If you are going to graduate high school soon and considering entering a medical school, college or university, that question surely sounds weird for you. In case you are still not sure our aim is going to be as soon as possible to convince you not to ignore the question about the quality of your application essay. Why?
Importance of the application essay for medical school
The bottom line is almost all of the schools, colleges or universities besides CV (aka resume) require an application essay (aka cover letter). Moreover, a lot of people could say that medical schools are the most strict and scrupulous about it. All because the profession requires this kind of pedantry. This way it already teaches how it is important to be serious in all details; you, after all, are going to be a person a life will depend on.
Your application essay is going to be read among other tons of the same as you wrote, so you better treat it as your chance to stand out, to be memorable. Therefore, a well-written and creative application essay substantially increases the chances you will study in the school of your dream.
Is CV not enough?
Medical schools’ application requirements include submitting medical school essay not just to make your entering to a school more complicated, but to detach their potential students from shallow and lazy candidates. Also, they need to know what medical specialization you would fit in if they would consider you as their potential student. To achieve these goals the CV is evidently not enough. Application essay can convey all of the prospects of a student and demonstrate how much he or she wants to study and develop in the field of medicine. Here the one can even differentiate a future doctor and an amateur.
Tips to write a perfect application essay
Here there are tips on how to do the medical school application essay that will pave you the way to your life-time dream profession:
- Preparation
Remember, the essay should be the special one, then and only then it will work out. But any good work needs a profound preparation
- Make the list of the schools you want to apply to;
- Make the priorities out of them (meanwhile be objective, don’t waste up your time sending the documents to the schools you have not so many chances to enter);
- In case you are applying through AMCAS (The American Medical College Application Service) no need to adjust your essay to the particular college, as it is anyway going to be read by multiple colleges;
- Find the material that will serve the core of your essay. All of the application essays must include a research plan. Define what you are interested in, what specialization, branch or questions you are concerned about. But don’t go too far as due to AMCAS number of the characters (not words!) must be no more than 5300;
- Be sure the information you provide in your essay doesn’t repeat your CV 100%. Don’t waste this opportunity to stand out for repeating the admission officers already know from the CV;
- Think about the zest that will make the admission officers memorize it (it could be a story from your childhood or daily-life story)
2. Writing
- Start with a draft, then correct it as many times as you want till it will be perfect for you
- All of the essays no matter what kind of consists of introduction and conclusion. So, follow the construction and your essay won’t be non-logic.
- Make the beginning especially creative and interesting. Make the admission officers remember it anyhow.
- Try to describe the things you most interested in. Don’t set yourself up just to enumerate what you would like to research with shallow explanations why. Let them be not a lot, but more deep and serious.
- Avoid cliché expressions. Admit, they are not creative at all, bot boring. Your aim is to stand out among all others;
3. Checking
- Revise everything you wrote at least 3 times and then ask others to read it and provide suggestions.
Remember the essay decides your future. So treat it seriously.