Writing Your AMCAS Essay

By Sharon Perlman of WritingWeb.com

 

 

The AMCAS essay is an important part of your medical school application.  Your grades and your MCAT scores are already set.  The essay is your chance to “talk” to the admissions committee and to convince them to accept you.  How should you write a great personal statement that will show the admissions committees what an awesome doctor you will be?  Here are some tips:

 

· Make it interesting

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist or have discovered the cure for cancer to get into medical school.  However, your essay should be interesting to read.  Write about something that is important to you and your feelings will come through in the essay.  Also, keep in mine that admissions committees want to see (1) that you know what are getting into, and (2) that you have that the qualities to be a good doctor.

 

· The four basic steps

There are four basic steps to writing your personal statement: preparation before you write, writing, revising and proofreading.  The first step is to take some time to brainstorm ideas and plan your essay.  Then write your essay without worrying about it being perfect; you just want to get a first draft out.  In the third step, revision, you can look at content, organization, clarity, etc., and improve the essay. Finally be sure to proofread your essay, making certain you have no spelling, grammar or syntax mistakes.

 

· Hook the reader

The admissions committee will likely spend less than a minute reading each essay.  To make yours stand out write about something you are passionate about and make sure your introduction hooks the reader from the very beginning.  The first paragraph should be personal, unusual and interesting.

 

· Focus

Don’t try to include too many topics.  It’s better to focus on 2-4 experiences or ideas and develop these in depth.  Describe your selected experiences in detail.

 

· Make your essay personal

Avoid general statements like “I want to be a doctor because I enjoy science and I like helping people.”  Instead, use specific examples of what you are trying to say, thereby showing the reader what you did and how you felt instead of stating these feelings explicitly.  For instance, if you volunteered in a hospital give an example of how you helped someone.  It is more interesting for the reader to read descriptive stories and it sounds more realistic.

 

· It’s ok to mention your weaknesses but be careful

If you have to explain a period of bad grades or something else that’s acceptable.  Try to find something positive to say about any problem and be sure to balance this part with a section about your strengths.

 

· Get a second opinion

Show your essay to other people to get feedback.  It’s hard to look at and criticize your own essay objectively.

 

· Remember that your essay is fair game

Interviewers will likely ask you about your essay during your interviews.  Be prepared to discuss any topic that you mention in your essay.

 

 

 

Bio.

Sharon Perlman is the President of The Writing Web, an online writing tutoring service that helps people with application essays for college, graduate, law, business and medical school.  The site, at http://www.writingweb.com, offers writing tips, worksheets, application advice and essay evaluations.  Sharon Perlman has also written a book about writing personal statements called How To Write Great Application Essays.