how many words is the amcas personal statement

• Medical School Application

AMCAS Personal Statement: Tips From Real MDs

Featured Expert: Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

Your AMCAS personal statement is one of the most important components of your AMCAS application . This is your best chance to share information about yourself with the admissions committee that they might not learn from reading the other sections of your application. But your AMCAS personal statement won’t write itself, and synthesizing all your ideas, experience, and background into about 5,300 characters is no easy feat. Consider the following AMCAS personal statement example along with expert advice from real MDs who’ve graduated from some of the best medical schools in the US and Canada to get a good idea of what's expected.

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Article Contents 13 min read

Amcas personal statement: what to write – advice from experts.

 On how to stand out in your AMCAS personal statement:

“The personal statement is an opportunity for you to shine and really impress the committee to invite you for an interview. In order to stand out, it is important to answer the main questions well: a bit about yourself and what led you to medicine, why you would make an ideal medical student and future physician, what attracts you to this particular institution, and what sets you apart from the other candidates.” - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine

“what i did was start with a story. like any good novel, the stories first lines are meant to hook the reader. this can be about anything if you can bring it back and relate it to your application... it is important that the story be real... while in my opinion it is ok to slightly embellish some details of story to make it more interesting, straight lying or overly unrealistic situations should be avoided.” - dr. jamie cazes, md, university of toronto temerty faculty of medicine, “i focused on my journey to medicine and opportunities that i sought out along the way. everyone’s path and validation is unique, so walking the reader through your growth to the point of application will naturally be different.” - dr. monica taneja, md, university of maryland school of medicine, tip #1: the essay is a story, not a resume.

Your AMCAS personal statement should NOT be a recitation of your medical student CV. Your CV is just data: it does not tell the story of why you want to become a doctor, or why you are particularly suited to medicine. As Dr. Jaime Cazes pointed out, you want to think of yourself as a character in a story, and you don’t want to give a “cookie-cutter” answer that almost every other person has written.

You don’t only want to think of yourself as a character in your story, but you also have to consider your audience. One of our students, Alison Edwards, who is now a student at the Dell Medical School , one of the newest medical schools in Texas , remembered that when she was brainstorming for what to write for her personal statement she thought about “what is the theme, basically, going to be of my application.”

Ashley thought of a theme because she wanted to “create an element of consistency”, which “makes it easy for the reader to be able to work their way through.” Because, as Ashely says, if there’s one thing to remember when brainstorming what you’re going to write about for your AMCAS personal statement it’s “thinking about who was going to read this application.” Understanding that there are human eyes that are going to read your AMCAS personal statement and a hundred other AMCAS personal statements should be a guiding factor, as the “more digestible that you can make it for them, it kind of gives you a little win.”

Tip #2: How to Write Without a Prompt

It’s always easier to write an essay if someone assigns you the topic. For instance, maybe you had to research diversity and inclusion in medical education at some point and think you know the “secret” to writing an excellent diversity secondary essay . But what do you do when there is no prompt – or the topic is you? Where do you start? How do you choose? What do medical schools want to hear? How do you come across as unique when the purpose of the essay is so generic?

The fact is, there is no one like you, and if you are applying to medical school, chances are you’re already pretty fantastic. All you need to do is reach back into your experiences and identify a moment that really defined your view of medicine and your potential place in the profession.

Or as our expert, Dr. Neel Mistry says,

“The key here is answering ‘why this school?’ and ‘what sets you apart’. Most candidates simply highlight what they have done, but do not reflect on it or mention how what they have done has prepared them for a future medical career. The personal statement is your chance to be reflective and go beyond what is stated on your CV and sketch. In addition to this, remember to use specific personal examples throughout your statement to make it more impactful and memorable for the readers. Often, painting a picture in the reader’s mind in the form of a story helps with this.”

“i have been working with matthew triolo on my amcas application over the last few weeks. he has provided me with insightful feedback to my essays and has made the application process significantly less stressful. he has provided feedback in a timely manner and helped me to create a strong application.” - anonymous, bemo student.

While American medical schools usually have rolling admissions process, applicants who make it into the pool early have a better chance at both interviewing and acceptance. When the AMCAS application service opens in May, your brain will be overloaded with lists upon lists of requirements and data to collect, such as medical school recommendation letters , verifiers, contact information, and transcripts. 

So, get to work soon on your essay draft and have it ready for upload when application season opens. You should allow yourself about eight weeks to reflect on and write your AMCAS personal statement. It’s not a task that should be rushed, and you’ll be glad you took the time to prepare it properly, to effectively convey why you want to go into medicine.

Tip #4: Address Setbacks; Don’t Dwell on Them

Basically, your essay is meant to be an authentic expression of you as a person – and as the saying goes, bad things happen to good people. One student might lose their parents in their second year of university. Another might get injured in varsity sports. Still others might see their grades fall drastically after they migrate during high school to escape war and famine.

If you experienced any event that negatively impacted your GPA, AMCAS expects you to mention it before it is raised as a red flag or becomes one of the 5 mistakes to avoid while writing your medical school personal statement.

“Portraying yourself in a negative manner can be tricky. It is important to stick to what is asked but also be diplomatic in your response (i.e., be careful with the example you choose). For instance, you could highlight a situation in which you were working on a group project, but the stress and pressure of the deadline affected your behavior and communication with the members. It is not only important to highlight the situation in detail but to also reflect on your actions. Drawing upon lessons from this experience and how you used what you learned to make changes the next time around is key to demonstrating a growth mindset.” - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, on how to address negative qualities.

And this may seem like a huge challenge. You want admissions committees to know that you are strong, capable, and resilient. You want them to consider all that you have come through when they note that your GPA is less than 3.8. But you don’t want them to take pity on you or think you’re asking for favors.

Do you need inspiration for your AMCAS personal statement? Check out this video with examples:

Tip #5: Remember that Writing Is a Craft

Knowing how to write a compelling introduction and opening sentence for a medical school personal statement is a skill that can be learned. It’s really as simple as that. Become a good – even great – writer in the process of applying to medical school, and you can rest easy that you’ve given this particular part of your application your best shot.

“I found it helpful to give schools a ‘punch-line’ as in I wanted them to remember 1-2 things about me that are my differentiators and I reiterated those throughout.” - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine, on a writing technique that helped her stand out in her AMCAS personal statement.

Getting behind the idea of creative writing may not appeal to science majors, but believe us, it’s a skill that will serve you in medicine in more ways than you can imagine. However, at this stage, right before applying, it may seem like just another chore to get out of the way. If that’s your mindset, you should change it – because your AMCAS personal statement is a real opportunity to reflect on and distill your passion for medicine. Whatever else we say or advice we give, if you know how to answer the medical school personal statement and interview question: “Why do you want to become a doctor?” with clarity, conviction, and confidence, that’s half the task of applying to medical school.

Great resources on writer’s craft include Phillip Lopate’s “The Art of the Personal Essay” and “To Show and To Tell”, as well as Stephen King’s “On Writing”. For a fulfilling experience and a break from reading, listen to the latter on audiobook.

And why not take advantage of our free offer to acquire BeMo’s Ultimate Guide to Medical School Personal Statements & Secondary Essays? This 300-page guide with tips, strategies, and sample successful personal statements promises to “help you learn to write captivating essays, even if you are not a natural writer.”

Tip #6: Get Expert Feedback

“i met with dr. nagra to review my amcas experiences. it was an amazing session that helped me tailor what i wanted to express in this section of the application. i appreciated her to-the-point feedback and criticism for my paragraphs. many times, i am frustrated with reviewers who do not offer meaningful comments; however, dr. nagra found the holes in my paragraphs that i knew were lacking and gave me helpful ideas on how to patch them up. overall, the session was insightful and efficient, which is crucial for people using consulting services.” - anonymous, bemo student.

Get an expert second set of eyes to look at your AMCAS personal statement draft and provide you with objective feedback. That means your mom is probably not the best person to ask (even if she’s an accomplished writer) because your family and friends cannot remain objective and will be afraid of hurting your feelings.

“Dr. Trevor Blanchard consulted me for my first AMCAS personal statement (PS) brainstorming session. He patiently listened to everything I had to say and asked questions to help me reflect upon my experiences. Then, he assisted me in compiling together a story to paint for my PS. He also helped walk me through the process of writing a PS and the important components of it. I really appreciated all the advice and help he provided me with!” - Phong, BeMo student

The reality is that every great writer has an editor, and you will need one. Given the importance of the AMCAS personal statement, there’s really no reason not to consider medical school personal statement editing services to help you out. In addition, these editing services offer far more than simply proofreading and language enhancement. Because our specialists who edit medical school personal statements are admissions experts who are intimately familiar with the application procedure for medical schools, they can also advise you on content, structure, and what schools look for in your AMCAS personal statement. There’s no question that a medical school application tutor is worth it to radically improve your personal statement and other components that can highly influence your admission chances.

“Reza helped me with some ideas for my opening essay in the AMCAS application. It was nice to hear what types of things they are looking for and the types of stories that could be useful for applying. Having a third party listen to your ideas and getting feedback can be quite useful when you are stuck or just beginning.” - Chris Czarnecki, BeMo student

•  You must enter all information directly into the various sections of the AMCAS form.
• You cannot make any changes to your personal statement after submitting your application to the AMCAS program.
• You can’t run a spell check either, so proofread all your texts carefully before entering them into the forms.

The following are some reminders from AMCAS:

• Use US English characters; others may not be recognized.
• Use normal writing practices: avoid using all uppercase or all lowercase letters.
• Don’t repeat information added elsewhere on your application.
• Your personal statement will be sent to all the medical schools you apply to.
• Plagiarism or misrepresentations will result in an investigation.
• Remember: You are allotted 5,300 characters, or about one page, for your AMCAS personal statement. It’s not necessary to use every word you are allowed but do show that you have enough to say to fill a few paragraphs (about 1 page).

AMCAS Personal Statement Example #1

916 words (5,181 of the maximum 5,300 characters with spaces)

My mother grew up as one of 14 children in a very poor home in rural Ontario, where both parents, while loving and warm, suffered from alcoholism. She and her siblings experienced significant childhood adversity, the legacy of which still looms large. Later, as the matriarch of her own family, she ran a small business, supported my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and provided stability for all of us. She modelled, and I internalized, compassion for my loved ones as they lived through uncertainty, conflict, illness, and loss.

You might wonder why I tell my mother’s story, rather than my own. I could say that my mother inspired me to go into medicine and leave it at that. However, to call it inspiration would be a discredit to the profound influence my mother has had on my life and the lives of everyone around us.

They say, “it takes a village,” but my family basically made up half the village where I lived. I’m exaggerating, but it’s almost true. In such an isolated place, the few families that existed formed a close, interdependent community. When someone fell ill, it was often the family who stepped in, since the nearest clinic was 40 minutes away.

That is not to say we were completely helpless. We had a doctor who actually did house calls for many years. It wasn’t always the same doctor, but the service was set up to come to us. These doctors in my family’s story buffered the effects of poverty and social exclusion. For example, when my uncle Elvin was dying of liver cancer, our family doctor regularly stopped by our house to manage his palliative care, even as he continued to drink alcohol. I still recall how the doctor treated him with such humanity and with full recognition of his life arc.

You will have noticed that I said, “our house,” which is where my mother comes in again. Indeed, when her brother got sick, there was no question of where he would stay or who would look after him. He was not alone; my mother was already looking after her ailing father and several young children. Moreover, before my uncle Elvin arrived, she had offered our neighbor’s son, who was studying to be a nurse, a job. She didn’t stop there. Those of us siblings who were old enough to take on greater responsibility were assigned new tasks: more cleaning, more cooking, more laundry.

With dozens of relatives who could potentially drop in at any moment, our home had never been empty or quiet, so at first, I didn’t notice the change. Gradually, however, the house was transformed. As my uncle’s condition and that of my grandfather grew more serious, we had more visiting physicians and twice the number of nurses. Someone was always knocking into someone else with a basket of laundry, and everything smelled like disinfectant.

This state of affairs eventually prompted the oncologist to suggest a more private arrangement for our two patients, but my mother had insisted that they would stay in their rooms, on the first floor, where they were comfortable and where no one was ever too far away. There was something about the matter of fact approach my mother took to the reality of having sick people in her home that impressed me. In her mind, it felt perfectly normal, and even to be expected, that they would remain with us, as part of the family, until the end. And although I wasn’t given a choice about it – and maybe even because I was given no choice – my mother’s decision made perfect sense to me and even reassured me. As she argued for the security of her “patients,” she made us feel more secure ourselves as kids.

I won’t lie, there were many difficult moments after that, and we couldn’t have done it without the visiting health care team, but the year my mother ventured into hospice care changed the course of my life, as I am sure you have gathered by now. As I embarked on my undergrad in social sciences, I was certain I wanted to follow my mother’s example of community care, but all my extracurricular interests have centered around health care. I have volunteered in other nursing homes – not my own – and served as an intake worker at a local rehabilitation day center, registering clients for their medication. These and other similar positions have only confirmed my attraction to the field of medicine.

I’m seriously considering family medicine because I appreciate that patients’ social, economic, and biological narratives are critical to their primary care experiences. Family medicine is where the lives of patients are wholly expressed. However, I’m equally interested in oncology because I witnessed first-hand how these specialists work to improve treatment, alleviate suffering, prolong life, and enhance quality of life.

What I am certain of is that I want to be of direct, longitudinal service to my community through innovative and solutions-oriented work that helps people live well – in other words, I want to be just like my mother. At the core of my service vision is health equity, or the elimination of avoidable, unfair differences in health status experienced by different groups. My dedication to health equity is clearly reflected in my academic and work life, but it is rooted in the lived experiences of my family.

AMCAS stands for American Medical College Application Service. Most medical schools in the US use this centralized application service.

You have 5,300 characters, including spaces, to work with.

You would not discuss your MCAT score or academics in your personal statement, but if you have used an MCAT score calculator and found that you fall short or have had to retake the MCAT , you may want to address the issue in your personal statement to explain how your grades and/or other achievements offset your lower score and why you remain an excellent candidate for medical school.

We recommend giving yourself about 8 weeks to brainstorm, draft, polish, and revise. Don’t hesitate to get medical school application help if you are struggling with any aspect of admissions.

If you’re applying to medical schools in Texas, you will use TDMSAS , and if you are applying to medical schools in Canada, you might use OMSAS . Moreover, certain medical schools may have their own distinct application procedures, so be sure to research the specific medical school requirements for the schools to which you are applying. 

Yes, we recommend a standard academic essay structure with an eye-catching introduction, three body paragraphs, and compelling conclusion.

Writing skills are a big part of producing any application essay, but what you include and why are just as important. Admissions advisors can guide you with their advanced knowledge of medical school application processes.

No, your AMCAS personal statement will be sent to all the schools you apply to, so it should focus on you and your interest in pursuing medicine, not the specific schools that interest you.

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Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions.

Nadia mourtada

Thanks for providing us with some good ideas on how to write a good statement. That helped with my personal statement, however, I have a question: Do they really read our personal statement? Please let me. Thanks

BeMo Academic Consulting

Hello Nadia! Thanks for your comment. Yes, admissions committees do read your personal statements. After your grades and MCAT score meet the requirements, your personal statement is usually one of the most influential components of the application. It can really help you get the interview invite, so we strongly recommend spending time and effort on it!

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Everything You Need to Know About the AMCAS Personal Statement

April 3, 2019 12 mins Shreya Prabhakar

About Shreya

Shreya Prabhakar grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. A student at UNC-Chapel Hill, she is pursuing her undergraduate education in biology and economics with a minor in chemistry. In 10 years, she hopes to be a hospital administrator, working to make healthcare more accessible to the underserved.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the number of medical school applicants hit an all-time high of 52,777 in 2018. This number continues to grow each year as more and more students strive to break their way into the field of medicine. Simultaneously, the medical school acceptance rate has continued to hover around 18 percent . With these figures in mind, how can you stand out among the nation’s most brilliant aspiring physicians?

In a sea of impressive GPAs and MCAT scores, there is one weapon you can sharpen to leave a memorable mark on the admissions counselors — your personal statement. If you’re struggling to make it your one-hit wonder, keep reading for tips on how to get started and what NOT to do.

What is the Personal Statement?

Most of the country’s medical schools utilize the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Like CommonApp for college admissions, AMCAS serves as a one-stop shop for medical school applications. On its portal, you will submit primary applications to the schools of your choice with transcripts, letters of recommendation, MCAT scores, extracurricular activities, and a personal statement (officially called the “Personal Comments Essay”).

Among these five elements, the latter provides the most holistic view of who you are as a person and your journey as a pre-med. Crafting a persuasive statement is critical in order to show the depth of your experiences and goals, and convince admissions boards that you are an asset in which it is worthwhile to invest.

Essentially, the prompt you’ll be given for the personal comments essay is this: “Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school.” Though disguised in simple verbiage, it’s a deep and multi-faceted question, difficult to answer in 5,300 characters (including spaces). For context, that’s approximately 500 words or roughly a page and a half if you’re using the classic 12-point font on a single-spaced layout.

From running health clinics in at-risk communities, to shadowing a breadth of medical specialities, to interacting with patients at the hospital, it can be daunting to find the right thread with which to weave your words concisely and compellingly while conveying your passion for healthcare. To help guide you in your thought process, here are several questions to ponder:

• Who am I? What motivates me to excel?
• What aspects of medicine and healthcare intrigue me?
• What contribution can I make to the field of medicine as an aspiring physician?
• What’s something significant that the admissions board doesn’t know about me from the other parts of my application?
• What mistakes have helped me to “ fail forward ?”
• What books, events, people, or ideas have shaped who I am today and how?
• What am I most passionate about? What motivates me to challenge myself and become better?

“Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school” …it can be daunting to find the right thread with which to weave your words concisely and compellingly while conveying your passion for healthcare.”

As you can see, the questions above are introspective. They are meant to be thought-provoking, challenging you to examine yourself and delve into what makes you you . After all, a story about how I gave every stuffed animal I own fake surgeries and checkups in preparation for the real deal tells readers much more about me than a standalone 4.0 GPA ever could.

If you’ve perused artwork at a gallery, you may have come across the exhibitionist’s artistic statement. If you’ve browsed a company’s website, you might have skimmed its mission statement. Think of your essay as analogous to these. In order to successfully convey the potential you have as a future medical student, you must contextualize your achievements and goals within the context of who you are as a human.

Tips on Writing Your Personal Statement

We’ve talked a lot about the importance of your personal statement. At this point, it’s pretty clear how a well-written essay can propel you to the forefront of the admissions team’s consideration. Here are some best practices for tackling the process.

1. Make a calendar

Your personal statement is not something to whip out in a few hours. Yes, you may have procrastinated in high school or college and still managed to ace some essays.

However, a few hours does not generally provide the space you need to rewrite, fine-tune, and submit the best version of your story. Sit down and map out a plan for when to complete your first draft, first edit, second draft, etc. to give yourself ample time for each stage. Start drafting at least two months prior to submission. Some students even start six months in advance in order to develop multiple different essays and choose the best from among them.

Once you’ve determined your start date, block out a few days each week to work on each draft and schedule editing and proofreading sessions during the days in between. Mark off a few additional days in which you set your writing aside entirely so that you can look back at it later with fresh eyes.

For me, having a few days of rest helps to prevent writer’s block and creates space for new ideas and new trains of thought. More importantly, taking a break prevents me from losing interest in the narrative I am developing. Your progress should not happen spontaneously within a few days; it’s completely allowable and likely that it will span a few weeks or months. Just be diligent and stick to your timeline to avoid any stressful cramming.

2. Create a list of your top 10 meaningful experiences

Think of any events, activities, and interests that gave you life-defining memories or insights. When I think of my own top 10, several kinds of experiences come to mind, including those when I was forced to take the reins and finish a task in spite of ambiguity, when I used reasoning skills to resolve a conflict and when I emerged with excitement for the future.

Creating this list can take some time as you parse through the particulars of almost 20 years (or more) of living and learning. Once you’ve arrived at the set of your most formative experiences, hone in on those which you can expand upon and which may set you apart from other applicants. Some favorable characteristics to highlight are your commitment to service, leadership and adaptive ability, and desire to learn. So, pick one of your experiences and start writing!

3. Write more than one draft

“Keep in mind that the majority of those screening your essay will be non-specialists, so tailor your writing to appeal to such an audience.”

When you begin writing, your thoughts and mindset at the time will heavily influence the direction you take. Because of this, consider taking a couple days off after drafting, so that you can come back later with a different approach. This can prove valuable when proofreading, adjusting flow, and optimizing the effectiveness of your narration. Keep in mind that the majority of those screening your essay will be non-specialists, so tailor your writing to appeal to such an audience.

Don’t settle with one version of your story. Attempt multiple drafts so that you can test out the topic through different perspectives. From my own experience, this alleviates pressure and helps me reach my creative potential. You may even find it helpful to try your hand at narrating separate experiences altogether. Options are always useful.

4. Revise like there’s no tomorrow!

At this point, you’ve probably read over your draft innumerable times and are so familiar with the content that mistakes may escape you. I know I fall victim to this every single time. STOP! Remind yourself that each read-through can salvage a potential blunder.

Simple grammatical errors are some of the most detrimental mistakes you can make in your personal statement. They detract from a sophisticated presentation of your knowledge and capability and can suggest haste or a lack of detail-orientation. Structural inconsistencies and inaccurate word choice Other issues that can be corrected are . These things can be overlooked while speed-reading, but proper revision can mean the difference between a good and great essay. Don’t be afraid to grab your red pen and mark out entire sections. In doing so, you may eliminate distracting fluff and target your thoughts to more effectively compel your readers.

5. Ask others to proofread

In brainstorming, drafting, writing, revising, and rewriting, you’ve developed personal blinders. You have your own notion of the points you want to convey and the most powerful way in which to do so. Inevitably, this closes yourself off to other perspectives. In order to make sure you are not trapped in your own circle of bias, hand off your statement to others for feedback. Your pre-med advisor is a great person to approach, as he or she not only knows you and your journey, but is also very familiar with content that strikes admissions as unique and memorable.

Friends and family can comment on your story’s efficacy in capturing your true personality and goals. An English professor may challenge your rhetoric and give you tools to make your statement better resonate.

Remember that you may receiving conflicting advice, and it is impossible to please all. Focus on the common areas of feedback among your critics. Do they make your prose stronger and more compelling? If so, do your best to incorporate them in the most appropriate way. If not, don’t try and force them. Ultimately, stay true to yourself and your style.

What NOT to do

So far, we’ve explained the importance of a well-crafted personal statement and laid out the best tips and strategies for nailing it. If the road to success is as simple as sticking to these guidelines, why is only a small percentage of applicants successful at differentiating themselves from the crowd?

When constructing your personal statement, it’s not only what you do , but also what you don’t do that solidifies your results. Here are the most common pitfalls to avoid:

1. Don’t be overly sentimental!

Avoid writing about extremely personal experiences such as parental conflicts, family illnesses and deaths, or tumultuous relationships. This is an important tip to keep in mind from the very beginning when you’re creating your top 10 list.

In my first draft, I included precious conversations I had with late relatives as well as epiphanies I experienced in my life journey. Later, I realized that these moments simply conveyed my emotional side. In order to show that you are capable of undertaking medical education and effectively serving your community, strive for examples that show your humanity while showcasing your intellect or ethical code.

“Here’s a good rule of thumb: it’s generally hard to write about sentimental events without being cliché. Pick an experience in which YOU were in power. Write about the decisions YOU have made as well as progress or revelations that YOU have caused.”

Here’s a good rule of thumb: it’s generally hard to write about sentimental events without being cliché. Pick an experience in which you were in power. Write about the decisions you have made as well as progress or revelations that you have caused.

For example, my friend, who is now a third-year medical student, likes to recount a time when she took immediate action and administered CPR to a person at Disney World, nearly saving the stranger’s life. That leap of faith in her ability changed her perspective of the importance of medicine. Ultimately, your narrative should center around you and your actions, highlighting results that would not have occurred without your involvement.

2. Show don’t tell!

More often than not, applicants describe themselves and their values as opposed to the behaviors and results that display their attitudes in action.

Consider the following sentence: “I want to be a part of the field of medicine because it allows me to practice my problem-solving and caregiving, which I love doing unlike anything else.” Now consider this version: “I was always that kid that jumped to help others solve a math problem.

My friends recount moments when I stayed back to listen and offer advice when no one else would. My family appreciates the frequent texts and calls I make to express my love and care for them. Hence, my persistence, care for problem-solving, and desire to help others improve themselves are characteristics that drive me to practice medicine to the best of my ability in ways consistent with the habits I have followed from a young age.”

Both statements convey the same gist, but one provides context and examples that strengthen the argument. Your statement should highlight an evocative event in your life that has driven you to commit to the arduous pre-med path. People may not remember what you said or did, but they will most definitely remember how you made them feel.

3. This is not a chance to redeem yourself!

Many students waste too much time in their essays airing out dirty laundry. You can briefly mention a few of the red flags or shortcomings in your application, but you should leave most of that for your interview. Otherwise, writing at length about your negatives only makes the committee fixate on them all the more. The board can ask you more about these things in person, and you can better clarify them then.

You should primarily utilize your personal statement as a tool to highlight your strengths, motivation, and drive, just as the rest of your application aims to do. Always draw attention to the reasons you are a worthy candidate.

What to Remember

Remember that, although there can be variation as to who screens your submission at each stage , non-practitioners will typically read your personal statement. Deans as well as professors and other non-specialist admissions personnel will be among the reviewers, so tailor your writing to speak to an educated non-medical audience.

As you embark on the process of crafting a personal statement that convinces admissions of your potential to be an asset to their school’s program, remember the following:

• Showcase your communication skills in addition to your work ethic and interest in the medical field.
• Be sure to speak intelligently and truthfully, while still remaining humble.
• Begin the process well in advance.

Ultimately, the more time and thought you put into your essay, the greater chance you will have of catching the admissions team’s eye.

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Budapest, Hungary – Winter 2017

Undergraduate:

Stanford University class of 2019

Computer Science

Bio-X Grant (award for research)

Undergraduate Activities:

President and Founder of Stanford Undergraduate Hospice and Palliative Care, Volunteer for Pacific Free Clinic, Research Assistant in Wernig Pathology Lab, President of Hong Kong Student Association, violin performance

Describe Atlantis in three words:

Eye-opening. Spontaneous. Exhilarating.

Why did you choose Atlantis?

I chose the Atlantis program because it combines opportunities to shadow physicians and travel abroad, both of which I had little prior exposure to.

What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?

My favorite experience as an Atlantis participant came in the stories exchanged over meals or excursions and the breadth of conversation that reflected the diversity of backgrounds within our cohort and site managers.

What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?

I appreciated the chance to speak with physicians in Budapest and hear their personal motivations for pursuing medicine because it really helped better contextualize and validate my own interest in medicine. The physicians were also just really welcoming, relatable, and down-to-earth people.

How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?

The Atlantis program has equipped me with a better understanding of what a career in medicine looks like, which I think is an invaluable gift considering the long road ahead of those who aspire to be a physician.

How has Atlantis equipped you for active leadership in the medical field?

The ability to interact and empathize with patients of diverse backgrounds and communities is a necessity to be a leader in the medical field. I think the Atlantis program, through my interactions with mentors and their patients, has helped me take my first steps toward attaining the cultural vocabulary and literacy required of a physician.

Megan Branson

• Atlantis '18
• U. of Montana '19
• U. of Washington MD '24

Sarah Emerick

• Atlantis '19
• Eckerd College '20
• Indiana U. MD '25

Snow Nwankwo

• Catholic U. of America '21
• Georgetown U. MD '26

• Atlantis '16
• U. of Maryland '17
• U. of Michigan MD '22

Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School

Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016

University of Maryland class of 2017

Admitted medical student at:

University of Michigan Medical School

Neurobiology

Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship

Extracurricular Activities:

American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern

Describe Atlantis in Three Words:

Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.

I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.

Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.

What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?

Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.

I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.

Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.

• Louisiana Tech '20
• U. of Arkansas MD '24

Libson, Portugal ’18 || Louisiana Tech

Completed Atlantis Program Location(s):

Lisbon, Portugal

Year of most recent program:

Fall ’17 – Summer ’18

Season of most recent program:

Extremely helpful

It exposed me to shadowing that was hard to come by in the states. It also gave me a chance to see other systems of healthcare.

Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews? If so, how much relative to other topics?

Yes – they wanted to know about my experience, and specifically how the healthcare I saw in another country compared to what I had seen in the USA.

Kayla Riegler

• U. of Kentucky '20
• U. of Kentucky MD '24

About Atlantis

Atlantis is the leader in pre-health shadowing and clinical experience, offering short-term programs (1-10 weeks) over academic breaks for U.S. pre-health undergraduates. Medical schools want 3 things: (1)healthcare exposure, (2)GPA/MCAT, and (3)certain competencies. Atlantis gives you a great version of (1), frees you to focus on (2), and cultivates/ shows (3) to medical school admissions committees.

Watch Video: The Atlantis Shadowing Experience and How it Helps In Your Med/PA Admissions Future

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Two Atlantis alumni admitted to Top 5 MD programs wrote our widely read medical school admissions guidebook — download yours.

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The Only 3 Medical School Personal Statement Examples You Need to Read

Posted in: Applying to Medical School

Table of Contents

The personal statement is one of the most important parts of the med school application process because t his mini-essay is a critical opportunity for you to stand out from other prospective medical students by demonstrating your passion and personality, not just your grades.

Admissions committees receive hundreds or more AMCAS medical school applications , so yours should be unique and captivating. Your medical school personal statement shows admissions officers who you are beyond your high school or pre-med GPA , extracurriculars , and MCAT score . 

The best personal statements are… well, personal . This is your chance to share what life experiences have compelled you toward a career in healthcare or the medical field , and how those experiences shape the picture of your ideal future.

MedSchoolCoach has crucial advice for writing your personal statement . 

Read these examples of personal statements for prospective med students.

Writing a great medical school personal statement is a lot easier with the right support. We’ve helped numerous med school applicants craft top-notch personal statements and can do the same for you.

But first: 7 steps to writing an engaging personal statement.

Before you read these excellent examples, you need to understand the process of writing a personal statement.  

Include these in your medical school personal statement:

• Why you’re passionate about becoming a doctor
• Your qualities that will make you a great physician
• Personal stories that demonstrate those qualities
• Specific examples of the communities you want to serve as a member of the medical field

What are the most important things to remember when writing a medical school personal statement ?

• Begin the writing process early: Give yourself plenty of time for brainstorming and to revisit your first draft, revising it based on input from family members and undergrad professors. Consult the application timeline for your target enrollment season.
• Choose a central theme: An unfocused essay will leave readers confused and uninterested. Give your statement a clear thesis in the first paragraph that guides its formation.
• Start with a hook: Grab the reader’s attention immediately with your statement’s first sentence. Instead of opening with a conventional introduction, be creative! Begin with something unexpected.
• Be the you of today, not the you of the future: Forecasting your future as a physician can come across as empty promises. Don’t get caught up in your ambitions; instead, be honest about your current situation and interest in the field of medicine.
• Demonstrate your passion: It’s not enough to simply state your interest in becoming a doctor; you have to prove it through personal stories. Show how your perspectives have been shaped by formative experiences and how those will make you an effective physician.
• Show, don’t tell : Avoid cliches that admissions committees have heard hundreds of times, like “I want to help people.” Make your writing come alive with dynamic, persuasive storytelling that recounts your personal experiences.
• Tie everything together: Conclude by wrapping up your main points. Reiterate your passion for the medical profession, your defining personal qualities, and why you’ll make a good doctor.

You can read more about our recommended method in our step-by-step guide , but those are the major points.

Example 1 — From the Stretcher to the Spotlight: My Journey to Becoming an Emergency Medicine Physician

Another siren shrieks as the emergency room doors slide open and a team of EMTs pushes a blood-soaked stretcher through the entrance. It’s the fifth ambulance to arrive tonight — and only my first clinical shadowing experience in an emergency medicine department since my premed education began.

But it wasn’t my first time in an emergency room, and I knew I was meant to be here again.

In those crucial moments on the ER floor, many of my peers learned that they stumble in high-pressure environments. A few weeks of gunshot wounds, drug overdoses, broken bones, and deep lacerations in the busiest trauma bay in the region were enough to alter their career path.

They will be better practitioners somewhere predictable, like a pediatrician in a private practice where they choose their schedules, clients, and staff.

Every healthcare provider has their specialties, and mine are on full display in those crucial moments of lifesaving care. Why am I pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine? Because I’ve seen firsthand the miracles that Emergency Medicine physicians perform.

12 years ago, I was in an emergency room… but I was the one on the stretcher.

A forest-green Saturn coupe rolled into my parent’s driveway. The driver, my best friend Kevin, had just passed his driving test and was itching to take a late-night run to the other side of town. I had ridden with Kevin and his father many times before when he held his learner’s permit. But this time, we didn’t have an adult with us, and the joyride ended differently: with a 40-mph passenger-side collision, T-boned by a drunk driver.

I distinctly recall the sensation of being lifted out of the crumpled car by a paramedic and laid onto a stretcher. A quick drive later, I was in the care of Dr. Smith, the ER resident on call that night. Without missing a beat, he assessed my condition and provided the care I needed. When my mom thanked him for saving my life, he simply responded, “It’s what he needed.”

Now I’m watching other doctors and nurses provide this life-saving care as I observe as a premed student. I see the way the staff works together like a well-oiled machine, and it reminds me of my time in high-school theater.

Everyone has a role to play, however big or small, to make the show a success. All contributions are essential to a winning performance — even the technicians working behind the scenes. That’s what true teamwork is, and I see that same dynamic in the emergency department.

Some actors freeze during performances, overcome by stage fright. Other students are too anxious to even set foot in front of an audience; they remain backstage assisting with split-second costume changes.

Not me. I felt energized under the spotlight, deftly improvising to help my co-stars when they would forget their lines. Admittedly, I wasn’t the best actor or singer in the cast, but I provided something essential: assurance under pressure. Everyone knew me as dependable, always in their corner when something went awry. I had a reputation for remaining calm and thinking on my feet.

My ability to stay unruffled under pressure was first discovered on stage, but I can use it on a very different platform providing patient care. Now, when other people freeze under the intensity of serving public health on the front lines, I can step in and provide my calm, collected guidance to see them through.

As an ER doctor, I will have to provide that stability when a nurse gets flustered by a quarrelsome patient or shaken from an irreparably injured infant. When you’re an Emergency Medicine physician, you’re not following a script. It takes an aptitude of thinking on your toes to face the fast pace and unpredictable challenges of an emergency center.

During my time shadowing, I saw experienced physicians put those assured, gentle communication skills to use. A 13-year-old boy was admitted for a knife wound he’d received on the streets. He only spoke Spanish, but it was clear he mistrusted doctors and was alarmed by the situation. In mere minutes, one of the doctors calmed the patient so he could receive care he needed.

Let me be clear: I haven’t simply gravitated toward Emergency Medicine because I liked it most. It’s not the adrenaline or the pride that compel me. I owe Emergency Medicine my life, and I want to use my life to extend the lives of other people. Every person brought into the trauma bay could be another me , no matter what they look like.

People are more than their injury, health record, or circumstances. They are not just a task to complete or a challenge to conquer.

My childhood injury gave me an appreciation for the work of ER doctors and a compassion for patients, to foster well-being when people are most broken and vulnerable. I already have the dedication to the work and the heart for patients; I just need the medical knowledge and procedural skills to perform life-saving interventions. My ability to remain calm, think on my toes, be part of a team, and work decisively without making mistakes or overlooking critical issues will serve me well as an Emergency Medicine physician.

Some ER physicians I spoke with liked to think that they’re “a different breed” than other medical professionals — but I don’t see it that way. We’re just performing a different role than the rest of the cast.

Breaking It Down

Let’s look at what qualities make this a great personal statement for med school.

• Engaging opening: The writer painted a vivid scene that immediately puts the reader in their shoes and leaves them wanting more.
• Personal examples: The writer demonstrated his ability to stay calm, work as a team, and problem-solve through theater experience, which he also uses as a comparison. And, he explained his passion for Emergency Medical care from his childhood accident.
• Organized: The writer transitions fluidly between body paragraphs, connecting stories and ideas by emphasizing parallels and hopping back and forth between time.
• Ample length: Makes full use of the AACOMAS and AMCAS application personal statement’s character limit of 5,300 characters (including spaces), which is about 850-950 words.

Unsure what traits and clinical or research experience your preferred medical school values ? You can research their admissions requirements and mission statement using the MSAR .

Example 2 — Early Clinical Work For Empathetic Patient Care

The applicant who wrote this personal statement was accepted into University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine.

As I walked briskly down the hall to keep up during our daily rounds in the ICU, I heard the steady beeping of Michelle’s cardiac monitor and saw a ruby ornament twinkling on the small Christmas tree beside her. She was always alone, but someone had decorated her room for the holidays.

It warmed my heart that I wasn’t the only one who saw her as more than a patient in a coma. I continually felt guilty that I couldn’t spend more time with her; her usual companions were ventilators, IV bags, and catheters, not to mention the golf ball-sized tumors along her spine. Every day, I thought about running to Michelle’s bedside to do anything I could for her.

Thus, I was taken aback when my advisor, who was visiting me that day, asked me if I was okay. It never crossed my mind that at age 17, my peers might not be able to handle the tragedies that healthcare workers consistently face. These situations were difficult, but they invoked humanity and compassion from me. I knew I wanted to pursue medicine. And I knew I could do it.

From my senior year of high school to my senior year of college, I continued to explore my passion for patient interaction.

At the Stepp Lab, I was charged with contacting potential study participants for a study focusing on speech symptoms in individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. The study would help future patients, but I couldn’t help but think: “What are we doing for these patients in return?” I worried that the heart and soul behind the research would get lost in the mix of acoustic data and participant ID numbers.

But my fears were put to rest by Richard, the self-proclaimed “Parkinson’s Song & Dance Man,” who recorded himself singing show tunes as part of his therapy. Knowing that he was legally blind and unable to read caller ID, I was always thrilled when he recognized my voice. The spirit in his voice indicated that my interest in him and his journey with Parkinson’s was meaningful. Talking with him inspired me to dive deeper, which led to an appreciative understanding of his time as a sergeant in the U.S. military.

It was an important reminder: my interest and care are just as important as an effective prescribed treatment plan.

Following graduation, I began my work as a medical assistant for a dermatologist. My experience with a patient, Joann, validated my ability to provide excellent hands-on patient care. Other physicians prescribed her painkillers to relieve the excruciating pain from the shingles rash, which presented as a fiery trail of blisters wrapped around her torso. But these painkillers offered no relief and made her so drowsy that she fell one night on the way to the bathroom.

Joann was tired, suffering, and beaten down. The lidocaine patches we initially prescribed would be a much safer option, but I refused for her to pay $250, as she was on the brink of losing her job. When she returned to the office a week later, she held my hand and cried tears of joy because I found her affordable patches, which helped her pain without the systemic effects.

The joy that pierced through the weariness in her eyes immediately confirmed that direct patient care like this was what I was meant to do. As I passed her a tissue, I felt ecstatic that I could make such a difference, and I sought to do more.

Since graduation, I have been volunteering at Open Door, a small pantry that serves a primarily Hispanic community of lower socioeconomic families. It is gut-wrenching to explain that we cannot give them certain items when our stock is low. After all, the fresh fruits and vegetables I serve are fundamental to their culturally-inspired meals.

For the first time, I found myself serving anguish rather than a helping hand. Usually, uplifting moments strengthen one’s desire to become a physician, but in this case, it was my ability to handle the low points that reignited my passion for aiding others.

After running out of produce one day, I was confused as to why a woman thanked me. Through translation by a fellow volunteer, I learned it was because of my positivity. She taught me that the way I approach unfavorable situations affects another’s perception and that my spirited attitude breaks through language barriers.

This volunteer work served as a wake-up call to the unacceptable fact that U.S. citizens’ health suffers due to lack of access to healthy foods. If someone cannot afford healthy foods, they may not have access to healthcare. In the future, I want to partner with other food banks to offer free services like blood pressure readings. I have always wanted to help people, but I now have a particular interest in bringing help to people who cannot afford it.

While the foundation of medicine is scientific knowledge, the foundation of healthcare is the word “care” itself. I never found out what happened to Michelle and her Christmas tree, but I still wonder about her to this day, and she has strengthened my passion to serve others. A sense of excitement and comfort stems from knowing that I will be there for people on their worst days, since I have already seen the impact my support has had.

In my mind, becoming a physician is not a choice but a natural next step to continue bringing humanity and compassion to those around me.

How did this personal statement grab and sustain attention so well?

• Personalization: Everything about this statement helps you to understand the writer, from their personal experiences to their hope for how their future career will look.
• Showing, not telling: From the first sentence, the reader is hooked. This prospective medical student has plenty of great “on paper” experience (early shadowing, clinical experience, etc.), but they showed this with storytelling, not by repeating their CV.
• Empathy: An admissions committee reading this personal statement would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this student cares deeply about their patients. They remember first names, individual details, and the emotions that each patient made them feel.
• A clear path forward: The writer doesn’t just want to work in the medical field — they have a passion for exactly how they want to impact the communities they serve. Outside of strictly medical work, they care about the way finances can limit access to healthcare and the struggle to find healthy food in food deserts around the US .

Read Next: How Hard Is It to Get Into Medical School?

Example 3 — Beyond the Diagnosis: The Importance of Individualized Care in Medicine

The applicant who wrote this personal statement was accepted into Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and Nova Southeastern University College Of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Haywood sighs and shakes her head upon opening the chart. “I was worried about her A1C. It’s up again. Hypertension, too. Alright, let’s go.”

As we enter the patient’s room, I’m expecting the news about her blood sugar and pressure to fill the room. Instead, Dr. Haywood says, “Roseline! How are you doing? How’s your girl, doing well?”

Dr. Haywood continues to ask questions, genuinely interested in Roseline’s experience as a new mother. If not for the parchment-lined examination chair and anatomy posters plastered to the wall, this exchange could be happening in a grocery store. What about her A1C? Her blood pressure? Potential Type II diabetes?

As I continue to listen, Dr. Haywood discovers that Roseline’s mother moved in with her, cooking Haitian meals I recognize as high on the glycemic index. Dr. Haywood effortlessly evolves their conversation to focus on these. Being Haitian herself, she knows some traditional dishes are healthier than others and advises Roseline to avoid those that might exacerbate her high blood sugar and blood pressure. Dr. Haywood also suggests Roseline incorporate exercise by bringing her baby on a walk through her neighborhood.

During my shadowing experience, I observed one of the core components of being a physician through several encounters like this one. By establishing a relationship with her patient where Roseline was comfortable sharing the details of new motherhood, Dr. Haywood was able to individualize her approach to lowering the patient’s A1C and hypertension. Inspired by her ability to treat the whole person , I began to adopt a similar practice as a tutor for elementary kids in underserved areas of D.C.

Shaniyah did not like Zoom, or math for that matter. When I first met her as a prospective tutee online, she preferred to keep her microphone muted and would claim she was finished with her math homework after barely attempting the first problem. Realizing that basing our sessions solely on math would be fruitless, I adapted my tutoring style to incorporate some of the things for which she had a natural affinity.

The first step was acknowledging the difficulties a virtual environment posed to effective communication, particularly the ease at which distractions might take over. After sharing this with Shaniyah, she immediately disclosed her struggles to share her work with me. With this information, I found an online platform that allowed us to visualize each other’s work.

This obstacle in communication overcome, Shaniyah felt more comfortable sharing details about herself that I utilized as her tutor. Her love of soccer gave me the idea to use the concept of goal scoring to help with addition, and soon Shaniyah’s math skills and enthusiasm began to improve. As our relationship grew, so did her successes, and I suspect the feelings I experienced as her tutor are the same as a physician’s when their patient responds well to prescribed treatment.

I believe this skill, caring for someone as a whole person , that I have learned and practiced through shadowing and tutoring is the central tenet of medicine that allows a doctor to successfully treat their patients.

Inspired by talking with patients who had received life-altering organ transplants during my shadowing experience, I created a club called D.C. Donors for Georgetown University students to encourage their peers to register as organ donors or donate blood. This experience taught me that to truly serve a person, you must involve your whole person, too.

In starting this club to help those in need of transplants, I had to dedicate my time and effort beyond just my physical interactions with these patients. For instance, this involved reaching out to D.C.’s organ procurement organization to inquire about a potential partnership with my club, to which they agreed. In addition, I organized tabling events on campus, which required significant planning and communication with both club members and my university.

Though exciting, starting a club was also a difficult process, especially given the limitations the pandemic imposed on in-person meetings and events. To adapt, I had to plan more engaging meetings, designing virtual activities to make members more comfortable contributing their ideas. In addition, planning a blood drive required extensive communication with my university to ensure the safety of the staff and participants during the pandemic.

Ultimately, I believe these behind-the-scenes actions were instrumental in addressing the need for organ and blood donors in the D.C. area.

From these experiences, I have grown to believe that good medicine not only necessitates the physician cares for her patient as a whole, but also that she fully commits her whole person to the care of the patient. Tutoring and starting D.C. Donors not only allowed me to develop these skills but also to experience such fulfilling emotions: the pride I had in Shaniyah when her math improved, the gratefulness I felt when she confided in me, the steadfast commitment I expressed to transplant patients, and the joy I had in collaborating with other passionate club members.

I envision a career as a physician to demand these skills of me and more, and I have confirmed my desire to become one after feeling so enriched by practicing them.

Here’s what makes this personal statement such a good example of what works:

• Desirable qualities: The student clearly demonstrates qualities any school would want in an applicant: teachability, adaptability, leadership, organization, and empathy, to name a few. This again uses the “show, don’t tell” method, allowing the readers to understand the student without hand-holding.
• Personalized storytelling: Many in the healthcare profession will connect with experiences like the ones expressed here, such as addressing patient concerns relationally or the lack of blood donors during the recent pandemic. The writer automatically makes a personal link between themselves and the admissions committees reading this statement.
• Extensive (but not too long): Without feeling too wordy, this personal statement uses nearly all of the 5,300 characters allowed on the AMCAS application. There’s no fluff left in the final draft, only what matters.

Avoid These Common Mistakes

You can learn a lot from those personal statements. They avoid the most common mistakes that med school applicants make when writing the medical school personal statement.

Here are some things you should avoid in your personal statement if you want to be a doctor:

• Name-dropping: Admissions counselors won’t be impressed when you brag about your highly regarded family members, associates, or mentors. You need to stand on your own feet — not someone else’s.
• Dishonesty: Lies and exaggerations can torpedo your application. And they’re bad habits for anyone entering the medical field. Don’t do it.
• Unedited AI content: Artificial intelligence can help you edit and improve your writing, but don’t let it do the work for you. Your statement needs to be authentic, which means in your voice! A chatbot can’t feel or adequately convey your own empathy, compassion, trauma, drive, or personality.
• Grammatical errors and typos: Have someone reliable proofread your essay and scour it for typos, misspellings, and punctuation errors. Even free grammar-checking apps can catch mistakes!
• Telling without showing: I’ll reiterate how important it is to prove your self-descriptive statements with real-life examples. Telling without showing won’t persuade readers.
• Too many examples: Have 3-4 solid personal stories at most; only include a few that are crucial for providing your points. The more experiences you share, the less impact they’ll make.
• Fluff and filler: Cut all fluff, filler words, and irrelevant points. There are many other places you can include information in your application, such as secondary essays on your clinical experience, volunteer work, and research projects . 

You can find more valuable do’s and don’ts in our in-depth guide to writing your best personal statement .

Need extra help? We’ve got you covered.

Schedule a meeting with medschoolcoach for expert support on writing and editing your personal statement. we’re here to help you impress medical school admissions committees .

Renee Marinelli, MD

Dr. Marinelli has practiced family medicine, served on the University of California Admissions Committee, and has helped hundreds of students get into medical school. She spearheads a team of physician advisors who guide MedSchoolCoach students.

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Medical School Personal Statement Storytelling Guide [With Examples]

Typical medical school personal statements list qualities and accomplishments in paragraph form and can be boring to read for admissions committee members. But the best personal statements demonstrate qualities through engaging stories. Those stories reveal insights into your personality, as well as interests outside healthcare and medicine (especially those that align with the medical schools you’re applying to ).

Medical school admissions committees want to learn who you uniquely are and why you want to become a medical professional. They also want to know what you are going to contribute to their school and the larger medical field.

Our in-depth guide will help you explore unique personal topics and stories to capture admission committee members’ attention and help you stand out in a sea of ordinary med school personal statements.

Table of contents

1. brainstorm topics, 2. choose stories that show your character, show, don’t tell, stay on topic, common medical school personal statement mistakes, get an expert’s opinion.

The first step in the personal statement writing process is to decide what stories and facts are most important to reveal and how to weave in your motivation for applying to a school of medicine.

When you’re ready to brainstorm, don’t just sit down to stare at a list of your premed activities like research experiences, volunteering, or shadowing. Instead, compile the fundamental personal experiences and people that helped shape you. These stories will likely translate beyond your personal statement into interviews , so be picky to choose only the most transformative.

When brainstorming your personal statement for medical school, consider these topics:

Significant or formative life experiences: something that changed the course of your life, your outlook on the world, or made you think differently about your future

• Learning to do something that leads you to excel/teach others/make a contribution (e.g., sports, science, foreign language, special skills)
• Being given a second chance
• Connecting with someone who made an impact on you
• Being out of your comfort zone (experiences with people of different backgrounds, travel, moving, doing something for the first time)

Challenging life experiences: something that forced a lesson upon you

• A mistake you made
• An event that was out of your control that nonetheless caused you suffering or loss
• Overcoming an obstacle

People that shaped your life:

• Mentor, family member, friend
• Author, actor, speaker, personal hero

Think about what each element on your list taught you or how it changed your thinking. Answer for yourself why the event or person is important. Then brainstorm how one or two medically related activities can be tied in.

With this strategy, your personal statement will develop around a narrative that is unique to you. It will also communicate to admissions officers who you are and why you want to provide medical care.

To further your thought processes, ask yourself these questions:

• What is distinct or unique about you/your life story?
• What are some specific details about your personality, values, or experiences you can share to help them get a better understanding of who you are?
• In what ways have your experiences contributed to your growth?
• Have you overcome any obstacles or difficult circumstances in your life?
• What valuable personal characteristics (integrity, compassion, diligence, etc.) do you have?
• What soft skills (leadership, teamwork, communication skills, etc.) do you have?

Next, connect those answers to medicine-specific questions:

• How and when did you become interested in medicine?
• What have you learned so far about medicine?
• Why do you want to become a doctor?
• How do you know you want to be a doctor?
• How have your experiences and your understanding of yourself confirmed your desire to do medicine?
• In what ways have you shown that you have the characteristics necessary to succeed in the field of medicine?
• How will your skills translate into being a good doctor?
• Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that need explaining? This can be an obstacle or difficult circumstance.

Though you don’t want to include the answers to all these questions in your personal statement, knowing the answers to these questions is a good starting point.

You should highlight a few unique experiences, skills, or personal characteristics and make those the focal point of your essay.

Ordinary personal statements focus on the experiences that applicants think will make them seem impressive. The best personal statements focus on the qualities that make applicants truly special.

Instead of choosing their standout qualities — character, personality traits, attitudes — many applicants simply choose experiences they think will help them stand out to admissions committees. Then, they try to force those qualities into the experiences they’ve already chosen.

Why is this an issue? Imagine you have participated in the following extracurricular activities:

• Biochemistry research for 2 years
• Clinical experience shadowing for 3 years
• Math tutor for underserved youth for 2 years
• Trombonist in the high school band and trombone instructor for 3 years
• International medical mission trip volunteer for 3 summers
• Premed organization member for 3 years (vice president for 1 year)

At face value, which of these experiences do you think would make you seem the most impressive to an admissions committee? Given these choices, most students would choose to write about clinical shadowing (2) or medical mission trips (5).

Most students who choose one of those two topics will take a very similar approach, such as starting off the essay describing some interaction with a very ill patient or one with whom they experienced a language barrier.

Typical Applicant Personal Statement Example:

“Mary was well known at our clinic by all of our doctors, nurses, and medical staff. Based on her sharp intellect and cheerful pattern of making our staff feel like we were her best friends, it would be difficult to tell why she frequently visited the hospital. Besides her use of a walker, her Parkinson’s disease diagnosis had not slowed her down much. Throughout my interactions with Mary, I wondered how she maintained such a positive attitude despite her ailments. She seemed to give our staff more joy with her beaming smile than receiving care. I wanted to give her the best care possible, whether through asking our great nurses to check in on her or offering an extra blanket or favorite snack to ensure comfort throughout her stay. However, I was simultaneously frustrated that my ability to help Mary ended there. This lingering lack of fulfillment has served as a great motivator to find ways to do more for patients like her.”

What’s wrong with this example?

Although the above example provides some insights about the applicant’s motivations (“…find ways to do more for patients…”), it is written about a common topic (a realization that came during clinical shadowing) with a typical delivery —  written broadly about interactions with a particular patient.

The best personal statement writers, on the other hand, first think of the personal qualities they want to demonstrate in their essay before choosing a situation or event to write about. Next, they think of an experience that best highlights these qualities, regardless of whether or not it seems most “impressive” at face value. Finally, the best personal statements zero in on a particular event or situation to capture the reader’s attention with a detailed personal story.

By taking this approach, the best personal statement writers are better able to demonstrate their qualities because their story was chosen expressly for that purpose. After all, schools are attracted to particular candidates because of their qualities and not a specific experience they’ve had.

Let’s suppose this same applicant wanted to highlight her community involvement and commitment to serving underprivileged groups. Returning to the list of extracurriculars above, she could choose to write about working as a math tutor (3) or being a trombonist in the school band and trombone instructor (4). By choosing the latter and zooming in on a particular event, this same student could write the following personal statement introduction:

Better Personal Statement Example:

“My palms had never been as sweaty as when I walked on stage with my trombone in front of a 500-plus member audience on June 9th, 2015. Sure, I was pretty good. But I would like to think that being invited to play Curtis Fuller’s “Along Came Betty” at the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame had as much to do with the music skills I had honed over the past decade as it did with training the 8-member band of 10 to 13 year-olds from the inner city to join me on that same stage. I was nervous because this performance was for them; I needed to be at my best.”

Why is this example better than the one before it?

This introduction would likely stand out because it is about an uncommon topic (a musical performance) and seamlessly demonstrates the writer’s community involvement, especially with underserved youth. As a bonus, it captures the reader’s attention in 382 fewer characters.

Typical personal statements could have been written by any applicant. Good personal statements are those that can only be written by a specific applicant. The example of a typical introduction could have been written by any number of medical students who volunteered in a hospital. There simply aren’t enough unique insights and details about the applicant. On the other hand, the second introduction could have only been written by that individual.

So, how do you avoid a dull introductory paragraph? Use the approach above — first, list your unique qualities, then identify situations where you’ve expressed those qualities, and finally, zoom in to tell a detailed story.

Want to improve your chances of acceptance? Get world-class coaching from former admissions committee members for a more compelling personal statement and polished application. Students who work with us double their chances of getting accepted!

You’ve likely heard the adage “Show, don’t tell” enough already. Rarely do we receive practical advice on exactly how to demonstrate our qualities, rather than list them. When you can do this, you provide a more authentic glimpse of who you really are.

If you read the following sentences from two different applicants, which one would you think was more giving?

• Applicant #1: I am a very giving person.
• Applicant #2: I volunteer 4 hours every week to work at the homeless shelter.

You’d probably choose applicant #2, even though they never used the word “giving” in their sentence. As a reader, we extrapolate how giving that applicant is.

Going back to the intro paragraphs above, we can see that the typical one “tells” about the applicant’s qualities, whereas the better paragraph “shows” the applicant’s qualities.

More Medical School Personal Statement Examples :

Typical introductions:

• “I wanted to give the best patient care possible…” (giving)
• “This lingering lack of fulfillment has served as a great motivator to find ways to do more” (motivated)

Better introductions:

• “…the music skills I honed over the past decade…” (dedicated)
• “…training the 8-member band of 10-13 year-olds from the inner city to join me on that same stage.” (giving, empowering)
• “I was nervous because this performance was for them; I needed to be at my best.” (selfless, motivated)

Strive to let your accomplishments, approaches, and insights speak for themselves. Describe your work in an engaging way and let the reader do the complimenting for you.

Some applicants make the mistake of putting the focus on supporting characters, like a parent or patient, making them more compelling than themselves or sharing the limelight. But the best personal statements maintain the focus on the applicant.

Like any great story, your personal statement should highlight a compelling character. But that character, the star of your story, should always be YOU. There is nothing wrong with including another character in your personal statement’s story. But other characters should only be used to demonstrate your qualities, whether through an interaction you had or an insight you gained after.

Returning to our examples above:

In the typical paragraph, Mary and the applicant are co-leads in the story. We don’t even read about the applicant or her insights until the fourth sentence. Mary seems just as impressive as the applicant.

The better paragraph is all about the applicant — her concerns, dedication, and motivations. Even though she mentions the inner-city youth, they serve only to demonstrate the applicant’s qualities.

Your opportunity to impress med school admissions committees with your personal statement is limited to 5,300 characters. Strive to keep the focus nearly entirely on you.

Know ahead of time that your first draft is just that — a first draft. Once you get something on the page, you can start rewriting and revising it into the perfect statement.

Explaining the answer to “Why I want to be a doctor” can be overwhelming. Many applicants end up making the mistake of answering a different question: “What have I done that qualifies me for medical school?” The result is a tedious list of GPAs and MCAT scores that make personal statements read like a resume.

A better approach is not to focus on the question that your essay will answer, but on the personal aspects of your experiences on earth that shaped who you are — a person whose goals and values align with entering the medical profession.

More common mistakes to avoid:

• Not being concise
• Using clichés
• Breaking character limits
• Not using transitions between paragraphs and topics
• Not getting a second opinion or consulting an expert

There are some red flags to keep in mind as well. Admissions experts will not be impressed with:

• Arrogance or narcissism
• Self-deprecation or lack of confidence
• Unexplained gaps in education
• Generalizations
• Poor grammar
• Lack of passion

Read Next: A Guide To Medical Schools That Don’t Require The MCAT

What is the AMCAS personal statement prompt?

The AMCAS personal statement prompt is: Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school.

How many characters are allowed in the medical school personal statement?

You can use up to 5,300 characters in the medical school personal statement sections of the AMCAS and AACOMAS applications . Spaces count as characters. You’ll have roughly 500 words to write.

How long should a personal statement be for medical school?

A personal statement for medical school should be approximately one page. It should be long enough to take a deep look at a transformative experience or concept.

What personal statement topics should I avoid?

There are no specific topics that you should completely avoid in your personal statement outside of openly offensive topics. You may receive advice to steer clear of topics like mental health, having a parent who’s a doctor, or volunteer work. But it’s not these topics themselves that are a problem; how you use these stories and experiences to show your personality and character is what matters.

Your personal statement is one of the few times in the medical school application process where your personality, experiences, and uniqueness can shine through. It’s too important to leave it to guesswork, particularly if you’re reapplying !

Work with experienced Writing Advisors and Physician Advisors to give your personal statement the X factor sure to be noticed by admissions committees. Many of our advisors are former AdComs !

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• Why I Picked UC Denver
• Finding the Perfect Research Project
• How to Succeed on Medical School Interview Day
• How to Answer “What is the Biggest Healthcare Problem” During an Interview

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Personal Statement and Essay Prompts 2020: AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS

Looking for a comprehensive index of all required essay prompts for the AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS applications?

Look no further. Personal statements, short essays, experience descriptions - it’s all covered here.

All the prompts and character limits were gathered online from primary sources ( AAMC , AACOM , etc.) or from our past 2019 students. We’ve tried to ensure that this information is accurate and up-to-date, but please note that it’s subject to change.

We want to be a one-stop shop for all the medical school primary essay prompts, so please let us know if you notice any discrepancies. Don’t forget to brush up on the AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS Deadlines .

Oh, and if you’re looking for tips and examples, you’ll find those here, too.

Just follow the links:

Table of Contents

2020 AMCAS Essay Prompts

Personal Statement Prompt

Institutional Action Prompt

Disadvantaged Information Prompt

Experience Descriptions Prompt

Most Meaningful Remarks Prompt

2020 AACOMAS Essay Prompts

2020 tmdsas essay prompts.

Personal Characteristics Prompt

Optional Essay Prompt

Most Meaningful Essays Prompt

BONUS: All Medical School Secondary Essays 2019-2020 (by state)

2020 AMCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT PROMPT

(5300 characters max)

Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school. The available space for your response is 5300 characters, or approximately one full page. You will receive an error message if you exceed the available space. For additional assistance, click "help" on the tool bar at the top of the screen.

There are a few follow up questions to help you:

• Why have you selected the field of medicine?
• What motivates you to learn more about medicine?
• What do you want medical schools to know about you that hasn't been disclosed in other sections of the application?
• Unique hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits.
• Commentary on significant fluctuations in your academic record that are not explained elsewhere in your application.

SAVVY PRE-MED TIPS:

Whew, where to start? Hmm… probably here:

Savvy Pre-med's Ultimate Guide to Writing Your Personal Statement

But seriously, the personal statement is a complex, multifaceted process, so you might want to target certain areas. Here are some elements we’ve covered:

Getting Started on Your Draft

Writing Attention-Grabbing Hooks

Average vs. Compelling Personal Statements

Crafting Your “Why Medicine” Answer

Cliches to Avoid

How to Know Your Personal Statement is Finished

Our full archive of articles on the personal statement

Jump back to the Table of Contents .

2020 AMCAS INSTITUTIONAL ACTION PROMPT

(1325 characters max)

MILITARY DISCHARGE

The question asks if you’ve ever been discharged by the Armed Forces. If you answer Yes, you’ll be asked if you received an honorable discharge or discharge under honorable circumstances. If you answer No, you must explain in 1,325 characters the circumstances of your discharge, including the circumstances leading to your discharge, your period of service, and your rank at the time of discharge.

FELONIES AND MISDEMEANORS

You must indicate if you have ever been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, a felony crime or misdemeanor, excluding

(1) Any offense for which you were adjudicated as a juvenile

(2) Convictions that have been expunged or sealed by a court (in states where applicable).

You need not disclose any instance in which you:

• Were arrested but not charged

• Were arrested and charged, with the charges dropped

• Were arrested and charged, but found not guilty by a judge or jury

• Were arrested and found guilty by a judge or jury, with the conviction overturned on appeal

• Were arrested and found guilty but received an executive pardon

If you answer Yes, you’ll have 1,325 characters to explain the circumstances of your conviction, including the number of conviction(s), the nature of the offense(s) leading to conviction(s), the date(s) and location(s) of conviction(s), the sentence(s) imposed, and the type(s) of rehabilitation.

Academic Probation

You must answer "Yes" if you were ever the recipient of any institutional action resulting from unacceptable academic performance or a conduct violation, even if such action did not interrupt your enrollment or require you to withdraw. You must answer "Yes" even if the action does not appear on or has been deleted from your official transcripts due to institutional policy or personal petition. If you answer Yes, you’ll have 1,325 characters to explain the circumstances.

If you are not certain whether or not you have been the subject of an institutional action, contact the registrar, student affairs officer, or other appropriate party at the institution for confirmation of your record. Applicants who become the subject of an institutional action after certifying and submitting the AMCAS application must inform their designated medical schools that an action has occurred.

Don't feel obligated to fill all 1325 characters for this essay:

PARAGRAPH 1

1-2 sentences to explain the factors that led to the institutional action

It's wise to let the facts speak for themselves. If there were extenuating circumstances that led to this anomalous blip in your record, make sure to include those as evidence, BUT DON'T editorialize or try to make direct excuses for what happened. The goal in the beginning is to just acknowledge and own up to the IA.

PARAGRAPH 2

3-4 sentences to explain how you've rectified the situation

This will depend a lot on your situation, but typically, it will involve some kind of probation, mandatory classes, written letters, court appearances, etc. Beyond explaining the requirements you fulfilled and your current good standing, discuss the ways you've sought to improve overall as a person.

PARAGRAPH 3

1-2 sentences to explain the growth, personal qualities, and lessons you’ve gained

Again, this will depend a lot on your situation. Perhaps there's some activity or endeavor that you can use as "proof" of your growth as a person (i.e. tutoring other struggling students or serving on the student judiciary board). If not, just explain what you learned from the experience and how it's turned you into a better person moving forward.

2020 AMCAS DISADVANTAGED INFORMATION PROMPT

When you click the box on the AMCAS application to see if the status applies to you, here is what AMCAS provides:

Underserved: Do you believe, based on your own experiences or the experiences of family and friends, that the area in which you grew up was adequately served by the available health care professionals? Were there enough physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other health care service providers?

Immediate Family: The Federal Government broadly defines “immediate family” as “spouse, parent, child, sibling, mother or father-in-law, son or daughter-in-law, or sister or brother-in-law, including step and adoptive relationships.”

State and Federal Assistance Programs: These programs are specifically defined as “Means-Tested Programs” under which the individual, family, or household income and assets must be below specified thresholds. The sponsoring agencies then provide cash and non-cash assistance to eligible individuals, families, or households. Such programs include welfare benefit programs (federal, state, and local) Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC or ADC); unemployment compensation; General Assistance (GA); food stamps; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Medicaid; housing assistance; or other federal, state, or local financial assistance programs.

If you think there are other circumstances that have contributed to your disadvantaged status that are not listed, don't feel constrained by the above.

In addition to requesting family financial data, AMCAS provides the opportunity for a 1,325 character statement explaining why you should be considered disadvantaged.

EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH 1

2-3 sentences to explain the factors that contribute to your disadvantaged status

I am blessed to have been adopted by my grandparents, who provided a stable life by removing me from a destructive environment with an absent father and drug-addicted mother. However, due to my grandparents’ age and physical limits, I missed out on many things people take for granted, like playing catch with one’s father or enjoying student-parent activities.

EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH 2

5-6 sentences to illustrate the day-to-day struggles as a result of your status

I am a first-generation college student who has been financially independent since age 18. My discipline stems from my teenage years when I worked manual labor on construction sites. This translated into dedication and focus, as I later sought a scholarship to subsidize my schooling and worked full-time alongside a rigorous course load. To fund my college experience, I attended a local university and gained merit-based aid, balancing school (20+ unit semesters) and three jobs (totaling 40+ hours/week). My lack of expendable income prevented me from accessing certain opportunities off-campus. Luckily, the Wilkinson Honors Scholarship provided a dorm stipend that covered most of my living expenses. However, to further cut costs, I went without a car and obtained an on-campus job and research opportunity.

EXAMPLE CONCLUSION

1-2 sentences to explain the growth, personal qualities, and lessons you’ve gained as a result of your status

Overall, my obstacles have given me more resolve to plan ahead, meet my goals, and help others do the same.

2020 AMCAS EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTIONS PROMPT

(15 activities or less, 700 characters max for each)

The Work/Activities section of the application is designed to give you the opportunity to highlight your work experience, extracurricular activities, awards, honors, or publications that you would like to bring to the attention of the medical schools to which you are applying.

You may enter a maximum of 15 experiences, and you may enter four separate date ranges for recurring experiences. This section cannot be edited or updated after the original submission of your application. Work and activities will appear on your application in chronological order and may not be rearranged. However, please be aware that medical schools sort your entries and view them in a variety of different orders to suit their specific review processes.

Medical schools receive your Work/Activities descriptions as plain text. Therefore, formatting options such as bulleted lists, indented paragraphs, and bold/italic fonts do not appear for reviewers and are not available.

You have the opportunity to describe or summarize each experience. The space allotted for each description is 700 characters.

We often get questions about whether it’s better to use bullet points or paragraphs for these descriptions. Either is fine! The key is being consistent in the way you choose to format your descriptions. Here’s an example of both methods:

BULLET POINT EXAMPLE

Outreach Coordinator                St. Augustine Orphanage, Tijuana, Mexico

- Planned, fundraised, and led a volunteer service trip to impoverished communities in Mexico

- Coordinated and managed a team of 20 volunteers and faculty

- Executed simple, precise interventions to spread change across a population

- Improved communication and bedside manner while engaging locals about their health problems and barriers to care

- Lived alongside children in multiple orphanages in Tijuana and poorer rural areas

- Brought clothes and supplies and provided hygiene demos for the children

- Gained insight into disparities and social determinants of health in underserved populations

- Wrote detailed protocol and reflection exercises for future leaders to use on their trips  

PARAGRAPH EXAMPLE

As outreach coordinator, I fundraised and led a service trip to impoverished communities in Mexico. In this role, I managed a team of 20 volunteers and faculty to execute interventions and spread change across a population. As part of this experience, we lived alongside children in multiple orphanages in Tijuana while donating supplies and providing hygiene demos. I improved my communication and bedside manner while engaging locals about their health problems and barriers. During this time, I gained insight into disparities and social determinants of health for the underserved. After the trip, I wrote a detailed protocol and reflection exercises for future leaders to use on their trips.

In your experience descriptions, try to show your “Trackable Progress”:

“Trackable progress” can be any number of things:

- Earned promotion within first three months of working for Lab XYZ

- Assigned new responsibilities of training recent hires and creating orientation manuals

- Ran promotional campaign that tripled our club’s active membership

- Garnered over half of the company’s referrals during the last two years

- Updated and improved the lab’s protocols to cut costs by more than half

If possible, support these bullets with quantitative evidence and stats (EX: raised membership by 50%, trained 50+ employees, etc). This data will show a lot about your contributions without taking up too much space.

020 AMCAS MOST MEANINGFUL REMARKS PROMPT

(choose 3 of your activities, 1325 characters max for each)

You may identify up to three experiences that you consider to be the most meaningful. This designation will allow you an additional 1,325 characters to explain why the experience(s) was particularly meaningful to you.

When writing your summary, you may 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. If you have two or more experience entries, you will be required to identify at least one as the more or most meaningful.

You may change which experience(s) you designate as Most Meaningful until the initial submission of your application. The text you entered in the Experience Summary section will be lost if you remove an experience from those you have designated as Most Meaningful. Your Most Meaningful selection(s) will be designated as such by a check-mark in the Work/Activities main screen.

If you’re in doubt about what to choose, many students will include one medically oriented activity, one leadership activity, and one extracurricular (research, service, etc). As long as you’ve invested significant time and energy into the activity (compared to your others), then it’s fair game for a most meaningful essay.  

Once you’ve narrowed down your possible choices based on time and commitment, you’ll want to ask yourself some brainstorming questions to determine the best activities and angles to explore in your most meaningful essays.

Remember that it’s okay to overlap the experiences of the personal statement and most meaningful essays, as long as you don’t repeat stories or lessons verbatim.

BRAINSTORMING QUESTIONS:

Which of the activities had the most setbacks or failures? Can you recall one or two specific moments that required your resilience?

Which of the activities presented the steepest learning curves? Why were they so challenging? Did you have to change something about yourself to succeed?

Did any of the activities expose you to people much different than yourself? Were their difficulties in communicating and collaborating with them?

Which of the activities most surprised you? Can you recall any moments within them when your perspective on medicine or life shifted?

Did you get more than expected out of a particular activity? Why? Vice versa, were there activities that disappointed you for some reason? How did you respond?

Which of the activities made you the most apprehensive? Why? Can you recall one or two moments that pushed you outside your comfort zone?

Which of the activities taught you a new skill that you otherwise wouldn’t have learned? Did you learn or realize how you could apply this skill moving forward?

How-to Guide and Most Meaningful Essay Example

5 Reasons You Should Apply to DO Schools - MUST READ!

2020 AACOMAS PERSONAL STATEMENT PROMPT

This section is where you can write a statement, which is shared with all your osteopathic medicine schools. Once you submit your application, you cannot edit this section.

• Keep your topic general : Keep the statement general as this essay is sent to all the programs you apply to. If you plan to only apply to one program, we still strongly recommend keeping your statement general in case you later apply to additional programs. Once you submit your application, the essay cannot be edited or changed.
• Do not exceed the maximum length : Refer to the number below the field in the application. This is the number of characters (not words) that you can use in your essay. As you type, you can see how many characters are still available. Characters include spaces, carriage returns, and punctuation. You cannot save your essay if it exceeds the character limit.
• Use your own words : Plagiarizing any part of your essay is a violation of the code of conduct and may subject you to sanctions.
• Use simple formatting : Formatting such as tabs, italics, multiple spaces, etc. will not be saved. To delineate paragraphs, type a double return between each paragraph.

Thankfully, the AACOMAS recently decided to give candidates more space, as compared to past years when you only had 4500 characters.

Still, most candidates face the challenge of converting an MD personal statement into a DO one. What to cut? What to add? What are the essentials to include?

We’ve distilled our years of wisdom from helping candidates down into:

5 Simple Steps to Turn Your AMCAS Essay into Your AACOMAS Essay

2020 AACOMAS DISADVANTAGED INFORMATION PROMPT

There is no essay on the AACOMAS to explain your disadvantaged status, but the application has a series of questions to categorize you:

(Yes/No) Your parent's family income falls within the table's guidelines and you are considered to have met the criteria for economically disadvantaged.

(Yes/No) I am from a family that lives in an area that is designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area or a Medically Underserved Area.

(Yes/No) I graduated from a high school at which many of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches.

(Yes/No) I am from a school district where 50% or less of graduates go to college or where college education is not encouraged.

(Yes/No) I am the first generation in my family to attend college (neither my mother nor my father attended college).

(Yes/No) English is not my primary language.

Savvy Pre-med Tips:

Use some space in the personal statement to elaborate on your disadvantaged background, especially if the circumstances require contextual explanation.

Also keep in mind that the DO secondary essays tend to be rather generous in the amount of space they provide (sometimes up to 500 words per essay). These essays will give you additional opportunities to discuss disadvantages.

Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Disadvantaged Information Prompt .

2020 AACOMAS INSTITUTIONAL ACTION PROMPT

(500 characters max)

Applicants will be asked to disclose information regarding prior criminal offenses. Failure to accurately and truthfully disclose such offenses on the AACOMAS application may result in an offer of admission being rescinded or, if the omission is discovered after enrollment in medical school, in dismissal.

Have you ever been disciplined for student conduct violations (e.g. academic probation, dismissal, suspension, disqualification, etc.) by any college or school?

Have you ever been disciplined for academic performance (e.g. academic probation, dismissal, suspension, disqualification, etc.) by any college or school?

Have you ever been convicted of a Felony?

Have you ever had any certification, registration, license or clinical privileges revoked, suspended or in any way restricted by an institution, state or locality?

Have you ever been convicted of a Misdemeanor?

If you answer Yes to any of these questions, you’ll have 500 characters to explain.

Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Institutional Action Prompt .

2020 AACOMAS EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTIONS PROMPT

(600 characters max for each entry)

Key differences between AACOMAS and AMCAS experience descriptions:

• AACOMAS does not have Most Meaningful Remarks
• AACOMAS gives you 100 fewer characters for your descriptions
• AACOMAS breaks its “Supporting Information” into Experiences and Achievements - no limit on the total number of entries for either
• AACOMAS has fewer category distinctions for Experiences (only volunteering, healthcare experience, or paid/non-healthcare experience)
• Achievements include honors/awards, presentations, or publications
• Distinguish your AACOMAS hobbies as “non-healthcare experience”

Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Experience Descriptions Prompt .

2020 TMDSAS PERSONAL STATEMENT PROMPT

(5000 characters max)

The personal statement essay is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces. Explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. Be sure to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician.

Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Personal Statement Prompt .

2020 TMDSAS PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS PROMPT

(2500 characters max)

The personal characteristics essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces. Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others.

It’s wise to choose one of your Most Meaningful AMCAS essays and expand upon it (from 1325 to 2500 characters).

Is one of your three Most Meaningfuls more distinct than the other two? Does one focus on a more atypical pre-med activity? If so, that’s probably the one to choose, since this prompt is looking for “diverse backgrounds and experiences.”

If all three of your Meaningfuls feel equally distinct (or equally average), pick the one that would give you the most useful insights to share with your future classmates (i.e. “add to the educational experience of others”).

When adding content (~1000 characters) to your Most Meaningful, here’s where to focus your attention:

Add 1-2 sentences to the “hook” of the essay (paragraph 1) to make the experience even more vivid and concrete for the reader

Add 3-4 sentences to the “plot” of the essay (paragraph 1 or 2) to expound on your biggest responsibilities, contributions, and accomplishments

Add 3-4 sentences to the “reflection” of the essay (paragraph 2 or 3) to explain how this activity and its lessons make you a diverse and valuable candidate

Refer to our tips for the AMCAS Most Meaningful Essays Prompt .

2020 TMDSAS OPTIONAL ESSAY PROMPT

The optional essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces. The optional essay is an opportunity to provide the admissions committee(s) with a broader picture of who you are as an applicant. This essay is optional; however, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Briefly state any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application. This is not an area to continue your essay or reiterate what you have previously stated - this area is provided to address any issues which have not previously been addressed.

If you’ve written or will be writing a Disadvantaged Essay for the MD application (discussed in the following module), then it makes sense to use that same essay here and expand upon it (from 1325 to 2500 characters).

When adding content (~1000 characters) to your Disadvantaged Essay, here’s where to focus your attention:

Add 1-2 sentences to the “hook” of the essay (paragraph 1) to make your backstory even more vivid and concrete for the reader

Add 3-4 sentences to the “plot” of the essay (paragraph 1 or 2) to expound on your biggest challenges, obstacles, limitations, etc.

Add 3-4 sentences to the “reflection” of the essay (paragraph 2 or 3) to explain how your hardships and their lessons make you a valuable candidate

Even if you’re not disadvantaged, you should still answer this TMDSAS Optional Essay by using another one of your Most Meaningfuls. With the two choices remaining, choose the one that has more autobiographical or personal relevance, or perhaps the one that better illustrates your exemplary qualities (leadership, creativity, problem solving, innovation, initiative, etc.).

Add 3-4 sentences to the “reflection” of the essay (paragraph 2 or 3) to explain how this activity and its lessons make you a valuable candidate

2020 TMDSAS DISADVANTAGED INFORMATION PROMPT

There is no essay on the TMDSAS to explain your disadvantaged status, but the application has a series of Yes/No questions to categorize your socioeconomic standing:

1st generation undergraduate:

1st generation graduate:

Parent/guardian of dependent children:

Primary language:

Bilingual or multilingual:

Fluent in languages other than English:

Household size:

Household income:

Residential property value:

Ever live in subsidized housing:

Ever receive benefits from the Federal Free and Reduced Meal program:

Responsibilities raising other children in household while attending elementary and/or high school:

Were you required to contribute to the overall family income (as opposed to working primarily for your own discretionary spending money) while attending high school:

Zip Code to age 18:

Lived outside US to age 18:

Percentage of college expenses provided by:

Academic scholarships:

Financial need-based scholarships:

Jobs/Employment:

Other Sources:

Received a Pell Grant during undergraduate education:

Still full-time student:

Use the TMDSAS Optional Essay to elaborate on your disadvantages.

Refer to our tips for the TMDSAS Optional Essay Prompt .

2020 TMDSAS INSTITUTIONAL ACTION PROMPT

(600 characters max)

If you answer Yes to any of the following questions, you’ll be given 600 characters to explain.

(Yes/No) Has your education ever been interrupted for any reason?

(Yes/No) Were you ever the recipient of any action by any college or professional school for unacceptable academic performance?

(Yes/No) Were you ever the recipient of any action by any college or professional school for conduct violations?

(Yes/No) Have you ever been sanctioned or received disciplinary action by a State Licensure Board of any kind (i.e., nursing, pharmacy, legal, etc.)?

(Yes/No) Are you currently under charge or have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, or have you ever received a felony or misdemeanor deferred adjudication?

2020 TMDSAS EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTIONS PROMPT

(300 characters max for each entry, no limit on number of entries)

Healthcare and Employment Activities may be listed in each category if the experience was a paid position; otherwise, do not list experiences in more than one section. For example, a scribing job would be listed in both Healthcare Activities and Employment. The Employment and Activities categories are as follows:

• Academic Recognition
• Non-Academic Recognition
• Research Activities
• Healthcare Activities
• Community Service
• Extracurricular & Leisure Activities
• Planned Activities
• Identifying Top Meaningful Activities

REFER TO OUR TIPS FOR THE AMCAS EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTIONS PROMPT .

2020 tmdsas most meaningful essays prompt.

(choose 3 of your activities, 500 characters max for each)

This section was recently added last cycle. The TMDSAS now asks you to identify three top meaningful activities.

With only 500 characters, try to capture the activity through an emotionally-gripping or inspirational scene:

As our team approached the scene, we were greeted by the scorched remnants of Dave’s trailer - four deflated tires and a melted frame - the result of an arsonist attack. This was my first ride-along with the American Red Cross. The Disaster Action Team provided clothes, water, blankets, and a few hundred dollars, but it was clear Dave needed more than temporary supplies. A humble realization set in - I will not be able to save everyone, but I will always strive to be a buoy to keep them afloat.

499 characters

END OF CONTENTS

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By submitting my email address. i certify that i am 13 years of age or older, agree to recieve marketing email messages from the princeton review, and agree to terms of use., 15 tips for your medical school personal statement.

Don't underestimate the power of the medical school personal statement to make a strong, positive impression on an admissions committee. Combined with your interview performance, your personal statement can account for 60% (or more) of your total admissions score!

Medical schools want to enroll bright, empathetic, communicative people. Here's how to write a compelling med school personal statement that shows schools who you are and what you're capable of.

Personal Statement Topics

Your medical school personal statement is a component of your primary application submitted via, TMDSAS (for Texas applications), or AACOMAS (NB: If you are applying to medical school in Canada, confirm the application process with your school, as not all application components may be submitted through AMCAS).

These applications offer broad topics to consider, and many essay approaches are acceptable. For example, you could write about:

• an experience that challenged or changed your perspective about medicine
• a relationship with a mentor or another inspiring individual
• a challenging personal experience
• unique hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits
• your motivation to seek a career in medicine

You'll write an additional essay (or two) when you submit secondary applications to individual schools. These essays require you to respond to a specific question. Admissions committees will review your entire application, so choose subject matter that complements your original essay .

Read More: Strategies for Secondary Applications

How to Write a Personal Statement for Medical School

Follow these personal statement tips to help the admissions committee better understand you as a candidate.

1. Write, re-write, let it sit, and write again!

Allow yourself 6 months of writing and revision to get your essay in submission-ready shape. This gives you the time to take your first pass, set your draft aside (for a minimum of 24 hours), review what you’ve written, and re-work your draft.

2. Stay focused.

Your personal statement should highlight interesting aspects of your journey—not tell your entire life story. Choose a theme, stick to it, and support it with specific examples.

3. Back off the cliches.

Loving science and wanting to help people might be your sincere passions, but they are also what everyone else is writing about. Instead, be personal and specific.

4. Find your unique angle.

What can you say about yourself that no one else can? Remember, everyone has trials, successes and failures. What's important and unique is how you reacted to those incidents. Bring your own voice and perspective to your personal statement to give it a truly memorable flavor. 

5. Be interesting.

Start with a “catch” that will create intrigue before launching into the story of who you are. Make the admissions committee want to read on!

6. Show don't tell.

Instead of telling the admissions committee about your unique qualities (like compassion, empathy, and organization), show them through the stories you tell about yourself. Don’t just say it—actually prove it.

7. Embrace the 5-point essay format.

Here's a trusty format that you can make your own:

• 1st paragraph: These four or five sentences should "catch" the reader's attention.
• 3-4 body paragraphs: Use these paragraphs to reveal who you are. Ideally, one of these paragraphs will reflect clinical understanding and one will reflect service.
• Concluding paragraph: The strongest conclusion reflects the beginning of your essay, gives a brief summary of you are, and ends with a challenge for the future.

8. Good writing is simple writing.

Good medical students—and good doctors—use clear, direct language. Your essays should not be a struggle to comprehend.

9. Be thoughtful about transitions.

Be sure to vary your sentence structure. You don’t want your essay to be boring! Pay attention to how your paragraphs connect to each other.

Free MCAT Practice Tests & Events

Evaluate and improve your MCAT score.

10. Stick to the rules.

Watch your word count. That’s 5,300 characters (including spaces) for AMCAS applications, 5,000 characters for TMDSAS, and 4,500 characters for AACOMAS.

11. Stay on topic.

Rambling not only uses up your precious character limit, but it also causes confusion! Think about the three to five “sound bytes” you want admissions committee to know and remember you by.

12. Don't overdo it.

Beware of being too self-congratulatory or too self-deprecating.

13. Seek multiple opinions.

Before you hit “submit,” ask several people you trust for feedback on your personal statement. The more time you have spent writing your statement, the less likely you are to spot any errors. A professor or friend whose judgment and writing skills you trust is invaluable.

Read More: 12 Smart Tips for Your AMCAS Application

14. Double-check the details.

Always check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. This goes for the rest of your application (like your activities list), too. A common oversight is referencing the wrong school in your statement! Give yourself (and your proofreaders) the time this task truly requires.

15. Consult the experts about your personal statement strategy.

Our med school admissions counselors can diagnose the “health” of your overall application, including your personal statement. Get expert help and guidance to write an effective personal statement that showcases not only your accomplishments, but your passion and your journey.

Want to get an edge over the crowd?

Our admissions experts know what it takes it get into med school. Get the customized strategy and guidance you need to help achieve your goals.

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Understanding the AMCAS personal statement length

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It is inevitable for medical students to submit a personal statement. Though the length of the statement depends on the medical school and their guidelines, the most common AMCAS personal statement length is around 5300 characters. In simple terms, the length should be around a page. However, many might not think of writing a single page statement to be a big deal. It is far from the truth, and if you are looking to study in a medical school, you will have to put significant thought behind each word of the statement so that it makes perfect sense. Therefore, allowing yourself proper time to prepare and write the personal statement is key to an effective AMCAS personal statement. There is no need to hurry, and allow yourself ample time to think and edit until everything is just perfect.

The importance: Before we understand the AMCAS personal statement length, we need to first understand its significance. In many cases, the personal statement will be the most important paper you write since your career will depend on it as it will help you further your education. Therefore, you must put your utmost effort into this endeavour. There are probably hundreds of aspirants like you who would be sending in their personal statements, be ready to face some stiff competition. Thus, not only will you need to set yourself apart from the crowd of the candidates but also prove it with all possible pieces of evidence. Therefore, it is advisable that you prepare well for the task and concentrate on why you want to study in a medical school.

Writing guidelines: To understand the AMCAS personal statement length, we first need to understand the basic guidelines. These are as follows:

• List out all your educational achievements. Again, though, you probably would not want to point out achievements from your high school years. Instead, select something relevant and noteworthy and present them appropriately. It allows the reader to evaluate your potential and actual possibilities.
• Pose questions about your future. Describe the purpose you are looking to achieve and what dream you are looking to fulfil. Try to answer all these questions to help the reader form an opinion about you. It is the main reason your purpose and aim should be clear to the reader.
• Create an outline of your personal and educational life. Describe the different experiences you had in your life that left a profound impact. Describe the turning points and the important events that inspired you to become a medical professional and study in a medical school.

Now that you are clear on the guidelines let us discuss the AMCAS personal statement length. A personal statement is required when applying for a position in an organisation, institution, or even a medical school. The personal statement aims to inform the reader about you. Usually, several elements need to be included to have a particular structure; however, they tend to differ in one way or another. In any case, if you are looking to write an effective personal statement, there are a few requirements that you need to stick to. Let us go over them and familiarise ourselves with the AMCAS personal statement length and several other characteristics that your text has to align with. These are as follows:

• Mention all the major challenges that you faced in life. Then, describe some of the fascinating challenges you endured and decide how to describe them in your personal statement. Try to be as objective as possible when talking about your strengths and weaknesses and mention what you learned from the obstacles in life.
• Proceed with a deep analysis of the purpose and reason in life and your career. Figure out exactly why you want to study in a medical school. Is it because you are interested in treating the poor or in the monetary benefits it offers? Be honest and formulate your statement accordingly.
• List out all the aspects of your life that you would like to highlight to the reader. Then, consider how you can shed light on your past and include any different achievements you got. You can also write about your plans, purpose and what you are looking to achieve.
• Try to point out how studying in medical school will help you fulfil your purpose and aim. For example, why do you think it is the best option and what attracts you the most about medical school? Also, include your motivations for choosing the path. All this information helps the reader gather an excellent impression of you.
• Try to find as much information as you can about medical school. It shows your dedication, and this can also be a great chance of writing what your reader wants to hear.
• After collecting all the relevant information, you can start writing the statement by following the guidelines above and form a proper AMCAS personal statement length. Do not forget to proofread and edit after you are done with the writing.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ’s)

What is the amcas, and what does it stand for.

AMCAS stands for the American Medical College Application Service, which is the centralised medical school application processing service of the AAMS (Association of American Medical Colleges).

What is the correct AMCAS personal statement length?

Though different medical schools have different length guidelines, the AMCAS personal statement length is around a page long or around 5300 characters.

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Personal Essay

The Personal Statement is your opportunity to introduce yourself to admission committees. It can explain your motivation and why you have made the decision to apply. It can bring out your personal attributes and competencies and weave together all of your experiences. A sincere, thoughtful, and introspective personal statement may make the difference to committee members as they decide whether to interview or admit an academically qualified applicant.

Composition

Your 5300-character essay (the character limit for AMCAS) requires focus. Your essay should be an invitation to know you, tell the story of who you are, and present an argument of why you will make an excellent physician.

• You may want to start with a "hook" - an anecdote or statement that engages the reader and draws them into your essay. This should be short, snappy, clear and grab the attention of the reader. And it will introduce your overall theme or focus.
• Your essay should be a story. For example, you might explain (a) a particular interest that spans both your academic achievements and your extracurricular experiences, (b) a unique background, or challenges that have shaped who you are, (c) particular health care issues that have been of interest to you and why or (d) how you have developed your interest in medicine over time. You could end your essay with your long-term professional goals, what you will be doing in the coming year, or tie your ending to your beginning.
• Write with depth and evaluation, feeling and reflection, not broadly and vaguely.
• Your essay should show your value, your qualities, experiences and competencies that will make you an excellent physician.
• Write with personal details.
• You can include short examples and anecdotes (but no more than 2 or 3 of these).
• Remember that the meaning you found in an experience is as important as that experience.
• Writer's block and don't know where to start? Start somewhere, start in the middle and not the beginning, write on paper, close the computer screen and type, verbally compose your story and record it, and/or consult with the Writing Studio for help.
• Don’t write an English essay, academic paper, or summary of your resume.
• Don't be wildly creative, gratuitous, cute, theatrical or dramatic.
• Don’t use cliches and vague phrases.
• Don’t list items and don't quote others.
• Don’t list an experience without context or reflection.
• Don’t over inflate your accomplishments/activities or include inaccuracies.
• Don't begin your essay with how you wanted to be a doctor at age 4 when you received your first Fisher Price doctor kit, the moment when you decided to be a doctor, or how heroes wear white coats.
• Don't spend all of your space talking about someone else (this essay is about you).
• Don't repeat what you've said in your 15 experiences, although you may choose to elaborate more fully on one experience, begin with a meaningful experience, or discuss how your experiences interact in a manner that the 15-experience format doesn’t allow for.
• Use simple and clear English.
• Use action verbs and active voice rather than passive. Not “I was given the opportunity to volunteer in”, but rather "I volunteered in ... " 
• Write as though you were talking with someone in person.
• Include personal details on people, places, what you saw and did... so the reader can form a picture and distinguish you from other applicants.
• For every anecdote or experience, explain why it was meaningful and relevant to you. Don't make a reader guess at your intent.
• Consider that if someone else could have written your essay, it's not personal enough. 
• Expect to do multiple rewrites.
• Expect it will take longer than you think.
• For first draft(s), disregard character limits; it’s more important to get your thoughts down. Later you can trim words and phrases to meet the limit.
• It often helps to step away from your essay for a few days, then go back to it.
• Ask others to read your essay for content, especially those individuals who know you well to ensure that your authentic voice is coming through.
• If you aren’t totally pleased, write 2 or 3 different statements from different angles and then wait a few days and evaluate them.
• Circle all the times you use the word "I" and if there are too many, rewrite some sentences.
• Check for typos and remember that spell checkers don’t catch all errors (“there” vs. “their”).
• Save all drafts in case you want to go back to them.  Some of your reflections might be useful for secondary applications or for reviewing before interviews.

NOTES: See the current   AMCAS guide .

There are a wide variety of sample essays online (google: sample essay questions medical school). These might provide ideas, but remember that this is your personal statement and it needs to be written from the heart and be about you.

If you are applying to an MD-PhD program, you will write and include two other essays, one on why you are applying to these programs and one on your research experience. 

You can utilize the Personal Statement Resources that the  TWP Writing Studio  offers.

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How To Start My AMCAS Personal Statement

January 25, 2020

American Medical School, AMCAS Application, AMCAS Personal Statement

When you open an AMCAS application in early May, your brain will be overloaded with the list of requests and data collection points. This includes reference letters, checkers, contact information and transcripts. This will seem a lot to you, but you will eventually get it because you will read the AMCAS instruction manual carefully to avoid a refund or incomplete or, worse, investigation of your application.

American medical schools generally have a continuous reception procedure. Even so, candidates arriving early in the pool are more likely to talk and accept. Then open the application as soon as you open the program and intend to deliver it early in early June.

During the crowd and rush of activity, you will have to write a brief personal statement explaining why you want to go to the medical school. The personal statement is section 8 of the AMCAS request.

MD compared to MD-PhD

If you just sign up for MD programs , then you have one personal statement to write. It contains only 5300 characters (including spaces) with the following instructions from AMCAS:

“Use the essay on personal comments as an opportunity to distinguish yourself from other candidates, consider and write your personal comments carefully, many admissions committees give a great deal of attention to this section.

Some of the questions you should consider when writing this essay are:

Why did you select the area of ​​medicine?

What encourages you to learn more about medicine?

What do you want medical schools to know about you who are not discovered in other parts of the application? In addition, you might want to include information such as:

Difficulties, challenges or special obstacles that could have affected your studies.

Comment on the significant oscillations of your academic record that are not explained elsewhere in your application”

If you apply for MD-PhD programs, you also need to write an MD-PhD essay and a meaningful experiment essay. MD-PhD Essay is an essay of 3000 characters (including spaces) on the reasons for continuing the combined program. A significant test of test experience is an essay of 10,000 characters (including spaces) on previous research experience, which must contain a lot of detail about the project and contributions to your work.

Before discussing how to organize a personal statement from AMCAS, consider some ideas that can be discussed in your statement. Here are some questions that you can answer when you are thinking about what to include in your essay.

• Why did you choose the medicine area?
• What motivates you to learn more about medicine?
• What do you want medical schools to know about you and not reveal them in other parts of the app?

In addition, you can include information such as: Specific difficulties, challenges, or obstacles that could affect your educational activity. Comments on significant fluctuations in your academic record that are not explained elsewhere in your application are also being applied.

Here are some additional questions and ideas you can consider including in your personal statement AMCAS.

Where are you born, how are you grown up and what kind of childhood are adults (contains fascinating and fascinating stories about your brothers, parents, grandparents and grandparents?

Early exposure to a medical field that left the impression on you as a child. How you met and are interested in medicine at the early stages of your life.

• What steps did you take to get you to know more about the medical profession?
• Are you in the shade of a doctor?
• Have you volunteered or worked in a clinical situation?
• Have you participated in medical research?
• How did you finally decide to enroll in a medical school?
• Future projects as a doctor?
• What specialty do you anticipate and why?

The perfect personal statement of AMCAS not only shows the board of receivers to have excellent communication capability thanks to their excellent writing style, but above all to a sense of maturity, professionalism and self-confidence. reflexivity (ie a candidate for a medical school, while clearly showing your motivation for the medical profession).

Now, the first step in writing a perfect personal statement of a medical school is to start as soon as possible. A good personal statement takes months to create. It will take you time to think about it and think about it every day to think. It is also important that you discuss the issue with others that might illuminate the deeper thought behind the questions posed.

When writing the first draft of your essays, it is important to keep in mind the following points: The essay should be read as a chronological narrative and have a good structure and flow, no matter how long it must be. That means it will need an introduction, body content, and a conclusion.

Introduction:

The introductory section and, more importantly, the introductory sentence or the initial sentence of your essay will surely make your entire statement. So make sure you have a creative and engaging introductory phrase that attracts the reader. This is your first and only chance to call the commission. Your introductory passage should also serve as a guide for the reader and allow him to understand where the story goes.

When you create a good introduction or introductory section, it is time to focus on the rest of the essay. In the body of your essay, you basically want to develop the ideas you have put into your first paragraph by drawing your personal experiences to provide proof.

Conclusion:

Finally, the conclusion of your personal statement should not be a mere summary of the things you have been discussing. It should be compelling, amazing, and leave the impression to the reader. Although you want to focus on the main ideas of your essay, you should try to be creative and appealing like your first paragraph. Now let’s go for example an excellent introductory section from the cycle of the previous year.

Excellent example of an AMCAS personal statement:

“I was convinced that I would become a magician, not just another twisted idealistic childhood dream that many of us have grown up. There is a sense of security around this dream that encouraged him to dedicate countless hours of his practice, especially the miracle he brought to others and the way to who remained in awe after the tour, I remember I used the most as a young magician But at age 13, my grandfather was diagnosed with kidney cancer in stage IV, and I realized that sometimes magic did not sufficiently and quickly taught the vital role of a doctor in My grandfather later died of his illness, the influence of a health team on him, my family, and I will always be the starting point for my fascination with the medical profession. I spent years of deepening knowledge in humanities through my undergraduate studies and my research I have gained a better understanding of the demands and challenges of the medical profession through my diverse volunteer and extra-curricular I was very hard on the road and I continued to develop an intimate fascination for the medical field that prompted me to apply to medical school at this stage of my life.

Please note that as an example of a personal statement above AMCAS, the applicant followed all the above-mentioned tips.

After completing your first draft, make sure you have someone who has the expertise to review your work so you can make the appropriate changes before you bid because you only have one chance to make the first impression.

Of course, you can ask a professor or a doctor, but more often than not, these people are overwhelmed with their own work, and may take weeks to come back to you and may even lack the experience or expertise to provide you with the right feedback.

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Ultimate Guide tо thе Modified Personal Interview (MPI)

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AMCAS Guide: 10 Tips To Help You Succeed in Admissions

EssayEdge > Blog > AMCAS Guide: 10 Tips To Help You Succeed in Admissions

Follow these ten simple guidelines to help you keep focused and write a great AMCAS essay without all the long nights downing energy drinks that taste vaguely like cough syrup and tearing your hair out. Give it a try, it is easier than you probably think.

1. Do not obsess over the protocol.

Your protocol is 5300 characters with spaces. It is not necessary for your essay to be within five or 10 characters of this length. It should be over 5000 characters, but that is the only general rule to worry about.

Trying to get the essay to exactly 5300 characters gets a lot of applicants into trouble. If you realize at the last minute that your 5299-character essay includes a sentence that is not technically true, you need simply remove it (assuming that the corresponding transitions work). You need not obsess about replacing it. Generating a sentence simply to accommodate a character protocol can ruin your essay.

2.  Know your thesis.

Your thesis is the sentence in your essay that explains why you will be a great doctor. The best place for it is in your introduction, but it can appear elsewhere as well. The best time to write it out formally is after you have written your essay, but having a thesis in mind (e.g. “I am great on research teams”) will help tremendously in developing your essay. Your thesis should refer to your salient strength and interest.

3. Do not try to sound like a doctor.

This is the most serious error you can make in your AMCAS essay. Many candidates think they can get ahead using medical jargon.

This is not true! Staying humble is the easiest way to your reader’s heart. Keep the medical references clear and concise. Your reader wants to hear what sets you apart as an aspiring doctor – not medical jargon!

4. Include the facts with program names and locations.

This is important because your reader does not always have your resume, especially for programs that use multiple readers. Referring to volunteer experiences and projects without offering specifics can lose your reader. Always provide place names, program names, and timelines when applicable.

5.  Do not go back too far into your childhood.

If sharing a story about childhood or adolescence, do not go back too far (“I have wanted to be a doctor since I was four”). Even if this is followed by text that explains what you did when you were six, when you were eight, and when you were 10, this kind of content can lose your reader. It is ancient history.

6. Be concise and specific if discussing personal or family medical issues.

While it is true that you do not want to try to sound like a doctor, if referring to family or personal medical issues, be specific if possible. Demonstrating an understanding of a family medical situation (especially if it has been critical in your motivation) can help to win over your reader.

7. You do not have to touch every base .

Your AMCAS essay can share your academic successes, extracurricular achievements, research achievements, volunteer experiences, and life experiences. But it is not necessary to touch all of these bases! If you want to submit an essay about what a great researcher you are and what you have achieved in research, you don’t need to provide paragraphs about your leadership, grades, club activities, and so on.

8. You do not have to provide one critical anecdote.

If you have one, and it provides insight into your motivation, by all means share it. But if you do not, do not worry about this! Too much is made of personal anecdotes. Talking about your goals in medicine is a better approach than the literary development of an anecdote.

9. Avoid the drama.

Some of the best material for your essay may be about how you overcame a challenge. But avoid overemotional writing (“Although XYZ was devastating, I overcame it”). You must think of your essay almost as a marketing document. Too much negative emotion can ruin the effect.

10. Humility, humility, humility.

Your reader is your friend! This is something else that candidates do not understand. Treat your reader as your friend. Respect your reader’s time and make things as clear as possible for your reader. This can lead to the greatest rewards.

AMCAS essay is special, and it’s not surprising. If you plan to study medicine in college, you must be ready for the hardships you’ll face. And AMCAS essay is the very beginning. We tried to mention all the most obvious nuances of writing this essay, and it made this process much easier. The only thing you may need help with is editing: order a college essay correction here to get the result you expect.

You may also like Answering Your Questions about the AMCAS: An Overview

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Application Guidelines and Requirements

New section.

• Apply for MCAT Accommodations
• MCAT Official Prep Hub
• Register for the MCAT Exam

To help you submit  complete application, please review the following information about the application process. 

For additional guidance on which type of application to submit, please visit our page Which MCAT Accommodations Application Should I Submit?

Initial Applications

1. complete the application questions and prompts in the mcat accommodation services online application system., 2. include a personal statement.  .

A personal statement is a narrative written from your perspective that describes your current functional limitations, history of accommodations, and what you feel is necessary to “level the playing field” on the MCAT exam. This helps us understand your unique experience that may not be captured elsewhere in your documentation.

Here are some quick dos and don'ts regarding the information you include in your statement.

3. Submit a current comprehensive evaluation  

A current comprehensive evaluation is a detailed written report from your evaluator and is a critical component of your application. Specific evaluation components may vary depending on your impairment(s). To ensure your evaluator includes the necessary information, please share.  What Evaluators Need to Know  and the relevant evaluation guidelines listed below:

Evaluation Requirements Learning Disabilities, ADHD, & Psychiatric Disabilities

Evaluation Requirements Physical Disabilities

Evaluation Requirements Sensory Disabilities

Evaluation Requirements Diabetes

Evaluation Requirements Acquired Brain Injury*

*For our purposes, Acquired Brain Injury  includes any type of insult or injury to your brain, (e.g., concussion, traumatic brain injury, cognitive changes due to illness, etc.).

4. Academic and medical supporting documentation

Academic and medical supporting documentation is generally required or recommended for most applications. Please refer to the chart below for information regarding what documentation should be submitted in support of your application for accommodations.

*Submission of these documents is only required in cases where applicants have taken such tests or received these services in the past.

• Required: This document is necessary to complete your review. Omission is likely to result in an incomplete application (i.e., delayed determination).
• Strongly Recommended: This document is typically necessary for a full review. Omission may result in an incomplete application (i.e., a delayed determination).
• If Applicable: This document may not be necessary if the onset of your impairment occurred after this document was created. We suggest you submit the document to ensure your application is complete and that you remain on schedule for your review cycle.

Academic Transcripts

Academic transcripts for high school, undergraduate, and any post-graduate education should be submitted according to the chart above, regardless of the date of diagnosis. You may upload unofficial transcripts distributed by your academic institution. Your supporting documentation must include your name.

Standardized Test Scores

Scores should be submitted for all standardized tests that have been taken such as, SAT, ACT, and GRE. Official or unofficial copies from third parties are acceptable and must include your name. Score information should be submitted according to the information in the chart above, regardless of the date of diagnosis. If you have never taken a standardized test, submission of this documentation is not required.

Verification of Previous Accommodations

Official verification documents for accommodations include those received in educational institutions (e.g., IEPs, Section 504 plans, or Disability Support Services letters) and on standardized tests(e.g., SAT, ACT, GRE). The documentation should identify the specific accommodations received and the time period during which they were received. If you have no prior history of receiving accommodations, submission of this documentation is not required.

Supporting Academic Records

This documentation assists us in understanding your functional limitations and need for accommodations. It may include (but is not limited to) earlier report cards, school progress reports, tutoring evaluations, notes regarding unofficial accommodations provided, teacher comments reflecting past and/or current academic difficulties, clinical notes or documentation from pediatricians/primary care physicians/other service providers referencing academic issues.

Previous Evaluations

While a current comprehensive assessment of your functional limitations is necessary, it is also helpful to have historical documentation (such as previous assessments documenting your impairment and addressing your need for accommodations) to provide us with a holistic view of your need for accommodations.

Reconsideration Requests

• Complete the necessary application questions in the application system. Please note: You will not be able to revise the history section; this reflects your history at the time of your initial submission .
• The additional information or documentation (e.g., such as new test results, information from a different qualified professional, etc.) should add to our understanding of your functioning. You may wish to consult your evaluator or another qualified professional for assistance identifying additional documentation to submit in support of your request.  
• A follow-up letter written by you, or a qualified professional, that only conveys previously provided information is insufficient documentation to support a Reconsideration request.
• Please note: You do not need to re-submit previously submitted documentation.

Appeal Requests

• Complete the necessary application questions and prompts in the application system. Please note: You will not be able to revise the history section; this reflects your history at the time of your initial submission .
• No additional documentation is necessary.

Extension Requests

• Complete the necessary application questions and prompts in the application system. Please note: You will not be able to revise the history section; this reflects the history at the time of your initial submission .
• Examples of conditions that may need updated information from your qualified professional  include pregnancy, injury, or psychiatric impairments as the status of or impact from these conditions is likely to change over time.

Incomplete Applications

• Submit the requested documentation from you or your qualified professional.
• Specific information regarding what additional documentation is needed is provided in your determination letter.

Keep in mind

• All application materials must be in English. Materials submitted in another language will not be reviewed.
• Keep a copy of all documentation you are submitting with your request. The AAMC will not return your documentation.
• Your accommodation application history, documentation, and determination letters are maintained in our application system for five years from the date of your most recent determination. We recommend keeping a copy of your determination letter for your records.
• All applications and supporting documentation should be submitted via our application system. 
• If your determination is due on a weekend or holiday, you can expect to receive a determination on or before the next business day .
• Determinations cannot be changed over the phone or by email. Requests must be made through our application system.
• We cannot discuss your application with any third party (including parents) without an Authorization for Release of Information form from you, which can be completed in the Service Request section in our online application system.
• If necessary, your application may be forwarded for further review to an external reviewer with expertise in the area of your impairment at the discretion of the Director of Accommodation Services. Your documentation will be kept strictly confidential.

Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET

Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET (excluding holidays) 

All documentation submitted in support of your request for accommodations is confidential.

To protect the applicant, MCAT Accommodation Services will not accept inquiries from third parties regarding an applicant or their application request, unless specifically authorized to do so. Applicants can locate and submit the Authorization to Release Health Information Pertaining to MCAT Accommodations in MCAT Accommodations Online under “Submit Service Requests”. MCAT Accommodation Services will not release any part of the documentation unless compelled by legal process, except for the purpose of determining eligibility for MCAT testing accommodations.

In addition to the statements made above, any personal information provided to MCAT Accommodation Services will be handled in accordance with the AAMC Privacy Statement . 

2024 AACOMAS Personal Statement Guide

• By Med School Insiders
• January 30, 2024
• AACOMAS , Personal Statement

The AACOMAS personal statement is an opportunity to tell your story and how your journey has led you to osteopathic medicine specifically.

Why do you want to study osteopathic medicine? How do your values align with those of osteopathy? What drew you to medicine? What drives you? Admissions committees expect a lot more than a rehash of your CV. This is your chance to let an admissions committee know who you really are beyond your grades.

This post will cover AACOMAS personal statements, including how they fit within the application process, how to write a personal statement for a DO school, and common mistakes to avoid.

Not sure what application type you need to submit? Read our guide to AMCAS vs. AACOMAS vs. TMDSAS Med School Application Differences to find out how the three application services compare.

What is a Medical School Personal Statement?

Your grades and MCAT score are certainly vital pieces of your medical school application, but your personal statement is the heart. The personal statement is your chance to sell yourself to an admissions committee and speak about who you are beyond your grades and accomplishments.

Why do you want to devote your life to helping and healing people? What moments and experiences in your past crystalized your ambition to pursue medicine? When did you know you had to become an osteopathic doctor? Who in your life inspires you? What separates you from the other candidates?

This isn’t your CV in complete sentences. The personal statement is your opportunity to show the admissions committee who you are and the journey that got you to where you are today.

The Anatomy of a AACOMAS Application

Each year at the start of May, the AACOMAS application opens for submissions. Colleges begin to receive applications around mid-June. For your best chance of success, it’s important to get your application submitted as quickly as possible after submissions open.

Your chances of acceptance decrease the later you submit your application because of rolling admissions , so it’s a very bad idea to procrastinate. Staying on top of your deadlines could be the difference between acceptance and rejection. Complete your primary application as well as your secondary applications long before the actual submission deadline.

Consider our timeline below, which includes possible and ideal schedules.

The personal statement is only one piece of your primary application. In order to submit a successful application, you must work on multiple application components at once.

• GPA and MCAT Score
• Personal Statement
• Letters of Evaluation (also called Letters of Recommendation)
• Experiences and Achievements Section
• Mini Essays
• Depending on the schools you apply to, you may also be required to take a Casper test .

Read our complete AACOMAS Application Guide For DO Schools for more information about the other application components.

What Makes the AACOMAS Personal Statement Different?

The major thing that separates the AACOMAS personal statement from the AMCAS personal statement is the specificity of the initial question; instead of asking “why do you want to be a doctor,” the AACOMAS personal statement asks why you want to study osteopathic medicine.

Osteopaths (DOs) take pride in their holistic approach to patient care and focus on preventative medicine. DOs treat the person—not the symptoms. The focus of osteopathy is on recognizing the connections between different systems and organs in the body and their influence on each other. This is how DOs differentiate themselves from allopathic doctors (MDs), and these differences are the core of the osteopathic philosophy.

Therefore your personal statement must illustrate your interest in the osteopathic approach to medicine and show that you understand the values of osteopathy with clear examples from your own life.

How have your experiences shaped your aspiration to become an osteopath? The AACOMAS personal statement is your chance to demonstrate to admissions committees that you have the ability, passion, and determination it takes to succeed in osteopathic medical school.

AACOMAS Personal Statement Character Limit

The AACOMAS personal statement is the same length as the AMCAS personal statement. You are limited to 5300 characters, which is around 1.5 pages of single-spaced 12-point Times New Roman font. You don’t have a lot of room to tell your life story, which means the challenge is choosing the key moments from your life that inspired you to want to become a DO and communicating them in an engaging yet concise way.

How to Write a AACOMAS Personal Statement

1 | Take Time to Reflect on Your Past Experiences

Writing your personal statement will take a lot of time. Don’t think you’re going to be able to crank this out in an afternoon. Begin thinking about your personal statement as soon as possible, and give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm ideas and reflect on the events in your life that have led you to this point.

This is your opportunity to sell yourself to an admissions committee. What about your life and experiences make you unique? Think of your personal statement as your superhero origin story. What drives you? You may be naturally gifted in all things science and school-related, but why do you want to apply your skills to a field as demanding as medicine? Why do you want to dedicate your life to helping people?

Take The Batman. Does Batman fight crime because he’s naturally smart and strong and was born wealthy? Those things are true of Batman, but they don’t speak to why Bruce Wayne has dedicated his life to fighting crime and protecting the innocent. Seeing his parents shot and killed before his eyes forever changed Bruce Wayne and set him on the path to becoming Gotham’s dark knight. He fights in the hope that no other child in Gotham will be orphaned like he was.

Do you want to pursue medicine because you have a natural aptitude for it, or is it because of something deeper? Who in your life inspired you? What key events shaped your desire and made it clear to you that you had to become an osteopath?

2 | Illustrate Osteopathic Values

Demonstrating why you want to pursue a career in medicine is one thing, but the AACOMAS personal statement requires you to tailor your experiences to the osteopathic philosophy. Why do you want to study osteopathy specifically? What moments in your life have caused you to believe more strongly in the osteopathic approach to medicine versus the allopathic approach?

According to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), there are four osteopathic principles :

• The body is a unit; the person is a unit of body, mind, and spirit.
• The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing, and health maintenance.
• Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated.
• Rational treatment is based upon an understanding of the basic principles of body unity, self-regulation, and the interrelationship of structure and function.

How did you find osteopathy? Did certain events in your life lead you to believe more strongly in the holistic approach of osteopathy? Did a trusted mentor inspire you to pursue a career as a DO?

Speak about these moments and how they have shaped your medical education journey. How do your values align with osteopathic medicine, and how do examples from your own life illustrate this alignment?

Read the full Philosophy of Osteopathic Medicine from AACOM.

3 | Provide Concrete Examples

It’s not enough to say you’re ‘compassionate’ or ‘driven.’ You need to demonstrate these strengths with concrete examples from your life. Admissions committees need to see your passion for osteopathic medicine reflected in the stories you share.

They’re not going to take you at your word; you need to back up your claims with tangible evidence. Sharing a story that exemplifies your better qualities is a lot more impactful to an admissions committee than simply stating that you’re resilient. How do you know you’re resilient? What are some specific moments in your life when you had to demonstrate resilience? When in your life have you displayed the qualities you want an admissions committee to know you have?

Show, don’t tell. If you want the admissions committee to know you’re hardworking, describe a moment in your life that demonstrates this quality.

4 | Develop a Narrative Across Your Application

You are applying to medical school along with thousands of fellow applicants, and many of them share your motivations, qualifications, and grades.

Standing out in this field is tough; if you and a fellow applicant have the exact same grades and clinical hours, what makes you the more appealing candidate?

Your personal statement is your chance to differentiate yourself from the competition. It’s an opportunity to tell your story. Repeating your CV but in paragraph form is monotonous and will do nothing to help you stand out amongst the competition.

A personal statement is a story, not a list of your accomplishments. The admissions committee needs to be excited to learn more about you, and you can inspire this excitement by developing a narrative across your entire application. Demonstrate how your skills and experiences make you an ideal candidate who has much to offer their program.

5 | Choose Clear and Direct Language

You may be telling a story, but don’t worry about sounding poetic. Extravagant word choices and flowery language won’t impress an admissions committee. 5300 characters is not a lot of space, so choose clear, concise language over long, complicated words and convoluted sentence structure.

If you read over a sentence and think you can simplify it—do so. Find the simplest, clearest way to convey your message.

Tools like Grammarly or the Hemingway App can help you keep your language clear, direct, and concise.

6 | Leave Enough Time to Adapt and Edit

Writing a personal statement isn’t something you’re going to start and finish in a couple of days or even a couple of weeks. You will need to spend ample time reflecting on your past in order to develop a first draft of your personal statement, and it may take several drafts before you land on something that really works.

Don’t be shy about sharing your personal statement with friends, family, and mentors. Your personal statement won’t improve without detailed, constructive feedback. For your best chances of success, speak to a mentor or professor who has been involved in the admissions process and ask them to review your personal statement. They will have invaluable insight.

If you don’t have anyone in your life to fill these shoes, consider hiring an editing service that’s able to do more than correct your spelling and grammar. For best results, your personal statement should be reviewed by people who have an intimate, behind-the-scenes understanding of what an admissions committee is really looking for.

This is why it’s so important to start this process early. You need plenty of time on either side of writing your personal statement for editing and revision . Don’t procrastinate on your personal statement; start as soon as possible.

For a more in-depth look at writing a personal statement, read our Personal Statement Guide , which includes 11 steps for starting, writing, and editing your personal statement.

Common Personal Statement Mistakes to Avoid

Please don’t make these common personal statement mistakes. The personal statement is a critical piece of your application; it deserves ample attention, careful planning, and rigorous editing.

• Failing to connect your personal statement to osteopathic values.
• Using the same personal statement for AMCAS and AACOMAS applications.
• Leaving your personal statement to the last minute. (You should begin months in advance.)
• Not developing a cohesive narrative across your application.
• Listing your accomplishments or rehashing your CV and extracurriculars.
• Overusing the word “I.”
• Using flowery language or words you found in a thesaurus.
• Explaining what medicine is all about. (The admissions committee already understands medicine.)
• Using clichés. (Every applicant likes science and wants to help people.)
• Fabricating stories or lying about your personal experiences.
• Making excuses for poor grades or a low MCAT score.
• Speaking negatively about another physician or healthcare professional.
• Pleading for an interview or acceptance.
• Making spelling or grammar errors.
• Editing your personal statement by yourself.

Make Your AACOMAS Personal Statement Stand Out

Med School Insiders will help you create a stand out AACOMAS personal statement. We offer a range of personal statement editing packages , from general editing to unlimited editing with a physician who will be there to advise you every step of the way.

We’re dedicated to creating a generation of happier, healthier, and more effective future doctors. Our Comprehensive Medical School Admissions Packages are tailored to your needs and the specific schools you are applying to. We can help you with every aspect of your application, including MCAT tutoring , mock interviews , secondary editing , and student advising. Our team is built of doctors who have years of experience serving on both MD and DO admissions committees, so you’ll receive key insights into the selection process.

Med School Insiders

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