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sample amcas essay

March 22, 2018

Ace the AMCAS Essay

sample amcas essay

Introduction

Let’s get straight to the point. You want to create an AMCAS essay that makes you look good…really good. But you’re not a writer – you’re a premed, science-y person. So how are you going to compose a masterpiece of an essay without spending hours and days trying to figure out WHAT to write about and HOW to write it well?

Simple! You’re going to follow the straightforward advice that we provide in this blog post. Are you ready to rock your AMCAS essay? Read on!

Who should write your essays?

The obvious answer here is that YOU should (and if anyone else does for you, then you can expect to be found out and rejected). But there’s a bigger question here – Which YOU will be writing your essay?

I’d like to present two important principles here:

Principle #1: To thine own self be true

One of the purposes of the AMCAS essay is to provide a snapshot – a quick and accurate introduction – of yourself to the med school admissions board. If the application were to ask you to attach a photo, you wouldn’t include a picture of someone else, and I hope that you wouldn’t Photoshop or alter your photo to create an image of who you WISH you were, rather than of who you actually ARE.

Your essays should serve that same purpose. The stories that you tell in your AMCAS essay should be authentic and honest so that the YOU in your essay would be recognizable to anyone who actually knows you.

Principle #2: Put your best foot forward

While you want to be as authentic as possible, you also want to be sure that you’re not:

a) offering too much personal or private information

b) dwelling on your weaknesses.

Yes, you want to portray your true self (Principle #1), but you don’t want to needlessly air your dirty laundry. Nobody wants to read about your most recent breakup or how devastated you were when you woke up with a huge zit on the day of your high school prom. Furthermore, if you have difficulty juggling tasks or following directions, don’t be “too honest” and rant and complain about how you have so much trouble getting things done. Of course you should never ever EVER lie, but you also don’t need to volunteer irrelevant or inappropriate information or details that will make you look unqualified.

What should you include in your essay?

As we discussed, your AMCAS essay serves as your introduction to the med school admissions board. In this way, your essay much more resembles a human interest story than it resembles a report. As a “science person,” you may be more familiar with factual, data-driven, analytical writing, with reports that are based on facts, figures, and statistics. In your application, all of this data will be included in your score reports and your resume … not in your essay.

Your AMCAS essay, your own personal human interest story, needs to be anecdotal and emotional. This is your opportunity to reveal your passion, your humor, your drive, and, in short, your unique personality. Remember, the admissions members reading your essays are human beings. Their job is to wade through a mountain of boring, trite, monotonous essays in search of that compelling gem of a story – the one that you’re going to write .

For that gem to gel, you will need to choose meaningful experiences that show your strength of character , integrity, individuality, and most importantly, your non-academic qualifications and motivation for pursuing medical school and a career as a physician.

Which would be a more interesting essay – one in which you speak generally about how you volunteered in a volunteer setting, or one in which you talk specifically about your experience working in Uganda with Doctors without Borders? Obviously the latter – an experience shared only by a handful, if any, of your competitors, will stand out more than an essay in which you talk about a vague experience that every other applicant shares.

But what if you haven’t worked in Uganda or climbed Mt. Everest or discovered a cure for cancer while a freshman? What if your most notable achievements are a little more pedestrian? Specifics and stories will still make them stand out. Furthermore, if you include in your essays your distinctive motivations, take-aways, and insights from those critical events that are important enough to you to include in your AMCAS essay, you will have a killer essay.

When you choose your essay topic, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Will this topic authentically introduce me to the reader?

2. Is this topic distinctive, or is it just going to come across as one more essay about how a grandparent’s illness directed the author at the age of 10 to medicine?

3. Does this essay reflect positively on my fitness for a career as a physician?

5 effective techniques to improve your writing

So far we’ve talked about the WHO, WHY, WHAT, and HOW of creating an exemplary AMCAS essay. Now we’re going to offer some bonus tips that will help elevate your essay so it’s not just covering the right material in the correct order, but it’s actually written WELL.

1. Use active, lively, vivid verbs. You can “go” somewhere, or you can “meander,” “wander,” “race,” “rush,” etc. Variety enhances your verbiage!

2. Use metaphors and images to enliven your writing. This will help your reader jump into your experience.

3. Avoid clichés . Saying that you “think out of the box” isn’t really the most creative way of stating that you are creative. It’s just too overused.

4. Use suspense and irony. These elements show depth to your writing and to your personality.

5. Be succinct.

How should you structure your essay?

In this post we’re not going to talk about the actual writing and editing (we’ll save those technical elements for another time), but we are going to suggest HOW to structure your essay. After you choose your topic, you will need to sit down and make an outline that highlights the structure that your essay will take.

A successful essay structure usually looks like this:

1. Lead or hook

As a personal interest piece, you want your reader to read your essay out of interest, not obligation. The best way to do this is to draw your reader in with some captivating, spellbinding opening. “Hi, my name is…” or “I was born in…” or “I want to be a doctor because…” certainly won’t cut it! Stay away from the common and ordinary. Start with a catchy anecdote, question, bit of dialogue, or description that you think will capture your reader’s attention. Put your reader in the middle of whatever story you plan to tell.

Your thesis acts as the core idea of the essay. While a successful essay doesn’t necessarily need to spell out a main topic (for example, you don’t need to say “the purpose of this essay is…”), it should somehow be present in your essay – both as a guiding light to make sure that you don’t get lost in your writing and ramble on about a million different topics, and so that your reader remains focused and attentive to the point that you’re trying to convey.

The body of your essay is the longest section. In the body you’ll present evidence (specifics that add interest and credibility to your essay and distinguish you from your competition ) to support your thesis. In this section of your AMCAS essay, you’ll want to order your points (and sub-points if you have them) either chronologically, logically, or thematically. You should always put your most interesting points earlier in the essay.

4. Conclusion

Your essay’s conclusion should restate your main idea or theme. You shouldn’t parrot what you introduced earlier in the essay, but you should find a way to include it and also relate an implication or two, for example, why this theme or story is important or revealing. Also, if you asked a question at the beginning of your essay, make sure you’ve answered it by the end.

Why do we have personal statements?

Do the essays in your med school applications serve as mere padding for the rest of your application? Or do they have some higher purpose?

I’d like to propose three important reasons WHY the med schools request essays in addition to all the stats and data that you provide in other sections of your application.

The purpose of the AMCAS essay is to…

 1. Provide a window into who you are.

Not just into your grades and scores and impressive awards and experiences, but into the real you . Your AMCAS essay gives you an opportunity for the admissions community to meet you beyond the hard facts. This is your chance to introduce yourself.

2. Add insight and value to your application.

Your AMCAS essay will allow you to delve deeper into specific experiences and to discuss your motivation and the lessons you learned. Be careful not to merely repeat info found on other parts of your application; instead, build and add to it with an insightful essay.

3. Demonstrate writing ability.

Strong writing skills are indicative of strong communication skills, which are critical in the medical world. Let the adcom readers see that you know how to get your point across.

To sum up, your essays shouldn’t pad your application with meaningless filler material, but should serve as a different kind of PAD – Provide a window, Add value, and Demonstrate writing skills. Include these elements in your AMCAS essay, and you’ll be one step closer to creating a captivating piece of writing and capturing a spot in your dream med school!

For individualized assistance, check out Accepted’s  AMCAS Application Advising and Editing Packages get matched with an expert med school advisor who will help you highlight your competitive advantage and get ACCEPTED!

Create a Winning AMCAS Application - Watch the webinar now!

Related Resources:

•  What to Include in the AMCAS Work and Activities Section [With Examples] •  Admissions Tip: BE YOURSELF! •  4 Things to Do Before Submitting Your AMCAS Application

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AMCAS Personal Statement Examples (2024)

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by internationalmedicalaid

Why is the AMCAS Personal Statement Important?

Every year, thousands of graduates apply to medical school. Some of them have fantastic GPAs and MCAT scores , others have astounding extracurriculars, shadowing, and volunteering experience, and yet others have both. Yet many of these stellar students who have spent hours doing all this don’t make the cut. Most medical school applicants go through at least 2 or 3 years of applications before getting an acceptance offer from a medical school. Some others do not get accepted even after a couple of rounds and give up their medical school dreams.

What are we missing? How can we tilt this equation and increase the odds of getting in? What are some winning strategies?

Let us put ourselves in the shoes of the people making the decisions and handing out acceptance, rejection, and waitlist letters.

The critical thing to remember is that the admissions committee reviews every candidate qualitatively. This is because while numbers speak for past achievement, the committee is most concerned about future potential: something that may or may not be reflected in those fabulous GPA and MCAT numbers . There are several questions that the committee seeks to find answers to, and one central question is how well a student will fare in their program and beyond.

That brings us to the unknown future. Let us look at some known facts: Even highly successful students will have to give everything they have to thrive in a new environment—one that is much more fast-paced, with varying and several demands, complex challenges, and possible twists and turns that no one can anticipate. At the end of the day, candidates are people. Between fitting the scores and the extracurriculars on the one hand, and the values, perspectives, habits, and attitude of applicants on the other, medical school admissions committees have their work cut out for them.

So they turn to the personal statement. The AMCAS personal statement is one of the tools through which the qualitative review takes place. In a limited personal statement of not more than 5300 characters, including spaces, you get the chance to tell a story that reveals the person you are. It is the only way to tell the admissions committee that you have the conviction, dedication, work ethic, tenacity, and motivation to succeed in medical school and beyond. The AMCAS personal statement provides a window into the unique past of every applicant to showcase future potential.

What do I talk about in the AMCAS Personal Statement?

Amcas personal statement sample 1.

Just as every person is unique, each applicant’s personal statement is unique. There is no preferred topic or experience. While the personal statement is anchored around 2 to 3 incidents or life experiences that are personal, the real interest lies in why those incidents are important to the applicant. Let us take an example from an applicant’s AMCAS personal statement:

I grew up in a family where autoimmune diseases were almost synonymous with existence. I watched my diabetic uncle taking two insulin shots each day, avoiding pastries and cakes, and maintaining a stringent routine. I was told that diabetes had afflicted my grandfather as well. At the tender age of 9, when the whole world seemed to be bubbling with opportunities, growth, and promise, I was used to seeing the deterioration in the quality of life that disease can cause.

The strength of this opening statement is that it is deeply personal and suggests that the applicant’s interest in medicine has strong personal roots. Note that it is not necessary to start with clinical or shadowing experience. In some ways, the AMCAS personal statement is a story about your personal quest or self-discovery. Since you are likely to have started your clinical and shadowing work after discovering your career, it is a good idea to start from an earlier point in your life. Even if you start with a clinical experience, tracing back your career interest to an earlier moment is almost a must to give the committee a sense of your journey.

You will also notice that the student continuously connects disease with quality of life (a top concern for patients and doctors alike). Thirdly, the opening remark shows the writer’s concern and empathy which are essential qualities in a doctor.

Let us look at what makes a good personal statement. Like every piece of writing, the AMCAS personal statement has its set of essential ingredients and optional elements. Combined, the two parts should result in a compelling narrative that convinces the school about the applicant’s candidature.

The Essential Components:

Show a key trait or value that is critical to the field: this could be people-centric values such as empathy or helpfulness; it could be more general such as curiosity about life systems, drive to make a difference.

The connection between personal experiences and professional aspirations: The personal statement is a personal account. It seeks to provide personal reasons for pursuing medicine. This indicates that no incident is trivial or significant in and of itself. In AMCAS the personal statement, an event takes on significance in so far as it reveals how it shaped the applicant’s personal journey. Examples of such events could be mundane ones such as: 

  • Driving through underserved neighborhoods and noticing the lack of health facilities
  • Doctor’s visits and becoming curious
  • Sitting in a Biology course and being excited about the subject
  • Pondering over the effect of sleep on our health and reflecting on daily habits and health

None of these incidents is out of the ordinary. Yet, in the personal statement, they can make a compelling case if presented in the right way. Let us see how the AMCAS personal statement we started with makes such a case:

When I was a freshman in college, I witnessed what hypothyroidism can do to a person. My cousin, who had read so many storybooks to me when I was a kid, loaning her books generously when I became an independent reader myself, was diagnosed with the condition and was severely depressed. Her unaccountable weight gain was baffling, and I sensed she suffered a lot. I was very close to her, and to watch her, after seeing what my uncle had to go through, was to have a déjà vu of how disease can alter a person’s entire lifestyle.

The trait of concern for others’ well-being, which was outlined in the first paragraph, takes center stage here. Also, note the little details about the applicant’s reading interest and the more subtle indication of the writer’s gratitude when she mentions that her cousin had read books to her. The theme of concern for the quality of life is seen again at the end of this paragraph.

So my interest in medicine began when I started to take her little gifts and to spend time chatting with her. Wanting to do more, I started volunteering at the St. Martin Hospital. At first, I helped answer calls. Soon I was allowed to check on supplies and even carry food to patients. Feeling the need to bring a strong scientific perspective to all that I did at the hospital, I selected Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in my sophomore year. I joined with an undeclared major, which gave me the flexibility to explore premed opportunities on campus. As my interest in the health sciences grew, I divided my evenings between volunteering and shadowing doctors.

This paragraph shows a progressive development in the applicant’s interest and the steps she took to address those interests. The key phrase is “a strong scientific perspective” which indicates the applicant’s ability to analyze and identify the most important element in patient care: the science.

The different responsibilities I handled when volunteering and when shadowing showed me the two distinct but complementary sides of medical practice: as a volunteer, I learned to be proactive, to anticipate the needs of patients, nurses, and the administrative staff. Timely help, attention to detail, and working in different departments taught me to be flexible and always alert. I learned that minor tasks were critically important to ensure effective care. As I checked the nutritionist’s instructions on the food tray or ordered a wheelchair for patients, I learned that patient care is at its heart selflessness. Concern for another person’s well-being comes before anything else. The few moments that I had to spare were spent with patients as I chatted with them, talking about their interests, families, the news, or anything else that caught their fancy.

When I shadowed, however, I entered the high realm of diagnostics and treatment. I learned, paying attention to the nuances of the doctor’s analysis of symptoms in the context of family histories, socioeconomic factors, and lifestyle. On the one hand, I learned to see every new case as the latest exemplar that would add to the collective knowledge of doctors. On the other, I realized that medicine called for the ability to creatively connect existing parameters of a known condition with its unique representation in each patient. The dynamic interplay of knowledge, practice, and care enthralled me in the patient rooms every day. Most of the time I was a silent spectator. But occasionally, I would be asked a question to test my knowledge and understanding, and I waited for those moments to learn and to grow.

Once, we were attending a patient who had had angioplasty a few days before and suffered from prolonged discomfort after being discharged. The doctor and nurses were discussing the fluoroscopy footage and possible stent failure. I had been shadowing for over six months by then and the doctor, whom I had shadowed several times, looked at me over the patient’s bed and asked,” Greta, what do you think?” I was stunned and quickly thought of earlier cases of angioplasty that I had seen. Most of the procedures had been successful, and we only saw the patients for routine follow-up. But I knew that tissue scarring was a risk and spluttered, “is it scarring in the stent?” The patient was sent for reassessment and had to go through another angioplasty before we discharged him. Still, I realized that medical decisions call for an incredible amount of attention to detail, knowledge of an arsenal of known causes and treatments, and the ability to determine the exact cause in each case after weighing in patient histories, statistical studies, research findings, and clinical experience.

This paragraph is clearly the most dramatic section of the AMCAS personal statement: The contrast between trivial but critical tasks as a volunteer and the more demanding learning when shadowing doctors is brought out effectively, and the applicant makes it a point to state that she enjoyed both. The second most important anecdote is also in this section of the essay and shows the applicant’s ability to grasp the complex nature of treatments and the various skills required. The ability to handle the menial and the more skilled dimensions of the profession is effectively highlighted here.

As I enter the hospital every day, I look forward to the all-hands-on-deck nature of my job and know that though it is the same place, the day will turn out to be different from every other day I have spent at the hospital. The myriad challenges, the several demands made upon the staff, and the ongoing endeavors to deliver the best for each patient never cease to motivate me. As a cog in a giant wheel, I dive in, and give all I have every day. My understanding of the deep structures of patient care increases every day as I work, study, observe and converse at the hospital. The tremendous efforts in patient care that are always underway at the hospital never cease to enthrall me, and I look forward to making my contribution as a doctor.

This wrap-up brings the essay to the present. The applicant’s interest is indicated in statements such as “the day will turn out to be different from every other day.” The sense of being part of a much larger healthcare system is effectively brought out through the tone of humility as the applicant makes a case for being admitted to medical school.

AMCAS Personal Statement Sample 2

The narrative of self-discovery through a personal journey is just one of several approaches to the AMCAS personal statement. Another popular theme is a description of a trait that is at the core of the health sciences. The sample below illustrates the applicant’s sociability—a general trait that is very useful in medicine.

Even as a child, I liked to be among people. My mother tells me that I did not cry when she left me in playschool at age two though she had hoped I would. I did sulk however, when I was left out of group activities in middle school, I exalted in the company of classmates when we did projects in high school, and I became an unofficial, self-appointed mentor for new students in college. Through all these enjoyable choices, I have become a person who seeks to make the right decisions by speaking with others and who seeks to correct wrong decisions, again by speaking with others.

The opening paragraph immediately tells the reader the kind of person the applicant is. Touches of humor (my mother hoped I would cry) and modesty (‘unofficial self-appointed mentor’) make the writer likable ( a trait that is usually found in sociable people and which would be very helpful in a doctor).

Though I have made straight As in college, the path forward was never clear to me. My counselor told me that the common path after a Chemistry major was a career in pharmaceuticals or manufacturing. An emerging field was computational Chemistry which would leverage my proficiency in math as well, she enthused. As I read about these fields, each of them as exciting as the other, I started to have some doubts. The idea of spending 40 years in a lab, on a factory floor, or in front of a computer was none too appealing and I had serious questions, bordering on existential angst, about what I would do with my major.

The light vein continues into the second paragraph as the writer talks about his dilemma (“what I would do with my major) even as he deftly rules out options that show clearly that he has gone through some reflection before choosing medicine. The oblique philosophical touch in ‘existential angst’ is also lighthearted though it also captures the student’s dilemma.

It took me some time to realize why I did not warm up to the options the excellent career counselor laid forth for me. I would miss people. I could not work with machines and chemicals in a way that would erode human contact. I would miss the fun people have when thrown together.

The case for medicine is made through the writer’s people-centric world. That he has fun with people shows his aptitude for a highly interactive profession like medicine.

And so it was that one day in my third year, resume in hand, I found myself signing up for shadowing at Elliot Hospital near home. On the first day, I expected the staff to show me the pharmacy; I expected questions about why I did not pursue biology if I wanted to be a doctor. I had prepared myself with several friendly and polite rebuttals: I liked biochemistry a lot but did not like research labs or detergent companies. Armed with that and a fervent prayer, I approached the front desk. Strangely, not a single question was asked about how I fitted, nor was I shown the way to the medicine cabinets. Nurses ushered me into the emergency room, gave me a quick rundown on systolic and diastolic and CPR, and had me help out in bandaging and talking to patients. Every day I would be absorbed into the day’s most urgent tasks. Those were also the days when I spent the most time speaking with patients. I remember Jake, a 50-year-old patient whose appendicitis was causing him a lot of pain. His surgery was scheduled that week, and he had to go through several pre-op tests. As I helped him, I could sense his nervousness which he tried her best to hide. Distracting him while at the same time making sure he completed all the tests showed me the importance of sensitivity and multitasking in patient care. Most of my conversations with patients were about neutral things like news or the neighborhood. I found that intelligent conversations about normal things always made patients feel normal as well. On less busy days, I went around the hospital, looking at the several departments, patient rooms, nurse stations, and doctors’ offices.

After two weeks, encouraged by the staff’s ready acceptance, I ventured into the pharmacy during lunch break. I was thrilled when I found that I understood prescriptions and labels on IV due to my foundational Chemistry courses.

This paragraph emphasizes the writer’s sense of being at home in a hospital—a key detail that will show the admissions committee that he enjoys being in the hospital. His curiosity is also seen in phrases like ‘went around the hospital’. His sensitivity to people’s fears is also captured effectively. Notice also the connections made between a major in Chemistry and medicine. The following paragraph reinforces this further.

When I returned for the next weekend, I felt as if medicine was a common path for Chemistry majors. How else could I explain my ability to understand lab reports so quickly and understand exactly why the doctor was prescribing the medicine that she was? I shadowed every weekend for the rest of the year, got to know most of the staff, was invited when some of them went out, learned about their personal lives and their passion for medicine. 

It is not obvious, but this paragraph resolves the central dilemma of what the student wants to do with his major by emphatically stating that medicine is a common path for Chemistry majors. A sense of belonging is effectively built here as the student talks about spending time outside work with the staff.

The time with them taught me that medical professionals love what they do for the same reasons I want to love what I do: being with and helping people. For the hospital staff, work and life were not separate things, and this was not because there was no work-life balance, but rather because their social community was their professional community and because they all shared a common feeling that they could not do enough to help patients. I realized that it did not matter what role you played. In medicine, the most trivial task is as important as the most important one. A simple and small oversight can have drastic consequences that can have a cascading effect. As a result, everyone depended on each other, and this led to the very high level of trust that I experienced myself on my first day.

The applicant addresses a key presupposition about the medical field: the lack of a work-life balance and argues that through shared interests, the boundaries between work and life fade for medical professionals. The applicant also brings up the central element of trust amongst the hospital staff, a point that is all the more authentic because he himself was entrusted with tasks on his very first day.

Luckily, I have found the pathway to professional and personal happiness in medicine. I hope to help patients discover similar pathways to health through medical treatment, trust and communication, paths made possible only when people are thrown together and make decisions by pooling in their collective expertise and skills.

The importance of collective efforts in medical treatment is matched with the writer’s skills with working with people to construct an image of medicine and of medical practitioners through the high level of social interaction that takes place in healthcare.

AMCAS Personal Statement Sample 3

An equally popular theme for the AMCAS personal statement is the applicant’s personal experience as a patient. The example below uses the applicant’s experience on the patient’s side of healthcare to show how his interest in medicine developed.

When I was assessed as being overweight, I started to run a little daily to slim down. I hated having to do what was a meaningless, monotonous chore, especially since I did not see my friends having to undergo similar tribulations. The doctor’s diagnosis was clear: There was no underlying condition, so it was just genetic. That was both bad and good, medically and socially. It meant that I was born with it, and so, no matter what I did to stay slim, I could always go back to being fat. But it also meant that through a prescribed routine, I could fight obesity to be socially accepted.

The basic understanding of genetics and physiology is established here through a highly personal narrative.

Social acceptance was important to me. I led a community band whose highly popular performances meant that every member was a part of an informal fan club. The popularity of our performance made us conscious of our physical appearance, which mattered to our fans. Though I had been gaining some inches for a few months, people had started noticing it lately. Since the prospect of being seen as ‘obese’ hung over me like Damocles’ sword, running had become mandatory.

This paragraph and the next establish the writer’s interest in books. One example alludes to a myth, and the other alludes to a modern novel.

The first week was bad enough. I ran all of 10 minutes every day on the same route from my dorm to the library. Rather like Papillon, I knew by heart every stone, every pillar that I crossed daily. It dawned on me that I would indeed start numbering and naming those new landmarks and so I changed my route. The fresh path brought fresh vigor despite being longer and I started running for 15 minutes, without really minding it. In a few months, I had become a familiar figure on campus, jogging shoes and headphones, a slightly slimmer body and a higher self-esteem in between. I was clocking one hour daily after six months.

The subtle connection between health and self-esteem is made here and will be developed further in the later part of the essay.

Social acceptance and medical treatment are so frequently linked yet so rarely talked about. Only in extreme cases, such as when a patient has to be hospitalized, do we think of social life as something that is affected by the need for medical care. As I jogged daily to maintain my weight, I asked do we see patients as people and people as patients? Yet that is what they are. As a person, I wanted social acceptance, and as a ‘patient’, I wanted a cure for what could only be managed. I realized that doctors do much more than just hand out prescriptions. They enable the social acceptance of patients, allowing them to lead normal lives. They prevent any impairment to the dignity of human life whenever they can. It is this central place of medical treatment in everyday social life that draws me to medicine as a profession.

This paragraph is the centerpiece of the essay: it is the writer’s own definition of what it is to be a doctor. It also shows his passion and vision as a future medical practitioner.

The subtle and strong mechanism of ongoing treatment to help people maintain a normal routine drew me to medicine. As a doctor, I hope to touch people’s lives through effective patient care. I realize that this would be the work of a team of experts who would look into mental health, nutrition, environment, and socioeconomic background. Through ongoing treatment and consultation, people’s lives are enhanced in innumerable ways. The right intervention at the right time has the power to transform what a person is capable of. 

I discovered this at Radcliffe Hospital where I volunteered when I met Martha, a 70-year-old patient with severe rheumatoid arthritis. Psychotherapeutic treatment and physical exercises were essential for Martha to help her retain her mobility in the range required for everyday activities. Between her cortisone shots to fight the inflammation and repeated anti-CCP tests, and through her exercises and therapeutic sessions, she managed to find the agility and time to take her grandkids to Disney Park, knit sweaters for herself and her husband, and cook almost every day. Though I found that patients like Martha always looked at their visits to the hospitals as necessary but not enjoyable, when they left with the prescription or with the doctor’s reassurance, their smiling faces showed that their confidence was restored. And that they were ready for yet another phase of normal social life. Restoring happiness by restoring normalcy is the magic of healthcare.

The anecdote of Marth’s rheumatoid arthritis underscores the theme of medicine as a tool for having normal lives–a very compelling and unique argument.

I was also aware that there are people who do not have access to these timely interventions. Perhaps the most significant class difference in society is not between the haves and the have-nots, but rather between those who have easy access to healthcare and those who don’t because healthcare increases our chance at a normal life.

The connections between healthcare and demographics is brought out here.

I can cover 7 miles with ease today, and the scales say that my weight is within range. As I continue jogging, I have my eyes set on the half marathon; the 13 odd miles run reserved for the well-initiated. The training is teaching me the art of goal setting, finding the optimal pace, and staying focused. There are other payoffs as well: fitness, alertness, and most important of all, self-esteem. The treatment has become an expedition, a quest that has transformed me. Is it my persistence that is paying off? Or do I owe it to my doctor, whose accurate and timely diagnosis set me on a path to increased social acceptance, human dignity and a normal social life? As a doctor, I hope to achieve similar transformations in my patients: prescribing the right treatment at the right time and working with them to enable long-range health and happiness.

The paragraph rounds off the essay with a strong statement of personal achievement (the half marathon) and the promise of medicine as enabling normality. By indicating his achievements through persistence, the writer is also stating that he will be as persistent and achieve success in medical school.

AMCAS Personal Statement Sample 4

The curiosity essay works well for the AMCAS personal statement. The following example combines the writer’s increasing curiosity about life sciences with the need to fight gender stereotypes as a female science student.

In a classic case of reverse psychology, I tended to pursue the hard sciences in high school, an area that I was told would be dominated by men. Somehow, the laws of nature fascinated me, but the stereotype that “normal” girls did not pursue science led to varying reactions amongst my friends, ranging from awkward silence whenever I discussed science to outright avoidance by the all-boys science majors. Yet the mysteries of the universe and the scientific explanations for several of them enthralled me.  

In college, I had the opportunity to understand the nature and properties of the things around us: by measuring the heat capacity of water, I understood why the seas don’t heat up as quickly as the sand on the beach; by exploring the ability of light to accelerate certain chemical reactions, I understood the reasoning behind the instructions on pickle bottles that ask us to keep them out of sunlight. The incredible satisfaction I felt when an experiment succeeded fed my fascination. At the same time, the rigor of scientific methods made me realize that it was very important to be thorough and exact in my experiments, observations, and conclusions. 

After describing the natural curiosity in detail, the essay shows how that curiosity changed into a sense of urgency which the applicant is alert to when attending to patients. Notice key phrases such as ‘saving lives’ and’ passion’ which indicate this transformation.

That fascination took on a sense of urgency when I witnessed reports from bloodwork for patients at Amity Hospital. As a volunteer, I was not allowed to even touch the hypodermic needles, much less the surgical scalpel that nurses and surgeons wielded with such dexterity. Yet the connections between saving lives and scientific processes showed me my true calling: medicine. As my own interest took shape, I started to actively seek opportunities in the hospital’s small dementia ward. Short-term hospitalizations for dementia were peaking, and there was a need for additional help, so I could find plenty of ways to work in the ward. Simultaneously, I picked advanced electives in neurological science in college, and the shuttling between my academic work and my volunteer work became the perfect way to explore my new passion. 

The next paragraph takes up the example of Brad, a dementia patient. The anecdote is told in a way that only a close observer or volunteer can.

But it was not until I helped Brad, a vigorous octogenarian who suffered from dementia that I realized the importance of medicine today. Brad had started misplacing things when going through an emotionally stressful period of his life when his wife had passed away. But the forgetfulness had stayed. Even after a year, he forgot to take the keys out of the front door, left the stove on, and even forgot to walk his dog sometimes. His treatment included a strict diet to reduce his cholesterol and daily exercise–his neighbors were keeping a tab on his activities. We assessed his progress every six weeks, but his sometimes risky behavior was alarming. We also saw symptoms of sundowning as he sometimes wandered off during his visits and had to be brought back.

In the next two paragraphs of the AMCAS personal statement, the importance of hope and ongoing care despite critical gaps and hurdles and even in deteriorating patients brings out the passion for medicine.

I returned to my coursework in Neurology and Cognition every day after watching Brad for over four months, and as I tried to incorporate the demographic elements that require attention in any treatment in my academic work, I realized that with an aging population, neuroscience faces increasing challenges in improving our understanding of memory, recognition, and cognition. Yet, thankfully, age is not the only factor, and there were means to slow down the disease for certain individuals. I hoped that Brad would be in that group. 

But there were others who were beyond help and had to be kept from harm. For these inpatients, independent living was rapidly becoming a dream, and they could not even be discharged with some assistive technology to help them remember or do the right things. As we struggled to deliver care, the gaps in the information we needed, in the research that depended on that information, and in the treatment plans were reminders of the limitations we faced. However, we tried our best to do what we could to help patients. 

The shift from curiosity to the personalization of treatment is a key shift in this essay’s theme. It is central to the argument that the applicant is convinced that medicine is the best career option for her.

The ability of science and scientific research to improve life draws me to medicine. But it is not just the science, or just the research. The personalization of treatment by knowing patients closely and monitoring their health over time will be the greatest challenge and will bring the greatest reward. That is what fascinates me most about medical practice: the tweaking of an earlier prescription, a change in treatment or even the protocol, the keen interest in patient wellness–these ongoing and tireless efforts by doctors, nurses, and surgeons validate the science. I feel particularly thrilled when the doctor makes a change in the treatment plan because a patient shows signs of improvement. In common approaches to mental health, all we have are signs and symptoms that show us an underlying improvement or deterioration.

As I continue my coursework and volunteering, I have become keenly aware of the need for customized and nuanced treatment plans. Our scientific foundation is one of several elements that impact total patient outcome; the others are ongoing monitoring and understanding each patient’s unique circumstances, lifestyle, and habits. As a future neurologist, I will bring this passion for understanding patients and for personalizing the science to each individual’s needs to my practice. 

AMCAS Personal Statement Sample 5

The dilemma personal statement is rarer and perhaps harder to pull off. But when done right, it can really make an applicant stand out. The applicant is torn between engineering and medicine in the beginning.

Wheeling patients in and out of their rooms at Dr. Faruk’s clinic did not strike me as an activity that would end in an epiphany, but that is exactly how my daily routine ended one day.

As a high school student, I had gravitated towards the physical and life sciences equally. However, I was in a quandary about which stream within the sciences would be my calling. On the one hand, Physics and Mathematics were compelling examples of the transformative power of engineering. On the other, the personal interest that is involved in patient care drew me to medicine. 

The interim compromise through a major in Biotechnology is described next.

To continue to understand my options, I chose Biotechnology as my undergraduate major. For many, the sub-specialties of the field were sufficient pointers to what they wanted to do. For some, research careers in biotech labs were attractive. For others, medical equipment design and manufacturing became the area they sought expertise in. I, however, continued to be divided. After classes in Bioinformatics, Medical Devices, Cell and Molecular Engineering, I spent my evenings volunteering and shadowing at various hospitals, hoping that through these experiences, I would understand what interested me the most. 

The quest for the right field shows the applicant as one who perseveres to find what he wants to do.

As I continued to explore options, I realized that what I was looking for were intersections between the several sciences. However, it was as if engineering and medicine were on the opposite sides of my chessboard, with no overlap. My quest for intersections left me without a solid plan for my own future as I vacillated between the choices available to me.

The epiphany that resolves the dilemma mentioned earlier is described next.

Almost as a last resort, I started volunteering at Dr. Faruk’s family medicine practice. Little did I realize that my interactions with patients and with him would help crystallize my aspirations while helping me reflect on my own preferences. Working in the patient transportation department, I accidentally discovered the intersections that I had been looking for. How does mobility–a physical event–improve patient health? This led me to further questions that related to Physics as much as to Biology: what does weight have to do with the prognosis of type 2 diabetes? How much can advances in computer science improve our ability to screen and diagnose medical conditions?

I realized that both computer science and the health sciences advance through synergies, and this made my need to choose a career that much more challenging and interesting. While I was thrilled when I interacted with patients, I was equally astounded by the technological advances that benefit us in so many ways. To gain further insight, I approached Dr. Faruk and asked him for advice. To my surprise, he admitted to having had similar doubts himself. I pressed further, and he explained that he had initially considered a position in engineering. Ultimately, he chose medicine because he was more satisfied when he helped others directly. He urged me to think of my career choice as a deeply personal one not influenced by what others were doing. 

The dilemma leads to personal growth as seen below, when the applicant stops seeking answers but rather learns to explore.

What had initially been a feeling of dread at not being able to choose a career changed into an open-minded inquiry into the myriad problems each science seeks to solve. My self-doubts gave way to curiosity–a trait that I had frequently seen in Dr. Faruk himself. While I had previously felt that time was running out and that I had to make a decision quickly, I now took time to reflect and research several areas of science. 

The next section answers the key question, “why medicine?” by talking about the personalization of science.

Slowly but surely, I started to spend more time understanding patient conditions, the treatment, the progress and the routine checks. I understood that while the science helped me analyze each patient’s condition, speaking with patients and their families gave deeper insights into how to manage the treatment. I remember in particular Mark, a 40-year-old patient who had to have a kidney stone removed. He was in excruciating pain, and we had to work quickly and refer him to a surgeon. Mark was a security guard at a well-established company that provided comprehensive healthcare to all its employees. As I spoke with him and his wife, I understood the different shifts he worked in, the long commute to work, and his sedentary lifestyle. I understood that patient care has to be holistic and for that, patient communication was vital to understand each patient’s unique situation.  

Interestingly, the dilemma is resolved but leads to another smaller dilemma, one that remains unresolved and which shows the applicant’s willingness to continue to explore options.

When I realized that I enjoy interacting with people more than with machines and algorithms, I discovered that my career had to be medicine. To be certain, I tried to imagine the sub-specialty that would sustain my interest for a lifetime–the way family medicine sustained Dr.Faruk. When I asked him how he had made his career decision, I did not realize how powerful his words would be in helping me think through my career. He said, “you’ll just know what feels right, and as time goes on, you may view things differently.”

His words helped me identify my career aspirations and encouraged me to be open-minded to future changes within my career choice. Thanks to Dr. Faruk’s advice, I know that I am making the right choice for the right reasons: I like helping people and making a difference in their lives. What field specifically? I don’t know yet, and I don’t need to know. I’ll view things differently with time, and this will shape my aspirations.

How International Medical Aid Can Help

Providing guides for different aspects of the medical school application process is just one of the many things we do here at IMA. We also offer medical school admissions consulting (including dedicated personal statement reviews) and pre-medicine internships to help you prepare for medical school. Our consulting services mirror that of traditional admissions committees. 

Our award-winning Pre-Medicine Internship Programs are like no other, taking you to underserved populations in countries within East Africa, South America and the Caribbean. We are here to help you in any way we can as you progress in your journey to medical school. It’s a long, difficult road, but the passion for medicine makes it all worth it. We’ll be here if you need help on your journey.

While you’re here, check out some of the medical schools we’ve covered here on our blog.

  • John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)
  • Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM)
  • UC Irvine School of Medicine
  • Nova Southeastern University College of Allopathic Medicine
  • Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
  • Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
  • Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM)
  • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
  • Tulane University School of Medicine
  • LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine
  • LSU Shreveport Medical School
  • Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV
  • University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine
  • University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson
  • University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix
  • Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM)
  • The University of New Mexico School of Medicine
  • Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM)
  • University of South Alabama College of Medicine
  • University of Alabama School of Medicine
  • FIU College of Medicine
  • UCF College of Medicine
  • USF Morsani College of Medicine
  • Florida State University College of Medicine
  • Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
  • Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM)
  • Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM)
  • ECU Brody School of  Medicine
  • Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)
  • University of South Carolina Medical School
  • Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
  • Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
  • Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) 
  • Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM)
  • Penn State Medical School
  • CUNY School of Medicine
  • SUNY Downstate Medical School
  • NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • NYU Long Island School of Medicine
  • TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Albany Medical College
  • Norton College of Medicine at Upstate Medical University
  • Jacobs School of Medicine at the University at Buffalo
  • Hofstra Zucker School of Medicine
  • Weill Medical College of Cornell University 
  • University of Rochester Medical School
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University
  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine
  • Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)
  • University of Cincinnati College of Medicine 
  • University of Toledo College of Medicine
  • Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
  • Ohio State University College of Medicine
  • Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (HMSOM )
  • Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) 
  • Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
  • Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU)
  • A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Saint Louis University School of Medicine
  • University of Missouri Medical School
  • Kansas City University (KCU)
  • UMKC School of Medicine
  • New York Medical College
  • University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • University of Wisconsin Medical School
  • VCU School of Medicine
  • University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • Case Western Medical School
  • University of North Carolina Medical School
  • University of Florida Medical School
  • Emory University School of Medicine
  • Boston University College of Medicine
  • California University of Science and Medicine
  • UC San Diego Medical School
  • California Northstate University College of Medicine
  • Touro University of California
  • CHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • UC Davis School of Medicine
  • Harvard Medical School
  • UC Riverside School of Medicine
  • USC Keck School of Medicine
  • UT Southwestern Medical School
  • Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio
  • University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine
  • UT Austin’s Dell Medical School
  • UTMB School of Medicine
  • McGovern Medical School at UT Health
  • Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
  • UNT Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • University of Houston College of Medicine
  • Texas A&M College of Medicine
  • Johns Hopkins Medical School
  • Baylor College of Medicine
  • George Washington University School of Medicine
  • Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
  • St. George’s University School of Medicine
  • Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (in Pennsylvania)
  • Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
  • Wake Forest University School of Medicine
  • Western University of Health Sciences (in California)
  • Drexel University College of Medicine
  • Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago
  • Georgetown University School of Medicine
  • Yale School of Medicine
  • Perelman School of Medicine
  • UCLA Medical School
  • NYU Medical School
  • Washington University School of Medicine
  • Brown Medical School

Good luck from IMA! We believe in you.

International Medical Aid provides  global internship opportunities  for students and clinicians who are looking to broaden their horizons and experience healthcare on an international level. These program participants have the unique opportunity to shadow healthcare providers as they treat individuals who live in remote and underserved areas and who don’t have easy access to medical attention. International Medical Aid also provides  medical school admissions consulting  to individuals applying to medical school and PA school programs. We review primary and secondary applications, offer guidance for personal statements and essays, and conduct mock interviews to prepare you for the admissions committees that will interview you before accepting you into their programs. IMA is here to provide the tools you need to help further your career and expand your opportunities in healthcare.

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Med School Insiders

AMCAS Work and Activities Examples From Sought-After Matriculants

  • By Med School Insiders
  • February 22, 2023
  • Work and Activities

In this post, we provide eight AMCAS Work and Activities examples, including three most meaningful experience descriptions. We’ll also discuss how to choose your activities, how many to include, and how to write effective activity descriptions.

The AMCAS Work and Activities section summarizes the extracurricular activities you participated in during college. You can include up to 15 different activities, but the space you’re given to discuss these experiences is very limited. Choosing the right experiences and utilizing effective communication are crucial to a successful application.

Read our examples below that come from premeds who received multiple offers and successfully matriculated into their top choice medical school.

The Work and Activities Section

Along with your personal statement , the Work and Activities section is the first place admissions committees look to get a feel for your personality and whether or not you fit the mold of the medical student they’re looking for. The activities you chose to commit to during your years as a premed demonstrate both what you have experience with and what you’re most passionate about. Where did you choose to dedicate your time?

Work and Activities summarizes the wide range of extracurricular activities you participated in during your college career. You can select up to 15 premed experiences, ranging from extracurricular activities to volunteering experiences to jobs to hobbies and more.

You have 700 characters of space to discuss each of the 15 activities and their impact on your decision to become a physician. Of those 15, you can select up to three most meaningful experiences, which gives you 1325 characters of extra space to speak about these experiences in more detail. Since the space to discuss these experiences is quite limited, choosing the right experiences and utilizing effective communication are imperative to your application’s success.

Successful AMCAS Work and Activities Examples

Work and activities example #1 (including most meaningful experience).

Biophysics Research Lab Assistant The focus of the biophysics research lab in which I have worked for almost 2 years is to develop new viral delivery systems with the ultimate purpose of providing corrective genes to children with blood disorders. Specifically, I synthesize antibody-producing constructs that are subsequently expressed in bacteria to label HIV infection during the budding process in conjunction with advanced immunofluorescence imaging. As new discoveries are made in the field, I adapt my experiments to more effectively achieve the lab’s goals. In addition to utilizing cell and molecular biology techniques to create novel vectors, I collaborate with graduate students on their projects. Meaningful Experience Description Upon joining the biophysics lab at the beginning of sophomore year, I expected to learn a useful set of cell and molecular biology techniques as well as familiarize myself with the approach of traditional “wet lab” research. In reflecting on my experience however, I realized that the projects taught me more than how to pipet, ligate, and transform. Each day presented a set of new challenges to overcome, which required me to think critically and, more importantly, work together with my colleagues in a dynamic environment. I learned to view failure as merely the narrowing down of possible options and began to appreciate the amount of careful work that goes into every published article of research. These experiences helped foster a new appreciation for and positively impacted my view on translational research and the advent of novel treatments. In addition, I mentor other undergraduate research assistants on their own projects. Being a part of the flow of knowledge and watching the students succeed was just as satisfying as my purifying a clone for protein expression. Such a feeling confirmed one of my passions that ultimately led me to pursue medicine: to teach and coach others so that they are empowered to improve their own lives as well as those of the community in which they live.

Work and Activities Example #2 (Including Most Meaningful Experience)

Pioneer Leadership Program Each year, the Pioneer Leadership Program (PLP) selects 88 highly qualified students from an incoming class of over 1,400 undergraduates to join a specialized living and learning community with the goal of developing leaders for the 21st century. In addition to unique classes on social justice, civic engagement, and ethics, the program provides opportunities for service and community projects that seek to address “wicked problems” and teach citizen-leadership. Ultimately, completion of the program results in a Leadership Studies minor accompanied by a transformative set of skills, including the evaluation of situations through a critical lens and sustaining crucial conversations. Meaningful Experience Description As a science major, PLP was influential in my development as a mature, socially conscious leader. Specifically, the projects we completed, such as the Community Change Initiative, provided valuable experience in identifying a problem, formulating a plan of action, and swiftly executing that plan. My group addressed the toxic stressors that plague low-income high school students and stymie the development of “non-cognitive” skills like visioning and code switching in an effort to close the achievement gap between such students and their more affluent peers. We created a program called Forward Focus for a cohort of local high school freshmen and sophomores; composed of a series of modules, it focused on fostering success outside of the classroom to indirectly but effectively impact success inside it. Reaching a set of diverse students required leveraging a critically conscious mindset to evaluate and adapt to their attitudes; more importantly, achieving our learning goals hinged on establishing trust between our team, a group of “outsiders,” and kids who must balance school with a job to support their families. In retrospect, PLP provided the unique opportunity to serve and learn simultaneously, which in turn fueled my passion to pursue a career that marries the two elements in a similar manner.

Work and Activities Example #3 (Including Most Meaningful Experience)

DU EMS Club In partnership with DU Campus Safety, the student-run DU EMS Club provides volunteers for the nightly SafeWalk escort program and opportunities for CPR/AED and EMT training. Additionally, it serves as a pre-hospital care and emergency medicine interest group, with meetings and continuing education for both EMTs and non-EMTs. While still in its infancy, the club is working with the university to establish a student EMT rapid response unit to aid in responding to distress calls on campus. This summer, the club is scheduled to provide CPR, First Aid, and AED training to the DU community. Other future goals include expanding educational workshops to other local organizations and fundraising for EMT training scholarships. Meaningful Experience Description As one of the founding members of the EMS club, I have been involved in our maturation from a small group of action-oriented individuals to a dedicated cohort of students serving the DU community. Expectantly, the growth of DU EMS was punctuated by periods of challenge and conflict stemming from administrative red tape and disagreement over our mission and purpose, and in each instance I learned a valuable lesson. For example, when we first began, it seemed like all that was needed to establish a student-run EMT program was to propose the idea to the right people and sign a few waiver forms. Over two years later, we are still working alongside Campus Safety to receive approval for the unit. While such as an experience fostered persistence and ingenuity, I believe the failures and arguments that comprise our struggle more importantly taught me the value of anticipating challenges and being flexible when problem solving. Fortunately, the club has made a positive impact on the campus through the creation of the SafeWalk program and partnership with Denver Health to reserve EMT training seats specifically for DU students. In short, the hours spent building and improving this club have resulted in the embodiment of values and ideals that will undoubtedly serve me in the trials of the future.

Work and Activities Example #4

Collaboration Grant A $5,000 award available semi-annually to select Boettcher scholars who collaborate with Boettcher investigators in their research. The grant provides funds for supplies and a stipend with the purpose of allowing the scholar to contribute to cutting-edge research unencumbered by a lack of resources. To date, I have been awarded three of these grants, totaling $15,000 for salary and supplies. With the means to spend my summers at DU, I can push forward cloning projects and work in a healthcare setting simultaneously; this balance of activities has allowed me to remain a perpetual learner while also developing a greater level of emotional intelligence.

Work and Activities Example #5

Ongoing Shadowing I began shadowing healthcare professionals as early as high school and continue to learn from such experiences even today; in reflecting on the breadth and depth of each interaction, I gleaned many of the qualities physicians possess to care for patients beyond treating the pathophysiology at hand. Each day brought a new lesson, regardless of whether I was observing how an internist interacted with a family who elected to put a patient on comfort measures or analyzing the dynamics of team-based care through the perspective of pharmacists and other non-M.D. providers. In sum, I learned to appreciate the plethora of factors such professionals must consider in achieving better health outcomes.

Work and Activities Example #6

Skin Cancer Prevention Coalition As a part of a diverse team of faculty and staff, I collaborate with the university medical director, health and counseling center, and other campus leaders to provide sun safety related education and resources to students. The coalition’s most effective tool is a Reveal Imager device that is staffed by volunteers at campus events to raise awareness about sun damage. Specifically, the imager is used to promote self-care; by seeing melanin deposits on their own faces, students are more inclined to take steps to protect themselves from UV radiation. In retrospect, this coalition has taught me to value small victories when confronting intimidatingly large problems.

Work and Activities Example #7

Service Learning at University of Glasgow In pursuing service learning while studying abroad, I volunteered at a local community center that provided resources for low income residents of the surrounding high rises. Drawing upon my passion for health and fitness, my main responsibility was to create a “Guide to the Maryhill Hub Gym.” This task brought with it the unique challenge of learning a new set of cultural norms and overcoming communication barriers as I surveyed service-users to shape the goals of the project. Ultimately, the Hub pursued funding to print the guide and include it as a benefit to the gym membership. This experience was supplemented by lessons on critical consciousness in the context of “A Hero’s Journey.”

Work and Activities Example #8

ER Volunteer In working directly with nurses and other ER staff, I helped ensure each patient received an optimal level of care. My responsibilities were many, including the preparation of rooms, restocking of IV trays, and inspection of medical equipment. I also tended to patients’ needs and served as an ambassador between them, their nurses, and their physicians. In doing so, I experienced the satisfaction that comes from putting a smile on someone who is suffering; sometimes, all they needed was a warm blanket or an equally warm companion to share their stories with. Overall, this experience taught me the significance that attending to someone’s emotional needs has on their health outcomes.

How Do You Choose Which Activities to Include?

Students working and volunteering for Gap Year Jobs

It’s important to think strategically about what you want to include so that you feature a diverse collection of activities that demonstrate the essential qualities admissions committees look for in prospective medical students.

The first thing you should know is admissions committees are primarily looking for activities in a few core areas : clinical exposure, research experience, and community involvement. Participating in activities in each of these areas shows you have the kind of well-rounded experience and relevant interests to know whether or not you actually want to pursue upwards of eight years of medical education and one day become a doctor.

Choose experiences that show longitudinal commitment. Don’t include one-off volunteering activities, no matter how amazing they were. Focus on in-depth experiences that you were immersed in for at least a month, but hopefully much more. Only include a one-off event if you committed yourself to it year after year. Bottom line—Show you are committed to things.

While the bulk of your activities should deal with medicine, such as research and clinical experience, it’s also important to speak about passions related to medicine or completely outside of medicine.

How has your lifelong commitment to learning and practicing the violin prepared you for the rigors of medical school? Help the admissions committee see who you are at this moment and how that will inform your life and values as a future doctor. Demonstrate you are a well-rounded applicant with diverse interests but relate everything back to medicine.

Keep the focus on activities more so than awards, but be sure to include any notable awards, achievements, or scholarships. Numbers are convincing and easy to write about. Scholarships show you’re a strong student, and grants for research shows you’re already on the path to becoming a researcher.

If you’re struggling to decide what to include, remember you can lump certain activities together. For example, your shadowing experiences, in particular, should be grouped together. In the description of the activity, you can speak about the breadth and diversity of medicine you witnessed first-hand. Another example of when to group activities together is if you worked on a few different research projects in the same lab. You could include these experiences as a single entry.

It’s all about finding a balance between what’s unique and what’s longitudinal. Time spent abroad helping underprivileged communities is a unique experience sure to impress admissions committees, while years of research with the same lab shows longitudinal commitment.

When choosing your activities, consider the number of hours you dedicated to the activity, your longitudinal commitment (months to years), and unique experiences. Many of your fellow applicants will have experiences that are very similar to your own.

How can you choose activities that help you stand out and describe them in a way that is unique to you?

Do You Need to Fill Out All 15 Sections?

If you spent your premed years wisely, you should have more than enough experiences to fill out all 15 spots in Work and Activities. That said, it’s not a problem if you don’t fill out all 15, so long as you are able to demonstrate you have a variety of experiences, including ones that span multiple years. Admissions committees want to see you are committed to your activities, and the best way to demonstrate this is with the amount of time you’ve spent participating in the activity.

While you can include 15 activities, you do not need to. You should complete at least 10, but ensure that you only include the experiences that made the greatest impact on you.

You are better off having fewer than 15 activities filled out than including weaker activities, such as ones you spent very little time on, didn’t play a large role in, or completed a long time ago (pre-college.) Just like with your letters of recommendation, including a weak activity is worse than not including it at all. You’re looking for quality not quantity, but hopefully, by the time it comes time to apply, you have both.

Keep in mind that hobbies and non-academic interests can be included in your list of activities so long as you can illustrate how they have positively impacted your life. Admissions committees want to get to know who you are beyond your grades because they are interested in establishing a diverse student body. What will you add to the program and campus?

For example, say you’ve studied piano for years and love to play music. Not only does this show commitment to learning, it could be that the admissions committee is aware of a music club or student band at their school in need of more students. By including this hobby, you’ve just made yourself a more attractive candidate for two reasons.

Learn how to optimize your AMCAS Hobbies , including what schools look for.

Begin gaining experience early on as a premed so that when it comes time to apply, you’re able to show commitment to a few core activities that you have kept up with throughout college. These lengthy experiences show you’ve taken the time to understand what it’s like to work in a medical field.

How to Write Effective Medical School Application Activities

Close up of person journaling - Benefits of Journaling

1 | Reflect Back on Your Notes and Journal Entries

The notes and journals you kept during your extracurricular experiences are invaluable when it comes time to write about them on your application. It could be years between when you participated in an activity and when you apply to medical school, so it’s very important to write down relevant details and anecdotes rather than relying on your memory alone.

Our memories are fickle things, so it’s imperative that you keep a journal throughout your extracurricular experiences.

What stands out to you? What anecdotes did you include, and how can they be used to demonstrate your commitment to medicine?

Learn more: How Students Can Harness the Powerful Benefits of Journaling .

2 | Put Yourself Into the Activity Description

Don’t just explain what the activity is—detail your role and experience specifically. What did you learn? How did it affect you?

There is a character limit of 700, so it’s important to follow a formula. Go beyond a resume description. Focus on your responsibilities. Use action verbs. Use numbers. Paint the picture with descriptive language.

Describe what you did. Lead with this, but don’t leave it there. At the end, help the reader understand what it means in the context of medicine. Provide a descriptive overview, then provide small anecdotes. You can’t go into much detail, so how can you make it unique to you?

Avoid generic sentences that admissions committee members will see time and time again, like “This experience taught me leadership skills.” How did it teach you leadership skills? Make every word count. Use one or two sentences to describe what you gained from the experience.

Many students spend too much time describing the activity and not enough time reflecting on and detailing their individual learning experience. You only have so much space, so choose your words carefully. For example, everyone is going to have shadowing as an experience. What was unique about your experience?

3 | Write Your Activities Before Most Meaningful

If you are struggling to decide which activities to choose as your most meaningful, begin by writing all 10-15 of your experiences. This is a task you need to get done anyways, and doing so will give you insight into which experiences you find the easiest to write about.

As you reflect on your experiences, which ones felt the most important to you? Which ones did you feel like you didn’t have enough room to say all that you wanted to? Which ones illustrate length of commitment?

Take Your Application to the Next Level With Med School Insiders

We encourage you to read our complete Work and Activities Section Guide , which includes how to approach this section, mistakes to avoid, and frequently asked questions. We also have guides on the entire Medical School Application Process .

Sign up for our newsletter and follow our blog for the latest medical school application news, guides, and resources. Our content library is filled with articles that will help you prepare for every aspect of your application, as well as how to succeed during medical school and residency.

Med School Insiders can help you create a stand out medical school application. Our team of doctors has years of experience serving on admissions committees, so you’ll benefit from essential insights from people who have been intimately involved with the selection process.

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AMCAS Work and Activities Section

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Some students consider the Work and Activities section of their application to be less important than other sections. This is a fatal mistake. Learn what it takes to craft an impactful extracurriculars section.

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Medical school personal statement examples.

Get accepted to your top choice medical school with your compelling essay.

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HAVE AN AVERAGE ACCEPTANCE RATE OF 5.3%

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A GREAT MEDICAL SCHOOL PERSONAL STATEMENT IS KEY IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS

If you want to get into the best school, you need to stand out from other applicants.  

U.S. News   reports the average medical school acceptance rate at the top 100 med schools at 6.35% , but our med school clients enjoy an 85% ACCEPTANCE RATE .

How can you separate yourself from the competition successfully? By creating a great personal statement.

body:nth-child(2) > div.body-wrapper > main:nth-child(3) > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div.row-fluid-wrapper.row-depth-1.row-number-6 > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div.row-fluid-wrapper.row-depth-1.row-number-7 > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > #hs_cos_wrapper_dnd_area-module-12 > #hs_cos_wrapper_dnd_area-module-12_ > h2:nth-child(2)">Medical School Sample Personal Statements and Essays

Here we present medical school personal statement examples to give you ideas for your own essay.

Pay close attention to the consistent format of these effective personal statements:

ENGAGING INTRODUCTION / UNIFYING THEME / COMPELLING CONCLUSION

Give the admissions committee readers a clear picture of you as an individual, a student, and a future medical professional. Make them want to meet you after they finish reading your essay.

Here's what you'll find on this page:

  • How Sample Med School Essays Can Help You
  • Before you Start Writing
  • Writing Your Opening Paragraph
  • Writing Your Body Paragraphs
  • Writing Transitions
  • Writing Your Conclusion
  • Common Elements Between Personal Statements

Five Don'ts for Your Medical School Personal Statement

  • Personal Statement Examples & Analysis
  • Frequently Asked Questions

How can these sample med school essays help you?

You plan to become a physician, a highly respected professional who will have great responsibility over the health and well being of your future patients. How can you prove to the admissions committee that you have the intelligence, the maturity, the compassion, and the dedication needed to succeed in your goal? 

The medical school personal statement examples below are all arguments in favor of top med schools accepting these applicants. And they worked. The applicants who wrote these essays were all accepted to top medical schools - most to multiple schools. They show a variety of experiences and thought processes that all led to the same outcome. However, while the paths to this decision point vary widely, these winning essays share several things in common. 

As you read them, take note of how the stories are built sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, adding to the evidence that the writer is worthy of acceptance. This evidence includes showing a sustained focus, mature self-reflection, and professional and educational experiences that have helped prepare the applicant to succeed. 

As you write your medical school personal statement , include your most compelling, memorable and meaningful experiences that are relevant to your decision to become a doctor. Each sentence should add to the reader’s understanding of who you are, what your strengths are, and why you will make an outstanding physician. Your resulting essay will help the adcom appreciate your intellectual and psychological strengths as well as your motivations, and conclude that you are worthy of acceptance into a top medical school. 

Techniques for creating successful medical school personal statements

Before you start writing your med school personal statement.

Before you start writing your medical school personal statement you will need to choose a topic that will reflect who you are and engage the reader. There are a few strong ways to proceed. Try freewriting with a few of the following topic ideas.

Why medicine? Do you have a personal experience that made you certain about being a physician? How, when, did you know this was the right career for you? Is there a doctor you know (or knew) who emulates an altruistic moral character, someone who won your deepest respect? Can you show this person in action or describe them as they model inherent qualities, those for which you will strive as a physician?

How has a clinical experience been a real growth moment for you? Can you tell that story? Sometimes a clinical experience is deeply personal, something experienced by you or by someone in your family. Sometimes a clinical experience is about a patient whose situation taught you something deeply valuable, something honestly insightful about what good care means, about humanity, about empathy, about compassion, about community, about advantage and disadvantage, about equity and inclusion. 

Choose an experience outside the comfort of your own community, an experience where you were the outsider (uncertain, facing ambiguity) and this experience brought about a fresh, resonant understanding of yourself and others, an understanding that made you grow as a person, and perhaps brought about humility or joy in light of this geographical or cultural dislocation. Often this prompt includes traveling to other countries. Yet, it could work just as beautifully discovering people in close places that were previously unfamiliar to you – the shelter in the next town over, a foster home for medically unstable children, the day you witnessed food insecurity firsthand at a local church and decided to do something about disparity.

Read other successful personal statements in guides and publications. You can read sample personal statements that work here: medical school personal statement examples

The prompts above have great possibilities to be successful because they locate experiences that require better than average human understanding and insight. When we re-convey a moving human experience well, we tell a story that aims to bring us together, unite us in our common humanity. Telling powerful stories about humanity, in the end, presents your deeper attributes to others and demonstrates your capacity to feel deeply about the human condition. 

Be careful how often you use the first person pronoun, though you may use it. Revise for clarity many more times than you might do in other writing moments. Choose precise vocabulary that sounds like you, and, of course, revise so that you present to your readers the most pristinely grammatical you. 

Once you’ve looked at the sample medical school personal statements in the link above, try freewriting again according to one of the themes listed that applies to you. For instance, perhaps your prior freewriting aimed to describe a moment in your life that seeded your interest in medicine. Great. Save that file. Now, start again with a different topic, perhaps one from the linked page of sample personal statements. For instance, let your freewriting explore the time you traveled to another country to participate in a public health mission. What person immediately comes to mind? Hopefully this person is quite different from you in identity and culture. Make sure this comes across. Describe the scene when you first encountered this person. What happened? Tell that story. Why do you think you remember this person so vividly? Did the experience challenge you? Did you learn something deeper and perhaps more complex about humanity, about culture, about your own assumptions about humanity? Hopefully, you grew from this experience. How did you grow? What do you now understand that you did not understand before having had this experience? Hindsight may very well bring about perspective that demonstrates that you now understand the value of that human encounter. 

Here is a cautionary bit of advice about writing about childhood. Yes, it is relatively common to have had a formidable experience in childhood about illness, health, healthcare, medicine or doctors. Right? Most of us have had at least one critical health issue in our own family when still a child. Sometimes it is absolutely true that a moment in childhood began your interest in healthcare. 

One may have had a diagnosis as a child that turned one’s life path toward being health-aware. For instance, are you a juvenile-onset, Type I diabetic? Do you have a cognitive or physical disability? Were you raised in a home with someone who had a critical illness or disability? Did a sibling, parent or grandparent get gravely sick when you were young? 

Upon writing-up any of these situations for your personal statement, there is a catch-22. For medical school application activities, the rule of thumb is “nothing from high school.” So why then is it sometimes a good idea to write about a childhood situation in a personal statement? The answer has to do with the uniqueness of your story and the quality of hindsight through which you narrate it.

Let us slow down for a moment on the issue of writing about childhood. Typically, traditional applicants to medical school are steadfastly dedicated to their academic and pre-professional aims. Science curriculum, especially pre-med curriculum, is demanding and rigorous, and it trains science students to excel in empirical thinking and assessment. 

Sometimes, when asked to write a personal essay, hard core science students feel the rug pulled out from under them. Are you more confident and meticulous about action steps and future plans than you are confident about being a sage looking back on your life? Chances are your answer is “yes.” 

Of course you can write; you’re a smart person and a very good student. Yet, writing a heartfelt, perceptive essay about yourself or an aspect of your life for an application to medical school is unnerving even as you understand why your application might benefit from story-telling. Yes, your application should benefit from your engaging, authorial presence in the essay. An application that lacks this is wholly at a disadvantage. 

Perhaps you are gravitating to the choice to share a story about your childhood. 

For instance, what if you sat down to free-write the following prompt:

Draft an essay about a childhood experience that ingrained medicine as one of your inherent interests. Do so in a manner that demonstrates the value of hindsight while telling it.

Is it hard to stay calm about this prompt right now even though this prompt is precisely what could make your personal statement successful? The idea of this prompt is what many successful applicants have written well, and you can too. Why not seek professional guidance for your personal essay? Accepted has consultants who advise applicants through this process. We advise you on the whole process of developing a successful idea for an essay, help you mine your experiences, outline your strongest ideas, and after you’ve written them up, edit your drafts. You can view these personal statement services here: Essay Package

Back to tips. The key to writing a personal statement that frames a moment in childhood well is to stand firmly in the present and stay descriptive and perceptive. Write up that experience trusting you have insight. Quite a bit of time has passed since then, and that distance has given you the opportunity to see things a little differently now. 

Let’s presume you want to write about how as a child you had an older sibling with a cognitive impairment. You and your family witnessed time and again doors being shut, so to speak, on his ability to be included in school events or community events.

Free writing A: My older brother, G, had moderate cognitive impairment. He was never given field time in soccer games. When this happened, G cried. When this happened, I cried and felt hurt by how much time my parents spent trying to calm him down, eventually leaving the field, holding him close and bringing us back home, another Saturday wrecked. 

Example A has no benefit of hindsight.

Free writing B (with some hindsight): My older brother, G, had moderate cognitive impairment. Most of the time, kids were kind to him. “Hey G, how are you, man?,” they would say and high-five him. Most kids greeted him, offered him snacks and a seat on the sideline blanket. It was touching to see him included and seen at soccer games.

Further hindsight: G was rarely played in the game. 

Reflective comment: No harm would have been done in letting him play. It’s clear to me now how much more work we each need to do about inclusion. Community-based team sports are pretty good about extending kindness at the sidelines, but that is not the same thing as letting all kids play in the game. I am still grateful for every kindness extended to my brother, but perhaps letting him play in the game would have demonstrated to kids and parents alike a deeper message about the importance of inclusion over winning. The coaches meant no harm, but that is precisely how unconscious bias plays. Afterall, community by its very definition is about inclusion.

Standing tall on this matter brings out a maturity and vocabulary to master this kind of personal writing that Free Writing A lacks. You don’t want to go back in time and join your younger self and narrate from that perspective. The “return” to your former child typically results in replicating a childlike emotional capacity – and chances are, that’s not you anymore. You’ve seen more. You’ve grown more. You’re now formally educated. You’re more skilled at making connections between ideas and experiences. You can narrate a scene or circumstance and attach awareness of what you realize now it means – like the over-narratives of documentaries where the author sheds true insight about the meaning of past events. 

Most traditional applicants to medical school are just a few years older than teenagers. 

When hindsight brings great clarity and insight to the significance of an experience, we demonstrate a keener maturity and an understanding that in authoring an experience we have a responsibility to demonstrate how a personal experience becomes a valuable portal to understanding the situation of others. Hindsight done well can be a stunningly beautiful and engaging narrative skill.

Perhaps you would rather write about a clinical experience? If you write about patients, change names, change gender, change some context to assure anonymity. Nearly all healthcare workers are concerned about telling patient stories because we worry about appropriating someone else’s experience, or feel we may not have the right, literally since HIPAA set rules on patients’ privacy rights in 1996. We should be concerned about telling patients’ stories; however, how we tell them is key in honoring them. When we honor patients and convey their stories to others we demonstrate the reciprocity of the professional relationship. Physicians no longer have a prescriptive, patrician role. Physicians are no longer sole authorities. Physicians and patients establish a reciprocal relationship, a two way street wherein a physician steps into a space of illness with the patient and walks with them, with the goal of healing, curing and advocating for them. When doctors tell stories, they establish that patients matter, that these encounters matter, that doctors think about patients and often learn from them. 

How we write patient stories is best done humbly, of course. We can narrate a story that becomes exemplary for its insight and empathy – after all, insight and empathy are desirable traits of a physician. Be sure to show rather than tell, most of the time. Be sure to capture the sensory detail of people and place. For instance, is the patient sitting on a blue plastic chair under ultraviolet lights in the waiting room of a free clinic? Is a woman with her gray hair twisted in a bun wearing a cotton hospital gown, waiting against a concrete wall in a tiny examination room with the door open? (Setting makes a character more real.) 

Finally, your story perspective, what you see and understand, becomes another way of revealing who you are. 

How to write your opening paragraph:

A strong opening paragraph for a story begins “several pages in.” A strong story begins with you, the narrator, already standing in the ocean with water splashing at your knees. This is called a hook: “D began to bleed after the second attempt to start an intravenous line.” 

Then, get the basic narrative facts down, the 5 W’s, the who, what, where, when and why, so your readers will not be confused: “She was a patient in the infusion clinic in the cancer pavilion of a major Boston hospital. She came to the clinic for her first round of chemotherapy.”

What else about this moment engaged you? Did D come to her appointment alone via an Uber ride? Why wasn’t anyone with her? How did that make you feel? Did the two of you hold a conversation while you were trying to start an IV? Why do you think she started to bleed? How did she respond when she saw you were having trouble starting this IV? Why didn’t she have a Medi-port yet? Here, you are building fuller context for her story. Don’t race through the scene; rather, build it, slowing down time, using images and sensory details to “paint” with your words. Smaller details, necessary ones, help you portray D as an individual. 

“Semper Fidelis was tattooed on her forearm. ‘Thank you for your service,’ I said.” 

“‘This cancer thing,’ she said, ‘this is nothing.’”

“D’s comment set me back. She had triple-negative breast cancer. She had blood running down her arm to her hand, between her fingers and onto a stiff, white pillow case on which she rested her arm. Triple-negative breast cancer was much more than nothing. In fact, it was very serious.” 

What questions came to mind that provide several ways of reading this moment? Write them down. For instance,

  • Did D not know about the gravity of her diagnosis?
  • Was she steely and tough yet informed?
  • Did she live through something much worse while enlisted as a Marine?

The questions themselves may wander too much to serve your personal statement as a succinct essay, which it needs to be. However, the answers to those questions may be exactly the additional content you need to develop this story’s acumen and perception as you demonstrate how getting to know the patient is a critical skill in order to help her. And now a theme is starting to come through: a doctor treats a patient, not a diagnosis. Voilà!

Moving forward: How does a doctor reframe clinical assumptions in this instance? What does a future doctor learn from a circumstance like this? 

Notice in the example above that the writing is active, uses details, and vivid language.

This writer has a palpable connection to the moment. One key to choosing one experience over another for your personal statement is how visual and vivid your recollection is. Often, moments worth mining for meaning are easy to recollect because they still have unresolved messages that need to be understood. Writing experiences helps us find their meaning, their sense. 

Notice as well, the scene above captures a moment of ambiguity, a concept particularly difficult for many health science professionals to embrace because there are multiple ways of looking at and understanding something. Stories send empiricism into the wind. People are not solely empirical. There is the self that is the body, which can be understood empirically, but there’s also the self that inhabits the body, the thinking/feeling/being and perceiving self. Stories are not about right answers. Stories attend to sentience and explore humanity. Patients’ lives are rife with uncertain moments, uncertain decisions, uncertain treatments, uncertain consequences, and uncertain outcomes. How does a physician engage with health uncertainty, understand it, and navigate it through pathways of humanity rather than pathways of diagnosis?

How does health care challenge you to grow in humanistic ways?

How to write your body paragraphs:

Once you have written a compelling scene, it might be a good idea to reflect upon why you were drawn to write about this experience in particular before your proceed. How does this scene illustrate meaningfully something worth explaining about becoming a physician? For instance, D’s scene was illustrative of an unexpected shift in perception that mattered when treating a patient with a serious cancer diagnosis. This unexpected shift happened to you, not to her. D’s been living with herself aplenty. Her point of view surprised you, not her, and reveals an incongruence between her perspective on her illness and yours.

Brief moments of ambiguity like this one can make us talk to each other, make us want to do something, can bring us to explore some further niche, specialty or research. Perhaps D brought you to peruse PubMed to research “Issues in Clinical Practice when Caring for Veterans” to see if you could find articles to help you help D and other veterans. Perhaps D’s comment was so truthful that you now volunteer with a veterans’ organization to scribe their stories for a war history museum? This “call to action” is a worthy story in a personal statement. Tell D’s story and conclude it with empathy and action. (Taking action to help is a demonstration of empathy.) Mindfully showing the experience with D as a catalyst to a path of action to help those under duress -- in distress, in crisis, or adrift in inequity -- matters.

Perhaps, follow this conclusion with a brief explanation of what principles now guide your humanistic path to medical school as long as they are principles that matter to your choice schools. 

Here are a few things to avoid in writing your medical school personal statement. Avoid talking about your scholastic path in preparation for medical school in your essay. The essay is not a place to reiterate scholastic achievements, for instance, a high GPA, academic honors, academic awards, publications, or MCAT scores because they’re front and center in other areas of your application. 

Instead, frame your medical school personal statement around a formidable experience that directly or indirectly led you to pursue medicine. This could be a struggle that you’ve overcome that demonstrates your fortitude (the story of a sociocultural disadvantage or disability), the first time you deeply understood the ramifications of health care disparities you will not forget. Likely, this would be a personal story about yourself or a family member, a clinical story or a mission trip, or a story about a patient from some other volunteer work that you’ve done. 

Additional topic ideas for your personal statement: What is a successful doctor? What does a successful life as a doctor look like? What happens to your understanding of best practices when a patient’s situation makes a best practice unrealistic, and what is the remedy? What epiphany, small or large, resides in you now since having mined a critical, clinical experience? Do you see a difference in the way you respond to patients since having had this experience? How has clinical experience matured you, deepened your awareness of living? If a patient experience became a catalyst for you to branch out or deepen your healthcare exposure opportunities, talk about that too. What opportunities? Why?

Writing effective transitions:

You are now ready to proceed to a conclusion that leaves your readers, the admissions committee, with a lasting impression of you – your life, your mind, your character -- as a 21 st century physician. 

Chances are, you’ll need to transition from the previous discussion of a time in the past to squarely speak about yourself here and now or in a comment toward the future. 

Can you sum up your main idea for the past experience? Consider the benefit of using a word or phrase -- thus, just as, hence, accordingly, in the same way, correspondingly -- and present your central idea again but only in a few repetitive words (called parallelism) or with synonymous words, creating internal unity in the essay. 

Be careful how you do this. The phrasing should feel necessary and fluid rather than reductive or even worse, phrasing that sounds like filler. 

The shift you’re making is from then to now, or from then to now and to the future as in “all this is to say.” Would you benefit from a fact, a quote, a statistic, or an informed prediction on the state of medicine, public health, or the future of medicine? 

Grammar tips: 

Transitional words can indicate:

  • a process: first, second, next, finally…
  • time: by lunch time, that evening, two weeks later…
  • spatial sequences: down the block, two miles west, one bed over…
  • logic sequences: likewise, however, evidently, in other words…
  • meta-thought: as I say this, looking back, I have nothing left to say…

If grammar and idea flow are a concern, have a look at Accepted’s editing services: Med School Essay Package

A consultant will walk you through the inception of an essay, an outline, and editing from first through final drafts, including suggestions for idea development and transitions from one idea to another.

How to write your conclusion:

A strong conclusion for your medical school personal statement can highlight the relevance of a timely issue (for instance, the physician shortage in the U.S.), make broader inferences about something you’ve already discussed (for instance, the broader implications of a particular health care disparity), or a call to action that you now embrace (for instance, community-based work that you did during the pandemic that now has become a central interest). Altruism, or understanding another’s disadvantaged situation, should not be represented in your conclusion as “ideas alone.” Commitment to serve others is not solely aspirational (“As physicians, we must do everything we can about inequity"), but a strong conclusion puts ideals into action (“I have joined Dr. T’s research team to conduct qualitative research about how social strata paradigms impact health care inequity”). Action in the conclusion should be associated with an experience shown earlier in the essay and culminate as a demonstration that you have already begun shaping your path in medicine. You are not waiting to begin but have already begun facing the challenges and responsibilities of future physicians. This kind of conclusion shows vision, maturity, commitment and character.

If the story in the body of your personal statement is about an experience, the conclusion should show your growth since then and keep in alignment how you’ve grown with the medical school values and missions of the majority of schools on your list. So, if you’re applying to top-tier allopathic schools, your growth may be in the depth and orientation of your recent research, or in having established a tighter link between your clinical experience and research. 

If you’re applying to osteopathic schools, your growth should be in keeping with the osteopathic schools’ values and missions on your list and include recent hands-on experience, something with specific tasks and responsibilities, rather than shadowing, since shadowing is often seen as passive experience. It may be that you’ve become a licensed EMT and will work as an EMT in a relevant region or state during the gap year. It may be that you’ve been certified and now work as a harm reduction specialist for a particular organization in a particular city or county. 

If you’re applying to both allopathic and osteopathic schools, each personal statement should align with the academic orientation of each pathway. Using the same personal statement for both AMCAS and AACOMAS applications is rarely a good idea. 

Accepted offers help with the whole application process: Primary Application Package

Other elements that each essay below have in common:

Accepted provides sample medical school personal statements with titles classifying types of narratives that have potential for success. Applicants do have some freedom of choice in what topic will serve their essay best. Why only “some” freedom in topic for this personal essay? Because this essay is one tool you will use to reach a professional goal. 

Not all essays help us reach professional goals. Writers of effective essays must take into account who will read them. Think about who your audience is. In this case, it’s a medical school admissions committee – not a friend, not a parent, not a peer. How will you write an essay on the same topic, let’s say a lab experience that went from bad to revelatory? You’d tell this story quite differently to your lab mates than you would to your professor, than you would to the president of your university, than you would in a grant application. 

Here’s what can happen when the “audience” isn’t considered sufficiently when writing about a passion. Let’s say you love playing soccer, and played on a Division 3 team as an undergraduate. Let’s say it didn’t matter to you that the team was Division 3 as long as it meant you could get on the field and play through your undergraduate years. It’s quite possible that one can write well about playing soccer, but one must do so in such a way that the reader really believes and understands the parallel between doing what you love and a future in medicine. Otherwise, the writer may very well convey that they love soccer. However, when written without the focus that medical school admissions committees will be readers, the essay could end up conveying that the narrator really wants to be a soccer coach, not a doctor. 

So, there’s only some freedom in topic and some freedom in writing approach - and the two must make sense together in order to facilitate accomplishing your goal. 

There is no “one-size-fits-all” to writing a successful medical school personal statement. There are, however, aspects to the sample essays on this site that stand out. 

First, each personal statement example is authored by someone who knows exactly what story they’re telling. No matter what their first draft looked like, by the time the final draft is ready to go, all fuzzy draft moments have been made lucid and engaging. All sections of the essay should have the polish and the same goals. 

  • Why am I telling this in this way? 
  • To what ends does each scene or moment speak?
  • Have I revised enough to make every sentence demonstrate strong writing skills?

Each sample personal statement emphasizes narrative control, engages with a direct voice, has conclusive things to show and say, demonstrates logical steps in idea development, and presents effective framing of the composition as a well-written form that displays strong writing skills. 

Even when an essay includes a “bookend” structure (a narrative structure that begins and ends with X, with middle content about Y), the story of Y (i.e. a mission trip in Mexico) is the primary story framed by the X bookend story (i.e. the love of running) to give ballast to the context in which this writer wants us to understand the mission trip as well, as a parallel story of challenge, commitment, exhilaration, exhaustion and necessity.

The same is true for stories that contain contrasts. If you’ve traveled ten mile or ten thousand miles, it is quite possible you’ve encountered different assumptions than your own about health care, health care access, trust, understanding of middle-class or first-world beliefs about health, understanding beliefs from poor and disadvantaged communities, illness, health care in contrast with a different cultural standard than what you’re used to, different beliefs about health care access, and a lack of or cautious trust in deference to doctors. (See the “Nontraditional Applicant” and “The Traveler.”) The key to this kind of essay is first demonstrating the contrasts between the two realities (yours and the patient’s reality) and their relative assumptions. Second, demonstrate an understanding of beliefs amid the two experiences and aim to reconcile their adverse assumptions.

However you proceed with the paragraph by paragraph progression of your medical school personal statement, be sure to see how there’s deeper intuition or knowledge associated with how the ideas progress. Do not repeat yourself, or reiterate a statement or idea unless you are clearly doing so for rhetorical emphasis.

Then, kiss your draft goodnight. Let it sit for two or three days, and return to it time and again with fresh eyes – to trim, tighten, clarify, improve tone and intention, and importantly, to make sure you have direct regard for your audience, who it is, what they’re looking for, and how you are the person whom they seek, as you maintain a tone and direction consistent with your goals and what you’re seeking from an admissions committee. 

Many students focus on their own or family members’ medical conditions in their personal statements. The essay sometimes reads like a medical history. Taking this approach can hurt your application for several reasons: It may alert them to conditions that could impact your ability to perform in medical school,   indicate that you lack boundaries by oversharing , or suggest a lack of maturity in focusing only on yourself and family – rather than on helping others or serving the community.

Anything you share in your personal statement can be brought up in your interview. If you share details of painful events, losses, or failures that you have not yet processed or come to terms with, that disclosure could come across as an invitation for the reader to pity you. Accepting long-term changes in our lives transforms us; we are constantly evolving through our experiences. Until you have integrated this information into your identity, depending on how impactful it was, you may not be able to use the experience to shed insight on yourself quite yet. Use negative experiences that are at least a year or older depending on how long it takes you to process and reflect. Most importantly,   use them to show growth and resilience , not to create pity.

  • DON’T demonstrate a lack of compassion or empathy. One of the creepiest essays I’ve ever read – it still sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it – was a student’s description of how much she enjoyed anesthetizing and removing the brains of mice. Her intention was to share her love of science, research, and learning but the feverish glee with which she described these procedures lacked compassion for the creatures that lost their lives for her research project. This lack of respect for the sacredness of life made it an easy decision to reject her application. Research was probably a better path for her, especially since she wasn’t able to gauge the reaction her statements would have on her audience.
  • DON’T bargain. The least fun essays to read are those that contain more promises than a politician’s speech. They include statements like, “If accepted into this program, I will….” The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. If you really want to demonstrate what you are capable of achieving during your medical education,  give examples of what you have already accomplished . This approach is far stronger than making hollow promises.
  • DON’T complain. Criticizing or pointing out the failures of healthcare professionals who have treated you or whom you have observed in the past will only reflect negatively on you. Since your application will be reviewed by doctors, as well as admissions professionals, it’s critical that you do not insult those from whom you are seeking acceptance. While it is true that medical mistakes and lack of access to care have devastating consequences for patients, their families and communities, identifying ways to improve in these areas without pointing any fingers would be more effective. By demonstrating your realistic knowledge of patient needs and sharing potential solutions, you can present yourself as an asset to their team.

Be careful what you write. Create a personal statement that is honest (not bitter), reveals your personality (not your medical history), and delivers a compelling explanation for your motivations for entering medicine (not empty promises). 

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Med School Personal Statement Consultant Dr. Mary Mahoney

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Med School Personal Statement Examples and Analysis

Now let’s explore what you can learn from some of these outstanding sample med school essays.

Medical school personal statement example  #1: Emergency 911 

“Call 911!” I shouted to my friend as I sprinted down the street. The young Caucasian male had been thrown fifteen yards from the site of impact and surprisingly was still conscious upon my arrival. “My name is Michael. Can you tell me your name?” In his late twenties, he gasped in response as his eyes searched desperately in every direction for help, for comfort, for assurance, for loved ones, for death, until his eyes met mine. “Flail chest,” I thought to myself as I unbuttoned his shirt and placed my backpack upon his right side. “Pulse 98, respiration 28 short and quick. Help is on the way. Hang in there, buddy,” I urged.

After assessing the patient, the gravity of the situation struck me into sobriety. The adrenaline was no longer running through my veins — this was real. His right leg was mangled with a compound fracture; his left leg was also obviously broken. The tow-truck that had hit him looked as though it had run into a telephone pole. Traffic had ceased on the six-lane road, and a large crowd had gathered. However, no one was by my side to help. “Get me some blankets from that motel!” I yelled to a bystander and three people immediately fled. I was in charge.

But my patient was no longer conscious; his pulse was faint and respiration was low. “Stay with me, man!” I yelled. “15 to 1, 15 to 1,” I thought as I rehearsed CPR in my mind. Suddenly he stopped breathing. Without hesitation, I removed my T-shirt and created a makeshift barrier between his mouth and mine through which I proceeded to administer two breaths. No response. And furthermore, there was no pulse. I began CPR. I continued for approximately five minutes until the paramedics arrived, but it was too late. I had lost my first patient.

Medicine. I had always imagined it as saving lives, curing ailments, alleviating pain, overall making life better for everyone. However, as I watched the paramedics pull the sheets over the victim’s head, I began to tremble. I had learned my first lesson of medicine: for all its power, medicine cannot always prevail. I had experienced one of the most disheartening and demoralizing aspects of medicine and faced it. I also demonstrated then that I know how to cope with a life-and-death emergency with confidence, a confidence instilled in me by my certification as an Emergency Medical Technician, a confidence that I had the ability to take charge of a desperate situation and help someone in critical need. This pivotal incident confirmed my decision to pursue medicine as a career. 

Of course healing, curing, and saving is much more rewarding than trying and failing. As an EMT I was exposed to these satisfying aspects of medicine in a setting very new to me — urban medicine. I spent most of a summer doing ride-alongs with the Ambulance Company in Houston. Every call we received dealt with Latino patients either speaking only Spanish or very little broken English. I suddenly realized the importance of understanding a foreign culture and language in the practice of medicine, particularly when serving an underserved majority. In transporting patients from the field to the hospitals I saw the community’s reduced access to medical care due to a lack of physicians able to communicate with and understand their patients. I decided to minor in Spanish. Having almost completed my minor, I have not only expanded my academic horizons, I have gained a cultural awareness I feel is indispensable in today’s diverse society.

Throughout my undergraduate years at Berkeley I have combined my scientific interests with my passion for the Hispanic culture and language. I have even blended the two with my interests in medicine. During my sophomore year I volunteered at a medical clinic in the rural town of Chacala, Mexico. In Mexico for one month, I shadowed a doctor in the clinic and was concurrently enrolled in classes for medical Spanish. It was in Chacala, hundreds of miles away from home, that I witnessed medicine practiced as I imagined it should be. Seeing the doctor treat his patients with skill and compassion as fellow human beings rather than simply diseases to be outsmarted, I realized he was truly helping the people of Chacala in a manner unique to medicine. Fascinated by this exposure to clinical medicine, I saw medicine’s ability to make a difference in people’s lives. For me the disciplines of Spanish and science have become inseparable, and I plan to pursue a career in urban medicine that allows me to integrate them.

Having seen medicine’s different sides, I view this as a multifaceted profession. I have witnessed its power as a healing agent in rural Chacala, and I have seen its weakness when I met death face-to-face as an EMT. Inspired by the Latino community of Houston, I realize the benefits of viewing it from a holistic, culturally aware perspective. And whatever the outcome of the cry "Call 911!" I look forward as a physician to experiencing the satisfaction of saving lives, curing ailments, alleviating pain, and overall making life better for my patients.

Lessons From Med School Sample Essay #1: Emergency 911

This essay is one of our favorites. The applicant tells a story and weaves a lot of information into it about his background and interests. Note how the lead grabs one’s attention and the conclusion ties everything together.

What makes this essay work?

  • A dramatic opening paragraph

This essay has an unusually long opener, but not only is it dramatic, it also lays out the high-stakes situation of the writer desperately trying to save the life of a young man. As an EMT, the writer is safe in sharing so much detail, because they establish their bona fides as medically knowledgeable. With the urgent opening sentence (“Call 911!”) and the sad final sentence (“I had lost my first patient.”), the writer bookends a particularly transformative experience, one that confirmed their goal of becoming a doctor.  

  • A consistent theme

The theme of a med school essay in which the applicant first deals with the inevitable reality of seeing a patient die can become hackneyed through overuse. This essay is saved from that fate because after acknowledging the pain of this reality check, the writer reports that they immediately committed to expanding his knowledge and skills to better serve the local Hispanic community. While not an extraordinary story for an EMT, the substance, self-awareness, and focus the writer brings to the topic makes it a compelling read.

  • Evidence supporting the stated goal

This applicant is already a certified EMT, which serves as evidence of their serious interest in a medical career. In going on ambulance ride-alongs, the writer realized the barrier in communication between many doctors and their Spanish-speaking patients, which inspired the writer to take steps to both learn medical Spanish and shadow a doctor in a Mexican clinic. These concrete steps affirm that the applicant has serious intent.

Medical School Personal Statement Example #2: The Traveler

"On the first day that I walked into the Church Nursing Home, I was unsure of what to expect. A jumble of questions ran through my mind simultaneously: Is this the right job for me? Will I be capable of aiding the elderly residents? Will I enjoy what I do? A couple of hours later, these questions were largely forgotten as I slowly cut chicken pieces and fed them to Frau Meyer. Soon afterwards, I was strolling through the garden with Herr Schmidt, listening to him tell of his tour of duty in World War II. By the end of the day, I realized how much I enjoyed the whole experience and at the same time smiled at the irony of it all. I needed to travel to Heidelberg, Germany, to confirm my interest in clinical medicine.

Experiences like my volunteer work in the German nursing home illustrate the decisive role travel has played in my life. For instance, I had volunteered at a local hospital in New York but was not satisfied. Dreams of watching doctors in the ER or obstetricians in the maternity ward were soon replaced with the reality of carrying urine and feces samples to the lab. With virtually no patient contact, my exposure to clinical medicine in this setting was unenlightening and uninspiring. However, in Heidelberg, despite the fact that I frequently change diapers for the incontinent and deal with occasionally cantankerous elderly, I love my twice-weekly visits to the nursing home. Here, I feel that I am needed and wanted. That rewarding feeling of fulfillment attracts me to the practice of medicine.

My year abroad in Germany also enriched and diversified my experience with research. Although I had a tremendously valuable exposure to research as a summer intern investigating chemotherapeutic resistance in human carcinomas, I found disconcerting the constant cost-benefit analysis required in applied biomedical research. In contrast, my work at the University of Heidelberg gave me a broader view of basic research and demonstrated how it can expand knowledge – even without the promise of immediate profit. I am currently attempting to characterize the role of an enzyme during neural development. Even though the benefit of such research is not yet apparent, it will ultimately contribute to a vast body of information which will further medical science.

My different reactions to research and medicine just exemplify the intrinsically broadening impact of travel. For example, on a recent trip to Egypt, I visited a small village on the banks of the Nile. This impoverished hamlet boasted a large textile factory in its center where many children worked in clean, bright, and cheerful conditions weaving carpets and rugs. After a discussion with the foreman of the plant, I discovered that the children of the village learned trades at a young age to prepare them to enter the job market and to support their families. If I had just heard about this factory, I would have recoiled in horror with visions of sweatshops running through my head. However, watching the skill and precision each child displayed, in addition to his or her endless creativity, soon made me realize that it is impossible to judge this country’s attempts to deal with its poverty using American standards and experience.

Travel has not only had a formative and decisive impact on my decision to pursue a career in medicine, it has also broadened my horizons – whether in a prosperous city on the Rhine or an impoverished village on the Nile. In dealing with patients or addressing research puzzles, I intend to bring the inquiring mind fostered in school, lab, and volunteer experiences. But above all, I intend to bring the open mind formed through travel.

Lessons From Medical School Sample Essay #2: The Traveler

No boring repetition of itinerary from this seasoned traveler! This student ties their travels to their medical ambitions through the effective use of short anecdotes and vivid images. Can you sense the writer’s youthful disappointment during early clinical experiences and mature satisfaction working in the retirement home?

This applicant effectively links the expansive benefits of travel to their medical ambitions. By sharing vivid anecdotes from and reflections on these experiences, the writer enables the reader to easily imagine them as a talented physician in the future.

  • An engaging opening that frames the storyline Many fine application essays open with imagery so vibrant that the writing could be mistaken for fiction. This essay is no different. We meet the writer in the setting of a nursing home overseas, where they question whether their volunteer experiences there will help them determine their career path. Notice how the first sentence reflects a worry, “I was unsure of what to expect,” but by the final sentence, the writer concludes with satisfaction, “I needed to travel to Heidelberg, Germany, to confirm my interest in clinical medicine.” With this framing, we appreciate the essay’s theme.
  • Reflections on and contrasts about varied experiences in medicine The writer’s reactions to various encounters reveal a maturing mind-set: the “unenlightening and uninspiring” experience volunteering in a New York hospital versus the feeling of being “needed and wanted” in the nursing home in Heidelberg; the “disconcerting . . . constant cost-benefit analysis required in applied biomedical research” versus the “broader view of basic research and . . . how it can expand knowledge – even without the promise of immediate profit” at the University of Heidelberg. These reflections demonstrate a thoughtfulness born of experience.
  • How traveling has expanded his potential as a physician Of the five tightly constructed paragraphs in this substantial essay, the final two paragraphs home in on how travel has had an “intrinsically broadening impact” and stimulated an “open mind” to people and situations. This kind of sophisticated view is a desirable trait to adcoms.
  • Out-of-the-box theme Although this essay’s foundation is built on the writer’s sincere and dedicated aspirations for a medical career, they allowed themselves the space to write about the broadening intellectual benefits of travel, linking those benefits to professional potential. Even when writing about children working in a factory in Egypt, this applicant brings an expanded mind-set and greater cross-cultural understanding that will no doubt benefit them in their career.

Medical School Personal Statement Example #3: The Non-Traditional Applicant

"Modest one-room houses lay scattered across the desert landscape, their rooftops a seemingly helpless shield against the intense heat generated by the mid-July sun. The steel security bars that guarded the windows and doors of every house seemed to belie the large welcome sign at the entrance to the ABC Indian Reservation. As a young civil engineer employed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, I was far removed from my cubicle in downtown Los Angeles.

However, I felt I was well-prepared to conduct my first project proposal. The project involved a $500,000 repair of an earthen levee surrounding an active Native American burial site. A fairly inexpensive and straightforward job by federal standards, but nonetheless, I could hardly contain my excitement. Strict federal construction guidelines laden with a generous portion of technical jargon danced through my head as I stepped up to the podium to greet the twelve tribal council members. My premature confidence quickly disappeared as they confronted me with a troubled ancient gaze. Their faces revealed centuries of distrust and broken government promises.

Suddenly, from a design based solely upon abstract engineering principles, an additional human dimension emerged – one for which I had not prepared. The calculations I had crunched over the past several months and the abstract engineering principles simply no longer applied. Their potential impact on this community was clearly evident in the faces before me. With perspiration forming on my brow, I decided I would need to take a new approach to salvage this meeting. So I discarded my rehearsed speech, stepped out from behind the safety of the podium, and began to solicit the council members’ questions and concerns. By the end of the afternoon, our efforts to establish a cooperative working relationship had resulted in a distinct shift in the mood of the meeting. Although I am not saying we erased centuries of mistrust in a single day, I feel certain our steps towards improved relations and trust produced a successful project.

I found this opportunity to humanize my engineering project both personally and professionally rewarding. Unfortunately, experiences like it were not common. I realized early in my career that I needed a profession where I could more frequently incorporate human interaction and my interests in science. After two years of working as a civil engineer, I enrolled in night school to explore a medical career and test my aptitude for pre-medical classes. I found my classes fascinating and became a more effective student. Today, I am proud of the 3.7 GPA I have achieved in competitive post-baccalaureate courses such as organic chemistry, biochemistry, and genetics.

Confident of my ability to succeed in the classroom, I proceeded to volunteer in the Preceptorship Program at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center. I acquired an understanding of the emotional demands and time commitment required of physicians by watching them schedule their personal lives around the needs of their patients. I also soon observed that the rewards of medicine stem from serving the needs of these same patients. I too found it personally gratifying to provide individuals with emotional support by holding an elderly woman’s hand as a physician drew a blood sample or befriending frightened patients with a smile and conversation.

To test my aptitude for a medical career further, I began a research project under the supervision of Dr. John Doe from the Orthopedic Department at Big University. The focus of my study was to determine the fate of abstracts presented at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand annual meeting. As primary author, I reported the results in an article for the Journal of Hand Surgery, a peer-reviewed publication. My contribution to medicine, albeit small, gave me much satisfaction. In the future, I would like to pursue an active role in scientific research.

My preparation for a career as a medical doctor started with my work as a professional engineer. From my experiences at the ABC Indian Reservation, I realized I need more direct personal interaction than engineering offers. The rewarding experiences I have had in my research, my volunteer work at the Los Angeles County Hospital, and my post-bac studies have focused my energies and prepared me for the new challenges and responsibilities that lie ahead in medicine."

Lessons From Med School Sample Essay #3: The Non-Traditional Applicant

Here, an older applicant takes advantage of their experience and maturity. Note how this engineer demonstrates their sensitivity and addresses possible stereotypes about engineers’ lack of communications skills.

What works well in this essay?

  • A compelling lead This story begins in a hot desert landscape, an unexpected and dramatic starting point. Can’t you just feel the heat and sense the loneliness of the remote Indian reservation? Equally powerful in this first paragraph is when the writer faces the need to suddenly and completely rethink their carefully planned approach to address the tribal leaders. Their excitement is dashed. Their confidence has plummeted. They are totally unprepared for the mistrust facing them and their plan, and they need to improvise –quickly. Who wouldn’t want to read on to see how they resolve this dramatic turn of events?
  • Solid storytelling that leads to a satisfying conclusion This nontraditional med school applicant reinvents themself in this essay. After realizing that they want more human involvement and interaction in their work, they take this self-knowledge and show us the steps they took to achieve their new goal. The steps are logical and well thought out, so the writer’s conclusion that they are well prepared in every way for med school makes perfect sense.
  • Evidence to support their theme Through taking prerequisite courses in medicine (and achieving high grades) to bedside hospital volunteering (which provides emotional satisfaction) to helping write a medical research paper (which provides a feeling that they are making a meaningful contribution), the writer offers evidence that they are well suited for their new goal of a career in medicine. Each experience shared is relevant to the writer’s story. Any reader will agree that the applicant’s future as a physician is promising.
  • A thoughtful perspective From the opening paragraph, the writer shows their ability to adapt to new situations and realities with quick thinking and psychological openness. They assess each stage of their journey, testing it for intellectual value and emotional satisfaction. Journeys of reflective self-discovery are something adcoms value.

Medical School Personal Statement Example #4: The Anthropology Student

"Crayfish tails in tarragon butter, galantine of rabbit with foie gras, oxtail in red wine, and apple tartelettes. The patient had this rich meal and complained of “liver upset” (crise de foie). Why a liver ache? I always associate indigestion with a stomach ache. In studying French culture in my Evolutionary Psychology class, I learned that when experiencing discomfort after a rich meal, the French assume their liver is the culprit. Understanding and dealing with the minor – sometimes major – cultural differences is a necessity in our shrinking world and diverse American society. Anthropology has prepared me to effectively communicate with an ethnically diverse population. My science classes, research, and clinical experience have prepared me to meet the demands of medical school.

I first became aware of the valuable service that physicians provide when I observed my father, a surgeon, working in his office. I gained practical experience assisting him and his staff perform various procedures in his outpatient center. This exposure increased my admiration for the restorative, technological, and artistic aspects of surgery. I also saw that the application of medical knowledge was most effective when combined with compassion and empathy from the health care provider.

While admiring my father’s role as a head and neck surgeon helping people after severe accidents, I also found a way to help those suffering from debilitating ailments. Working as a certified physical trainer, I became aware of the powerful recuperative effects of exercise. I was able to apply this knowledge in the case of Sharon, a 43-year-old client suffering from lupus. She reported a 200% increase in her strength tests after I trained her. This meant she could once again perform simple tasks like carrying groceries into her house. Unfortunately, this glimpse of improvement was followed by a further deterioration in her condition. On one occasion, she broke down and cried about her declining health and growing fears. It was then that I learned no physical prowess or application of kinesiology would alleviate her pain. I helped reduce her anxiety with a comforting embrace. Compassion and understanding were the only remedies available, temporary though they were.

To confirm that medicine is the best way for me to help others, I assisted a research team in the Emergency Room at University Medical Center (UMC). This experience brought me in direct contact with clinical care and provided me with the opportunity to witness and participate in the “behind-the-scenes” hospital operations. Specifically, we analyzed the therapeutic effects of two new drugs – Drug A and Drug B – in patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke. The purpose of this trial was to determine the efficacy and safety of these agents in improving functional outcome in patients who had sustained an acute cerebral infarction. My duties centered around the role of patient-physician liaison, determining patients’ eligibility, monitoring their conditions, and conducting patient histories.

I continued to advance my research experience at the VA Non-Human Primate Center. During the past year, I have been conducting independent research in endocrinology and biological aspects of anthropology. For this project, I am examining the correlation between captive vervet monkeys’ adrenal and androgen levels with age, gender, and various behavioral measures across different stress-level environments. I enjoy the discipline and responsibility which research requires, and I hope to incorporate it into my career.

Anthropology is the study of humans; medicine is the science and art of dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease in humans. From my work at UMC and my observation of my father’s practice, I know medicine will allow me to pursue an art and science that is tremendously gratifying and contributes to the welfare of those around me. My anthropology classes have taught me to appreciate cross-cultural perspectives and their relationship to pathology and its etiology. Firsthand experience with exercise therapy and nutrition has taught me the invaluable role of prevention. Medical school will now provide me with the technical knowledge to alleviate a crise de foie."

[ Click here to view an excerpt from the original draft of this essay. ]

Lessons From Medical School Sample Essay #4: The Anthropology Student

With a diverse background that includes anthropology studies, work as a certified physical trainer, and experience in clinical medical research, this applicant builds a strong case for their logical and dedicated choice of a medical career.

  • An engaging opening that frames the storyline This writer cleverly uses an example from anthropology class, linking the description of a heavy, gourmet French meal to an appreciation for cross-cultural understanding that will be an asset during their medical career. Notice that the writer is not describing their own personal experience here but piggybacked on a class lesson to create a colorful, engaging opening.
  • A solid variety of relevant experiences In this six-paragraph essay, the writer links their lessons from anthropology studies to a firsthand understanding based on observing how their surgeon-father related to patients, to becoming a physical trainer directly helping others, and then to two different kinds of medical research. Each experience builds logically and chronologically on what came before, adding to the substance of the applicant’s preparation for medical school.
  • A powerful personal experience with a client In the third paragraph, the writer’s experience working with a patient with lupus is particularly strong and memorable. Their initial success with Sharon is followed by an almost immediate and radical decline in her condition. This is a moving anecdote that shows the applicant’s understanding of the limitations of medicine – and the power of compassion.
  • An excellent summary paragraph that ties everything together The final paragraph isn’t the place to offer new information, and this one doesn’t. Instead, it reminds the reader about the strong foundation the writer built from academics to career and medical research. Readers will be persuaded that after these experiences and reflections, the applicant truly appreciates “cross-cultural perspectives and their relationship to pathology and its etiology,” as well as the “firsthand experience with exercise therapy and nutrition teaching the invaluable role of prevention.”

Don’t Write Like This!

As the time approached for me to set my personal and professional goals, I made a conscientious decision to enter a field which would provide me with a sense of achievement and, at the same time, produce a positive impact on mankind. It became apparent to me that the practice of medicine would fulfill these objectives. In retrospect, my ever-growing commitment to medicine has been crystallizing for years. My intense interest in social issues, education, and athletics seems particularly appropriate to this field and has prepared me well for such a critical choice...

I’ve been asked many times why I wish to become a physician. Upon considerable reflection, the thought of possessing the ability to help others provides me with tremendous internal gratification and offers the feeling that my life’s efforts have been focused in a positive direction. Becoming a physician is the culmination of a lifelong dream, and I am prepared to dedicate myself, as I have in the past, to achieving this goal.

Lessons from Don’t Write Like This

This is an excerpt from the original draft of the Anthropology Student’s AMCAS essay. We are not including the whole thing because you can get the idea all too rapidly from just this brief portion. Note the abundant use of generalities that apply to the overwhelming majority of medical school applicants. Observe how the colorless platitudes and pomposity hide any personality. Can you imagine reading essays like this all day long? If so, then imagine your reaction to a good essay.

More sample essays

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Med school personal statement FAQs

1. when should i start writing my personal statement for medical school.

Typically, traditional applicants who have a goal of submitting their AMCAS or AACOMAS application in June write their personal statement after they take the MCAT in March. Starting the prewriting for the personal statement earlier than that is fine too; however, if an applicant plans to sit for the MCAT in the early spring, writing a compelling personal narrative while preparing for the MCAT can often be too much. Both require very different kinds of thinking. The intensity of studying for the MCAT, and the empirical thinking it requires, can interfere with the imaginative brainstorming needed to find your topic and develop it.  

Before focusing on the personal statement, look at all the elements of the primary application. As a whole, the personal statement, activities, MMEs, MCAT, transcript, biographical information and letters, will portray you. One element alone is not enough to bring out the whole you. It might help to strategize about how (and where) to highlight different elements of your background, experience, and character in the different parts of the primary application. Then work on the personal statement knowing what aspects of you are already represented in the other sections of the application. This way, each element adds value to the application and contributes to a more complete picture of you.

It makes sense to compartmentalize completing different parts of the application. Many applicants take the time they need to focus on one application component at a time, which seems to help them be thorough. 

Don’t underestimate how much time it takes to write well. Exploring ideas in writing, developing those ideas, showing rather than telling a story, staying clear, writing fluidly, surmising maturely and insightfully, takes much more time than most people anticipate. So, don’t wait until Memorial Day to write your essay and intend to submit on June 1. Give yourself the churn time writing well needs. Also, give yourself time to put a draft down for a day or two and return to it when you’re able to read it afresh. Sometimes, we revise over and over again in one sitting to the point that we can no longer hear the story or its sense because we have been rehearsing and revising a draft to beat the clock. Doing this is a risky way to go about the personal statement. Remember, this essay should be a very impressive part of your application, not merely one more part of the application to finish. At the end of the day, the medical school personal statement is a window that allows others to see you, know you as a person, know you better and beyond your achievements.

2. How do I find the perfect personal statement topic? Does one exist?

Certainly, some ideas are better than others, and one idea might work better for one person and not so well for someone else. However, there is no “perfect” topic. In fact, writing an essay with the approach of trying to out-psych this important application requirement is likely not the strongest way to find your best topic, nor is it the best way to engage your readers. 

Instead, consider the following approach. What is an experience you’ve had that matters greatly in helping others understand who you are as a future physician? Why medicine, not in general, but for you, demonstrated by way of a story about an experience that directly ties to being a physician or indirectly demonstrates your sound character as it corresponds with human qualities medical schools desire. When we read what kinds of people medical schools seek, it’s easy enough to identify quite a few character traits that appeal to many schools: compassion, resiliency, adaptability, selflessness, inclusivity, and altruism among them. What experience, when written with key details and description, reveals who you really are?

3. How do you choose the right amount of personal qualities to list?

A strong medical school personal statement should not replicate other parts of the application, with the exception of it being a specific story that stems from a particular experience associated with one of your activities. Otherwise, there’s no listing in this essay. Unfortunately, some applicants do treat the personal statement as an opportunity to list awards, accolades, and experiences, paragraph by paragraph. Meanwhile, medical school admissions officers can see these awards and experiences in the Experiences section of the application. Rarely, if ever, does this kind of writing bring out voice, vision and identity. Instead, tell a true story, revised with care and precision, that shines with voice, vision and identity.

4. Are there any topics I should avoid for my medical school personal statement?

Certainly, one idea might work better for one person and not so well for someone else. So, there’s a subjectivity in what to write and what not to write. Generally, however, there are some topics to avoid. Don’t write about a time you felt cheated, inconvenienced, frustrated or angry. Sometimes, secondary essay prompts will ask you about a struggle or a mistake, and for these answers, it’s best to show how you turned the situation around or keenly learned from it. Don’t get too caught in childhood. Many applicants do write about a time when they were not yet grown; however, don’t get swallowed by it. Write the scene and then stay in the present to demonstrate your maturity and worthwhile hindsight.

Remember -- no matter what the topic, tone matters. 

5. What kind of experience should I include in my personal statement?

6. can the experience i use on my med school personal statement be from outside of college.

Absolutely. It is relatively common for applicants to only portray themselves as students, and this can be a problem. Sometimes, when applicants write about themselves as excellent students the tone of such a personal statement can sound boastful or pleading. Neither quality is advantageous. 

Seeing oneself in any other light can result in a stronger “snapshot” of who you are, as long as the theme or topic of your personal statement still suits the intention of the application in the first place – demonstrating who you are as an appealing candidate for medical school. When we consider the writing task for the personal statement to be much more story-driven, readers go on a descriptive journey. What journey would you like to share?

7. Should I talk about challenges I’ve faced?

If other parts of your medical school application suggest a struggle – whether a lower MCAT score or a notable weak semester on a transcript – it might be advantageous to explain what happened and how you turned that situation around. Whether writing about a challenge in the personal statement or secondaries, the key is to demonstrate resilience. Applicants with physical or cognitive disabilities may choose to write about seeking assistance -- whether a doctor, therapist or a tutor -- and how learning alternative strategies helped them figure out how to attain higher academic achievement. 

Sometimes challenges are circumstantial. Sometimes families face financial hardship (did the family breadwinner become unemployed and therefore everyone else had to work more hours, including you?), emotional stress (due to an ongoing illness, Covid-19, or a divorce?) or trauma (a death of a loved one, a house fire, a veteran/sibling returning home with PTSD). Sometimes an applicant has been a caregiver for someone in the family. Sometimes an applicant has taken a leave from school because of someone else’s struggles, or the emotional fallout on the applicant from someone else’s struggle – the loss of a childhood friend, for instance. Self-care is reasonable. We might need to share a life moment in order to frame the context of a life struggle, showing it in the context of responsibility rather than recklessness or immaturity. Showing how you stepped up in a challenging time can show that you are accountable and caring, as long as the story is told to these ends, rather than suggesting resentment or self-pity. Again, neither of these tones is advantageous, nor is blame. 

Occasionally applicants have been challenged by a course or by a professor, a classmate or teammate and feel unduly subjected to bias. If there’s discrimination involved, that might be a story to tell. If there’s a personality clash, that might not be a good story to tell. 

Finally, as any story of challenge moves along, it’s important to demonstrate what you did, what you learned, how you adapted, or what you now value from having had this life experience that you did not understand before. 

Being a doctor is rife with challenges. In the end, your readers may come to understand how you are an insightful leader with great resilience or a compassionate, problem-solver.

8. How do I focus my personal statement to show that I want to go into medicine and not another field in healthcare?

Great question. On the one hand, it’s a good idea to demonstrate your compassion for others and empathy for people suffering from illness. On the other hand, these are favorable attributes for nearly all healthcare workers -- not only doctors -- but for physician assistants, nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers and psychologists too. Since most applicants have done some shadowing of physicians, it’s not unusual for these experiences to contain moments of learning about being a physician through shadowing or through work in a clinic. However, the more clinical the story, the better especially if you’re applying to osteopathic schools of medicine. If you’re applying to allopathic schools of medicine, it’s possible you have some interest in being a researcher, so telling a story about working in a physician’s lab might demonstrate your insights into the value of research in light of disease or patient care. If you already have an affinity for a specialty, telling how you came to know this could be the way to go.

9. Do I introduce my desired field of healthcare in my personal statement?

Maybe. If you’re very committed and have demonstrated a trend in your activities from general volunteer work (older listings) to more specialized experience in a field of medicine (more recent listings), it may be a good idea to write up how you came to know one field of medicine was really your passion. 

Bear in mind that announcing a deep interest in a particular field of medicine may make you “a good fit” or “not a good fit” for some schools. So, if you do write up a story about your desired field of medicine for your personal statement, be sure your list of schools corresponds with this. For instance, if you want to be an obstetrician and you convey this in your personal statement, be certain your schools have clinical exposure or better yet offer specializations in obstetrics, or a required rotation through a hospital for women, for instance.

Lastly, by no means must you announce a desired field of healthcare in your personal statement. You may be asked about your specialized interests in medicine in a secondary or in an interview, so it’s a good idea to think this through, but no, you don’t have to tackle this in the personal statement.

10. What should my character limit be? 

The AMCAS and AACOMAS character limit for the personal statement is 5,300 characters with spaces. The TMDSAS character limit for the personal statement is 5,000 characters with spaces. It’s a good idea to use most if not all of this space for your personal statement. Also, try to avoid the temptation to use the same personal statement for AMCAS and AACOMAS. The osteopathic schools seek applicants who know and prefer an osteopathic orientation to medicine, so the AACOMAS personal statement should demonstrate your fit with osteopathic medicine, based on what story you choose to tell and how you tell it, or at the very least, in the conclusion.

11. How do I know when I’m ready to submit my med school personal statement?

I highly recommend getting feedback about this from a strong mentor, advisor or consultant. Accepted offers comprehensive consultation for every part of the writing process, from brainstorming, to outlining, to mentoring on ideas, and editing until a client has a solid final draft in hand, ready for submission. You can review these services here: Initial Essay Package

Generally speaking, when you’ve accomplished FAQ #2 and #3, avoided the pitfalls in #4, revised for clarity and quality of ideas, developed ideas engagingly, and meticulously revised for quality of writing, then, you may be done.

12. What if I don’t have enough space to discuss everything?

Then your topic is too large or unfocused, in which case you need to focus and narrow the scope of your essays. Or you have a bit of editing to do to eliminate wordiness, digressions, or overstatement Ultimately, you want your essay to be focused, clear, and engaging.

13. Should I personalize my personal statement to the med school I am applying to?

Only if you’re applying to one medical school. Otherwise, your personal statement will reach all schools listed in your AMCAS application or AACOMAS application. It is okay, however, to speak toward the ideals of your first choice, aspirational schools on your list. Other times, applicants choose to write toward the schools that are their safest bets. 

Your secondary/supplemental essays will give you plenty of opportunity to show you belong at an individual school.

14.  Can I talk about mental or physical health in my statement?

15. should i address any bad grades that i got in school.

Generally yes, as long as bad grades are truly bad grades. It’s likely that you do not need to address a rogue grade of B on a transcript. If you had a bad semester or two, the question becomes how and where to address them. The answer is an individual one dependent on the context. The one certainty: You definitely don’t want your entire application to be a rationalization of those bad grades. 

See FAQ #7. 

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4 Medical School Personal Statement Examples

The personal statement can be one of the most challenging parts of your medical school application process. You want to show admissions committees the qualities that make you stand out while avoiding cliches. After all, a lot is riding on this essay. Don’t panic. We’ve done our homework, talked to insiders, and gathered firsthand personal statements to help you get started.

Getting Started

Before diving into the personal statement examples, here are some tips on framing your experiences to wow admissions officers.

1. Stick to your real-life experiences. While it’s great to express what you want to do in healthcare in the future, that doesn’t really set you apart. All premed students have goals for what they’ll do in the medical profession, but this often changes after time in medical school. Telling a personal story instead gives admission committee members a look at who you already are and if you have the qualities they deem desirable for med school .

Feel free to mention specialties you’re passionate about and touch on your clinical experience, but make sure the experiences you discuss are unique.

2. Build an in-depth narrative. Nobody wants to read a blanket summary of your research experience. This is your chance to get passionate and demonstrate some communication skills. Explain the driving force behind your desire to work in the medical field.

The old writing rule comes into play here: “show, don’t tell.” You will always capture your reader’s attention more by telling a story than by explaining a circumstance. Medical school admissions committees are no different. Showing them your strong work ethic — or dedication, or whatever personal quality you want — without just saying, “I have a strong work ethic” will have a greater impact.

3. Don’t include metrics. Admissions officers already have access to your GPA and MCAT scores. If they want to know how you did in biochemistry, they can find out. Don’t waste space here. If you’re concerned about those numbers, it’s much more important to nail the personal statement and secure a secondary application and eventual medical school interview.

4. Know the character limits — and try to meet them. Both AACOMAS and AMCAS applications have a character limit of 5,300. You do not necessarily need to use all 5,300 characters, but you also don’t want it to be under 3,000. You want to use as many as possible while staying on topic and being relevant. A too-short essay can look careless.

5. Get comfortable with revising . You’ll do it a lot. Expect your first draft to be just that – a first draft. This writing process will take several weeks, if not months. Once you’re confident in your essay, ask for feedback. Avoid asking family members (unless they’re experts in the field of medicine). Instead, have professors, mentors, and peers read it and offer notes.

|| Read more about capturing readers from the first paragraph with our Medical School Personal Statement Storytelling Guide . ||

6. Use coaching to craft the perfect essay. Personal statements like the ones below only come after countless hours of brainstorming and writing drafts. However, with MedSchoolCoach , you’ll work with professional writing advisors step-by-step to develop an impactful medical school personal statement.

|| Check out more Tips for Writing a Personal Statement ||

Personal Statement Example #1

Our second essay contest winner was a medical student who made their submission an AMCAS personal statement . It serves as a great and effective medical school personal statement example . We also thought it was a good read overall!

A four-letter word for “dignitary.” The combinations surge through my mind: emir? agha? tsar? or perhaps the lesser-used variant, czar? I know it’s also too early to rule out specific names – there were plenty of rulers named Omar – although the clue is suspiciously unspecific. Quickly my eyes jump two columns to the intersecting clue, 53-Across, completely ignoring the blur outside the window that indicates my train has left the Times Square station. “Nooks’ counterparts.” I am certain the answer is “crannies.” This means 49-Down must end in r, so I eliminate “agha” in my mind. Slowly, the pieces come together, the wordplay sending my brain into mental gymnastics. At the end of two hours, I find myself staring at a completed crossword puzzle, and as trivial as it is, it is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

As an avid cruciverbalist, I have a knack for problem-solving. I fell in love with another kind of puzzle in college: organic chemistry. While some of my peers struggled with its complexity, the notion of analyzing mass spectroscopy, IR spectrums, and H-NMR to identify a specific molecule invigorated me. The human body was a fantastic mystery to me in my biology classes. Intricacies such as hormonal up- and down-regulation pulled at the riddler in me; I was not satisfied until I understood the enigma of how the body worked. Graduate school at Columbia was an extension of this craving, and I chose a thesis topic to attempt to elucidate the sophisticated workings of neuro-hormonal balance peri-bariatric surgery.

In non-academic settings, I also pursued activities that would sharpen my intellect. The act of teaching is a form of problem-solving; a good teacher finds the most effective way to convey information to students. So I accepted the challenge and taught in both international and domestic settings. I assumed leadership positions in church because it forced me to think critically to resolve conflicts. In the lab, I volunteered to help write a review on the biological mechanisms of weight regain. It was precisely what I loved: isolating a specific human phenomenon and investigating how it worked.

I believe medicine and puzzles are in the same vein. After participating in health fairs, working at a clinic, and observing physicians, I understand that pinpointing a patient’s exact needs is difficult at times. In a way, disease itself can be a puzzle, and doctors sometimes detect it only one piece at a time – a cough here, lanugo there. Signs and symptoms act as clues that whittle down the possibilities until only a few remain. Then all that is left is to fill in the word and complete the puzzle. Voila!

Actually, it is more complicated than that, and inevitably the imperfect comparison falls through.

I distinctly remember a conversation I had with a psychiatric patient at Aftercare. He had just revealed his identity as Batman — but it turns out he was also Jesus. During downtime between tests, he decided to confide in me some of his dreams and aspirations. He swiftly pulled out a sketchpad and said confidently, “When I get better, I’m going back to art school.” Any doubts stemming from his earlier ramblings vanished at the sight of his charcoal-laden sheets filled with lifelike characters. “They’re… really good,” I stammered. I was looking for the right words to say, but there are times when emotions are so overwhelming that words fail. I nodded in approval and motioned that we should get back to testing.

Those next few hours of testing flew by as I ruminated on what I had experienced. After working 3 years at the clinic, I got so caught up in the routine of “figuring out” brain function that I missed the most important aspect of the job: the people. And so, just as the crossword puzzle is a 15×15 symbol of the cold New York streets, a person is the polar opposite. Our patients are breathing, fluid, and multi-dimensional. I’ve come to love both, but there is nothing I want more in the world than to see a broken person restored, a dream reignited, to see Mr. Batman regain sanity and take up art school again. The prospect of healing others brings me joy, surpassing even the most challenging crosswords in the Sunday paper.

This is why I feel called to a life in medicine. It is the one profession that allows me to restore others while thinking critically and appreciating human biology. I am passionate about people, and medicine allows me to participate in their lives in a tangible way, aligned with my interest in biology and problem-solving skill.

The New York Times prints a new puzzle daily, and so does the Washington Post, USA Today, and the list continues. The unlimited supply of puzzles mirrors the abundance of human disease and the physician’s ongoing duty to unravel the mystery, to resolve the pain. A great cruciverbalist begins with the basics of learning “crosswordese,” a nuanced language; I am prepared to do the same with health, starting with my education in medical school. Even so, I am always humbled by what little I know and am prepared to make mistakes and learn along the way. After all, I would never do a crossword puzzle in pen.

||Read Our First Essay Contest Winner: Considerations Before Applying to Medical School ||

||Read The Formula For A Good Personal Statement | |

Personal Statement Example #2

Student Accepted to Case Western SOM, Washington University SOM, University of Utah SOM, Northwestern University Feinberg SOM

With a flick and a flourish, the tongue depressor vanished, and a coin suddenly appeared behind my ear. Growing up, my pediatrician often performed magic tricks, making going to the doctor feel like literal magic. I believed all healthcare facilities were equally mystifying, especially after experiencing a different type of magic in the organized chaos of the Emergency Department. Although it was no place for a six-year-old, childcare was often a challenge, and while my dad worked extra shifts in nursing school to provide for our family, I would find myself awed by the diligence and warmth of the healthcare providers.

Though I associated the hospital with feelings of comfort and care, it sometimes became a place of fear and uncertainty. One night, my two-year-old brother, Sean, began vomiting and coughing non-stop. My dad was deployed overseas, so my mother and I had no choice but to spend the night at the hospital, watching my brother slowly recover with the help of the healthcare providers. Little did I know, it would not be long before I was in the same place. Months later, I became hospitalized with pneumonia with pleural effusions, and as I struggled to breathe, I was terrified of having fluid sucked out of my chest. But each day, physicians comforted me, asking how I was, reassuring me that I was being taken care of, and explaining any questions related to my illness and treatment. Soon, I became excited to speak with the infectious disease doctor and residents, absorbing as much as possible about different conditions.

I also came to view the magic of healing through other lenses. Growing up, Native American traditions were an important aspect of my life as my father was actively involved with native spirituality, connecting back to his Algonquin heritage. We often attended Wi-wanyang-wa-c’i-pi ceremonies or Sun Dances for healing through prayer and individuals making personal sacrifices for their community. Although I never sun danced, I spent hours in inipis chewing on osha root, finding my healing through songs.

In addition to my father’s heritage, healing came from the curanderismo traditions of Peru, my mother’s home. She came from a long line of healers using herbal remedies and ceremonies for healing the mind, body, energy, and soul. I can still see my mother preparing oils, herbs, and incense mixtures while performing healing rituals. Her compassion and care in healing paralleled the Emergency Department healthcare providers. 

Through the influence of these early life experiences, I decided to pursue a career in the health sciences. Shortly after starting college, I entered a difficult time in my life as I struggled with health and personal challenges. I suddenly felt weak and tired most days, with aches all over my body. Soon, depression set in. I eventually visited a doctor, and through a series of tests, we discovered I had hypothyroidism. During this time, I also began dealing with unprocessed childhood trauma. I decided to take time off school, and with thyroid replacement hormones and therapy, I slowly began to recover. But I still had ways to go, and due to financial challenges, I decided to continue delaying my education and found work managing a donut shop. Unbeknownst to me, this experience would lead to significant personal growth by working with people from all walks of life and allowing me time for self-reflection. I continuously reflected on the hospital experiences that defined my childhood and the unmatched admiration I had for healthcare workers. With my renewed interest in medicine, I enrolled in classes to get my AEMT license and gain more medical experience. 

As my health improved, I excelled in my classes, and after craving the connections of working with others, I became a medical assistant. In this position, I met “Marco,” a patient traveling from Mexico for treatment. Though I spoke Spanish while growing up, I had little experience as a medical interpreter. However, I took the opportunity to talk with him to learn his story. Afterward, he became more comfortable, and I walked him through the consultation process, interpreting the physician’s words and Marco’s questions. This moment showed me the power of connecting with others in their native language. As a result, I began volunteering at a homeless clinic to continue bridging the language barrier for patients and to help advocate for the Latinx community and those who struggle to find their voice. 

My journey to becoming a doctor has been less direct than planned; however, my personal trials and tribulations have allowed me to meet and work with incredible people who have been invaluable to my recovery and personal development. Most importantly, I have seen the value of compassionate and empathetic care. Though I have not recently witnessed any sleight of hand or vanishing acts, what healthcare providers do for patients can only be described as magic.

I look forward to bringing my diverse background as a physician and expanding my abilities to help patients in their path to healing.

||Read: But I Don’t Have 15 Activities ! | Apply to Med School After 3rd or 4th Year? ||

Personal Statement Example #3

Student accepted to Weill Cornell

My path to medicine was first influenced by early adolescent experiences trying to understand my place in society. Though I was not conscious of it then, I held a delicate balance between my identity as an Indian-American and an “American-American.” 

In a single day, I could be shooting hoops and eating hotdogs at school while spending the evening playing Carrom and enjoying tandoori chicken at a family get-together. When our family moved from New York to California, I had the opportunity to attend a middle school with greater diversity, so I learned Spanish to salve the loss of moving away and assimilate into my new surroundings.

As I partook in related events and cuisine, I built a mixed friend group and began understanding how culture influences our perception of those around us. While volunteering at senior centers in high school, I noticed a similar pattern to what I sometimes saw: seniors socializing in groups of shared ethnicity and culture. Moving from table to table and language to language, I also observed how each group shared different life experiences and perspectives on what constitutes health and wellness. Many seniors talked about barriers to receiving care or how their care differed from what they had envisioned. Listening to their stories on cultural experiences, healthcare disparities, and care expectations sparked my interest in becoming a physician and providing care for the whole community.

Intrigued by the science behind perception and health, I took electives during my undergraduate years to build a foundation in these domains. In particular, I was amazed by how computational approaches could help model the complexity of the human mind, so I pursued research at Cornell’s Laboratory of Rational Decision-Making. Our team used fMRI analysis to show how the framing of information affects cognitive processing and perception. Thinking back to my discussions with seniors, I often wondered if more personalized health-related messaging could positively influence their opinions. Through shadowing, I witnessed physicians engaging in honest and empathetic conversations to deliver medical information and manage patients’ expectations, but how did they navigate delicate conflicts where the patients’ perspectives diverged from their own?

My question was answered when I became a community representative for the Ethics Committee for On Lok PACE, an elderly care program. One memorable case was that of Mr. A.G, a blind 86-year-old man with radiation-induced frontal lobe injury who wanted to return home and cook despite his doctor’s expressed safety concerns. Estranged from his family, Mr. A.G. relied on cooking to find fulfillment. Recognizing the conflict between autonomy and beneficence, I joined the physicians in brainstorming and recommending ways he could cook while being supervised.

I realized that the role of a physician was to mediate between the medical care plan and the patient’s wishes to make a decision that preserves their dignity. As we considered possibilities, the physicians’ genuine concern for the patient’s emotional well-being exemplified the compassion I want to emulate as a future doctor. Our discussions emphasized the rigor of medicine — the challenge of ambiguity and the importance of working with the individual to serve their needs.

With COVID-19 ravaging our underserved communities, my desire to help others drove me towards community-based health as a contact tracer for my county’s Department of Public Health. My conversations uncovered dozens of heartbreaking stories that revealed how socioeconomic status and job security inequities left poorer families facing significantly harsher quarantines than their wealthier counterparts.

Moreover, many residents expressed fear or mistrust, such as a 7-person family who could not safely isolate in their one-bedroom and one-bath apartment. I offered to arrange free hotel accommodations but was met with a guarded response from the father: “We’ll be fine. We can maintain the 6 feet.” While initially surprised, I recognized how my government affiliation could lead to a power dynamic that made the family feel uneasy. Thinking about how to make myself more approachable, I employed motivational interviewing skills and small talk to build rapport. 

When we returned to discussing the hotel, he trusted my intentions and accepted the offer. Our bond of mutual trust grew over two weeks of follow-ups, leaving me humbled yet gratified to see his family transition to a safer living situation. As a future physician, I realize I may encounter many first-time or wary patients; and I feel prepared to create a responsive environment that helps them feel comfortable about integrating into our health system.

Through my clinical and non-clinical experiences, I have witnessed the far-reaching impact of physicians, from building lasting connections with patients to being a rock of support during uncertain times. I cannot imagine a career without these dynamics—of improving the health and wellness of patients, families, and society and reducing healthcare disparities. While I know the path ahead is challenging, I am confident I want to dedicate my life to this profession.

Personal Statement Example #4

Student Accepted to UCSF SOM, Harvard Medical School

Countless visits to specialists in hope of relief left me with a slew of inconclusive test results and uncertain diagnoses. “We cannot do anything else for you.” After twelve months of waging a war against my burning back, aching neck and tingling limbs, hearing these words at first felt like a death sentence, but I continued to advocate for myself with medical professionals. 

A year of combatting pain and dismissal led me to a group of compassionate and innovative physicians at the Stanford Pain Management Center (SPMC). Working alongside a diverse team including pain management specialists and my PCP, I began the long, non-linear process of uncovering the girl that had been buried in the devastating rubble of her body’s pain. 

From struggling with day-to-day activities like washing my hair and sitting in class to thriving as an avid weightlifter and zealous student over the span of a year, I realized I am passionate about preventing, managing and eliminating chronic illnesses through patient-centered incremental care and medical innovation.

A few days after my pain started, I was relieved to hear that I had most likely just strained some muscles, but after an empty bottle of muscle relaxers, the stings and aches had only intensified. I went on to see 15 specialists throughout California, including neurologists, physiatrists, and rheumatologists. Neurological exams. MRIs. Blood tests. All inconclusive.

Time and time again, specialists dismissed my experience due to ambiguous test results and limited time. I spent months trying to convince doctors that I was losing my body; they thought I was losing my mind. Despite these letdowns, I did not stop fighting to regain control of my life. Armed with my medical records and a detailed journal of my symptoms, I continued scheduling appointments with the intention of finding a doctor who would dig deeper in the face of the unknown.

Between visits, I researched my symptoms and searched for others with similar experiences. One story on Stanford Medicine’s blog, “Young Woman Overcomes Multiple Misdiagnoses and Gets Her Life Back”, particularly stood out to me and was the catalyst that led me to the SPMC. After bouncing from doctor to doctor, I had finally found a team of physicians who would take the profound toll of my pain on my physical and mental well-being seriously.

Throughout my year-long journey with my care team at the SPMC, I showed up for myself even when it felt like I would lose the war against my body. I confronted daily challenges with fortitude. When lifting my arms to tie my hair into a ponytail felt agonizing, YouTube tutorials trained me to become a braiding expert. Instead of lying in bed all day when my medication to relieve nerve pain left me struggling to stay awake, I explored innovative alternative therapies with my physicians; after I was fed up with the frustration of not knowing the source of my symptoms, I became a research subject in a clinical trial aimed at identifying and characterizing pain generators in patients suffering from “mysterious” chronic pain.

At times, it felt like my efforts were only resulting in lost time. However, seeing how patient my care team was with me, offering long-term coordinated support and continually steering me towards a pain-free future, motivated me to grow stronger with every step of the process. Success was not an immediate victory, but rather a long journey of incremental steps that produced steady, life-saving progress over time.

My journey brought me relief as well as clarity with regard to how I will care for my future patients. I will advocate for them even when complex conditions, inconclusive results and stereotypes discourage them from seeking continued care; work with them to continually adapt and improve an individualized plan tailored to their needs and goals, and engage in pioneering research and medical innovations that can directly benefit them.

Reflecting on the support system that enabled me to overcome the challenges of rehabilitation, I was inspired to help others navigate life with chronic pain in a more equitable and accessible way. Not everyone has the means to work indefinitely with a comprehensive care team, but most do have a smartphone. As a result, I partnered with a team of physicians and physical therapists at the University of California San Francisco to develop a free mobile application that guides individuals dealing with chronic pain through recovery. Based on my own journey, I was able to design the app with an understanding of the mental and physical toll that pain, fear, and loss of motivation take on patients struggling with chronic pain. Having features like an exercise bank with a real-time form checker and an AI-based chatbot to motivate users, address their concerns and connect them to specific health care resources, our application helped 65 of the 100 pilot users experience a significant reduction in pain and improvement in mental health in three months.

My journey has fostered my passion for patient-centered incremental medicine and medical innovation. From barely living to thriving, I have become a trailblazing warrior with the perseverance and resilience needed to pursue these passions and help both the patients I engage with and those around the world.

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AMCAS Application for Med School: How to Write a Strong “Personal Comments” Essay

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If you’re submitting an application to a Medical School through AMCAS (The American Medical College Application Service), you’ve likely already put a considerable amount of time and thought into your decision to do so.

The best way to reflect this high level of commitment is to write a memorable and succinct “Personal Comments” essay.

AMCAS recommends addressing the following three questions in your essay:

  • 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 has not been disclosed in other sections of the application?

We’ll go a step further and provide you with some additional launchpads for brainstorming :

  • Who or what influenced you to pursue a career in medicine?
  • What do you hope to glean from this career path?
  • What impact do you hope to have on others?
  • Why are you drawn to medicine? What excites you most about a career in medicine?
  • How will you enrich the medical community?
  • What are your long-term goals and how will a medical degree help you get there?

Your responses to these questions will give admissions insight into who you are, what’s important to you, and where you will go from here. Ultimately, the purpose of the Personal Comments essay is to humanize your application and distinguish you from other similarly qualified applicants. Acceptance rates at top U.S. medical schools have been steadily declining over the last decade, which means it’s tougher than ever to secure a spot at a competitive med school. 

Luckily for you, the written portion of the application is an opportunity to further differentiate you in the eyes of admissions officers. Think of it as an introduction; let admissions get a peek at the future healthcare provider behind the quantitative data. 

We recommend starting by making a list of the most important aspects of your identity, goals, and/or background. This way, you have a blueprint to follow when you’ve deemed it time to put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard?) (stethoscope to chest??).

The most successful AMCAS essays will not repeat information provided elsewhere in the application. Instead, they will reveal new information to an admissions committee about the applicant. The more memorable your essay, the better!

In addition to the answers to the questions listed above, AMCAS offers applicants the opportunity to include information such as:

  • Unique hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits.
  • Comments on significant fluctuations in your academic record that are not explained elsewhere in your application.

This essay, unlike many other optional essays, is truly optional. If you haven’t faced a hardship or challenge that impacted your academics or educational pursuits, this prompt is not for you.

If, however, you have something to address here (a drop in your GPA, a gap in your resume, etc.), we advise you to write about the challenges and hardships you have faced in ways that emphasize resilience, responsibility, and growth. 

With an essay character limit of 5,300 (roughly equals a page), brevity is paramount. Do your best to avoid spending too many words on explaining what has happened in the past, since admissions is mostly interested in your future (hopefully at their school!). 

Once you have your outline ready, or at least an idea of what you want to address in your essay, we recommend writing everything down that comes to mind, stream-of-consciousness style. Trust us: it is so much easier to edit subpar drafts than it is to develop a blank page! You don’t need to write a stellar essay on the first go; you can always step away and revisit your writing at a later time (as long as you don’t have a deadline lurking). 

The final piece of advice we want to leave you with is this: share your draft with someone whose opinion you trust. Whether it’s one of our expert Advisors, your loved ones, your peers, or your mentors, it’s incredibly helpful to get a second opinion before you submit! A pair of fresh eyes can often reveal opportunities for both expansion and compression, and is, at the very least, a new lens in which to view your own submission.

About Kat Stubing

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Written by Kat Stubing

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: AMCAS , applying to med school , med school , med school admissions , med school secondaries , medical school , Personal Comments Essay

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Crafting a Powerful AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay

Crafting a powerful AMCAS most meaningful experience essay can be a daunting task, but with the right guidance, you can create an impactful and compelling essay that showcases your unique experiences and qualities. Keep reading to learn more!

Posted June 14, 2023

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If you’re applying to medical school, you know that the application process can be daunting. One of the most important components of your application is the AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) most meaningful experience essay. This essay gives you the opportunity to showcase your personal qualities and experiences that have shaped you into the aspiring physician that you are. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of crafting a powerful AMCAS most meaningful experience essay that will help you stand out in the competitive pool of applicants.

Why the AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay is Important

The AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is important because it provides a comprehensive overview of who you are as an individual and what drives you as a medical professional. It allows you to highlight your strengths, demonstrate your commitment to the field, and showcase your communication skills. A well-written AMCAS most meaningful experience essay can make the difference between being accepted into medical school or being placed on the waitlist. The admissions committee wants to know what motivates you, your goals, and personality. This essay helps them determine how you’ll fit into the medical community.

Another reason why the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is important is that it gives you the opportunity to stand out from other applicants. Medical schools receive thousands of applications each year, and many of them have similar academic backgrounds and extracurricular activities. However, your most meaningful experience essay is unique to you and can showcase your individuality. It can also demonstrate your ability to reflect on your experiences and how they have shaped your perspective on medicine.

Furthermore, the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay can also help you prepare for medical school interviews. The experiences you write about in your essay can serve as talking points during interviews, allowing you to expand on your thoughts and experiences. It can also help you articulate your goals and motivations for pursuing a career in medicine, which is a common question during medical school interviews. Overall, the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is an important component of your medical school application and should be taken seriously.

Understanding the Purpose of the AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay

The purpose of the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is to provide the admissions committee with insight into your character and values. It helps them get a better sense of your personal and professional views, what experiences have been the most impactful in your life, and what motivates you to pursue a career in medicine. While grades and test scores are important factors in the admissions process, the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay gives you the opportunity to take center stage and highlight your achievements outside of the classroom.

One important thing to keep in mind when writing your AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is to choose experiences that truly resonate with you. Don't just choose experiences that you think will impress the admissions committee. Instead, choose experiences that have had a profound impact on your life and have helped shape who you are today. This will allow you to write a more authentic and compelling essay that truly showcases your unique qualities and strengths.

Another key aspect of the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is to reflect on the lessons you learned from your experiences. Admissions committees are not just interested in what you did, but also in how you grew and developed as a result of those experiences. Be sure to highlight the skills and qualities you gained from your experiences, such as leadership, teamwork, empathy, and resilience. This will demonstrate to the admissions committee that you have the personal and professional qualities necessary to succeed in medical school and beyond.

What is a Most Meaningful Experience in Medical School and Why it Matters

A most meaningful experience in medical school is an experience that has shaped you personally and/or professionally. It could be an experience that you had during clinical rotations, volunteering, research, or extracurricular activities. The reason it matters is that it gives a deeper understanding of who you are, your motivation, and how you’ll contribute to the medical community. Being able to articulate your most meaningful experiences in detail is essential in demonstrating to the admissions committee why you would be an ideal candidate for medical school.

How to Choose the Right Most Meaningful Experience for Your Essay

When choosing your most meaningful experience for your essay, it’s important to reflect on your experiences and identify those that have had the greatest impact on your personal and professional development. Remember that it's not necessarily the experience itself that makes it most meaningful, it’s how it affected you and the lessons you learned. Once you have a few experiences in mind, consider which ones showcase the personal qualities and characteristics you want the admissions committee to know about you.

Tips for Brainstorming and Selecting Your Most Meaningful Experiences

Brainstorming and selecting your most meaningful experiences can be challenging, but it’s important to spend the time reflecting on your experiences to be able to articulate why they were important to you. Take a few minutes to do some free writing to generate possible ideas. You might also try brainstorming with a friend or family member to get a fresh perspective. Once you have a few possible experiences in mind, create a list of the personal qualities and values you exhibited during each experience. This will help you decide which experiences will best showcase your strengths and fit in with the message you want to convey to the admissions committee.

Tips for a Powerful Essay

Strategies for writing a compelling introduction to your amcas essay.

The introduction is the most important part of your AMCAS essay. You need to grab the reader’s attention and give them a reason to keep reading. One way to do this is to start with a personal anecdote or a thought-provoking question that relates to your most meaningful experience. Another approach is to start with a quote or a surprising fact that helps to frame your essay’s topic in a way that’s both compelling and relevant. Whatever approach you choose, make sure your introduction is engaging and sets the stage for the rest of your essay.

Structuring Your AMCAS Essay for Maximum Impact

The structure of your AMCAS essay is critical in ensuring maximum impact. You want to make sure you’re presenting your experience in a clear, concise, and organized manner that’s easy for the reader to follow. A common structure for the AMCAS essay is to begin with an introduction, followed by the description of your most meaningful experience, a reflection on what you learned, and a conclusion that ties everything together. You can also use headings to help organize your essay and make it easier to read.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay

There are several common mistakes to avoid when writing your AMCAS most meaningful experience essay. These include being too vague or generic, focusing too much on the experience itself rather than the impact it had on you, and not properly explaining the significance of your experience. Another common mistake is to try to fit too much into your essay. Instead, focus on a single experience and explore it in depth. Lastly, be sure to proofread and edit your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Key Elements of a Successful AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay

The key elements of a successful AMCAS most meaningful experience essay include a clear and concise description of your experience, an explanation of what you learned and how it impacted you, and a reflection on how that experience has influenced your values, beliefs, and goals. Additionally, your essay should showcase your personal qualities and characteristics that make you an ideal candidate for medical school. It’s also important to be authentic and true to yourself in your essay.

How to Edit and Revise Your AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay for Clarity and Coherence

Editing and revising your AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is essential for ensuring clarity and coherence. Start by reviewing your essay for any grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. Next, read your essay out loud to catch any sentences that are awkward or unclear. One effective strategy is to have someone else read your essay and provide feedback. Finally, make sure your essay flows smoothly and your most meaningful experience is presented in a logical way that highlights the personal qualities you want to showcase.

How to Make Your AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay Stand Out from the Crowd

To make your AMCAS most meaningful experience essay stand out from the crowd, focus on presenting a personal narrative with specific details and emotions. Use descriptive language that draws the reader in and allows them to connect with your experience. Additionally, be sure to showcase your personal qualities and characteristics that make you unique as an individual and a candidate for medical school. Lastly, make sure that your essay is authentic and true to who you are and what motivates you personally and professionally.

Conclusion: Reflections on Crafting a Powerful AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay

Writing a powerful AMCAS most meaningful experience essay requires reflection, introspection and attention to detail. It's important to select an experience that is genuinely meaningful to you and showcases personal qualities that would make you an asset to the medical community. When writing your essay, avoid common mistakes, structure it appropriately, and use language that is both descriptive and engaging. By following these tips and writing from the heart, you can craft an essay that stands out from the crowd and helps you take the first step towards achieving your dreams of becoming a medical professional.

For more expert tips on how to successfully navigate the medical school application process, check out these articles:

  • Preparing for Medical School: A Comprehensive Guide

Mastering Medical School Interviews: Questions and Strategies

How to craft the perfect medical school interview "thank you" letter.

  • How to Get Clinical Hours for Med School: Building Your Experience
  • How to Write a Standout Internal Medicine Personal Statement

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  • Physician-Scientist

MD PhD Essay: The Ultimate Guide

md phd essay

MD-PhD programs  combine medical school training with the demands of scientific research. Graduates of these hybrid programs can pursue a variety of career paths, but the ultimate goal of MD PhD programs is to train physician-scientists. The MD PhD program is a long and difficult process, lasting between seven to eight years. On top of your personal statement and  AMCAS Work and Activities  section, you will have to submit two additional essays through AMCAS: The Significant Research Experience Essay and the MD PhD Essay. Many applicants find the MD PhD essay quite challenging since it lacks the definitive expectations of the research experience essay. So in today's blog, you'll learn exactly how to write a strong MD PhD essay.

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Article Contents 15 min read

What is the md phd essay and what is its purpose.

MD PhD admissions offices seek to ensure that the students they admit are ready to commit to many years of rigorous training and study. If you want to apply to MD PhD vs MD programs, keep in mind that there is more work involved in the application process as you'll have two additional essays to complete. The MD PhD essay is a unique component of the application process and it's where you'll discuss your reasons behind pursuing the joint program.

To understand what admissions committees are looking for in this essay, you need to first understand what kind of professionals they are hoping to train. A physician-scientist values medical research and progress above other elements of the medical profession. They will most likely spend their time in clinical settings, but mainly in relation to their research. Due to the large emphasis on research, clinical care is not their primary role. Research, discovery, and the application of new knowledge is their main interest. With this said, their research still directly involves clinical work and patient well-being, otherwise, they could have simply pursued a PhD. This intricate balance between research and medicine must be demonstrated in your MD PhD essay, with a larger emphasis on research.

Your MD PhD essay must show that you wouldn’t be satisfied with a career that didn't involve both medical research and clinical practice. You must demonstrate that pursuing just one or the other is not right for you. Your essay should not make you appear indecisive, as if you cannot choose between MD and PhD programs. Instead, you must show that you will be most fulfilled working as a physician-scientist. Overall, your essay must answer the question “Why did you choose the combined MD PhD program?”

Research experience

Your MD PhD essay should tell the story of how you became involved in scientific research and how you want to apply this research to medical practice. Your personal statement, research essay, and your MD PhD essay may sometimes touch upon the same experiences, but you will want to approach each of them from different angles. While your personal statement typically focuses on how you came to medicine in general, your MD PhD essay should answer how your interests and qualifications combine science and medical practice. Have a look at our blog if you're looking for medical school personal statement examples .

Admissions committees are looking for certain qualities and experiences in their applicants. Every scientist should possess creativity and curiosity. Maturity and critical thinking are also essential, as MD PhD applicants will have to face unexpected problems and challenges during training and throughout their careers. Other valuable qualities include grit, initiative, academic prowess, and of course, a love of research. If you don't like research, then the joint program is definitely not for you! Many MD PhD programs aim to prepare future leaders of research initiatives and projects. Your essay does not need to dive into the fine details of your research experiences but you should highlight 2-3 experiences that were significant while discussing what you learned from them. Demonstrating perseverance is also key since the scientific method is often a repetitive and frustrating process. It’s perfectly acceptable to highlight any setbacks you experienced during the research process as long as you can speak to how you overcame these challenges and what you learned in doing so.

Remember, your MD PhD essay is a tough balancing act. While it is important to describe your solid research background throughout your application, if all your application components focus only on research, you may have a problem. This would be great for someone who wants to pursue a PhD, but research only experience is not suitable if you want to pursue a combined program. Your MD PhD essay must show a crossover between your scientific research and the experiences you have had working with patients and physicians. For example, you could show that your research is inspired by clinical experience or you could discuss a significant patient interaction during your experience working in a clinical setting. Your interest in MD PhD programs may also be inspired by your concern for the medical issues facing your community, your country, or the world.

Why you are pursuing the joint program

The MD PhD essay is the only component of your application process which directly questions your passion for the combination of the two fields. Make sure that your MD PhD essay and Significant Research Experience Essay are not the same. You have a small amount of space to express your desire to become a physician-scientist, so do not waste it by repeating the same information in all your application components. The Significant Research Experience Essay is where you’ll include all the details of your research experience such as your exact duties, results, and where and with whom you conducted your research.

Use your MD PhD essay to show a larger picture. Admissions offices want to see evidence of problem-solving, maturity, independence, and your level of involvement in a project. Think about how your research experiences foster your scientific curiosity. The MD PhD essay is your chance to show admissions committees the important steps of your journey to the MD PhD program. This is your chance to describe components of your experiences and plans, which might not be evident from your other application materials.

Avoid including cliché topics or phrases in your essay. Many applicants indeed have similar stories of how they became interested in the medical profession. While these reasons may be common, your experiences are unique. Your essay must stand out and leave a lasting positive impression on the reader. Similarly, do not include grand statements linking your choice to enter the MD PhD program to destiny. These will only come across as dramatic, which isn't what you want to convey.

Remember not to describe any negative experiences and their effect on your decision to apply to MD PhD programs. For example, don't discuss how you believe that the academic job market does not look promising for a PhD graduate. Discussing failures in research however, is different, and can be a great way to demonstrate resilience. Frustrating experiences in research are common, so rather than describing the negative aspect of your failures in research, try to describe how this experience positively affected your journey.

Another thing you must avoid in your MD PhD essay is listing accomplishments and skills that are already found in your CV. Your personal statement is not meant to be a reiteration of your CV, instead, it should be your story – one that you will share with the admissions committees. Take them on a journey, in chronological order, highlighting the significant experiences that have led you to want to pursue both medicine and research. With each experience, you must reflect on what you've learned and you need to provide evidence to support any statements. It's not enough to simply state “I demonstrated compassion volunteering at a homeless shelter”. You must show the admissions committees how you demonstrated compassion. For example, you could discuss a specific interaction you had, or a specific project you worked on that demonstrates your ability to show compassion.

What to avoid in your MD-PhD essay:

Your MD-PhD essay should be a story! Avoid simply listing what is already in your CV. "}]" code="timeline1">

Check out our video for some more tips on how to write the MD PhD essay:

How to Structure your MD PhD essay

If you’re applying to MD PhD programs through AMCAS, the MD PhD essay must be no longer than 3000 characters, typically, one page in length. Your essay must be well structured and it's important to avoid any fluff or unnecessarily descriptive language. It must be succinct while containing all the necessary information to make a complete impression of your candidacy. Overall, it should follow the structure of an academic essay and should contain an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

Successful essays will have a powerful introduction, which will introduce the reader to the main message of the letter – your motivation for pursuing the joint program. The opening sentence, in particular, can make or break your entire essay. If it isn’t captivating, unique, and interesting, you risk losing the reader’s attention, which could result in your essay blending in with the thousands of other essays.

To create a unique opening sentence, considering beginning your essay with a personal anecdote. Essentially, you could narrate a personal experience or story that introduces the topic – this is a very common technique in personal essays and it's very effective. For example, you could talk about a time you were ill, an exciting moment during your research, an encounter with the medical system, or even a story of a loved one who was ill or passed away. If you had a specific experience or revelatory “aha” moment, where all of a sudden you just knew you wanted to become a physician-scientist, then this can be a great way to open your essay.

Body paragraphs

The body of your essay has to reveal how your experiences in research and clinical medicine have prepared you for a career as a physician-scientist. Essentially, this is where you provide evidence to the admissions committee to justify your reasons for pursuing the joint program. It’s important that you demonstrate not only your suitability for both research and medicine but that you've taken the steps necessary to test drive your future career. Try to include two or three experiences that demonstrate your expertise as a researcher and future physician.

Remember to always focus on quality, rather than quantity. When deciding which experiences to include, pick the experiences that were most transformative in your journey towards medicine and research. For example, you could highlight a patient interaction that influenced your research interests or a research or lab experience that pushed you towards considering the combined program. If your research made you realize the wider implications of your profession and its relationship to medical practice, it's a great experience to include. It is wise to remember the AAMC’s core competencies when describing your clinical and research experiences. These competencies may help you find connections between your desire to practice both science and medicine.

A strong MD PhD essay conclusion should include a creative reiteration of why you want to pursue training in both medicine and research. Do not make your conclusion into a dry summary of your essay. Rather, it should discuss how your research experience and clinical experience complement each other and should tie together the overall theme of your essay. Your final sentence should leave the reader with a lasting impression that you are a suitable candidate for their MD PhD program.

Once you’ve constructed your essay, be prepared for multiple rounds of revisions and re-edits, ideally, with the help of a medical school advisor . Never underestimate the importance of revision in getting your essay just right. Enlisting the help of a professional who knows exactly what admissions committees are looking for can help you create a powerful essay that will stand out. Family and friends are a good start with your essay, but for a truly unbiased review, it's best to consult a professional with years of experience. Writing your MD PhD essay is a challenge, but do not lose sight of the message you are trying to get across. It is important to keep in mind that the experiences you include in your MD PhD essay must reinforce your desire and need to become a physician-scientist – this is the central purpose of your statement.

MD PhD Essay Example #1:

Amidst crying babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), I asked my current mentor, “How do physicians and scientists approach a disease differently?” [Name of doctor] with over 30 years of experience in her neonatal practice and perinatal brain research, replied, “A physician looks at disease top-down while a scientist looks at disease bottom-up.” Her answer resonated with me because at that moment I realized the value of converging physician and scientists’ interpretations of disease. My goal as a physician-scientist will be to draw connections between physiopathology of disease and molecular properties of drug candidates in order to characterize its efficacy and mechanism of action in the process of drug development.

My research experience led me toward a career as a physician-scientist as I began to draw connections between the properties of therapeutic proteins in the body and the impact it could have on patients. In [name of doctor] 's lab, I found intercellular adhesion molecule-5 could serve as a diagnostic tool for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders since its presence in serum meant brain damage. While in [name of doctor]'s lab, my experiments showed overexpression of sigma-1 receptor protein (S1R) in cancer cells causes them to proliferate. PKC inhibitor that suppresses S1R signals to cell could mean a treatment strategy for cancer patients.

As a research assistant in [name of doctor] ’s lab, researching inter-alpha inhibitor protein (IAIP) as a drug candidate for neonatal hypoxia ischemia encephalopathy (HIE), I visited the NICU where I witnessed the distress of both the premature babies and their families. Working in the lab, I was not fully aware of the human impact of HIE but speaking with physicians I began to understand the need for developing a new therapeutic strategy for HIE as the current treatment—hypoxia is only partially protective. It was here I realized a physician-scientist sits in an advantageous position to explore new therapeutic options that being a researcher, or a physician alone could not.

By working in the lab and hospital, I considered the perspectives of both physicians and scientists as I investigated IAIP’s neuroprotective mechanism. From a physician’s point of view, I understood HIE-associated brain injury is caused by inflammation after energy deprivation. From a scientist’s view, IAIP protects the cell by suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokine production. IAIP’s mechanism can be hypothesized and tested by exploring how IAIP’s molecular properties influences HIE’s pathology, so I am currently performing histological and cell culture studies to understand IAIP’s mechanism in tissue and cell.

My intention is to be a physician-scientist because the overlap of the two professions brings out the best of medicine—translation of bench research into medical devices and drugs that can be used in the clinical arena for patient care.

What makes this essay great:

  • The essay begins with a personal anecdote, which instantly captivates the reader's attention and transports them into the NICU with the student.
  • The student describes their revelations at each point in their story, in particular, where their initial interest in medicine and research began, and when they understood the intricate interconnection between both fields.
  • The student demonstrates their curiosity into the mechanisms behind disease, and it's interesting to see how they investigate complex issues from both a physician and scientist point of view.
  • The student utilizes excellent transitional sentences allowing for the essay to flow well and the body paragraphs are well constructed. Through strong examples and evidence, the student supports their statements and discussions effectively, ie, showing instead of telling.

Click here to view the example.

MD PhD Essay Example #3:

1. Can I change my research direction during my studies, or will I have to stick to the research field I identified in my personal statement and MD PhD essay?

The majority of applicants only have a general idea of what area of research they want to pursue in the future. For this reason, it is completely normal for you to change direction in your research throughout your studies. Most likely, you will have to get more research experience to realize what type of research you want to follow. In your MD PhD essay, the admissions committees will value the quality of your research experience, rather than the field. They want to see your ability to ask the right questions, design experiments, conduct analysis, and so on. This will show your scientific skills and qualifications, which can be transferred to any field.

2. Do I have a chance of getting accepted into MD PhD programs if I have limited research experience?

Research experience is essential when applying to MD PhD programs. Admissions committees want to select students who have a history of conducting meaningful academic research and have the potential to progress knowledge in the medical profession. It is normal for applicants to be uncertain of what research project they want to pursue in the future, but you must have some background in scientific study. If you have zero research experience, it's best to wait until you can gain some relevant experience before applying. You can, on the other hand, make a positive impression in your MD PhD essay if you convey a strong interest and experience in a research project – even if you have only one experience to reference. Your progress and commitment to a specific research area can make you stand out as long term dedication will always impress admissions committees. It is not necessary to be involved in dozens of research projects or make any groundbreaking scientific discoveries to enter the MD PhD program. Be sure to include and highlight your significant experiences in research throughout your application. Always focus on what you have learned and accomplished and don't be afraid to discuss your setbacks in addition to your accomplishments.

3. Should my research and my clinical experience be in the same field?

It’s great if you have research and clinical experiences that are related - this way you could write about how you worked with patients who had problems related to your scientific research and how you enjoyed helping them in a clinical setting. You can emphasize that you know from experience how fundamental research could be in providing a cure or treating a disease. However, you do not need to have clinical experience related to your research experience and interests. You can create a strong MD PhD essay by describing the research you plan to do in the context of a larger problem you want to solve and not just a question you want to explore. If you are looking to do research where you haven't worked with a related patient population, it could still be good to discuss the broader picture of why you think that research is important and how it might help communities in the future.

4. Do I need to have publications to apply to MD PhD programs?

Publications are not necessary, especially if you are applying directly out of your undergrad degree. Admissions committees and program directors are aware of how difficult it is to contribute to publication at such an early stage in your education. If you do have publications to include in your application – please do! Publications can certainly give you a competitive edge as not every applicant will have this experience. Keep in mind that you must have an in-depth understanding of the research you participate in because you will likely be asked about it during your interviews, regardless of your level of contribution.

5. Are letters of reference important for MD PhD applications?

Absolutely. Admissions committees value outside perspectives on whether or not you will be suitable for their joint program. Research related references are especially important. Try to form good relationships with your research mentors, professors, directors, and principal investigators. Make sure you select referees that know you well. They should be able to give a detailed account of your research involvement and your strengths as a researcher and critical thinker. They should also be able to emphasize your maturity, reliability, and any other strength unique to you.

6. Can I apply to MD and MD PhD programs at the same time?

Yes, you can. You'll be able to indicate which schools and which programs you’re applying to in your AMCAS application. Many schools that reject you for MD PhD programs will still consider you for the regular MD stream. 

7. Is a career as a physician-scientist my only option if I graduate from the MD PhD program?

Not necessarily, however, it is important to think about your future career plans when you apply to any professional program. The MD PhD training is very costly in terms of time and money for you and the institution that admits you, so try to reflect on whether your goals coincide with the goals of the MD PhD program you want to attend. Becoming a full-time physician and tending to patients are amazing goals, but they do not require a PhD in addition to an MD. If you want to become a physician-scientist, then you should plan to spend most of your time and efforts on research and less time in clinical practice. If you want to become a physician who works on making discoveries in the medical field, then the MD PhD program may be for you. Career-wise, most MD PhD graduates end up in careers that combine patient care and research. Many end up at academic medical centers, research institutions, or in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. A large number of MD PhD graduates end up in academia as well.

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    Writing an Awesome AMCAS Essay Med School Application Process: AMCAS, Secondaries, Interviews, Decisions & More! Do you need more in-depth, personalized advice for your medical school application essays? Choose from Accepted's AMCAS application advising and editing packages to work individually with an experienced consultant and admissions expert!

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    Principle #1: To thine own self be true One of the purposes of the AMCAS essay is to provide a snapshot - a quick and accurate introduction - of yourself to the med school admissions board.

  10. AMCAS Personal Statement Examples (Definitive Guide in 2024)

    AMCAS Personal Statement Sample 1 Just as every person is unique, each applicant's personal statement is unique. There is no preferred topic or experience. While the personal statement is anchored around 2 to 3 incidents or life experiences that are personal, the real interest lies in why those incidents are important to the applicant.

  11. Medical School Personal Statement Examples That Got 6 Acceptances

    Medical School Personal Statement Example #1 I made my way to Hillary's house after hearing about her alcoholic father's incarceration. Seeing her tearfulness and at a loss for words, I took her hand and held it, hoping to make things more bearable. She squeezed back gently in reply, "thank you."

  12. AMCAS Work and Activities Examples From Sought-After Matriculants

    In this post, we provide eight AMCAS Work and Activities examples, including three most meaningful experience descriptions. We'll also discuss how to choose your activities, how many to include, and how to write effective activity descriptions. The AMCAS Work and Activities section summarizes the extracurricular activities you participated in ...

  13. Medical School Personal Statement Examples

    Here we present medical school personal statement examples to give you ideas for your own essay. Pay close attention to the consistent format of these effective personal statements: ENGAGING INTRODUCTION / UNIFYING THEME / COMPELLING CONCLUSION

  14. Advisor Corner: Crafting Your Personal Statement

    Kate Fukawa-Connelly, Director of Health Professions Advising, Princeton University. The personal statement is an unfamiliar genre for most students—you've practiced writing lab reports, analytical essays, maybe even creative fiction or poetry, but the personal statement is something between a reflective, analytical narrative, and an argumentative essay.

  15. 4 Medical School Personal Statement Examples

    Both AACOMAS and AMCAS applications have a character limit of 5,300. You do not necessarily need to use all 5,300 characters, but you also don't want it to be under 3,000. You want to use as many as possible while staying on topic and being relevant. A too-short essay can look careless. 5. Get comfortable with revising. You'll do it a lot.

  16. Medical School Secondary Essays: The Complete Guide 2024 (Examples

    Part 1: Introduction. As a medical school applicant, you've worked hard on your submitting the best AMCAS application you can. You've written a compelling medical school personal statement, a detailed AMCAS Work and Activities section, and more.Now med schools are sending you school-specific secondary applications that require you to write additional essays?

  17. AMCAS Application: How to Write a Strong "Personal Comments" Essay

    AMCAS recommends addressing the following three questions in your essay: 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 has not been disclosed in other sections of the application?

  18. AMCAS Statement of Disadvantage Examples

    Updated: Jan 19, 2024 Reading some AMCAS statement of disadvantage examples will help you understand this baffling section of the AMCAS application. Understanding the different AMCAS sections and questions will help you understand how to prepare your med school application.

  19. Crafting a Powerful AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay

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  20. 2023 AMCAS Application Workbook

    2023 AMCAS® Application Workbook. This document is intended to serve as a resource for prospective AMCAS applicants. The questions contained in the 2023 AMCAS application are listed below and, where possible, selection choices are also provided. Unless otherwise noted, all questions require a response. Items in blue are explanatory notes.

  21. 2024 AMCAS® Application Workbook

    2024 AMCAS® Application Workbook. This document is intended to serve as a resource for prospective AMCAS applicants. The questions contained in the 2024 AMCAS application are listed below and, where possible, selection choices are also provided. Unless otherwise noted, all questions require a response. Items in blue are explanatory notes.

  22. 2024 TMDSAS Ultimate Guide (Essay Examples Included)

    2024 TMDSAS Ultimate Guide (Essay Examples Included) Learn everything about the Texas medical school application, plus an example TMDSAS personal statement, personal characteristics essay, and optional essay The TMdsas Application is used by medical schools in texas

  23. MD PhD Essay: The Ultimate Guide

    The MD PhD program is a long and difficult process, lasting between seven to eight years. On top of your personal statement and AMCAS Work and Activities section, you will have to submit two additional essays through AMCAS: The Significant Research Experience Essay and the MD PhD Essay. Many applicants find the MD PhD essay quite challenging ...