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Lesson One: Medical School
Essay Question Help
Please select from the following common
medical school topics:
Note: The below essays were not edited by
EssayEdge Editors. They appear as they were initially reviewed by admissions officers.
Theme 1:
Why I Want to Be a Doctor
Many people look back in time to find the
moment of their initial inspiration. Some people have wanted to be a doctor so long they
do not even know what originally inspired them. To incorporate this theme, look back to
the material you gathered in the last chapter, specifically in response to “The
Chronological Method,” “Note Major Influences,” and “Identify Your
Goals.” Ask yourself these questions: How old was I when I first wanted to become a
doctor? Was there a defining moment? Was there ever any ambivalence? Was I inspired by a
specific person? What kind of doctor do I want to be and how does that tie into my
motivation?
Here are a few of the common ways that
students incorporate this theme:
“I’ve Always Wanted to Be a
Doctor”
AKA: “I’ve Wanted to Be a
Doctor Since I Was…” and “Everyone Has Always Said I’d Be a
Doctor”
This is perhaps the most common approach of
all. The secret to doing it well is to show, not just tell, why you want to be a doctor.
You cannot just say it and expect it to stand on its own. Take the advice of one
admissions officer:
“The “I’ve always wanted to
be a doctor” essay has been done to death. I think candidates need to be careful to
show that their decision was not only a pre-adolescent one and has been tested over the
years and approached in a mature manner.”
Supply believable details from your life to
make your desire real to the reader. One secret to avoiding the “here we go
again” reaction is to be particularly careful with your first line. Starting with
“I’ve wanted to be a doctor since…” makes the reader cringe. It’s
an easy line to fall back on, but admissions officers have read this sentence more times
than they care to count; don’t add to the statistic.
“My Parents are Doctors”
This approach to the “why I want to
be a doctor” theme is dangerous for a different reason. Says one officer:
“It’s a prejudice of mine, but
the legacy essay, the one that reads, “My dad and my grandpa and my great-grandpa
were all doctors so I should be too,” makes me suspect immaturity. I envision young
people who can’t think for themselves or make up their own minds.”
This is not the opinion of every officer,
though. The point is not to avoid admitting that your parent is an M.D., it is to avoid
depending on that as the sole reason for you wanting to go to medical school. If a parent
truly was your inspiration, then describe exactly why you were inspired.
“My Doctor Changed My Life!”
AKA: “Being a Patient Made Me Want
to Become a Doctor”
Some people claim to be motivated to become
doctors because they have had personal experience of illness or disability. Notes an
admissions officer:
“I had a student who grew up with a
chronic illness. She spent much time with physicians and other health care providers
throughout her young life. In her essay she wrote about this continuing experience and how
the medical professionals treated her. She wrote of her admiration of them as well as her
understanding that they couldn’t yet cure her. Her essay literally jumped off the
page as being unique to her and a compelling understanding of and testament to her desire
to join the people who had been so important to her life.”
If your personal experience with the medical
profession sincerely is your motivation for attending medical school, then do write about
it. The problem is that many students fall back on this topic even when it does not
particularly hold true for them. We cannot stress enough that you do not have to have a
life-defining ability or a dramatic experience to have an exciting statement. Admissions
committees receive piles of accident- and illness-related essays and the ones that seem
insincere stick out like sore thumbs (pun intended!) and do not reflect well on you as a
candidate. Says another officer:
“My orthodontist changed my
life!” “My dentist gave me my smile back!” These types of themes are
certainly valid, but go beyond that to what particular aspect of the profession intrigues
you. Do you understand how many years of study your orthodontist had to have in order to
reach his level of practice? Have you observed your dentist for any significant amount of
time? Do you know that the profession now is much different than it was when he or she was
starting out? Have you given any thought to the danger of infectious diseases to all
health-care professionals? Present a well-organized, complete essay dealing with these
points.”
You may just want to mention your own
experience only briefly toward the end of the essay. Use it as a confirmation of your
decision to be a doctor (instead of as his primary motivation) and demonstrate that
because of the experience you will become a better doctor. Try not to dwell on the
experience and provide plenty of further evidence of your sincere motivation.
“My Mom Had Cancer”
This theme is really just a variation of
“I was a patient myself” and the same advice applies: If a loved one’s
battle with illness, trauma, or disability is truly what inspired your wish to become a
doctor, then by all means mention it. But don’t dwell on it, don’t
overdramatize, and don’t let it stand as your sole motivation-show that you’ve
done your research and you understand the life of a doctor and you chose it for a variety
of reasons.
The Hard-Luck Tale
Some truly outstanding essays are about
strong emotional experiences such as a childhood struggle with disease or the death of a
loved one. Some of these are done so effectively that they are held up as role models for
all essays. Says one officer:
“I had a student who was considered a
weak candidate because of poor grades and low test scores. She was African-American and
although she had pursued all the right avenues (classes, MCAT, volunteer experiences) to
prepare herself for medical school, she remained undistinguished as a candidate- until,
that is, she wrote her essay. The essay revealed her tremendous and sincere drive. She was
from a crime-riddled area of New York City and several of her siblings had been violently
killed. She wrote about her experience and her desire to practice medicine in the city and
improve the neighborhood where she was raised. It was compelling, believable, and truly
inspiring.”
While it is true that these poignant tales
can provide very strong evidence of motivation for medical school, they are difficult to
do well and need to be handled with extreme care and sensitivity. And, as we have said
before, do not rely on the tale itself to carry you through; you always need to clearly
show your motivation. Notes another admissions officer:
“This is going to sound harsh, but I
don’t like the tales of woe such as the ones that begin with the mother’s death
from cancer. Frankly, I feel manipulated and I don’t think that the personal
statement is the proper mode of expression for that kind of emotion.”
The Medical Dichotomy
One of the major draws of the medical
field is its dualistic nature combining hard-core science with the softer side of helping
people. This is described by people in many ways; some describe it as a dichotomy of
science to art; to others it is intellectualism to humanism, theory to application,
research to creativity, or qualitative to social skills. No matter how you choose to
phrase it, if you mention the dichotomy, then be sure to touch on your qualifications and
experience in both areas.
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Theme 2: Why I Am an
Exceptional Person
This theme is often tied in closely with
“why I am a qualified person.” Be very clear on the difference, though; the
latter focuses specifically on your experience (medical or otherwise) that qualifies you
to be a better medical student, while the former focuses strictly on you as a person.
Committees are always on the lookout for well-rounded candidates. They want to see that
you are interesting, involved, and tied to the community around you.
To help you think about how to support this
theme, look at your answers to the exercises from the last chapter and ask yourself: What
makes me different? Do I have any special talents or abilities that might make me more
interesting? How will my skills and personality traits add diversity to the class? What
makes me stand out from the crowd? How will this help me to be a better physician and
student?
If you are creative, you’ll be able to
take whatever makes you different-even a flaw-and turn it to your advantage.
“One student wrote about her
experience as a childhood “klutz” and how her many accidents kept her
continually seeking medical care. The care she received was the impetus to her desire to
become a doctor and made her essay entertaining, sincere, and eminently credible.”
Note that the candidate in this example tied
her experience to her desire to become a doctor. It is imperative that this be done with
practically every point you make in your essay.
The Talented Among Us
If you are one of a lucky few who have an
outstanding talent or ability, now is no time to hide it. Whether you are a star athlete,
an opera singer, or a violin virtuoso, by all means make it a focus of your essay.
“These people can be some of the
strongest of candidates. Assuming, always, that they’ve excelled in the required
preparatory coursework, the other strengths can take them over the top. Athletes,
musicians, and others can make the compelling case of excellence, achievement, discipline,
mastering a subject/talent and leveraging their abilities. Medical schools are full of
these types; they thrive by bringing high achievers who possess intellectual ability into
their realm.”
If you do plan to focus on a strength outside
the field of medicine, your challenge becomes one of how to tie the experience of that
ability into your motivation for becoming a doctor.
Students of Diversity
If you are diverse in any sense of the
word-an older applicant, a minority, a foreign applicant, or disabled-use it to your
advantage by showing what your unique background will bring to the school and to the
practice of medicine. Some admissions officers, however, warn against using minority
status as a qualification instead of a quality. If you fall into this trap, your diversity
will work against you.
“If you are a “student of
diversity,” then of course, use it. But don’t harp on it for it’s own sake
or think that being diverse by itself is enough to get you in; that will only make us feel
manipulated and it will show that you didn’t know how to take advantage of a good
opportunity.”
So just be sure you tie it in with either
your motivation or your argument for why your diversity makes you a better candidate.
Latecomers and Career Switchers
You need not be a member of a minority, a
foreign applicant, disabled, or an athlete or musician to be considered diverse. There
are, for example, those who have had experience in or prepared themselves for totally
different fields. If you fall into these categories, give succinct reasons for wanting to
go into medicine and show evidence of sincere and intensive preparation for your new
chosen field.
English Majors and Theater People
Not everyone who is accepted to medical
school has a hard-core science background. If you’re one of these applicants, you
must turn your potential weaknesses into strengths. Point out that communication is an
integral part of being a doctor, and discuss the advantages of your well-rounded
backgrounds. Be very careful to demonstrate your motivation and qualifications in detail
and with solid evidence to offset worries that your non-science backgrounds may have given
you an unrealistic view of a doctor’s life or that you might be unable to cope with
the science courses at medical school.
Can I Be Too Well Rounded?
Some people have talents, abilities, or
experience in so many different areas that they risk coming across as unfocused or
undedicated. When handled deftly, though, your many sides can be brought together, and
what could have hurt you becomes instead your greatest vehicle for setting you apart from
the crowd.
Taking Advantage of International
Experience
Many applicants have international
experience. So, while it may not set you apart in a completely unique way, it is always
worthwhile to demonstrate your cross-cultural experience and sensitivity. To be
successful, you must go beyond simply writing about your experiences to relating them
either to your motivation or qualifications. Do not expect the committee to make these
leaps for you; you need to put it in your own words and make the connections clear.
Religion
Some admissions counselors advise against
the mention of religion altogether. Others say that it can be used to applicants’
advantage by setting them apart and by stressing values and commitment. This is a
sensitive subject area and is best left to individual choice.
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Theme 3: Why I Am
a Qualified Person
The last major theme deals with your
experience and qualifications both for attending medical school and for becoming a good
doctor. Having direct hospital or research experience is always the best evidence you can
give. If you have none, then consider what other experience you have that is related. Have
you been a volunteer? Have you tutored English as a Second Language? Were you a teaching
assistant? The rule to follow here is: If you have done it, use it.
Hospital/Clinical Experience
Direct experience with patients is
probably the best kind to have in your essay. But the important thing to remember here is
that any type or amount of experience you have had should be mentioned, no matter how
insignificant you feel it is.
Research Experience
A word of caution: Do not focus solely on
your research topic; your essay will become impersonal at best and positively dull at
worst. Watch out for overuse of what non-science types refer to as “medical
garble.” If it is necessary for the description of your project, then, of course, you
have no choice. But including medical terms in your essay just because you are able to
will not impress anyone.
Unusual Medical Experience
Even if you have not volunteered X number
of hours a week at a clinic or spent a term on a research project, you might still have
medical experience that counts: the time you cared for your sick grandmother or the day
you saved the man at the next table from choking in a restaurant. It does not even matter
if you were unsuccessful (maybe, despite all your valiant efforts, the man at the next
table did not survive), if it was meaningful to you then it is relevant; in fact, these
failed efforts might be even more compelling.
Nonmedical Experience
Your experience does not even have to be
medically related to be relevant. Many successful applicants cite non-medical volunteer
experience as evidence of their willingness to help and heal the human race.
Back to Top
For tips on answering general application
questions, click here.
 Move on to Lesson Two: Brainstorming a Topic
From ESSAYS THAT WILL GET YOU INTO COLLEGE, by Amy Burnham, Daniel Kaufman, and
Chris Dowhan.
Copyright 1998 by Dan Kaufman. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational
Series, Inc.
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