Online Medical School Rankings

Welcome to Medical School Rankings Headquarters! We have everything you need to make your life easier as you begin your search for the best medical school. State specific med school listings, a step-by-step application process, and interview tips to help you get accepted into the best medical school for you.

How to Write a Personal Statement for Medical School

When you write your personal statement for your medical school applications, it is your opportunity to make an impression that will help you stand out in a crowd of hundreds of other applications. As such, writing an impressive personal statement is one of the most vital parts of gaining acceptance into medical school. You make think that having high grades, impressive work experience, and quality references are the most important parts of your application, but all of the applicants against whom you are competing will also have similarly impressive grades, work experience, and references.

Your personal statement is your chance to put your own personal stamp on your application and to explain why you are the right candidate for acceptance into the institution. The two main tasks of the personal statement are to explain why you want to pursue a career as a doctor and what makes you the most suitable candidate for said career.

Make Your Medical School Application Stand Out

Though explaining why you want to become a doctor may seem like a somewhat straightforward task, an important thing to remember is that your statement must stand out in a pile of hundreds, all being asked the same question. While you may be tempted to write about how you want to help people or your desire to be a part of the medical field, those are probably the two things every other candidate is also thinking.

Instead of general assertions, you should look into your past for stories you can tell that pushed you towards such a career. What family members, teachers, or other people you may have met along the road inspired you to follow this path? At what point did you realize not only your passion for the field, but also that you were capable of succeeding in it?

It’s also fine to mention the long, rigorous hours that you expect to put into school in order to become a doctor as evidence of your passion and ambition for becoming a doctor. You’ll likely have multiple life events and stories to choose to cite as reasons for your pursuit of this career, but the important part is picking the most unique ones that will stand out when being compared to those of other candidates.

Medical Schools Want You To Succeed.  So Show Them You Can!

While an institution is particularly interested in the reasons for why you want to become a doctor, they must also be confident that you will be able to handle the trials, not only of medical school itself, but of the career of a doctor. Medical schools do not want to waste a spot in their class for someone who will not put in the effort to graduate. Similarly, they want their graduates to succeed in the field and not damage the reputation of their institution. It is important to provide tangible reasons that you will make a good doctor instead of simply listing your grades and other related things. Instead of just listing your past accomplishments, your task is to cite your accomplishments as evidence for your success into the future. Although everyone wants to portray themselves as “hard working” and “ambitious,” you essentially need to explain to the school why you are more suitable than everyone else is.

Though writing a personal statement may seem like the most daunting aspect of the medical school application, you should look forward to it as your best change to stand out above the crowd. While you may think that your grades, work experience, and references are impressive, your personal statement is your opportunity for you to write in your own words why the school you are applying to you should accept you.  Make it count!

Category: Medical School