How to Write a Medical School Essay

Part of the challenge of applying to, and getting accepted into medical school involves writing an essay that reflects who you are as a person. The essay should reflect your personality and show the admissions officers what makes you, you. The entire medical school application process can seem overwhelming, but rather than saying what you think others will want to hear, you should focus on being yourself and letting that shine through as you write your medical school essay. Read on to learn how to write a medical school essay.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Avoid writing in cliches. You can imagine how many times a panel judging med school applications has read the words "I want to be a doctor so I can help people." All doctors help people. Even if you feel this way, you have to show it through other ways. Think about your desire to help people, and how that has affected decisions and commitments in your life. You want to tell a story that shows who you are, without you having to explicitly say the words, "I like helping people."
2. Be interesting, not boring. Admissions officers read hundreds of essays, and they must often skim through them to keep up. Admissions officers look for a way to learn about, and shape a picture of, you as the applicant. Use strong words and detail to tell stories or depict lessons you have learned in your life. Write in an active, rather than passive, voice.
3. Show them, don't tell them. The tone and style of language used means everything. Your goal is to really draw the person reading your essay into the story--you want them to want to know more about you and what you're about. Think about how situations made you feel, or changed you. Think action and feeling. Make the reader apart of your journey by getting them emotionally involved.
4. Be concise and avoid being wordy. Wordiness takes up valuable space and confuses the important ideas you're trying to convey. Short sentences are more powerful--they are direct and to the point. Certain phrases like "The fact that" or "This is why" are usually unnecessary. Concisely-written pieces focus on active verbs rather than forms of "to be" and adverbs and adjectives.
5. Address your weaknesses, but don't focus on them. Only detail legitimate setbacks. For example, if you lack volunteer hospital experience, explain the number of hours you had to work to make college more affordable for your family. Spin positives into negatives by explaining your attempts to improve.

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