention of the members of the admittance committee.
These people are looking for the following attributes:
- Proof of your intellectual abilities
- Indication of your ability to succeed in school
- Potential of becoming a good doctor
- Analytical skills
- Affinity for critical thinking
To be considered good, your personal statement must include answers to the following questions:
- Can you provide any evidence that proves you will be a good doctor?
Your task is to persuade the people on the board that your interest in becoming a medical specialist is serious and can bear fruit. The result should indicate that you did some work to understand what medical practice entails, for example, volunteering in a clinic, research, community service, etc.
- Why do you want to become a doctor?
This question is simple, but it must be included in your personal statement. This answer should persuade the members of the panel that you are worthy of a place in their school. Some of the reasons you list may be the same as of other students’, but this doesn’t make them less important. This part of your statement will appeal to emotions, so you should include stories of personal experiences that affected your choice. It’s also imperative to say how these experiences affected you, and lead to an understanding that your future lies in medicine.
- What are your goals?
You need to tell the board of your long-term goals. This will allow them to see that you are indeed serious about becoming a doctor. This information will prove that you gave the matter a lot of thought.
Things to keep in mind when writing a personal statement:
- Personal statements don’t require a theme.
Many students mistakenly believe that building their statement around some specific theme will earn them some points. In reality, autobiographical statements get as much credit as themed ones. It’s the quality of the work and dedication of the student that matter in this case.
- Personal statements don’t have to be long.
If your experiences and thoughts can fill only one page, don’t try to drag the story out to make it longer. Personal statements must be interesting, and if you can make it so, word count won’t matter.
Remember that this paper should be focused on introspection and self-analysis. You shouldn’t try to boast about your achievements. Instead, focus on telling the board what you learned from those experiences and how you can use them in your chosen profession.