If You Want My Help…

• It is easier for me to comment on Word (not pdf’s or Pages) files
• Always put your name in the filename!!
• It is easier for me to cut things than to add things (send something that is well over the character limit)
• Send your first draft!
• Don’t try to polish a turd…
• It is harder for me to offer advice during busy times of the year; I’m only available until January 1 and after February 5
• I am also willing to offer advice on secondary applications

What Are Your First Sentences?

• What is mortality?
• My file at Dr. D’s office is roughly the size of a telephone book.
• The most common response as to why someone wants to be a doctor is that they want to help people. I am no different.
• A little boy stood by my side, the hem of my skirt balled up in one of his hands. He hadn’t left my side in over an hour as I toured one of the many slums in Hyderabad, India.
• It was at that moment she looked me in the eyes and said, “You are as ugly as the devil you son of a bitch,” and proceeded to spit in my face.

Will the reader want to read further?

What are the important aspects of the PC?

• It must be personal
• It should have something to do with medicine
• It is being read by people familiar with medicine and science
• It must be under 5300 characters with spaces
• Good writing is important, but that will not make it interesting
• It will only be spectacular if you are a spectacular person who has done spectacular things

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You found this in a fortune cookie?

• Death is a part of life, whether it is heart attack, car accident, or old age. The timing might be different for all, but the same ending is inevitable.
• The road for medical students is a long and demanding one.
• It is the nature of medicine that there is always something new to learn- not just about science, but about humankind.
• Doctors need to start listening to their patients because the patient is the only person who knows if they feel sick or well. The process of healing should be more holistic because wellness is more than just the lack of disease. It is a state of being.
• There are many times in life when one crosses obstacles that must be overcome.
• A practicing M.D. is not only a physician but a human as well, who will be required to have personal contact during his/her professional career.

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Which Paragraph Is More Interesting and Why?

Huddled in a corner of the waiting room, I sat with a foggy and cluttered mind, contemplating what the outcomes could be. It was 2007 and I was a junior in high school and my grandfather, Bud, was in intensive care, fighting a losing battle with two severe competing issues: leukemia and coronary artery disease.

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I was told, as many others were, that I could become anything. I could explore the worlds beyond ours as an astronaut (my first aspiration), shield humanity from harm as an officer, protect those without protection as a lawyer, or save lives as a doctor.

How can you make the first paragraph shorter without losing its message?

You should be able to…

• Write a PC that is at least 7500 characters with spaces in under 1 hour
• Try to write about at least five experiences you have had and/or qualities that you possess
• This will mirror your interview goals
• Don’t worry about grammar or sentence structure

Be alert to the following

• My PC is personal
• It has few (if any) objective statements
• It is devoid of clichés
• I mention real places and real people
• It was not written by AI
• My PC has something to do with my motivation to be a physician
• But not every paragraph begins or ends with “…and that’s why I’ll be a great physician”
• But it isn’t about medicine
• My PC has a measure of reflection in it
• My claims are supported
• I use an active voice

Write down your best qualities

To be a doctor is to take on a lot of personal responsibility. It is not a career path I would pursue without careful introspection and sufficient confidence that I have the necessary personal characteristics of a great physician. Throughout my lifetime I have demonstrated patience, empathy, and a genuine interest in helping others. I am cultivating my skills as a leader, and am gaining the courage to take initiative, while retaining the ability to work well with others to accomplish tasks. In addition, I have shown that I can keep calm in stressful situations, and think clearly in an emergency. I am a tenacious and hardworking person. I always give my best and I do not give up easily. These traits are crucial for success in the medical field, and I do my best to let them guide my conduct every day.

How are you going to support these 12 (!) qualities?

(some are duplicates)

Write about your decision to pursue medicine

My parents have always been large influences in my life. My mom

is a dietician and has always encouraged me to make healthy life choices

when it comes to eating and exercising. Through her I have always had a keen

understanding and curiosity to know how our bodies work and function. Both

of my parents provided for the opportunity to enhance my scientific interest

with projects in 4H and playing on the academic team from elementary on

through high school. It was through my endeavors in entomology and playing

quick recall that I began to realize my strength in the biological sciences. My

interest in biology first led me to think about a career in bio-engineering. I

entertained this notion through the first half of high school. Math had come

easily to me, just as biology had, so I thought this was a perfect blending of

my strengths. Towards the end of my junior year of high school though, my

thoughts began to change.

935 Characters with spaces essentially wasted

Write down a pertinent quote from a famous person

Vince Lombardi once said, "A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.” I have practiced Lombardi's words in my life with a competitive drive, an aching for knowledge, a desire for leadership, and above all with a yearning to practice medicine.

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Write down a pertinent analogy

I stare at the starting line stretched out before me. Tension fills my body as I make sure my shoes are double knotted and my watch is set. Although I have raced many times, I still get a rush of nerves as I step to the line. Oddly I enjoy the painful sensations of a race because I have learned that running outside my comfort zone is well worth the elation of crossing the finish line. 

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In the final moments before a race, I always reflect on my recent training as a mental boost before I take off. As I prepare for the start of my career, I do the same. I see my experiences, both medical and non-medical, have solidified my desire to become a physician. I look forward to taking on the challenges, and I am ready to apply all that I have learned and experienced to reach the finish line and achieve this goal.

Introduce the hero in a story

There's an adage in storytelling, known to every college creative writing class, and yet invariably forgotten by politicians [or students writing personal statements]. Show, don't tell. If you want your character to look heroic, show him rescuing a child from a blaze or saving civilians under fire -- but whatever you do, do not let him announce to an audience: "I am a heroic character." If you are a politician, and you want to portray judgment and temperance, behave with dignity in debate -- and don't bother to tell us.

Some Mistakes to Avoid

• The historical journey approach
• Will I have enough space to relate my journey to medicine starting in childhood?
• The Wal-Mart of Applicants
• Will I have enough space to support and reflect on my many qualities?
• Quoting famous people
• It doesn’t matter what someone else said, what have you done?
• The father/mother fixation
• Isn’t this supposed to be about me?
• The forced analogy
• I cannot relate everything to sports!
• The hero announcement
• How can I prove that I am ready to become a physician (from a non-academic perspective?)

What should you write?

I had the opportunity to participate in a Summer Undergraduate Research opportunity under one of my professors at Centre.

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As my undergraduate years have passed and I have gained more research experience, I have realized that I am much better suited for medicine and the life of a doctor. While I enjoy research, it has taught me the importance of variety.

What will a scientist think if she/he reads this?

The Role of Faith

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I believe a physician should have good Christian values

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I was raised knowing that life begins at conception…When God has created a life, even in its earliest stages, disposing of that life becomes purely murder.

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Who could be reading this?

Learn to Cut

• Huddled in a corner of the waiting room, I sat with a foggy and cluttered mind, contemplating what the outcomes could be. It was 2007 and I was a junior in high school and my grandfather, Bud, was in intensive care, fighting a losing battle with two severe competing issues: leukemia and coronary artery disease. [314]
• I was huddled in a corner with a foggy mind, contemplating what the outcomes could be. I was 16 and my grandfather, Bud, was in intensive care, losing his battle with leukemia and coronary artery disease. [168]

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Activities Section of AMCAS

• A maximum of 15 experiences may be entered; however, you can enter up to four occurrences for each experience.�
• Enter only significant experiences; medical schools are interested in quality rather than quantity.�
• You may identify up to three experiences that you consider to be the most meaningful. If you have two or more entries, you will be required to identify at least one as the most meaningful. When you designate an activity as being most meaningful, you will be given an additional 1325 characters to explain why. When writing your response, you might want to consider the transformative nature of the experience, the impact you made while engaging in the activity, and the personal growth you experienced as a result of your participation.

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Your evaluators will write about you

• It is very important to establish positive relationships with your professors since they may be evaluators
• They may support things you write in your personal statement
• They may write about things that you don’t have room to put in your personal statement

I need to have an unbiased person (not friends or family) to read this, otherwise I could make serious errors!

I hope that perhaps one day I can start putting a big dent in the suffering of the unfortunate.

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I was never really interested in medicine until my parents gave me a book on human antimony.

What Should You Do with your PS?

• Re-write it every year or when something significant happens
• Get feedback from appropriate readers
• Provide a copy to your evaluators, even if it’s not the final copy
• Review it (and the rest of your application materials) prior to an interview